Chapter 3: Divine Origin Stone
This is a very spacious and luxurious jade store, with many tall white jade shelves neatly arranged inside, displaying various precious jades.
Mithril essence iron, energy stone, crystal stone, Xuan beast crystal nucleus...... all kinds of things, everything is available.
"This young master, what would you like? Feel free to look around, our store is one of the best in the entire Holy City." The shopkeeper's attitude had clearly improved a lot as he spoke with a smile, looking at the two people following behind Ling Wu Xiang.
Ling Wu's eyebrows were slightly furrowed, her footsteps neither hurried nor slow as she wove between the high-rise buildings and stone structures. Her expression was calm, with a hint of coldness in her eyes that seemed to be observing everything around her.
"Jun Ling, what are you looking for?" Cai Yi couldn't help but follow suit, scanning her surroundings left and right.
"Just take a look" Ling Wu Xiang smiled calmly and didn't want to attract other people's attention.
"Cai Yi, don't make trouble." Bai Lan's personality was gentle and calm. She wasn't in a hurry, and her lips curled up into a faint smile as she took the opportunity to examine the items in the store, looking for anything she needed.
Ling Wu's eyes scanned over a row of stone pedestals, then returned to one spot, where a faint light was visible. He took a step forward and stopped in front of it.
The shop owner looked slightly surprised and then walked up to her with a smile, "Has the young master taken a liking to this item?"
On the white jade plate, a sky-blue stone the size of a fist was placed, shaped like a water droplet, with a thin layer of blue light flowing on its surface, resembling the crystal core of an aquatic mystic beast, yet without the aura fluctuations of a mystic beast.
"What is this thing?" Cai Yi reached out to take it, but even though she had grown up in the Holy City since childhood and was knowledgeable about many things, at that moment she couldn't recognize what it was.
Bai Lian shook her head and looked at the store owner in puzzlement, "I haven't seen this thing either."
The shopkeeper looked at the two of them in confusion, smiled apologetically and said: "White gentleman, to be honest with you, this thing has been placed in our store for several years. It was provided by a forest hunter, but I don't know what it is either."
This thing, he really didn't know what it was, there were no energy fluctuations at all, and the material was something he wasn't familiar with. It looked like ordinary jade, but its appearance was very beautiful and delicate. He just casually put it out on display. If he encountered a young master or miss who liked delicate trinkets, he could probably sell it for a good price.
"Oh?" Bai Lian was surprised, unexpectedly there was still a mysterious ore that even this shopkeeper didn't recognize.
"It's actually quite pretty." Ling Wu's eyes slightly dimmed as she muttered a sentence in a nonchalant manner.
The shopkeeper's expression changed instantly, and he slapped his thigh excitedly, laughing: "Young master has a good eye! If we're talking about appearance, there are only a few things in our store that can compare to this one. If you like it, using it to make a jade crown waistband ornament would be the most suitable."
The shopkeeper saw Ling Wu Shuang's refined and handsome appearance, coupled with the first impression from before, and directly took him as an inexperienced young noble.
Bai Lan focused his mind again, carefully examined it, and at the same time, his spiritual power also probed in, but didn't find any abnormal fluctuations. He nodded slowly and confirmed: "It should be ordinary decorative material."
Even if it's a high-quality artifact like jing tie, there should be some energy fluctuations, but this object doesn't have even the slightest bit, it must be something made of jade.
The shopkeeper, Ling Wu Shuang, simply looked on, seemingly without any intention of intervening. His eyes were cast downward, and his tone carried a hint of urgency, "Does the young master want it?"
Ling Wusuo smiled faintly and remained silent, his spiritual energy gradually increasing, but his consciousness continued to delve deeper into the sky-blue artifact in front of him.
Her spiritual power was different from ordinary people, but she felt an unusual and unfamiliar aura, very faint, very shallow, as if a small stone had entered the ocean, creating a slight ripple that was almost imperceptible, yet still made her keenly aware of it.
"This aura, it's a bit familiar." Ling Wusuo muttered softly, only she could hear herself.
