Shrouding the Heavens - Chapter 197

The ninth courtyard gave Ye Fan a peculiar feeling; these stones made him uneasy.

Is this the aura of the Great Primordial Mine? he thought.

The "Heavenly Source Book" is an extraordinary work, which includes the method of Heavenly Human Sensing. Ye Fan had initially dabbled in this Supreme Source Technique, gaining some superficial insights.

He felt he perceived the aura of the Great Primordial Mine. This dense, persistent, yet unique aura likely originated from that expanse of devilish land.

In this northern region, the most terrifying place is that eternal Divine Mine; no one knows in what year or era it originated.

"This is the one!" Liu Cheng’en had already selected, tapping that piece of Sources.

The stone material was as large as a human head, weighed over ten pounds, was shaped like a reclining cow, and possessed a condensed power.

"This stone material will undoubtedly yield Source; it’s merely a question of quantity," the Source Master nodded.

"Have you made your selection?" Liu Cheng’en glanced at Ye Fan.

"Wait a bit longer." He felt uncertain; the aura, stained with that of the devilish land, caused him substantial confusion when trying to appraise the Sources, making them feel hazy and elusive.

What exactly is in that bizarre place that it can even contaminate stone materials? Ye Fan eliminated twenty fake pieces of Sources, selecting from the remaining thirty-eight.

"This courtyard level has too few stone materials," the uneducated youth complained in a low voice.

"These stone materials were excavated from the edges of the Great Primordial Mine. Transporting dozens of them here is already fortunate. Most are sent to the sacred city. Few in Pingyan City dare to gamble on such items."

"The sacred city is different. Sovereigns from the Eastern Wastelands, the Royal Family of the Central States, and giants of the northern region frequent that place. People there even dare to gamble on ’Ancient Material’ excavated from the Great Primordial Mine."

"Mainly, it’s because these stone materials are too expensive; no one can afford them," someone sighed.

The Source Master of Rongxiang Gambling Stone Workshop shook his head, saying, "This is already considered cheap. The Sources transported to the sacred city all command sky-high prices, and most stone materials are more expensive than Pure Source."

"Impossible! Who would want to be such a fool?"

"That’s where you’re mistaken. At that Realm, the gamble isn’t for Pure Source, but for something of far greater value that lies within the Source."

Someone nearby nodded in agreement, saying, "Sources contain too many secrets. Source itself isn’t the most precious thing. Within these seemingly inconspicuous stones, world-class treasures might lie dormant."

Ye Fan finally made his selection: a greenish stone block with faint yellow streaks. This piece wasn’t large, weighing over ten pounds.

Everyone was utterly speechless, finding his stone selection completely erratic.

"I say, young brother, you truly love taking the unconventional path. You actually dare to select such a stone? This is the famous ’Watermelon Stone’!"

"Exactly, this is the ’Watermelon Stone.’ At best, it’ll produce some watermelon seed-sized Source grains; it’s impossible for it to yield large chunks of Source. This stone material of yours weighs over ten pounds, meaning you’d need to spend over a pound of Pure Source. The potential gain doesn’t justify the cost."

This stone material had clear markings, truly resembling watermelon stripes, so its name was indeed fitting.

"Even if you extract dozens of ’seeds,’ they won’t weigh more than an ounce or two. It’s definitely a sure loss."

Among the onlookers, a few elderly men kindly reminded him, but most were scornful.

"I could pick a better stone with my eyes closed than this ’Watermelon Stone’! You little mud-monkey, hurry back to the mine shaft; this place truly isn’t for you."

"Not even knowing such common sense, and you still dare to come stone gambling? A blind cat can’t always stumble upon a dead mouse."

Liu Cheng’en waved his folding fan, a mocking smile on his face. He circled the Watermelon Stone and laughed heartily, "Excellent material!"

Those around him also jeered, patting the Watermelon Stone and repeatedly mocking him.

"Such fine stone material! Truly, most people couldn’t pick one like it."

"Indeed. Anyway, normal people like us wouldn’t dare choose it."

