Shrouding the Heavens: Starting by joining the Holy Land of Yao Guang

Chapter 53 The Tuoba Family

In just the sixth park, they harvested 10,000 catties of source material, while the cost of buying source stones was only a little over 1,000 catties of source material. In less than 15 minutes, they made a tenfold profit.

"Good results, let's continue," Li Yao said, and continued walking towards the next park.

Upon hearing this, the surrounding crowd swarmed after them. It was quite an opportunity to observe and learn from a master of Origin Arts gambling on stones.

Many people present had learned some source techniques, or at least a little bit, otherwise they wouldn't be so obsessed with gambling on stones.

Observing a master of Origin Arts gambling on stones and gaining something from it can greatly improve their Origin Arts skills.

This is why there are always many people watching when Master Yuanshi gambles on stones; it's not just for the excitement, but also because they want to take this opportunity to learn.

Next, the commotion caused by Li Yao grew bigger and bigger, attracting more and more onlookers, and almost everyone in the Jiang family's stone archway came over.

Even the news that he was gambling on stones here quickly spread throughout the entire Holy City, starting from Jiang Family Stone Workshop.

The reason it caused such a sensation is because the probability of Li Yao producing a treasure is extremely high.

He unearthed rare treasures from almost every Originium, far exceeding the price he paid for the Originium.

With such a high drop rate, the mastery of Origin Arts has definitely reached the level of a Grandmaster.

The seventh park, the eighth... Soon, the huge crowd followed Li Yao to the seventeenth park.

As Li Yao cut along the way, the number of rare treasures he unearthed continued to increase. Now, the combined value of those treasures has exceeded 800,000 jin of Yuan.

The powerful figures from the Jiang family who were in charge of the stone workshop could no longer sit still. They had already reached the seventeenth area, and soon they would reach the top-tier stone garden.

"Brother Yun, aren't you going a bit too far by doing this?" The Supreme Elder of the Jiang family approached Yun Shang.

Yunshang seemed to have anticipated this scene, so he waited in a sparsely populated corner early on.

“That’s too much, Brother Jiang. What do you mean by that? The Jiang family’s stone shop is open for business, and we’re here to help. You’re not grateful, but why are you blaming me now?” Yun Shang feigned confusion.

Jiang Xiong said helplessly, "Brother Yun, you and I both know the inside story, so don't pretend to be confused. Jiang Yi has long since left the Jiang family, and we have no right to interfere with his behavior. How can you attribute this to my Jiang family?"

Yun Shang remained unfazed and continued to feign ignorance, saying, "Brother Jiang, you've really misunderstood. We're here to support your business. Of course, I know that Jiang Yi has left the Jiang family. Although we were also very angry about his robbing of my Yao Guang Holy Land's source area, from beginning to end, my Yao Guang Holy Land has never questioned the Jiang family."

After a moment of silence, Jiang Xiong looked at Li Yao, who was picking stones, and said bitterly, "Tell me, Brother Yun, what will it take for you to let go?"

He really didn't want Li Yao to continue. When a stone shop opens for business, the least welcome people are masters of Origin Arts, and they can't stand Li Yao picking stones like he's plundering the land.

Regardless of the value of the source stones, as long as there is a profit to be made, Li Yao will almost always buy them directly. This behavior is extremely damaging to the stone workshop.

Even the most skilled masters of Origin Arts are not infallible when gambling on stones; they will inevitably make mistakes. Moreover, they are unwilling to offend various holy lands and aristocratic families, so they will know when to stop when gambling on stones.

They rarely touch those low-value Originium stones.

If someone like Li Yao buys up all the valuable Originium in every park he visits and opens them up, then everyone else knows that what's left are just Originium that can't be earned.

The chances of finding a treasure in rough stones were already slim, and now, thanks to Li Yao's actions, those chances have plummeted. Not to mention those who gamble on luck, even those who are confident in their Origin Techniques dare not continue buying stones from the Jiang Family Stone Shop.

Just like buying lottery tickets, many people know in their hearts that it is unlikely to win, but they still have some fantasies before they buy.

If someone knows they have absolutely no chance of winning the lottery before even buying it, how many people would still buy it?