Bai Lian and Cai Yi exchanged a glance, somewhat inexplicably, but neither of them spoke up to disturb the other. The two listlessly examined the nearby rocks and stones.
"Little master, do you want it or not?" The shopkeeper saw that Ling Wusuo was just casually sizing him up, without saying a word to him. His face showed some impatience, with the corners of his mouth twitching, and a hint of a forced smile.
Ling Wushuang glanced back at the store with a light glance, and then flipped her wrist to move her gaze back to the five-colored stone that appeared in her hand. Her eyes deepened slightly as she felt a familiar aura emanating from it.
That shopkeeper, under Ling Wu's shallow glance, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and couldn't help but tremble slightly. In his heart, he cursed silently, "This is terrible!" A man who had seen countless people was actually intimidated by this young kid.
The shopkeeper couldn't help but swallow his saliva, but when his eyes followed Ling Wusuo's gaze and fell on her hand, he stared at it with a look of horror.
"This, this!" The shopkeeper's hands suddenly shook violently.
Excitement, eagerness, thrill, incredulity, all sorts of emotions flashed across his eyes in an instant, and he stuttered as he spoke, the next moment, the shopkeeper rushed towards Ling Wusuo!
Ling Wushuang's spiritual power was extremely sharp, even when thinking about problems, he paid attention to his surroundings, and with a slight movement, he easily dodged the shopkeeper's wolf-like pounce.
"What are you doing!" Cai Yi's face turned bright red with anger, even more vibrant than the fiery cloak she wore.
Ling Wushuang dodged swiftly and gazed at the shopkeeper's excited expression, also raising an eyebrow in surprise.
At this time, the shopkeeper seemed to have also sensed his own loss of composure, stiffened for a moment, lowered his head and clenched his fist, coughing twice, but still couldn't suppress the excitement in his heart, raised his head again and looked at what was in Ling Wusuo's hand, his eyes burning with an even fiercer light.
"Do you know what this is?" Seeing the shopkeeper's expression, Ling Wushuang narrowed his eyes slightly, holding out the colorful stone in his hand and presenting it to him.
Cai Yi only then noticed the thing in Ling Wu's hand, her beautiful eyes narrowing in puzzlement. The five-colored stone looked like an energy stone, but she quickly denied it - energy stones were all single colors, never five-colored.
"The shopkeeper's face turned a shade of crimson, as if rouged, and he struggled to suppress his desire to pounce on it. He examined the object in Ling Wu's hand, shaking his head and nodding, before finally blurting out, 'This is a Divine Origin Stone!'"
"What!" Bai Lian and Cai Yi's faces lost color, "Shen Yuan Stone!"
The eyes of the two people focused on the colorful stone in Ling Wu's hand at the same time, and their shocking emotions overflowed. Their eyes also became hotter, and it turned out to be a divine origin stone containing divine origin energy!
"Shen Yuan Stone?" Ling Wu Xiang was also surprised, Xiao Jiu had actually given her a Shen Yuan Stone. Where did he get it from? However, that little thing had some conscience and didn't directly swallow it.
"Yes, I've seen one before. This is definitely a Divine Origin Stone." The shopkeeper's heart was racing as he stared at the object in Ling Wu's hand, his mouth watering in anticipation. He trembled with excitement as he confirmed, "I'm absolutely certain of it."
Divine Origin Stone, which contains the aura of Divine Origin!
Although having the divine origin energy does not necessarily mean breaking through the divine rank, without the divine origin energy, it is impossible to break through the divine rank! It can be imagined how precious the divine origin stone is to the Xuan Master.
"Rumor has it that the Divine Origin Stone is indeed a Five-Colored Stone." Bai Lian furrowed her brow, nodding slightly as she recalled what the shopkeeper had said.
The Holy City did indeed have a Divine Origin Stone, but it was eventually obtained by the Holy Master. However, even after absorbing the aura of the Divine Origin, the Holy Master still lingered at the 9th rank peak Saint for so many years, unable to find a breakthrough opportunity.
Half a year ago, Sheng Zhu went to Dong Lin and then closed his door, it is unknown whether he can break through this time.
