Eternal Tale

”Senior, please cut this Heavenly Hidden Stone,” a young man squinted slightly, eyeing a stone, ”How many spirit stones?”

”This gentleman, two hundred mid-grade spirit stones.”

The Unity cultivator had already taken out the stone-cutting blade. This tool was quite particular, requiring someone with exceptional refining skills to craft it. Cutting the stone wasn’t just about slicing it open; it was about not damaging the treasures inside.

The young man immediately produced an Earth rank Thousand Mechanism Spirit Seal and took out the spirit stones. The surrounding cultivators couldn’t help but twitch their eyelids, a hint of respect appearing in their eyes—he clearly had some background.

The vendor solemnly accepted it and began to cut the stone, ”Gentleman, watch closely, the first cut!”

As soon as he spoke, everyone’s attention was drawn, their hearts racing. The process was too fascinating and nerve-wracking.

Heavenly Hidden Stones were abundant in Wild Heaven, but acquiring them meant risking life and limb.

Over the years, these stones had sealed away many extinct creatures or treasures, and there were even tales of cultivators soaring to great heights after opening a stone.

It was a great pastime for countless cultivators. After all, the long path to immortality wasn’t just about cultivating.

Especially in Xuanwei Heaven, where stone gambling was thriving, many cultivators became rich overnight after uncovering treasures.Of course... many also lost everything and became guardians, hoping to earn enough to try again!

However, Heavenly Hidden Stones couldn’t be faked, nor did any cultivators attempt to fake them. The grand world had endured for too long, and such petty tricks had long been abandoned. The strong prided themselves on honest business.

Chen Xun and Black Bull were munching on sunflower seeds, their eyes wide as they watched the vendor cut the stone. Every time they thought something would emerge, it was empty, and the surrounding cultivators sighed in disappointment.

”Oh, what a pity, Bull.”

”Moo moo~”

Chen Xun and Black Bull joined the discussion, but the Heavenly Hidden Stone yielded nothing in the end.

”Hehe, gentleman, it seems luck wasn’t on your side this time,” the vendor smiled and shook his head, ”But even so, losses and gains come hand in hand. May you shine brightly in your journey to the Babel Tower.”

”Thank you for your kind words, senior. It seems I haven’t lost out this time,” the young man chuckled, cupped his hands, and left.

Chen Xun and the surrounding cultivators started chatting, while Black Bull stood by, listening.

”Fellow Daoist, I noticed the veins of this Heavenly Hidden Stone are quite peculiar. Based on my experience with collecting strange stones, the weirder they look, the more treasures they contain!”

Chen Xun chuckled as he analyzed, still holding sunflower seeds in his hand, ”Especially those large Heavenly Hidden Stones, the chances of finding something inside are greater.”

”Fellow Daoist’s words differ,” an Old Man shook his head with an air of wisdom, ”I have gambled on stones for a thousand years, and these Heavenly Hidden Stones have no discernible patterns. It’s all about luck.”

”Really? Isn’t that too thrilling, haha.”

Chen Xun’s eyes widened slightly, lightly biting on a sunflower seed, and spread his hands, ”Fellow Daoist, care to grab a handful? Homegrown, genuine seeds, maybe they’ll bring you some luck.”

”Haha, thank you, fellow Daoist!”

The Old Man’s eyes lit up, quickly grabbing a handful, unable to resist after hearing about luck, ”To be honest, I was once quite famous on the stone gambling street.”

Chen Xun laughed heartily, chatting warmly with the Old Man, feeling a bit restless inside.

Suddenly, he paused and looked at the Old Man, ”Fellow Daoist, why not try opening one?”

”Ah, I’m short on funds, just looking is enough.”

”Heh, stone cutting isn’t just about luck!”

Suddenly, a disdainful voice came, and a middle-aged Void Refinement cultivator approached, looking at Chen Xun and the Old Man, ”It’s about one part observing the veins, six parts the stone’s age, and three parts luck, understand?”

