Chapter 717 Smooth, Shallow, and Welcoming

Chapter 717: Chapter 717 Smooth, Shallow, and Welcoming

Lin Feng looked toward the pile of colorful stones.

There was something about the scene that immediately caught his attention.

While everyone else was trying to determine which stones contained treasures, Lin Feng simply stood there casually.

He did not need spiritual sense.

He did not need an eye technique.

He did not even need to touch them.

With his abilities, the secrets hidden inside those stones were practically laid bare before him.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

It seemed that their peaceful walk through the city had suddenly become much more interesting.

A heavy silence gradually settled over the crowd.

Everyone stared at the pile of stone treasures, waiting for someone to make the first move.

Yet nobody seemed willing to be that person.

One million high-grade spirit stones was not a small amount, even for the cultivators of Infinite Sword Domain City.

Nobody wanted to become the laughingstock of the crowd by spending a fortune only to open a completely worthless stone.

The old vendor, however, seemed completely unconcerned.

He simply sat down in a lotus position beside his stall and slowly closed his eyes.

He was not nervous.

He was not impatient.

He was not even trying to persuade anyone to buy his stones.

He simply waited.

If nobody wanted to buy anything today, then so be it.

He could wait.

A hundred years?

No problem.

A thousand years?

Still no problem.

His stone treasures would not spoil, rot, or expire.

They had already survived for who knew how many years inside a secret realm, so leaving them here for a few centuries was hardly an issue.

As long as someone eventually bought them, he would be satisfied.

The surrounding cultivators gradually became more awkward.

Several minutes passed.

Nobody made a move.

The old man remained completely motionless.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, spiritual energy suddenly began gathering around his body.

"Wait..."

"Is he cultivating?"

"He really is!"

The crowd stared in disbelief.

The old vendor had actually begun cultivating right in the middle of the gathering.

He sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, completely ignoring the hundreds of cultivators surrounding him.

His breathing became steady, and the spiritual energy in the surrounding area slowly flowed toward his body.

The stone treasure gambling had effectively turned into a cultivation session.

Nobody knew whether to laugh or admire him.

After a while, someone finally spoke.

"This Senior really is something else."

"To have the audacity to cultivate outdoors like this..."

"He isn’t even worried about anyone disturbing him."

Another young cultivator looked at the old man with admiration.

"He’s really setting a high precedent for us juniors to follow."

"Indeed. This is the composure of a true senior."

"Compared to him, we’re too impatient."

The cultivators began praising the old man one after another.

Some genuinely admired his calmness.

Others were simply impressed by how shamelessly he had decided to cultivate while waiting for customers.

The old man, naturally, heard none of their praise.

He was already completely immersed in cultivation.

For him, whether someone bought a stone in ten minutes or ten years made little difference.

His treasures were not going anywhere.

And neither was he.

Lin Feng watched the scene from within the crowd and could not help laughing.

He had seen countless strange cultivators throughout his journey, but this old man was certainly among the more interesting ones.

Li Ruoxi covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

"Is he really going to keep cultivating until someone buys something?"

Lin Feng nodded seriously.

"Judging from his attitude, he probably would."

Li Ruoxi looked at the old man again.

For some reason, she suddenly felt that the vendor and his stone treasures might actually be a perfect match.

Both seemed to have an almost infinite amount of patience.

More than thirty minutes passed, yet the crowd showed no signs of thinning.

Instead, more and more cultivators continued arriving.

Some had heard that the old vendor had returned to Infinite Sword Domain City and immediately came over to see what treasures he had brought this time.

The old man had apparently appeared in the city before, and on that occasion, he had sold every single stone treasure he had brought with him.

Because of that, many people believed tonight would be no different.

Perhaps one of these strange stones really contained a priceless treasure.

The crowd grew larger and larger as everyone waited for someone to make the first move.

The old vendor remained seated in the same lotus position.

His eyes were closed, and his breathing was steady as he continued cultivating.

