Covering the Sky: I, a mortal, ascended to the throne step by step.

"Choose three from three, and cut them in public."

Tuoba Zhao tucked the golden jade slip back into his robes, his voice hoarse: "The loser hands over the bet, the winner takes it all."

Li Xian nodded.

"Who chooses first?"

"You go first."

Tuoba Zhao took half a step back and put his hands behind his back.

Yao Yue leaned against the tree trunk, her blue heterochromatic eyes half-closed.

The powerful elders around them spontaneously dispersed and formed a semicircle.

The old woman with the cane moved a stone bench and sat down. She looked very old and closed her eyes to rest, but her perked-up ears betrayed her.

Li Xian walked towards the stone niche on the left side of the tenth area.

Hundreds of stones lie quietly within, each one several grades higher in quality than those in the previous nine districts.

The mine is over 10,000 years old.

The skin is thick and the color is deep and rich.

He placed his right palm on the first row of stones, and the Yuantian Remnant Technique silently began to operate.

Three breaths.

He picked up a flat, round gray stone.

It was the size of a palm, light as a feather, and looked perfectly normal.

"This one."

The onlookers looked at each other in bewilderment.

This stone is grayish-white with a dry surface. It doesn't even have any decent mineral patterns, let alone any fluctuations in source energy. No one in the former nine districts would even pick it up.

Tuoba Zhao glanced at the gray stone, his expression unchanged.

Li Xian did not hesitate.

A broken monk's knife cut horizontally.

The stone skin cracked.

A cloud of white powder fell down and spread across the bluestone slabs.

empty.

It wasn't cut off to the wrong spot, nor was there too little source material—

It was a completely empty stone, without even the slightest impurity inside.

The entire room fell silent for a moment.

Then, laughter erupted.

"Ha! A master of Source Arts, huh? You missed with your first strike!"

"That time in District Nine was probably just pure luck..."

"The Yuan King's lineage is bound to win. With Elder Tuoba taking action, this rogue cultivator is doomed."

Li Xian sheathed his sword expressionlessly.

'As expected.'

He could see the gray stone clearly—it was indeed hollow.

However, he needs to make a single cut to test the direction of the earth veins in the Stone Archway and to correct the perception deviation of the Source Heaven Remnant Technique in the Tenth District.

The stone quarries in the former Ninth District are relatively young and have thin outer layers, allowing his perception to penetrate directly to the core.

The tenth district is different. It is close to the top-tier park and the essence of the stone workshop. It is filled with old mines, and the thick source skin will reflect your perception. It's like looking at a stone through muddy water. You need to first figure out the turbidity of the "water".

A single, clean cut allows for some margin of error.

As for the outcome of the bet, it was already predetermined.

Tuoba Zhao stepped forward.

He walked to the stone niche on the right, his bright red right hand emerging from his sleeve.

The five fingers had a dark golden sheen, thick knuckles, and a metallic sheen that seemed to flow beneath the skin.

Crimson Gold Divine Hand.

Tuoba Zhao placed his palm on a large purplish-black stone in the niche.

His fingers trembled slightly.

In that instant, the surface of the stone seemed to become translucent—

It's not truly transparent; rather, the Crimson Gold Divine Hand uses the resonance of source energy to transmit the subtle feedback from inside the stone back to its palm.

Three breaths later.

Tuoba Zhao shook his head and moved to the next piece.

Three more breaths, then he shook his head again.

His fingers stopped on the seventh piece.

The five crimson fingers slowly opened, supporting a piece of dark green stone the size of a water vat.

"This one."

With his other hand, he took out a thick stone-cutting knife.

They cut along the natural grain of the stone with swift, decisive movements.

A flash of light.

The stone skin is peeling off.

A burst of rich, emerald-green light shot out, illuminating the surrounding area in a vibrant green.

The alien emerald source, as large as a water bucket, was warm and crystalline, its source energy almost tangible.

"Emerald Spirit Source! It's such a huge piece!"

"A superior-grade exotic source, worth at least three types of resources!"

