A man from the Big Dipper, starting his charlatanship at Mount Tai.

The old man with the goatee had a forced, insincere smile.

"Proof? I just cut seven pieces, and only three of them had a source. Isn't that source yield enough to explain the problem?"

"Or do you think there's something wrong with my Origin Technique?"

"I think it's normal that we can't cut out the source material here in Tianxuan Stone Workshop, right?"

.......

Lin Xiu sneered and went straight to the point.

Whether your source technique has any problems or not is another matter.

"However... did you really come here today just to travel around and gamble on a few stones on a whim? Or... were you instructed by someone to come and cause trouble at my Tianxuan establishment?"

Upon hearing this, the old man with the goatee's expression changed slightly. The young man in brocade behind him and the others exchanged glances.

"What do you mean by that, young friend? Are you trying to slander my innocence?"

The old man with the goatee frowned, and his voice turned cold.

"In the world of jade gambling, everyone relies on their own judgment; there are wins and losses, it's only natural! How can you say you're being instructed by someone else? Does Tianxuan Stone Shop intend to falsely accuse its customers just because it lost money?"

"If that's the case, then I might as well give up on this Tianxuan Stone Workshop!"

The old man with the goatee spoke with conviction, immediately drawing nods of agreement from many onlookers who were unaware of the facts.

.......

"That's right! If you can't handle losing, don't open a stone shop!"

"Exactly! If they can cut out a source stone, it's because they have a good eye; if they can't, it's because your stone is bad. That doesn't make sense."

"Sigh, even the Tianxuan Holy Land has declined, so why is the Tianxuan Stone Workshop still clinging to the Holy City and refusing to leave? They really have no skin!"

Discussions began to rise, mostly siding with the old man with the goatee.

Weiwei frowned in anger.

When Wei Yi heard about the decline of the Tianxuan Holy Land, a look of melancholy appeared in his eyes.

However, he did not speak, but looked at Lin Xiu instead.

These matters were handled by him when Lin Xiu left, and now that Lin Xiu has returned, it is natural to hand them over to Lin Xiu for handling.

It could even be said that... the reason he didn't use his strength to speak and ask everyone to leave was to wait for Lin Xiu to return and handle the situation.

Because... this whole thing really did start with Lin Xiu.

........

Lin Xiu looked at the old man with the goatee, chuckled, and shook his head.

Even before he arrived to handle the situation, he had already calculated the cause and effect of this incident.

He knew that simply dealing with the old man with the goatee wouldn't end the matter.

Therefore, after resolving the matter of the old man with the goatee, he prepared to address the root of the problem.

"Whether it's a false accusation or not, you know in your heart. I'm too lazy to argue with you here."

"However, since you boast of your superior source techniques and unparalleled insight, while my Tianxuan Stone Workshop is merely a name without substance... how about we make a big bet? It would also allow fellow Daoists to see whether my Tianxuan Stone Workshop truly possesses any divine artifacts."

The old man with the goatee's eyes narrowed.

"What are we betting on? How are we betting?"

"Let's gamble on the stones." Lin Xiu pointed to the direction from the stone workshop leading to the inner courtyard.

"In the inner courtyard, there are several precious stones from my Tianxuan collection, all ancient materials mined from dangerous places, and they are quite valuable. But if you have genuine materials, you can also cut out amazing treasures. Let's each choose one, cut it open on the spot, and see who cuts out something more valuable."

"The loser must not only pay the full cost of their stone, but also give all the cut contents to the winner. Furthermore..."

Lin Xiu's gaze was sharp as a knife as he swept over the old man with the goatee and his companion.

"If you lose, you need to hold up the plaque and shout in the bustling city center, 'I was blind to the greatness of Mount Tai. Tianxuan Stone Archway is no less than the stone archways of other holy sites.'"

"If I lose, I will also raise the plaque, but you can decide what I shout. How about that?"

An uproar immediately erupted around them!

The Town-Suppressing Stone! Even if Tianxuan Stone Archway is a dilapidated archway, the price of its Town-Suppressing Stone is astronomical!

And... he has to gamble with what he cuts out, and even more so, he has to lose face in the middle of the city! This gamble is too big! It's practically gambling with the other party's reputation as a master of source magic!

The old man with the goatee's expression shifted constantly. He stared intently at Lin Xiu, seemingly trying to discern the truth from that young man's face... Was he bluffing, or did he truly have something to rely on?

However, Lin Xiu's smile remained unchanged, without any fluctuation.

"What? You're too scared?"

"If you don't dare, then take what you've cut out and get out of Tianxuan Stone Workshop right now. And don't let me see you in the Holy City again."

"you!"

The old man with the goatee turned pale and then red after being publicly humiliated by Lin Xiu. He was confident in his skill in Origin Techniques and had been hired at a high price, so he had come with the mission of suppressing the reputation of Tianxuan Stone Workshop.

If I retreat now, not only will the mission fail completely, but my reputation as a "Master of Source Arts" will also be ruined, making it difficult for me to gain a foothold in this Holy City or even the Northern Region in the future.