"If a treasure is cut from it later, I’ll really swallow the stone skin this time. It’ll be an eye-opener!"

"You said that?!" the uneducated youth pressed, fixing his gaze on the man. "I clearly saw it was you who said it. If a good piece of Source is dug out, will you really swallow the stone skin?"

"That’s right, I said it." A young man beside Liu Cheng’en sneered, "Expecting the Watermelon Stone to yield something good? Dream on for a thousand autumns!"

"Everyone saw that, right? You all must bear witness. When the time comes, he’ll have to swallow the stone skin," Wang Shu declared, stepping forward and addressing the crowd.

"Cut the stone!"

After worshipping the Source God, the Source Master stepped forward, Vessel in hand. His knife danced with draconic and serpentine power as he cut into Liu Cheng’en’s stone material. Old flakes of stone skin constantly fell, and soon, a gleam of light shone out.

"What a pure piece of Source!"

Only a few pounds of stone skin had been peeled away when light began to emanate. The exposed Source was without a trace of impurity, completely crystalline and very clean.

Soon, the crowd gasped again as this piece of Source was gradually extracted. It weighed a full four pounds, which was quite valuable for stone gamblers of this level.

"As expected of stone material mined from the edges of the Great Primordial Mine!"

Keep in mind, a typical mine shaft would only yield one or two pounds of Source, yet this single piece of stone material had produced such a quantity!

"Go on, cut the Watermelon Stone! I’ll count how many ’seeds’ it yields and see if they weigh even an ounce or two," the people beside Liu Cheng’en all sneered.

CRACK!

The Source Master didn’t delay and immediately began to cut the Watermelon Stone. Old stone skin rustled to the ground, and soon, most of the outer stone layer was shed.

"Truly top quality! Not even any ’seeds,’ hahaha... Looks like a complete bust, no yield at all!" the man who had earlier promised to swallow the stone skin gloated.

When it was cut down to about the size of a pigeon’s egg, everyone understood: it was a worthless stone, with nothing inside.

Even Ye Fan sighed. He thought, These stone materials transported from the edge of the Great Primordial Mine are too uncanny; they’re so difficult to appraise.

The Source Master tossed the thumb-sized piece of stone material onto the ground without cutting it completely.

"A ’Watermelon Stone’ usually yields at least some seed-sized Source grains. The one you picked is truly in a class of its own—not a single grain of Source! Looks like I won’t even get to swallow the stone skin. Alas, I really wanted to taste it."

"Damn it!" The uneducated youth, feeling utterly frustrated, kicked the small stone piece on the ground.

BANG!

The thumb-sized stone struck a large rock and shattered instantly. In that very moment, a dazzling light erupted, and an incredibly dense Spiritual Qi surged forth, refusing to dissipate.

"This... A treasure has appeared!" someone exclaimed.

Several figures rushed forward, but Ye Fan was quicker. He was the first to reach it, placing the dazzling cluster of light in his palm.

"What kind of Source is this?"

In Ye Fan’s palm lay a grain of Source the size of a rice kernel—very small, yet it shone with a dazzling brilliance and was exceedingly wondrous.

"Ancient Insect Source!"

"It truly is Ancient Insect Source! This is a spirit insect from before the Ancient era, sealed within Source to become this."

"That’s right, it is indeed a spirit insect from before the Ancient era. Unfortunately, it’s too tiny."

"Don’t be dismissive of its size. This tiny, rice-grain-sized insect is worth as much as dozens of pounds of Source!"

The Source Master regretted it deeply, wishing he could slap himself several times. They had tampered with some of the Sources, secretly cutting them open, never imagining they would miss the most precious one.

In Ye Fan’s palm lay a rice-grain-sized insect, crystal clear, formed from Source.

"That’s right, it’s that kind of ancient insect. Before the Ancient era, it specialized in consuming Source, its entire body a condensation of Source Essence. It’s a very special type of spirit insect."