One source, three thousand catties of pure source.

With a single cut, Tuoba Zhao unearthed a treasure worth ten times more than the stone itself.

A cheer erupted from the crowd.

Tuoba Zhao carefully put away the Emerald Spirit Source and turned to look at Li Xian.

There was no sense of pride.

There was no provocation.

Master Lao Yuan's gaze had only one thing in mind—examination.

He was waiting for Li Xian's second strike.

Li Xian walked deeper into the stone niche.

He didn't squat down, didn't touch the ground, and didn't even touch any of the stones.

Just standing still.

His gaze slowly swept over the entire stone niche.

Then he turned and walked deeper into the park.

"Hey!" shouted one of the onlookers, "You haven't even chosen a stone yet, where are you running off to?"

Li Xian ignored him.

The old woman with the cane opened one eye, looked in his direction, her lips twitched, but she didn't say anything.

We passed through the eleventh, twelfth... and eighteenth in succession.

Li Xian stepped into the Tianzi No. 1 Park and walked to a stone wall at the very depths.

The stone wall is embedded with more than a dozen unclassified giant ores, each marked with a price—the lowest being 50,000 jin of ore, and the highest being 200,000.

Li Xian stopped in front of a rock that was about half a person's height.

The stone was strangely shaped, like a curled-up human figure, with its surface covered with natural holes, nine in total, corresponding to the seven orifices of the human body plus the palms.

The Nine-Aperture Stone Man.

Price: 90,000 jin of pure raw material.

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

"Ninety thousand catties?! Has he gone mad?"

"Even if we include the 10,000 jin we won before, plus the divine essence particles we got from cutting the stones, it still won't be enough!"

Li Xian turned to look at the old woman with the cane.

"Senior, I will use the divine source grains I cut out earlier as collateral to purchase this stone."

The old woman stood up.

The cane tapped the ground twice.

"That divine source is worth no less than 30,000 catties of pure source on the market. Adding the 10,000 catties you won earlier and that piece of amethyst source, it's barely enough as collateral."

She glanced at Li Xian, willing to take the risk to vouch for this young man; the Yuan King lineage was too annoying.

Who dares to boast that they've won over their saint?

Pooh!

Also match?

"But are you sure you want to choose this one? Nine-aperture stone figures are usually hollowed out nine times out of ten. Even if there are things inside, they're mostly in the limbs and torso. Whether it's worth the price is up to you to decide."

Li Xian didn't say much.

"Cut it?"

Tuoba Zhao stepped forward, staring at the nine-aperture stone figure. His right hand, stained with crimson gold, trembled slightly—he had never examined this stone material in detail before, and he was somewhat unsure of its quality.

Upon closer inspection, his pupils suddenly contracted.

How did you choose it?

Li Xian did not answer.

He turned around and gave a slight bow to the old woman with the cane.

"Senior, please seal off this place."

The old woman raised an eyebrow.

The fact that the space was sealed off indicates that this kid has great confidence in what's inside and is afraid of losing control if he cuts it out.

"OK."

The old woman slammed her cane heavily into the ground.

An invisible barrier spread out from her body, enveloping an area of ​​three zhang in radius.

The air grew heavy.

The restrictions on the stone archway have been lifted.

Li Xian took a deep breath.

He didn't have a knife.

He raised his right index finger, and a glint of light appeared at the fingertip.

The sharp edge unleashed by the incomplete "Dou" character was contained within a tiny speck of light the size of a bean.

He stared at the center of the nine-aperture stone statue's brow—

That biggest hole.

The nine-aperture stone man had not yet become a holy spirit; his limbs and torso were empty, and even his heart had not conceived any treasures. The true essence resided entirely in his brow.

Pointing out with one finger.

"Buzz—"

A white light pierced the stone figure's brow.

The entire stone figure trembled violently.

Grayish-white stone powder spewed out from the nine holes at the same time, as if some being that had been dormant for thousands of years had been suddenly awakened.

"Snap!"

A crack appeared between his eyebrows.

A dark gold metal cocoon rolled out of the crack and crashed to the ground with a dull thud.