He looked completely detached from the noisy crowd surrounding him.

Nearly an hour had passed when someone finally stepped forward.

Just as the crowd became excited, a loud and arrogant voice suddenly rang out.

"Why is it that the noisiest people are always the ones who are so poor and insignificant?"

The voice immediately attracted everyone’s attention.

A group of cultivators slowly pushed their way through the crowd.

At the center was a young man dressed in luxurious robes.

His expression was arrogant, and he looked at the surrounding cultivators with undisguised contempt.

"If you don’t have any money, then scram!" he shouted.

"You have no business staying here!"

The surrounding crowd immediately became silent.

Nobody dared to argue with him.

Even those who were obviously unhappy with his words quickly lowered their heads and moved aside.

A few cultivators who had been standing close to him even took several steps backward, deliberately putting more distance between themselves and the young man.

Someone quietly whispered.

"Who is he?"

"Shhh... Keep your voice down."

"Why?"

"It’s the young master of the Nangong Clan."

The expression of the cultivator who had asked the question immediately changed.

"The Nangong Clan?"

"Yes."

The other cultivator lowered his voice even further.

"You really don’t know how terrifying they are? The Nangong Clan is one of the major powers in Infinite Sword Domain City. Their wealth is enormous, and their influence extends throughout the city."

"I’ve heard about them, but I didn’t know this was their young master."

"You’re lucky you didn’t say anything louder."

"Why?"

The cultivator swallowed nervously before answering.

"I heard that he doesn’t allow anyone to casually speak his name."

"Is that really true?"

"Of course. Someone apparently mentioned his name carelessly about a year ago."

"What happened?"

The cultivator glanced toward the young master before whispering.

"That person lost his tongue."

The other cultivator’s face immediately turned pale.

He instinctively took another step backward.

Around them, several other people had clearly heard the same rumor.

Nobody dared to speak loudly anymore.

The young master of the Nangong Clan looked around with satisfaction.

He clearly enjoyed the fear and respect his identity commanded.

For ordinary cultivators, one million high-grade spirit stones was an astronomical amount.

For someone from the Nangong Clan, however, it was merely an expensive gamble.

The young master glanced toward the pile of stone treasures with a disdainful smile.

"So these are the treasures everyone has been waiting for?"

His tone was filled with arrogance.

The crowd immediately became quiet again.

Everyone wanted to see what would happen next.

After nearly an hour of waiting, someone had finally decided to gamble.

And judging from the young master’s attitude, he certainly did not look like someone who intended to choose carefully.

Meanwhile, Lin Feng stood among the crowd with Li Ruoxi beside him.

He watched the young master with an amused expression.

The newcomer was a young man dressed in dazzling purple robes.

He had come with his slaves and servants, yet his presence was enough to make the surrounding cultivators instinctively give him space.

Just by looking at him, anyone could tell that he was both wealthy and powerful.

The quality of his robes alone was extraordinary.

Every thread seemed to have been woven from expensive spiritual materials, and faint spiritual fluctuations could be felt coming from several ornaments hanging from his body.

He paid no attention to the crowd.

The young master of the Nangong Clan walked straight toward the pile of stone treasures.

He stopped in front of them and narrowed his eyes.

For several moments, he carefully inspected the stones one by one.

Some were brightly colored.

Some had strange patterns covering their surfaces.

Others released faint spiritual fluctuations that made several cultivators nearby excited.

The young master ignored all of them.

His gaze continued moving across the pile.

He looked extremely calm, as though spending one million high-grade spirit stones was nothing more than buying an ordinary item.

After inspecting the stones for a while, he finally stopped.

His eyes landed on one particular stone.

"I want this one, Senior."

The young master pointed toward the stone and casually tossed a storage ring toward the old vendor.

The old man caught it with one hand.

The moment he opened his eyes and looked at the young man, a wide smile appeared on his face.

"It’s you."

The old vendor seemed genuinely pleased.

"I knew you would come, Young Master Nangong."