At his side, Mouse asked in surprise, "Brother Xu, are you saying... you want to recruit him? To have him represent Stone City in the Spirit Selection Conference?"
Brother Xu’s lips curved into a smile, his eyes full of anticipation. "If I tell him about the benefits of the Spirit Selection Conference, he won’t be able to refuse. The benefits aren’t just about the glory of being a Spirit Selector. More importantly, there’s an allure that no Martial Artist can resist. After all, the Spirit Selection Conference offers three grand prizes."
A glint flashed in Mouse’s eyes. "You an the third prize holds an imnse temptation for Martial Artists?"
Brother Xu chuckled. "Imnse doesn’t even begin to cover it—it’s simply irresistible. But we can talk about that later. I need to find the right ti to speak with this young man." With that, Brother Xu vanished into the crowd.
anwhile, Mu Chen was still standing on the platform, gazing at the Wind Spirit Crystal in his hand. A mont ago, when he first touched it, he had felt a sudden stir from the Wind Attribute Dantian inside him. The sensation made his heart race, and a bold theory ford in his mind.
’Since the Ultimate Attribute Spirits look sowhat similar to these Spirit Crystals, could it be... that these Attribute Spirit Crystals are actually just immature Ultimate Attribute Spirits? Or perhaps their fundantal essence is the sa.’
’The more he thought about it, the more certain he felt that his theory was correct. But it was still just a theory. To prove it, he would have to absorb one and experience it for himself. This thought alone made him discard any notion of selling the Wind Attribute Spirit Crystal.’
Then, Mu Chen turned his attention to the Storage Ring Jiang Tao had left behind. ’If I’m not mistaken,’ he thought, ’there should be two other Attribute Spirit Crystals inside. One of them, of course, is the Earth Spirit Crystal he won from Song Ren. As for the other...’ At this thought, Mu Chen released a sliver of Spiritual Power to probe the ring. To his surprise, there wasn’t the slightest trace of a Spiritual Mark on it. He realized after a mont that Jiang Tao must have erased it himself.
’Jiang Tao is actually an honorable man. He accepts his losses without hesitation. He might be a bit flamboyant, but that’s just a product of his fa. His character isn’t bad at all.’
Once his Spiritual Power seeped inside, the contents of the Storage Ring appeared in Mu Chen’s mind. The ring’s internal space was vast, but that wasn’t surprising given the wealth of Jiang Tao’s Gambling Stone Family. What did surprise Mu Chen, however, was that there were indeed two Attribute Spirit Crystals inside. One was the earthy-yellow Earth Spirit Crystal he’d expected. The other was a crystal that glowed with a dark green light and radiated a faint Life Aura. It was... a Wood Spirit Crystal.
Without a second thought, Mu Chen quickly transferred the Earth Spirit Crystal into his own Storage Ring. Then, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he descended from the platform and walked over to the pile of Original Stones.
When Mouse saw Mu Chen approach, his small eyes lit up. "Not bad, kid. You sure know how to hide your talents. But congratulations are in order! A Rare Attribute Spirit Crystal... you’re a rich man in the blink of an eye."
"Just lucky," Mu Chen said with a calm, faint smile. He scanned the area before asking, "Sir, what about the other gentleman who brought here?"
Mouse shook his head. "Looked like he had so business to attend to, so he left. Did you need to see him?"
"Oh, no, I just wanted to thank him. But since he’s already left, I guess it can wait. This was my first ti trying my hand at stone gambling, and I never expected to hit the jackpot." Mu Chen waved dismissively, then turned to Wan Xian’Er. "Miss Xian’Er, we should find an inn quickly. We’ve been traveling for days; it’s ti we got so rest."
Wan Xian’Er nodded and followed Mu Chen away from the stone-gambling area, the gazes of countless people fixed on them. Although she had many questions, she knew now wasn’t the right ti to ask.
Watching the pair’s retreating figures, the surrounding crowd suddenly surged into the Original Stone area. And why? To gamble, of course! Three Spirit Crystals had been found in that pile—one Attribute Spirit Crystal and one Rare Attribute Spirit Crystal. The odds were simply unbelievable! Every gambler there was dreaming of striking it rich overnight. Of course, no one was happier than Mouse. At this rate, today’s entire stock of Original Stones would be sold out in a flash—even the Waste Stones...
Once they left the throng of people, their surroundings grew quiet again. But quiet didn’t an deserted. The other vendors weren’t about to abandon their own businesses to go gamble on stones; that would be a completely different kind of bet.
Wan Xian’Er watched the young man beside her, who was focused on finding an inn. She pouted sullenly and said in her icy voice, "Hey. I’m bored to death. I want to talk!"
Mu Chen was taken aback by her words. ’This girl really has a one-track mind,’ he thought. ’I told her to talk less, not to stop talking completely. Then again, maybe I wasn’t clear enough. No wonder she hasn’t said a single word this whole ti.’ He felt a little embarrassed. "Ah... go on, then."
Wan Xian’Er huffed. "You used a Pupil Technique just now, didn’t you? So you know about stone gambling?"
