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Chapter 714: The Tian Yuan Fruit
Chapter 714: The Tian Yuan Fruit
Lu Chen was the first to approach the ancient stone where the mystical blue lotus vision had appeared.
A Foundation Establishment cultivator at the mid-stage was already scrutinizing the stone, and Lu Chen quietly drew closer, extending his spiritual sense to examine every inch of the ancient artifact.
"Have you made any discoveries, fellow cultivator?" the mid-stage cultivator inquired after a while.
Shaking his head, Lu Chen replied, "None. The composition of this ancient stone is too peculiar. Sending my spiritual sense into it is like casting it into an abyss, and even the use of 'Divine Insight' fails to reveal anything clear."
"Indeed. It all comes down to one's luck now," the cultivator agreed.
"It's a gamble. If we guess right, we obtain a rare treasure. If not, we lose two hundred medium-grade spirit stones," Lu Chen mused.
"If only we had the ability to see through the stone and discern the treasure within," the cultivator added wistfully.
The cultivator hesitated in front of the Blue Lotus Stone for a while before eventually walking away without making a choice.
After he left, Lu Chen approached the Blue Lotus Stone, picked it up gently, and pretended to examine it closely.
His actions caused the surrounding cultivators to give him a wide berth, bypassing the stone he held.
After observing it for a while, a hint of disappointment flitted across Lu Chen's face, and he gently placed the stone back down.
At the same time, a Master-level Earth-Drawing Technique was surreptitiously employed, causing the stone to sink slightly into the ground.
Lu Chen focused his attention on the surface of the Blue Lotus Stone, awaiting the insights he hoped for.
However, the expected thoughts did not emerge in his mind.
Lu Chen maintained a calm expression, aware that even if his method worked, the chances of obtaining a Spirit Herb from the ancient stone were slim.
After all, only a fraction of the ancient stones contained rare treasures, and the types varied greatly—from spirit ores and artifacts to elixirs. With these dual factors at play, discovering an ancient stone containing a Spirit Herb was exceedingly difficult.
He ambled leisurely to the next ancient stone and repeated the process, silently and deftly planting his seeds once more.
Many of the cultivators present employed various subtle methods to scrutinize the stones, and as long as they didn't damage them, the Gu Yu Xuan cultivator didn't seem to mind.
"Could it be that this method is ineffective? I haven't found a single Spirit Herb among these stones," Lu Chen muttered to himself, a hint of doubt creeping into his mind as he inspected seven or eight stones without any relevant information surfacing in his mind.
He paused, took a moment to regulate his breathing, and then continued on with renewed confidence toward another ancient stone.
"Fellow cultivator, it seems we've been crossing paths for quite some time now," a thin, middle-aged man with a crafty gaze and a pair of small whiskers on either side of his upper lip remarked suddenly.
"Don't be absurd, fellow cultivator. Given the size of this hall, it's only natural that we would encounter each other frequently," Lu Chen replied nonchalantly.
The thin man smiled, revealing a mouthful of uneven yellow teeth. "Once or twice is natural, but running into each other five or six times in a row suggests a deliberate intention."
"Perhaps you're just being overly cautious, fellow cultivator. I merely had a hunch that you would be able to identify superior ancient stones, and I was curious to observe your process," the middle-aged man said, his face creasing into a smile.
"It would be best if you maintained a certain distance from me, fellow cultivator. Let's avoid any potential unpleasantness," Lu Chen advised, his gaze fixed on the thin, middle-aged man who had completely concealed his aura.
"Don't be angry, young friend Lu Chen. We're old acquaintances, after all," the man said as he turned to leave.
"He saw through my disguise?" Lu Chen's heart skipped a beat as he heard the man's parting words.
Having trained in the Red Dust Tablet for countless years, Lu Chen's mental fortitude was exceptionally strong. Despite the turmoil within, he maintained a composed demeanor.
This was the first time someone had directly revealed his true identity.