A fingertip-sized piece of Fiery Red Source is worth ten pounds of Pure Source, while a rice-grain-sized Ancient Insect Source is worth dozens of pounds of Pure Source. One can only imagine how valuable these spirit insects from the Ancient era were.

"Ancient Insect Source can be used in medicine. Various Sacred Lands possess ancient secret recipes that all require it for refining medicine. If taken to the sacred city to sell, it would be worth a hundred pounds of Pure Source!"

This was truly astonishing: a mere rice-grain-sized insect possessed such enormous value. Even Ye Fan found it somewhat incredible.

"This is no ordinary insect. It has been extinct for countless ages. Before the Ancient era, it consumed Source and excreted Source Essence. It’s exceedingly precious."

The people at Rongxiang Gambling Stone Workshop were regretting it so much their insides could turn green. If they had known earlier, they would have chosen this piece of Source when they were tampering with the selection.

To gamble and obtain such a rare Ancient Insect Source—news of this would definitely spread throughout Pingyan City. Worth dozens, even hundreds of pounds of Pure Source, it was already a very considerable sum in this place.

At this moment, Liu Cheng’en’s face turned completely green. Ancient Insect Source was extremely rare, worth a hundred pounds of Source, an amount he simply couldn’t produce.

"To think even such an Exotic Source could be cut out... it’s just too unfair!" The people around Liu Cheng’en all found it inconceivable.

Beaming with delight, the uneducated youth stepped forward, took Liu Cheng’en’s Source Bag, and also collected the piece of Source Liu Cheng’en himself had cut out.

"You now owe us over ninety pounds of Source. What are you going to do about it?" the uneducated youth asked, puffing out his chest and holding his head high, his voice firm.

"This..." Liu Cheng’en felt so desperate he could have jumped into a river, his expression extremely pained. If they were in some deserted wilderness, he wouldn’t have been able to resist killing them to silence them.

"Young Master Liu is a prominent talent of the Qingxia sect. Naturally, he won’t renege on his debts! Rest assured; he will pay you back in the future," someone beside Liu Cheng’en snapped.

"Who are you yelling at? You’d better remember, *he’s* the one who owes *us*," Wang Shu said, stepping forward and staring at the man. "And it was you earlier, wasn’t it, who said that if a treasure was cut out, you’d swallow the stone skin?"

"That’s right, it was you! I remember it clearly. Hurry up and swallow the stone skin!" The uneducated youth stepped forward, relentless, grabbing the man’s collar to make him swallow the stone skin.

A wave of boisterous laughter erupted from the crowd.

If not for the powerful backing of the Gambling Stone Workshops, which prohibited fighting, this man would have turned hostile long ago. As it was, he was extremely embarrassed.

"You... let go!"

"Admit defeat when you lose a bet! You said yourself you’d eat the stone skin. If you’re a man, don’t go back on your word. Hurry up and eat it!"

The man had completely lost face, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into. Gritting his teeth, he took out half a pound of Source and stuffed it into the uneducated youth’s hand, then scurried away shamefacedly, triggering another round of hearty laughter from the crowd.

Liu Cheng’en was also overcome with shame and anger. Steeling himself, he borrowed paper and a pen from the staff at Rongxiang Gambling Stone Workshop, wrote out an IOU, then turned and left without a backward glance.

Ye Fan took a turn around Rongxiang Gambling Stone Workshop and, finding too much deception, didn’t linger. The three of them turned and left.

「It was now near noon.」

The other onlookers had also dispersed, intending to find a place to eat before heading to the Yaochi Immortal Stone Workshop in the afternoon.

"Today was so satisfying...!" the uneducated youth exclaimed boisterously.

Wang Shu, with his youthful temperament, was also very excited and thrilled. "Ancient Insect Source, worth a hundred pounds of Source! It’s truly like a dream!"

Ye Fan had put his skills to a minor test and felt that the "Heavenly Source Book" was truly unfathomable, indeed a Mysterious Scripture of the world.

He thought, After this, I can advance to the Dao Palace secret realm. The northern region produces Source; for me, it’s a divine land that will enable continuous transformation.

