Chapter 262 - 110: The Barbarian Race’s Plot, the Exotic Stone from Overseas

Only on the list of peerless beauties was her blurred face still prominently depicted.

’Ling Zhuyun despises me now. If she saw me, she’d never give me a chance to explain. Proving my innocence would be next to impossible...’

The man before them, Zhang Yuan, was not actually Zhang Yuan. He was Ye Ming, who had used the Fetus Transformation Skill in the Purple Mist Mountain Secret Realm to possess and replace the Yijian Palace disciple of the same name.

After leaving Purple Mist Mountain unharmed, he was found by the arriving members of his sect and safely escorted back to Yijian Palace.

His injuries healed during his subsequent recuperation.

The original Zhang Yuan had been an orphan who joined Yijian Palace as a disciple to one of its Elders. He had a reclusive personality and very few friends.

This put Ye Ming at ease, as he didn’t have to worry about his own habits giving him away and revealing his true identity.

During his time at Yijian Palace, he focused on cultivating his Secret Skills. After completing the Refinement of the various treasures he’d obtained from Purple Mist Mountain, his power grew considerably.

He later took on several missions, earning a good deal of merit points, which he exchanged for a few of Yijian Palace’s Magic techniques.

He also befriended the people with him now, managing to establish a tenuous foothold within Yijian Palace.

For the time being, he was unconcerned with how the various Immortal Sect Lineages of the outside world were hunting him down.

For the current Southern Hunting exercise, Yijian Palace had dispatched many disciples.

The original Zhang Yuan’s strength was considered above average among the Inner Sect disciples, so he was naturally called to participate as well.

Even if Ye Ming had wanted to refuse, he couldn’t, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and come along.

"Zhang Yuan, I never would have guessed you knew a thing or two about Source Skills."

"If you hadn’t helped me just now, I’m sure the owner of that Gambling Stone Workshop would have swindled me. That Source Stone was practically overflowing with Spiritual Energy, yet who would have thought it was empty inside? Thank goodness you stopped me in time. Otherwise, I would’ve lost half a year’s worth of Spirit Stones."

Suddenly, a soft, clear voice spoke up.

A pretty woman sitting across from Ye Ming smiled at him.

"You’re giving me too much credit, Liu Xue. I just happened to read about Source Stones in a few books. It was pure luck..."

Ye Ming waved his hand dismissively and quickly explained.

"Regardless, I owe you another one," the female disciple, Liu Xue, said with a brilliant smile.

Ye Ming felt a wave of helplessness and gave a wry smile.

He was being extremely cautious, terrified of revealing any of his extraordinary abilities and attracting unwanted attention.

’The real Zhang Yuan didn’t have these kinds of skills. If Liu Xue hadn’t helped me out so much on our last mission, I wouldn’t have bothered interfering. I would have just let her take the loss.’

Source Stones weren’t something the average person could afford to dabble in.

A single Source Stone could cost hundreds, thousands, or even more than ten thousand Spirit Stones. Only disciples from wealthy families dared to try their luck.

Ye Ming only knew that the Source Stone in the Gambling Stone Workshop was a dud because Old Ghost had warned him, which is why he’d given Liu Xue the heads-up.

As it happened, someone else saw her hesitation and bought it, becoming the sucker. When they cut it open, it was empty. Several thousand Spirit Stones, gone down the drain.

If that sucker hadn’t bought it, Liu Xue might have even blamed him for getting in the way of her fortune.

Aside from a few controlled by the Major Sects, the Gambling Stone Workshops in Jingyang City were all secretly backed by the Changlong Business Alliance.

Ye Ming knew that to make a quick profit, many of these workshops would intentionally create fake Source Stones. They would then sell them at exorbitant prices to deceive naive young cultivators who were new to the world.

This black market industry had always been under the control of the Changlong Business Alliance.

Even the cultivators who were swindled didn’t dare to confront them or demand justice after realizing the truth. They could only chalk it up to bad luck.

Furthermore, Master Yuans with profound knowledge of Source Skills were all hired by the Changlong Business Alliance as retainers.

Any Source Stones excavated from the mines would be inspected by these masters first. Only after they confirmed that nothing valuable would be missed would the stones be sent to the Gambling Stone Workshops for public sale.

Ye Ming had only learned of these dirty secrets from Old Ghost.

He had once thought about asking Old Ghost to help him strike it rich in the Gambling Stone Workshops, but he later learned that even if he managed to find something valuable, he might not be able to walk out of the workshop with it.

This just went to show how wealthy the Prime Minister’s Mansion, which controlled the Changlong Business Alliance, truly was.

"It’s getting late. We should head to the auction house and get our seats. A lot of people have come to the Imperial Capital these past few days, and I bet most of them are here for the auction."

"I heard a lot of the items this time were brought over from the Overseas Kingdoms. There are even some strange and novel things that have never been seen before..."

At this, one of the disciples in the group suggested.

"Right, let’s go to the auction. If we wait, it’ll get too crowded and we won’t get good seats."

The others then remembered that aside from participating in the Southern Hunting, the main reason they had come to the Imperial Capital was for the auction.

The auction house in Jingyang City was the largest in all of Great Xia, perhaps even the entire Celestial Central Province. You could find almost anything there: Miracle Elixirs, Celestial and Earthly Treasures, Celestial Spiritual Artifacts, Slave Beauties... you name it, they had it.

Hearing this, a look of anticipation appeared in Ye Ming’s eyes. He had come along with them to broaden his horizons, after all.

Soon, the group left the teahouse, chatting amongst themselves as they headed toward the Inner City of the Imperial Capital.

The auction was held in the Inner City, occupying a vast estate surrounded by high walls and pavilions. Palaces and courtyards sat at its center, shrouded in mist, making it look like a celestial palace had descended upon the mortal realm.

In the very center stood a building shaped like the Exquisite Treasure Tower. It shone with a brilliant radiance, bathed in resplendent light. This was the venue for the Imperial Capital’s grand auction.

The Pagoda was nine stories tall.

Each floor was a world unto itself, containing spatial Array Patterns. The lowest level alone could hold over a thousand people.

Many people were already rushing over. Flickering shadows of figures could be seen among the pavilions and lakes, their faces filled with excitement.

「Meanwhile, on the ninth floor of the Pagoda.」

In one of the foremost private rooms, Jiang Lan was studying a colorful Exotic Stone that pulsed with a rich, dawn-like radiance.

The Exotic Stone was about the size of a human head and was covered in a dense network of cracks. The fissures weren’t deep, however, appearing to be the result of minor impacts.

Wisps of radiant light emanated from every crack.

"Reporting to you, Young Master, this is the Exotic Stone brought back from the Overseas Kingdoms that we plan to auction..." a portly middle-aged man said respectfully from beside him.