”Really?” Chen Xun exclaimed, sizing him up, ”Fellow Daoist, can you tell the age of a Heavenly Hidden Stone?”

”That’s not quite right. I believe it’s not something to be pursued deliberately, but rather to go with the flow.”

”Then why are you penniless?”

”Just a bit of bad luck,” the Old Man snorted, looking proud, ”So, have you made a lot from stone gambling?”

”To be honest, I’ve bought a private cave abode in the capital, own a fifth-grade high-level treasure shuttle, and have no worries about cultivation resources for a thousand years!”

The middle-aged cultivator finished with a cold laugh, looking up at the sky, confident that no one was more professional in stone gambling than him.

”Damn...”

”What?!”

Chen Xun and the Old Man were shocked, this fellow Daoist had hit the jackpot with stone gambling...

Just as the two began debating the art of stone gambling again, Chen Xun quietly led Black Bull to the vendor:

”Senior, cut the smallest one, yes, the one for a hundred mid-grade spirit stones, the one with the deepest and most intricate veins, looks like it’s the oldest.”

”Moo~~”

Chen Xun and Black Bull wore simple smiles, eager to try their luck.

”Alright!” The Unity vendor smiled slightly and began cutting.

Chen Xun and Black Bull’s hearts leapt to their throats; buying and cutting their own stone was a completely different feeling from watching others.

They stared intently at their Heavenly Hidden Stone, silently chanting in their hearts: Treasure! Treasure! Treasure!

Crack~ Crack~

Nothing, just a pile of fragments. Chen Xun and Black Bull’s faces fell, unable to calm down for a long time. It was too thrilling; a hundred mid-grade spirit stones gone in less than a stick of incense.

”Hehe, maybe I just slipped a bit, it doesn’t mean your luck is bad.”

”Cut another one, to be honest, my friend once said I have enduring luck, sure to find something and break even!”

”Alright.”

The Unity vendor nodded lightly and began cutting again, his technique quite refined, clearly passed down through generations, impossible to learn just by watching.

Half an hour later.

Black Bull carried a dejected Chen Xun away, the Unity vendor still smiling and cupping his hands behind them, offering the same words he had given the young man earlier.

”Bull, stone gambling is a scam, a scam!”

Chen Xun looked to the sky, growling softly, having cut five Heavenly Hidden Stones without finding anything, losing five hundred mid-grade spirit stones, ”Those spirit stones could have bought us several good meals!”

”Moo~~” Black Bull turned slightly, it was the one who forcibly dragged Chen Xun away, he was getting carried away, insisting he had great luck.

”Bull, this is a lesson learned, I will never gamble on stones again!”

Chen Xun roared again, raising a fist, heart aching, then quickly changed his tone, ”Of course, if we do, it should be at a large, reputable stone gambling house!”

”Moo?”

”No, Bull, I was just saying, how could this possibly be profitable, haha.”

Chen Xun sighed, no longer thinking about stone gambling, ”In the future, we’ll just watch the excitement, never participate.”

Black Bull nodded gently, eyes thoughtful, it still believed the one it chose might have yielded something, but Chen Xun didn’t trust it.

As they walked, they arrived at the base of the Babel Tower, unable to see its full height, only feeling an overwhelming pressure. Shadows flitted around, and voices filled the air:

”The Earth Spirit Tribe prodigy has refreshed the thousandth floor ranking, now ranked ninth!”

”What?! The thousandth floor Babel List record has been broken!”

”Ah, this is a record left by strong cultivators throughout history, it seems another remarkable cultivator is emerging.”

...

On the plains, countless cultivators sighed and exclaimed, the news of the Earth Spirit Tribe prodigy spreading rapidly, causing many major powers to stir, eager to recruit this prodigy.

Chen Xun also passed by quietly, full of admiration.

The Babel List stood as a giant stone around the Babel Tower, its total number of floors still unknown, with no cultivator having reached the top throughout history.