It's much heavier than I imagined.

The cocoon shell is covered with spiderweb-like patterns.

Some kind of ancient runes flickered intermittently within the patterns.

quickly!

The cocoon shell burst open.

A small black sword, about an inch long, shot out of the broken shell like a live fish!

A murderous aura filled the sky.

In an instant, the killing intent reached its peak—

It wasn't the killing intent released by the cultivator, but rather the resentment and malevolence contained within the weapon itself, accumulated over countless millennia, which transformed into a black beam of light that crashed straight into the old woman's sealing barrier.

"Bang!"

The restriction has cracked open.

The small black sword spun wildly in the air, its whirring sound piercing, as it slashed towards the nearest powerful elder.

"A deadly weapon!"

The old woman suddenly opened her eyes.

With a horizontal swing of his cane, his immense divine power transformed into a giant hand, swatting the small sword away.

"town!"

Several waves of oppressive force crashed down simultaneously.

Several elders joined forces, their terrifying power at the Great Power level weaving into a net that trapped the mad little sword in mid-air.

The small sword struggled and trembled, its black light flickering.

The resentment surged outwards like a tidal wave.

The low-level cultivator was forced back dozens of steps, feeling nauseous and his chest tightness.

The old woman formed a mudra with her hands, and a layer of clear light appeared on her aged face.

Rays of light flew from her fingertips, imprinting themselves on the small sword, peeling away, dispersing, and refining the resentful aura strand by strand.

It takes the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Xiao Jian finally quieted down.

It floats in mid-air.

The black light receded, revealing its true form.

It is entirely black, less than an inch long, yet weighs over a hundred pounds.

The sword's blade faintly displays dragon-scale-like patterns, interwoven with some profound and mysterious principles and theories.

"Dragon-patterned black gold?!"

Tuoba Zhao cried out in shock.

That is the supreme immortal gold that only emperors are entitled to use.

Even a tiny fragment can ignite a war in the Holy Land, let alone a naturally formed, deadly little sword.

"A born weapon of malice, conceived by the Nine-Aperture Stone Man..." The old woman's voice trembled, "The rough draft of the Holy Spirit's weapon of slaughter."

The entire room fell silent.

Li Xian reached out his hand.

He took out an inconspicuous black gourd from the sea of ​​suffering.

The gourd was entirely black, with a pitted and uneven surface, looking like a dried gourd that was half rotten.

He aimed the gourd's mouth at the small black and gold sword with dragon patterns.

"Buzz—"

The small sword trembled violently.

The next instant, without any prompting, the small black sword flew into the gourd's mouth on its own.

At that moment, the pits on the gourd's surface simultaneously lit up with a dark luster, and fine lines spread from the bottom of the gourd to the mouth of the pot, echoing the dragon pattern on the small sword.

A mysterious resonance was born between the two.

Yao Yuekong suddenly straightened up, her blue heterochromatic eyes shrinking to a slit.

"That gourd..."

He didn't finish speaking.

Because he can't see anymore.

Li Xian carefully put the gourd away.

He turned to look at Tuoba Zhao.

Master Laoyuan stood still, his right hand, gleaming red gold, hanging limply at his side.

He lost.

The Emerald Spirit Source of the Three Sources, paired with the Dragon Pattern Black Gold?

They don't even have the right to compare.

"Dragon-patterned black gold is a naturally fierce weapon, intertwined with Tao and reason, its value..." The old woman swallowed, "It is estimated to be 180,000 jin of source."

"I'll offer 180,000!"

"Two hundred thousand!"

Several elderly men spoke at the same time.

Li Xian shook his head.

"Not for sale."

He looked at the elderly men who were bidding wildly, his tone flat.

"I appreciate your kindness, seniors. I will keep this for myself. If the plans change in the future, I will give you all an explanation in the Holy City."

The old men had different expressions.

But the dragon-patterned black gold is already in the gourd; you can't just grab it by hand—

The powerful figures exchanged glances, suppressed their burning desire, and stepped back.