Mu Chen looked at Wan Xian’Er, a little surprised. He smiled. "You’re very observant. I did my best to conceal my aura. And yes, I was using a Pupil Technique. But this really is my first ti trying stone gambling."
"I see. Your Pupil Technique must be a very High Level one, then. Otherwise, you couldn’t have seen things so accurately. I tried a mont ago, but when I probed the Original Stones with my Spiritual Power, the feedback I got was just ’rock,’ regardless of whether there was a Spirit Crystal inside. It’s like..." Wan Xian’Er mused, "It’s as if the Spirit Crystals alter their auras to perfectly match the stones around them."
Mu Chen smiled. "Of course. When two things coexist in the sa dium for a long ti, their auras are bound to beco incredibly similar, if not completely identical. That’s also why the Stone Immortal is a dicinal herb that can only be found through serendipity."
When Wan Xian’Er heard Mu Chen suddenly ntion the Stone Immortal, her whole body trembled. She stared at him in utter shock. "You... You know about the Stone Immortal?"
Mu Chen nodded. "I’ve heard the legends."
’I can’t believe it,’ she thought. ’Only the most supre Cauldron Masters on the entire continent know about a dicinal herb like the Stone Immortal. Even I, a genius among Cauldron Masters, only learned of its existence from the Golden Dragon Scripture. It’s an incredibly secret herb... How could a boy from a remote border town possibly know about it? Unless... he’s a Peak Tripod Master in disguise?’
’But she dismissed that theory as soon as it ford. The most renowned Peak Tripod Masters on the continent were all at her family’s estate. The few who preferred to wander alone were all ancient eccentrics, as cunning as they were old. None of them could possibly be as young as Mu Chen. If she ruled that out, then the most likely possibility was that this young man nad Mu Chen was the successor to a Peak Tripod Master! An exceptionally gifted, genius Cauldron Master!’
"You’re a Cauldron Master," Wan Xian’Er stated, her tone firm and unwavering. It wasn’t a question, but a declaration.
Mu Chen paused, wondering how Wan Xian’Er could be so certain. But after a mont’s reflection, he understood. Only a Cauldron Master would likely have studied such a high-grade dicinal herb. Besides, his identity as a Cauldron Master wasn’t sothing he needed to hide anymore, so he answered matter-of-factly, "I am."
To his surprise, that simple confirmation seed to ignite Wan Xian’Er’s curiosity. She grabbed his arm. "Then what Grade of Cauldron Master are you?"
Mu Chen stared blankly. ’Grade? Cauldron Masters have Grades?’
Seeing his expression, Wan Xian’Er was left speechless. "Don’t tell you don’t know about the Grades for Cauldron Masters?"
Mu Chen rubbed his nose and chuckled sheepishly. "I actually don’t."
"Huh? You really are a strange one. In that case, I will graciously enlighten you." Wan Xian’Er seed quite pleased with herself, having finally found sothing Mu Chen didn’t know. "Cauldron Masters, just like Martial Artists, are categorized by rank. While it’s not as detailed as the Martial Artist levels, the system is divided into nine Grades: First-grade White Rock Tripod Master, Second Grade Black Obsidian Tripod Master, Third-Grade Bronze Cauldron Master, Fourth Grade Silver Tripod Master, Fifth Grade Golden Tripod Master, Sixth-grade Platinum Cauldron Master, Seventh Grade Diamond Tripod Master, Eighth Grade Holy Mark Tripod Master, and Ninth Grade Emperor Tripod Master. Each Grade is further divided into three stages: Junior Level, Middle Level, and High Level. These ranks correspond to the grade of elixirs they can create."
’Mu Chen listened intently, but he was becoming more and more uncertain about Wan Xian’Er’s true identity. To have such a comprehensive knowledge of Cauldron Masters, she had to be from a Cauldron Master Noble Family. But there were so few of those on the continent... Which family did this seemingly innocent girl belong to? And why had she appeared here?’
After she finished, Mu Chen asked directly, "Miss Xian’Er, you’re a Cauldron Master too, aren’t you?"
Wan Xian’Er laughed. "Naturally! Don’t be fooled by my age. I’m already a Platinum Junior Tripod Master, you know."
Through her veil, Mu Chen could clearly see a smug look appear on her usually frosty face, which made him smile. But then Wan Xian’Er suddenly asked, "So what Grade of Tripod Master are you?"
’Mu Chen thought for a mont, a bit stunned. The truth was, he didn’t know what Grade he was. If he based it on the elixirs he could refine, he supposed he would be a Third-grade Junior Tripod Master, but that was only because he had only ever tried to refine an Earth Rank Lower Grade elixir. If he tried to refine other Grades, he might even be able to create an Emperor Grade Elixir. The thing was, this "refining" was done automatically by the White Dragon Cauldron. He honestly didn’t understand what the White Dragon Cauldron’s ultimate limits were; it seed to handle any elixir with ease.’
"I guess I’m probably a Third Grade Cauldron Master... I’ve only ever refined an elixir of the Initial Stage of the Earth Tier," Mu Chen said, stroking his chin.
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