With the Thousand-Faced Phantom Mask altering his appearance and the fifth-grade treasure, the Clear Wing Garment, obscuring his aura, ordinary cultivators couldn't detect anything amiss. Only those with higher cultivation levels or extremely powerful spiritual senses would be able to perceive his intentional concealment, but even they wouldn't be able to uncover his true appearance.
"To be able to see through the concealment of the Clear Wing Garment so easily, your cultivation and spiritual sense must far surpass mine. Even ordinary Golden Core cultivators would find it difficult to achieve this," Lu Chen mused.
"Which Nascent Soul True Lord are you, then? But I don't recall ever interacting with any Nascent Soul True Lords," Lu Chen thought, racking his brains.
"Wait, that playful tone and those cheeky mannerisms..." A realization suddenly struck him, and he recalled the previous occasion when he had entered the treasure tower of the Hailou Chamber of Commerce to attend the auction.
Back then, he had successfully bid for the Demon Granny Tree Spirit at the auction and had utilized his unique ability related to spirit herbs to identify the origin of the Ghost-Eating Evil Vine spirit herb, thus acquiring that rare sixth-grade spirit herb.
During that event, the treasure tower's artifact spirit had left a deep impression on him.
"Senior Brother Baolou?" Lu Chen ventured, transmitting his voice tentatively.
At the sound of this name, the thin, middle-aged man pouted and his small mustache drooped. "You're no fun, young friend. You guessed it right away."
The thin man's figure shimmered, and Lu Chen's vision wavered for a moment. The middle-aged man transformed into a three-foot-tall dwarf with a pointed head and a lower body that grew increasingly plump, resembling a smoothly contoured pagoda.
In the next instant, the dwarf reverted to the middle-aged man's appearance.
"Greetings, Senior. I didn't expect to encounter you here in the Ancient Jade Pavilion," Lu Chen said respectfully.
This was his superior, the artifact spirit of the high-grade treasure tower of the Hailou Chamber of Commerce. It was this being who had offered him the position of guest advisor with a single word.
He knew he had to seize this opportunity to firmly grasp such a valuable connection.
"If we didn't meet here, where else would we meet? This Ancient Jade Pavilion is my business venture, after all!" The thin man grinned, his lively and adorable tone contrasting sharply with his stern appearance.
"..." Lu Chen stood there, dumbfounded, struggling to suppress the discomfort he felt. It took him a while to process the information conveyed in the artifact spirit's words.
"This Ancient Jade Pavilion, famous throughout the Joyous Star Cave and attracting countless cultivators to gamble on stones, actually belongs to the artifact spirit of the Chamber of Commerce's treasure tower?" Lu Chen's expression reflected his disbelief.
"Then, what about these ancient stones..."
"They were all obtained from some ruins in the outer domains. I brought them here just for fun, thinking that you cultivators would find it interesting to gamble on potential treasures. There might indeed be treasures sealed within them, but I don't know the specifics."
"Don't even think about getting any inside information from me, you brat!" The thin man's mustache twitched, thwarting the hopes that had begun to sprout in Lu Chen's heart.
"Of course, Fellow Lu wouldn't expect me to break the rules like that," Lu Chen said with an awkward smile.
"Alright, you can continue playing around here by yourself. I won't keep you company anymore!" The treasure tower artifact spirit felt disinterested now that Lu Chen had so easily seen through his disguise. With a final remark, he sauntered over to a few other cultivators and joined their discussion.
"I never expected that the artifact spirit would open this Ancient Jade Pavilion just for entertainment," Lu Chen shook his head, marveling at the other being's carefree attitude. He then moved on to the next ancient stone.
"Hmm, is this one special?" As he planted the seeds in an ancient stone that emanated a soft, lustrous light, his consciousness naturally focused, and surprisingly, a thought emerged in his mind.
【Tian Yuan Fruit, a sixth-grade spirit herb. The spirit herb seed is sealed within a strange stone to prevent the loss of its vitality.】
【The spirit herb contains an extremely potent life essence. It requires nourishment from lush spiritual springs and soil to grow. Once the spirit fruit matures, consuming it will infuse one's body with endless vitality, reversing aging and extending one's lifespan.】
(End of Chapter)
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