Covering the Sky: The Years I Was the Empress's Strictest Master

This mass of matter barely reaches the level of spiritual materials, and its value is at most a thousand catties of pure source.

"This... is just fire jadeite? And the quality is so mixed?"

The surrounding geniuses were all well-informed and had broad knowledge, as they all came from respectable backgrounds and possessed a certain level of insight. They were able to recognize what this was at a glance.

In an instant, the huge gap between expectations and reality caused an uproar among those around.

Song Zecen's carefree smile froze instantly, and the hand holding the stone-cutting knife retreated into his sleeve, trembling slightly.

Twenty catties of divine essence were used to buy a substandard piece of pure essence worth a thousand catties!

Although this loss is not a major blow to him.

But in front of everyone, he had really lost face, especially since he had been so arrogant and confident just now, deliberately waiting for Chi Yao and Chi Xuan to get close before making his move.

"The patterns are naturally formed, and the bird's cry is manifested... It's just fire jadeite?"

"This stone is so realistic! Whose work is this? There are some experts here! A thousand catties of pure source, and in a flash, twenty catties of divine source..."

"Even Senior Brother Song misjudged it; this stone today is eerie!"

Among the crowd, a few outstanding figures from the Heavenly Martial Holy Land had slightly somber expressions, even though they had been praising him lavishly just moments before.

Beside him, a barely perceptible hint of mockery flashed in Meng Lu's eyes as he led Tan Lin and the other two there.

Shao Hanyun, however, merely glanced in this direction from within the distant palace before looking away, as if it were none of her business.

…………

Chapter 128 Actually, I was just pretending.

"I wonder which fellow Daoist this peculiar stone came from?"

Before the jade platform, Song Zecen looked at the Chi family steward and asked in a deep voice.

“Sage Song, you have already made it very clear.”

The Chi family steward had no choice but to step forward, cup his hands in a gesture of respect, and explain once more:

"Once you've chosen one of these rare stones with a clearly marked price and paid the price, it's considered a change of ownership, no further negotiation is needed. However, in return, the original owner's information must be kept confidential by my Chi family..."

Amidst the noise.

On the side, Tan Lin's deep gaze swept over the remnants of the "Vermilion Bird Burning Heaven Stone" that had been destroyed, and then looked at a few seemingly ordinary stones not far away, and he understood.

Many of the unusual stones in this Shangzhen Pavilion are definitely not ordinary.

This so-called stone appraisal and exchange meeting was by no means a spur-of-the-moment event. Some of the fake stones were so sophisticated that even someone like Song Zecen was fooled.

However, the people behind this event who went to such great lengths were probably not just trying to scam people for a pittance to gain a meager amount of resources that were insignificant to them.

It's highly likely that this was to lay the groundwork, with each step building upon the previous one, to create the final highlight.

Song Zecen just happened to stumble upon the line of fire.

hum...

Thoughts wander.

Tan Lin quietly used his Origin Technique to silently sense the energy of the strange stones on the jade platform. By observing the solidity and emptiness of these many stones, he realized that this matter was not entirely without clues.

Soon, he glanced out of the corner of his eye at Meng Lu, who was standing nearby, and at the red-clad woman who was still inside the palace not far away.

They're trying to lure him out with his immortal body...

"It seems that we need to be quite cautious when appraising stones today."

Having understood everything, Tan Lin spoke calmly, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching the ears of those around him.

Chi Yao nodded slightly.

Chi Xuan then stepped forward again and affectionately tugged at his sleeve, her lips slightly pursed, as if she wanted to say something to him.

But then someone nearby spoke up before she could:

"What this fellow Daoist said is absolutely right. In the art of stone appraisal, it is seven parts skill and three parts luck."

"My skills are lacking, and I apologize for the embarrassment caused by everyone here. I just wonder what insights this fellow Daoist has? Has he taken a fancy to any particular stone? Perhaps I, Song, could learn something from him."

Song Zecen forced a smile, looked at Tan Lin, and walked over.

He emphasized the word "study," clearly harboring some ill intentions.

These words immediately drew everyone's attention to Tan Lin.

Meng Lu also looked on with a smile, as if he were watching a good show.

Chi Xuan frowned slightly, and tugged at Tan Lin's sleeve, revealing an undisguised concern.

Beside her, Chi Yao's clear and beautiful eyes also turned to Tan Lin.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Tan Lin remained silent.

His expression was as calm as an ancient well, without the slightest ripple. He simply walked slowly to a relatively more lively corner in front of the jade platform.

His earlier statement was clearly intentional.

Since he wanted to generate some revenue through the causal connections of these people present, he naturally couldn't remain unknown forever.

Da...da...

All eyes followed Tan Lin as he moved.

Finally, he stopped in the area where the rare stones were priced at the maximum.

Here are piled up dozens of strange stones of varying sizes, each with its own unique appearance.

Occasionally, ethereal music and dazzling divine light emanate from the stone's surface, making it appear quite extraordinary.

But precisely because of this, the price is extremely high, with each piece of the rare stone costing more than 100 kilograms of divine essence. Although it is the most eye-catching, no one has actually inquired about it yet.

Because the original stone is exceptionally beautiful, its price is already extremely high, and the probability of it rising in price further is very small, resulting in limited profits.