Moreover, the source stones in the front park are fine, as they are easy to replenish, with new source stones entering the stone workshop every year. But if Li Yao goes to the top-tier stone garden and cuts out some peerless treasure, it will definitely make them feel the pinch.

Moreover, if Li Yao really goes to extremes and makes large-scale cuts in the Tianzihao Stone Garden, the Jiang family's stone archway will definitely suffer serious damage. Without good stone materials, what will you use to attract people to the archway?

Such a price is far too high. In various sacred places, the gambling stone workshop is an important part of the revenue. If the income of the stone workshop declines, then the family's income will shrink in the future.

Yun Shang was aware of this, so he wasn't in a hurry at all, keeping his eyes fixed on Li Yao until Jiang Xiong couldn't hold back any longer, at which point he finally spoke:

“I need to know Jiang Yi’s whereabouts. I believe your Jiang family must know where he is.”

Jiang Yi's robbing of the Yao Guang Holy Land has tarnished the Holy Land's reputation. If the Holy Land can't do anything about Jiang Yi in the end, then someone will definitely follow his example in the future.

There are thirteen major bandits in the Northern Region. If we don't give them a warning, they'll come today and tomorrow. Who can stand that?

The best course of action for the Yao Guang Holy Land is to find Jiang Yi and kill him, so that the world knows the consequences of offending the Yao Guang Holy Land. Otherwise, those who are blind and ignorant might really think that the Yao Guang Holy Land is powerless to fight back.

Unfortunately, Jiang Xiong rejected this request outright. Although Jiang Yi had left the Jiang family, he still had many relatives within the family, some of whom now held high positions. For their sake, the Jiang family would never sell Jiang Yi.

“If Brother Jiang is unwilling to reveal Jiang Yi’s whereabouts, then there’s nothing to discuss,” Yun Shang said, shaking his head.

"Are you really going to go all the way?" Jiang Xiong's face darkened, and his tone became unpleasant.

"Whatever." Yun Shang chuckled, completely unconcerned.

That's how it is in jade gambling shops; if you're open for business, you can't be driven away.

As for a complete falling out, it's not a big deal. Two forces possessing imperial weapons are unlikely to wage war over such a trivial matter. At most, the Jiang family might just send a Source Technique Grandmaster to the Yao Guang Stone Market to gamble on stones.

But so what? You can invite a Source Arts Master to my place to cut stones, and I also have a Source Arts Master here. At worst, it'll just be a gamble.

If the Source Master you invited loses, then no matter what good things he cuts out, they will still be lost to the Yao Guang Holy Land as a wager.

Therefore, cloud merchants are not worried about this at all.

Jiang Xiong was completely helpless, but fortunately, he had anticipated this scene when he learned that Li Yao had entered the stone workshop, so he had already sent someone to invite a master of source arts to gamble on stones with Li Yao.

If Li Yao loses the bet, he will have no face to continue gambling on stones at Jiang's Stone Workshop.

Li Yao was unaware of all this; all his attention was currently focused on the Originium.

Soon, the seventeenth park was completed. Li Yao selected five source stones here, paying 40,000 catties of source stones. After cutting them open, he harvested 200,000 catties of source stones, which was another profit that multiplied several times.

Just as Li Yao was about to head to the eighteenth stone garden, the crowd suddenly became restless.

"It's Tuoba Lie, Tuoba Lie from the Tuoba family, one of the four major schools of Origin Arts. He's a renowned master of Origin Arts!" someone exclaimed.

Immediately, the vast crowd turned their gaze toward the entrance of the stone garden. Sure enough, a middle-aged man walked in, dressed in brocade robes and adorned with jewels.

"They're actually from the Tuoba family. This is truly one of the oldest families specializing in Origin Arts. Legend has it that they can stabilize dragon veins and lock down mountains and rivers."

"Tuoba Lie's mastery of source techniques is extraordinary; he can turn stone into gold. Three years ago, he cut out a piece of divine source the size of half a human head in the stone workshop of the Illusion Palace."

"If two masters of Origin Arts met, would they gamble on stones?"

"Definitely. Every time a master of Origin Arts meets, they will definitely gamble on stones."

The crowd began to discuss, and everyone's face was filled with excitement. A duel between masters of Source Arts was going to be a grand event.

PS: Requesting monthly votes, recommendations, and follow-up reading at the end of the month.
(End of this chapter)