"It's really a Divine Origin Stone" Cai Yi's eyes shone brightly, and any Xuan Master who saw such a treasure would be excited. She was no exception, but unlike the shop owner, there was no greed in her eyes.
"Shenyuan Stone..." Ling Wusuo slowly spat out three words, and a hint of profundity appeared in his eyes.
After absorbing that liquid energy stone essence, her body's energy was actually in a state of saturation, but that thin layer of barrier could not be broken through. That strange feeling always felt like something was lacking, presumably it was the divine origin aura!
Ling Wushuang smiled slightly and flipped her hand to retrieve the Shenyuan Stone. That foodie Xiaojin had finally done something right for once.
"Alas——" The shopkeeper watched as the Shenyuan stone vanished into thin air, and his eyes immediately turned red with anger. However, he was also helpless, after all, the item was no longer in his hands, so he could only stomp his feet anxiously on the spot.
I really didn't expect this kid to have such a treasure in his hands!
Ling Wu's eyes gazed lazily around, then picked up the sky-blue stone in front of him, weighing it casually in his hand, and asked nonchalantly, "Shopkeeper, how much for this?"
The shopkeeper seemed somewhat distracted and replied listlessly: "One hundred thousand taels of gold."
This piece of equipment is only suitable as a decorative sword, and this young master also seems to be someone who doesn't know the value of goods. If he could buy the divine origin stone in his hand, it would be great, even if he had to spend a lot more money, he would be willing to do so.
At this time, the shopkeeper's mind was still calculating Ling Wusuo's Shen Yuan Stone, and he had somewhat let his guard down.
Cai Yi nodded, an ornament, this price is also suitable.
The prices of ordinary goods in the Holy City are several times higher than those outside, and 100,000 taels of gold would be an astronomical price for a decorative item elsewhere, but here it's quite common.
"One hundred thousand taels of gold?" Ling Wu's eyebrows rose, and he flipped out a light yellow stone with a few glints of light. "I didn't bring that much silver when I went out. How about I use this energy stone to trade with you?"
She didn't have that much gold on her, but as for these energy stones, there were still a large pile of them. After giving some to the Ling family's disciples, she kept two or three hundred for herself in case of an emergency.
The shopkeeper finally came to his senses, turned around and saw the thing in Ling Wu's hand, was stunned for a moment, and hastily took it over, not even having time to think about why Ling Wu would take out an energy stone to buy the ordinary blue-green water stone in his eyes.
The shopkeeper was almost laughing with joy, "Of course, of course it's possible"
He really didn't see it coming, this handsome young man in front of him was actually a master who kept a low profile.
Bai Lian and Cai Yi exchanged a glance, clearly also shocked. They had heard that Ling Wu didn't have that much money, and were thinking of helping him pay, but they hadn't expected this guy to directly use energy stones to pay the bill. Where did this suddenly rich bumpkin come from?!
But to use a precious energy stone to buy this ordinary trinket in front of him? The two of them looked at each other, somewhat stunned, and gazed at Ling Wu Xiang. Who would have thought that he had a calm expression, without even a hint of pain.
Ling Wushuang picked up the Tianqing water stone from the jade plate, holding it in her palm. A breath of air similar to that of the Shenyuan Stone came forth, causing a sly smile to spread across her face. She then turned to the two people beside her who were still in a daze and smiled, "Let's go."
"Oh" Cai Yi looked puzzled, but didn't ask any more questions. She glanced around and turned to leave.
"White young master, colorful clothes girl, a few slow steps, if there's anything you need, welcome to come again." The shopkeeper thought to himself with satisfaction, thinking that this young master was truly a god of wealth.
However, if the shopkeeper knew that the Tianqing Shui Shi brought away by Ling Wu Xiang was several times more precious than the Shen Yuan Stone, would he still welcome Ling Wu Xiang to come again next time? He'd probably want to smash his head to death!
Ling Wushuang held the Tianqing Shui Shi in her hand, carefully examining it. Just as she reached the entrance of the shop, a soft and gentle laughter echoed, accompanied by a weak willow breeze, "Isn't that Caiyi Shimei and Bailan Shixiong?"