But if you make a mistake, you'll lose everything.

Even though everyone present came from extraordinary backgrounds and were heirs of powerful forces, they still needed to think carefully about the matter of hundreds of kilograms of divine source.

"puff……"

In the silence, someone suddenly couldn't help but laugh out loud.

As if guessing Tan Lin's intentions, even some members of the Chi family showed strange expressions.

"This indestructible golden body is incredibly arrogant. It just reminded those around it to be extra cautious when appraising stones today, and now it wants to try these priceless rare stones?"

"Heh, quite the daring one with such skill! I'd like to see what this guy can pull off..."

In the crowd, Song Zecen's eyes now held no trace of sarcasm.

Beside him, Meng Lu also shook his head slightly, seemingly somewhat disappointed with Tan Lin's choice.

He originally planned to take it to the "cheap area".

There, many stones that look ordinary on the outside but contain rare treasures inside are made by the Beidou Divine Cult.

If you guide the other party to cut the stone and increase their profits, then with such unparalleled fame and huge gains, wouldn't the young man of this age be overjoyed?

When he is riding high on his success, Shao Hanyun will personally step in. With her beauty as exquisite as a painting, she can easily capture his heart and make him lose his mind with a little effort...

But now it seems that this plan will have to be changed.

shuh...

Standing before the jade platform, Tan Lin ignored the surrounding noise and slowly scanned all the strange rocks in the area.

A few breaths later, his gaze fell on a piece of rotten wood that had turned into a strange rock, no bigger than a washbasin.

The stone is irregularly shaped, with a surface covered with honeycomb-like holes, but inside, a divine light shines through the holes, displaying a strange gray and white color, as if it had been eaten by insects.

The price is marked at the bottom; it's exactly one hundred catties of Shenyuan.

"This one will do."

Having chosen his target, Tan Lin spoke calmly.

Seeing this, Chi Xuan beside her became somewhat anxious. Precisely because this kind of stone was highly unpredictable, she didn't want the other person to lose face in public, so she stepped forward and whispered:

"Brother Tan Lin, that stone looks..."

"It's alright."

Tan Lin turned back and smiled warmly at her, then tossed out a hundred catties of divine energy to pay the bill. He then addressed the Chi family steward in charge of this area:

"Please make a diagonal cut, about three-tenths of an inch, starting from the edge of this hole. Be careful."

Upon hearing this, the steward said nothing more and took up the knife as instructed.

All around, gazes with varying expressions converged.

rustling... rustling...

In everyone's sight, the blade in the Chi family steward's hand cut into three inches of grayish-white stone skin. At first, there was nothing unusual, only stone dust falling down.

Seeing this, some onlookers shook their heads and prepared to leave, feeling that the cut was a waste.

however.

When nearly half of the stone skin had been peeled away, the blade touched the depths of a certain hole.

Wow!

An indescribable, rich fragrance suddenly wafted from the stone!

The fragrance is not that of flowers and fruits, but a unique and refreshing scent that seems to cleanse the soul and make one feel completely comfortable!

A soft, seven-colored ray of light burst forth from the cut, illuminating the surrounding area for hundreds of feet with dazzling brilliance.

"A treasure has appeared?! It smells like a spiritual herb!"

"A seven-colored glow! Could it be..."

With a single cut, the Chi family steward's hand trembled slightly. He quickly steadied himself and carefully peeled away the remaining stone skin.

Initially, he thought the stone was all show and no substance, and he believed that cutting it open was a piece of scrap material. Only his hands could keep it steady, but now he had to concentrate and focus all his mind.

rustling... rustling...

Soon, when the entire stone skin was peeled away, a strange plant wrapped in divine energy was revealed to everyone.

It is only about a foot tall and has seven leaves, each of which is a different color, corresponding to the seven-colored glow of the sunset.

…………

Chapter 129 Sacrificing the Physical Body

wow...

Under everyone's scrutiny, the plant's leaves were crystal clear, like the finest jade, with a divine sap seemingly flowing through its veins.

At the top, there is a seven-colored fruit the size of a longan.

The fruit is perfectly round and translucent, with what appears to be nebula flowing inside. Its rich fragrance and iridescent glow emanate primarily from this fruit.

"Seven...Seven-Colored Treasure Tree! And it even bears Seven-Colored Jade Marrow Fruit?!"

In the shadows of the Appreciation Pavilion, the divine consciousness of an elderly member of the Chi family with white hair fluctuated violently at this moment.

He had thought the young people at this stone appraisal and exchange event wouldn't be very interesting, but now he almost couldn't sit still and wanted to rush out and snatch it away.

"This is truly a rare treasure of heaven and earth!"

The white-haired elder in the shadows was so anxious he was stamping his feet.

"This is a top-grade medicinal king recorded in ancient books, capable of being cultivated. It bears fruit once every seven thousand years, and the fruit can be transformed into seeds to cultivate a new medicinal king. It has a lifespan of tens of thousands of years and can bear fruit multiple times. It was one of the top choices for countless royal families and clans in ancient times to solidify their foundations..."

boom!

at the same time.

The outside world was deathly silent; you could hear a pin drop.

The expressions on the faces of the vast majority of people were almost frozen.

At this moment, shock, disbelief, jealousy, and burning greed intertwined in everyone's eyes.