The three chose a restaurant and drank heartily in a private room, only leaving an hour later.

「The Yaochi Immortal Stone Workshop.」

It was located in the eastern district of Pingyan City, with an elegant ambiance, surrounded by many Ancient Woods that cast large swathes of cool shade. It was already afternoon, and the main doors had long been open; numerous fallen leaves lay on the steps, lending a very natural, untouched feel.

Not long after entering the Yaochi Immortal Stone Workshop, Ye Fan noticed a few elderly men of extraordinary bearing standing apart from the crowd, softly discussing something.

"The prices for Sources in the sacred city are too high, but they really can yield good things. Not long ago, someone cut out a Demon Eye."

"I’ve heard about it too. And it wasn’t just an eye, apparently. It seems a ’living’ Demon Bone was also cut out—its value is beyond measure."

The few elderly men of extraordinary bearing conversed softly.

The uneducated youth, standing not far off, muttered under his breath, having heard them clearly, These old geezers are getting more and more outrageous. The more they talk, the less believable it sounds. If they keep this up, they’ll be saying an Immortal will fly out of a stone, or the world’s number one beauty will emerge, and it’ll all be true!

Wang Shu also chuckled softly, thinking, The older people get, the more they love to let their imaginations run wild. To them, Sources contain everything. They probably think even unearthing an ancient scripture from one isn’t out of the question.

"What do you two little mud-monkeys know!"

Those elderly men had sharp hearing; they turned and glared at them upon hearing their words.

"Source is the rarest of all spiritual items in the world; it can nurture anything into existence," one of the old men said solemnly. "And those things you mentioned—they have indeed been unearthed before."

"Old geezer, your beard’s completely white! How can you still talk such nonsense? Are you going senile?" The uneducated youth’s words were truly jarring; he had no knack for tact.

"Damn your hide, you little bastard! What are you blathering about? Don’t you know how to speak properly?!" The old man was so angry his beard bristled.

Wang Shu was exasperated. He tugged the uneducated youth’s sleeve, then stepped forward to apologize. "Elder, please don’t take it to heart. My companion here is too blunt and speaks without thinking. There’s no need to stoop to his level."

"According to the Ancient Books of the northern region, an unparalleled beauty was indeed excavated over a hundred thousand years ago, during the Ancient Desolation. She emerged from a Divine Source," one of the old men stated again. "Unfortunately, despite being pursued and cornered by the major Sacred Lands, she still managed to escape."

"Really?!" The uneducated youth craned his long neck, sidling closer to the old men. "How big a piece of Source must that have been? And that woman, was she a monster, or a god?"

Not far away, Ye Fan also felt a stir in his heart and began to listen intently.

"Go stand aside; I can’t be bothered with you," one of the old men said, clearly unimpressed with the uneducated youth.

"Source contains heavenly secrets. There’s a reason why the Royal Family of the Central States always has peerless experts stationed in the sacred city. They spare no expense to acquire strange black stones."

"I’ve also heard it said that this family’s ancestors acquired an ancient scripture from within Source, which allowed for their unstoppable rise..."

Ye Fan’s heart jolted; this was truly astonishing.

The uneducated youth and Wang Shu looked at each other, feeling as though they were listening to myths about gods.

"I say, old man, are you telling the truth? Can there really be books inside Source?" The uneducated youth scratched his head.

"I’m telling you, you little brat, why are your words so offensive? Go find somewhere cool and stay there!" Several old men, their faces dark, turned and walked aside, ignoring him completely.

Ye Fan’s heart found it hard to calm. Sources were shrouded in too much mystery, far more complex and enigmatic than he had ever imagined.

He was glad to have obtained the "Heavenly Source Book." With this Mysterious Scripture in hand, one day he could move unhindered throughout the world, and all mysteries could be unveiled.

Ye Fan mused, It seems these stones buried underground don’t just contain Source; there are even rarer treasures within them.

In this vast expanse of reddish-brown earth, countless secrets are hidden, awaiting exploration.