He glanced at his companion, whose face also looked grim, and then looked towards the inner courtyard.

He gritted his teeth, thinking that the young man was probably bluffing and trying to scare him away.

Having studied the Origin Technique for decades, am I afraid of some greenhorn?

"Fine! Let's bet! Do you think I'm afraid of you?" the old man with the goatee said sternly.

"However, words are not enough; a written agreement is needed. I ask all of you present to be my witnesses!"

"can."

Lin Xiu nodded and instructed Jiang Caixuan to fetch paper and pen.

Soon, the written agreement was finalized, and several respected elder cultivators were invited out of the crowd to act as witnesses. The onlookers were excited and surged into the inner courtyard, eager to see the outcome of the bet.

.......

The inner courtyard was much quieter than the front courtyard, with only seven or eight large stones of different shapes on display.

The smallest is the size of a millstone, while the largest is like a small hill.

The stone's surface is ancient, covered with moss and traces of time. Some stones are enveloped in a faint glow of sunset, while others exude a chilling aura, clearly indicating their extraordinary nature. The prices listed below are even more astonishing, often amounting to thousands, or even tens of thousands of kilograms of pure source material.

Even so, this was the result of the decline of the Tianxuan Holy Land.

If it were a stone archway from another holy site, the price would be ten times higher.

The old man with the goatee walked solemnly to the giant rocks and examined them carefully.

Sometimes he would tap the stone's surface with his knuckles, listening intently; sometimes he would activate his source technique, his eyes flashing with a strange light as he carefully observed the stone's texture, patterns, and veins; sometimes he would lean closer and gently sniff the stone's aroma. Clearly, he was giving it his all, not daring to be careless in the slightest.

Lin Xiu, however, seemed quite casual, pacing around the inner courtyard, his gaze sweeping over the boulders, without lingering on any one of them for long.

Finally, he stopped in front of a plain-looking stone in the corner, no bigger than a washbasin, grayish, and with several obvious cracks on its surface.

This stone is inconspicuous among a pile of exorbitantly priced stones, and its price tag is only two thousand catties of raw material, making it the cheapest piece in the inner courtyard.

"I choose this one," Lin Xiu said, pointing to the stone full of cracks.

Everyone was taken aback. Even the old man with the goatee who was concentrating on selecting stones couldn't help but look over.

When he saw Lin Xiuxuan's stone, he was taken aback at first, and then a hint of undisguised mockery and smugness flashed in his eyes.

He had just glanced at that stone.

The stone was dull and lacked any precious aura; it was riddled with cracks, a "disfigured" stone, practically worthless in his source-based judgment. Forget about exotic sources; even getting a bit of ordinary pure source was considered incredibly lucky.

This young man is indeed a hothead!

Choosing such a piece of scrap material is simply courting death!

"Are you... sure you want to choose this one?" The old man with the goatee suppressed his overwhelming joy and asked to confirm.

"determine."

"Don't worry about me, just choose yours. It's getting late."

Lin Xiu nodded, his tone indifferent; he had never been interested in gambling on stones.

Because... he's going to win anyway, so what's the point of gambling?

He could even figure out whether the Great Emperor Wushi had ever dressed as a woman, and he could even slowly deduce where the Great Emperor's tomb was. How could he not figure out which stone was the most valuable among several stones?

The old man with the goatee said no more, feeling reassured.

He ultimately chose a huge rock worth 50,000 jin, shaped like a reclining tiger, with its surface showing faint blue-gold patterns.

He felt that the stone had a very high probability of yielding a high-value alien source, and there was even a slight possibility that it might yield a divine source.

"I'll choose this one!"

The old man with the goatee pointed at the reclining tiger rock and stroked his beard with confidence.

With the stone selected, the most exciting part—cutting—begins.

According to custom, the old man with the goatee cut it first.

Upon hearing that the old man with the goatee would cut first, Lin Xiu seemed to recall something happy and couldn't help but burst into tears.

As everyone knows, you can't stand on the left when playing against a wave, you can't cut first when gambling on stones, and you can't open the main character's card first when gambling on cards, except for the main character's law.

You've already cut it first, what else can I say?

Good luck!

The old man with the goatee took out a set of special stone-cutting knives that gleamed silver. His technique was skillful and experienced. He cut with lightning speed, and the stone skin fell off in a flurry, with fragments flying everywhere.

Soon, a crimson, blood-red, and intensely hot light shone through the crack in the rock!

"It's glowing! It's a different kind of source! Judging from its color and aura, it's a top-quality fiery red source!" a knowledgeable cultivator exclaimed.

Chapter 125 I have the Heavenly Emperor Ye Fan! He can suppress all enemies in the world (Two Chapters Combined)

The old man with the goatee perked up and became even more careful, his silver knife flashing like a butterfly flitting among flowers.

Finally, a piece of alien source, about the size of an adult's fist, crimson like blood jade, radiating a scorching aura, was completely extracted. Its surging energy caused the surrounding temperature to rise slightly, and the red light made many people's faces flush.

"Excellent! It's in perfect condition, with abundant source energy, and worth at least 25,000 catties of pure source energy!"