Cai Yi heard this voice and frowned with displeasure, her face also suddenly darkening.
Bai Lian's elegant and handsome face showed a hint of unusual color, and his complexion was not much better.
The woman walking towards him was wearing a light yellow robe, her steps gentle and elegant. A soft, refined smile floated on her beautiful face, and her slender figure was surrounded by a layer of soft, gentle light. Her entire being exuded an aura of sacred purity.
Ling Wu's eyes slightly dimmed, Holy Maiden Bai Qian!
"The Saintly Girl" The shopkeeper saw the approaching person, hastily stepped forward, clasped his hands together, bowed and bent at the waist, almost kneeling down. His respectful attitude was even more so than when he had met Bai Lian and Cai Yi.
"Mian Li" Bai Qiang's good face always had a faint smile, and it was impossible to see any airs of a saintess. She slightly raised her hand towards the shopkeeper, then turned to Cai Yi and asked softly: "Cai Yi sister, do you want to buy some equipment or swords?"
Disciples of the Holy Hall, under the same elder gate, are arranged according to their entry time, and among the major elders, they are also arranged by age.
"It's no trouble at all, elder sister" Cai Yi's face was smiling but her heart wasn't. She didn't like to hide her emotions, yet after seeing the person beside Bai Xiang, her expression changed greatly.
"Colored clothes, don't be rude to the Holy Girl!" Bai Lan's face also suddenly changed color, apparently she had also seen the person beside Bai Qian.
The white-robed girl stood sideways, and beside her was an old man wearing a golden long gown, with white whiskers but his expressionless face completely shattered the aura of his immortal wind and bones, his entire demeanor even more mysterious and unfathomable than the Holy Master!
Ling Wushuang's vigilance was secretly raised, and her red lips were lightly pursed. This person...
Bai Qian's laughter was soft and gentle, "Brother Bai doesn't have to be like this, I actually like Caiyi Shimei's straightforward personality."
Bai Lan pursed her lips, glanced at Bai Qian, and then stepped forward with Cai Yi. They joined their hands together and slightly bowed their waists, "Disciple pays respects to the two senior elders."
The person beside Shengnu Bai Qian is the Second Elder of the Holy Temple, Li Sheng Gu Xi, a centenarian old monster who has already reached the quasi-god level. His status is even higher than that of the Holy Master. Bai Qian also gained the favor of this Second Elder, which allowed her to have the current status, as solid as gold.
However, what surprised Bai Lan and Cai Yi was that the Taishang Elder, who had been in seclusion for most of the year, would actually appear here, and with Bai Qian no less.
The ancient god's expression didn't change in the slightest, he simply waved his golden sleeve towards the two of them, his profound gaze finally settling slowly on Ling Wu Xue... or rather, the Tian Qing Shui Shi in her hand!
The holy maiden Bai Qian's beautiful eyes turned, and her gaze followed Gu Xiang's line of sight.
"This young master, haven't we met somewhere before?" Bai Qian's expression was gentle and soft, seeing Ling Wusuo, her first reaction in her mind was that he was a handsome and beautiful young master, afterwards, she felt a bit familiar.
Ling Wu's heart skipped a beat, his expression unchanged, with a hint of a smile on his lips, "I have no brothers or sisters, and this is also my first time in the Holy City. I'm afraid I didn't have the honor to see the Saintess before."
She's dressed in men's clothing and has slightly made up her face, probably only her own mother could recognize her.
"Maybe I was wrong," Bai Qian smiled slightly, thinking to herself that she had overreacted, as there were many people in the world who looked similar, and besides, they didn't even share the same gender.
From the beginning to the end, Gu Xi's face was expressionless. After walking through the gate, his piercing eyes remained fixed on the object in Ling Wu Shuang's hand. Suddenly, he spoke up, "Young one, bring what you're holding in your hand over and let me take a look."
Ling Wushuang grasped Tian Qing's hand tightly and thought to himself that something was off, wondering if this old freak had discovered something.