“Return it? Hey, what’s the look you’re giving me?! I bought this translucent stone with Enola in the high-end stone area over there. I spent a million on it. There’s bound to be something good in there. Not everyone can be like you, willing to spend money on useless stones.”There were many types of stones available, and the icy gem stone was known to be a more expensive type of gem.“What if there’s nothing inside the stone after you cut it?” Chase asked with a smile.“Nonsense! Who do you think you are? I’ve been around here for years and won’t ever pick a stone with nothing in it. Do you trust me, Enola?” Enzo was enraged to hear Chase doubting him.He was the owner of the underground auction house of Chitara. How could he continue holding his head up if he could not pick a good stone?“You have to trust me, Enola. Let’s go. We should ignore people like him who don’t know what he’s talking about.” Enzo looked at Chase with animosity.“I didn’t say I don’t trust you, Enzo.” En
Enzo sneered and said to Waylan Bolden, “Cut it open. I’ll make sure you reap the benefits as well if there’s something good in there.”“Alright.” This was a good deal for Waylan, and he was quite enthusiastic about it. He spat on both his hands.He grabbed the handle of the stone cutter. Everyone was watching intently, and he could feel the pressure that came with their stares.“Let’s start from the corner.”He marked all four sharp corners of the stone with a pencil before placing the stone under the cutter. He began to cut into it.When he cut the four sharp corners, dust flew everywhere, but there was no sign of any precious gem. If this was an icy gem stone, they would have seen some signs of a gem by now.Waylan was puzzled. However, he continued scooping water and pouring some over the surface of the stone. The water flowed along the gray sides of the stone.He laughed awkwardly. “Don’t be impatient, everyone. It could be because I didn’t cut the corners deep enough, whic
Everyone was surprised by this and laughed at Enzo with pointed fingers.“Look at this. He claimed that it was an icy gem stone. Hahahah! It’s just a useless piece of stone.”“To think he was so gleeful about it!”“That’s right!”“Looks like there’s a limit to the experience of the underground auction house owner. His expertise is just the same as ours!”Enzo’s face turned pale. He did not believe what he saw. He stumbled and fell sitting on the ground in a daze. How was that possible?He had never missed a mark before. Even though it required some luck, there were still some skills to it.Enola felt terrible to see Enzo look so beaten up. He had even wanted to give her whatever treasure was in that stone. A million had gone down the drain just like that!“Impossible!” Enzo suddenly jumped up from the ground. He grabbed Waylan by the collar with great force. Enzo lost control of himself and went a little crazy. He had never felt so humiliated before.“Talk! It must be your sto
“That sounds quite reasonable. After all, he did say he would take responsibility. There’s no comparing a stone worth a million with a stone worth ten thousand.”Everyone began discussing this.“What a waste of time!” Chase said and turned to leave.It would be fine if his stone was cut without anyone of expertise around. They would think that it was a jewel at best. However, if a cultivator spotted it, there would be endless trouble.“If you don’t cut open that piece of crap today, I guarantee that as the owner of this auction house, you'll never buy another piece of stone in Chitara’s stone gambling street ever again,” Enzo threatened Chase when Chase did not agree to this.Chase heard this. He finally turned back. It was not because he was afraid. Chase believed that with Enzo’s capabilities, he would not be able to do as he threatened.However, since someone really wanted to see what was inside the useless stone he had bought for ten thousand, he might as well let them have a
He opened his eyes and began cutting the surface of the stone smoothly.It was not long before he was able to cut out the fire gem. He placed it in a basin and used water to clean the dust off it. He placed it under the sun to have a good look. The fire gem sparkled under the sunlight. It shone through the gem, and he could hardly open his eyes from the bright light.Waylan exclaimed at the reveal of the gem, and everyone on the street could not stop staring at the shining fire gem. It was gorgeous. They wondered how many people had ended up bankrupt on this street just to have a gamble to become rich overnight.Yet, Chase managed to buy this piece of stone for a mere ten thousand.Some people had mistaken Chase for someone who had no idea what this jewel was worth. A man shouted out loud, “I’ll pay you a million for it, buddy! You bought that with ten thousand. I’ll pay you an additional 99 thousand for it. Sell it to me…”Before he could finish, another man called out louder wit
After all, someone managed to find a fire gem here. This was an encouragement for them, but they had forgotten that not everyone could be this lucky.Waylan took out a box and carefully put the fire gem into it. He was also a little reluctant. He passed it to Chase. “Have a safe trip back. Remember to come to my shop the next time you need to cut a stone. I’ll give you a 50 percent discount.”“You’re much too kind, Mr. Bolden. I’d like to ask you something. Do you know where this stone came from?”Chase took the box and asked in a whisper.“You’re putting me in a spot, young man. The stones I have here were sourced on my own. I don’t have a fixed channel to get them. It’s very difficult to find out the origin of your stone.”Waylan told Chase with slight embarrassment.There was nothing else Chase could do. He was not meant to find out where it came from.Chase had thought he would be lucky enough to obtain some clues to lead him to a bunch of spiritual crystals. Even so, one wa
Chase was furious when Sonny snatched his spiritual crystal and announced that he was teaching Chase a lesson.“What a shameless old man you are!”He countered the palm attack with a punch.This punch easily beat Sonny back.Chase swung his hand and got back the fire gem from Sonny’s pocket.“You’re full of yourself, old man. Do that again and I’ll kill you!” Chase said when he saw Sonny struggling to stand up.That was when Enzo said, “Do you have any idea who this man is? He isn’t only well-respected in the stone gambling street, but he’s renowned in Bactria’s antiquing world. Mr. Shelman is a powerful man. "He was showing you respect by asking a price from you. How dare you hurt him? Do you still want to remain in Chitara in one piece?”“Is that why you brought him to me?” Chase asked Enzo.“What if I did? It’s because of Mr. Shelman that I’m able to be where I am today. He’s searching for something valuable as a birthday present for the patriarch of the Shelmans, and it’s
“It’s fine now that we’ve cleared the misunderstanding. I don’t have an invitation to the party even though I know it’s Master Chester’s birthday. I wonder if you might be able to help me get the invitation?” Chase took the opportunity to ask.“That’s no problem at all. You can just come along with me to the party!” Sonny agreed immediately to bring Chase along to the Shelman residence.“It’s settled then. As for this fire gem, it’s my birthday present to him. I’m afraid you might have to find another treasure of your own,” Chase replied cheekily before saying goodbye.Enzo had a chat with Sonny before catching up to Chase.While they were leaving, Enola burst out asking, “Why did you do that, Enzo?”“I’m doing this for the sake of the Langdons. You have no idea how powerful the Shelmans are in Chitara. They’re considered royalty here! Forget about it. You won’t understand it anyway. Stop asking so much. All you need to do is focus on being a celebrity!”A thought crossed Enzo’s
A strange air of authority could be felt coming from him."How did this happen?"The skeletal old man's eyes widened, and his heart beat violently. He was trembling.Chase looked just like a demon king.He took a step forward. The earth and sky tremored as cracks appeared on the ground.Chase's physique suddenly expanded exponentially. His skin was bright red, and his bones seemed to be clanging. A strong dark blood energy flooded out from him.Chase waved his arms about crazily. Explosions went off in the air. Every punch he swung was followed by the terrifying sound of an explosion.The surface of the graveyard collapsed from Chase's savage strength.Chase crushed half the skeletal old man's face with one punch, and the old man's body flew off several yards away.Meanwhile, Chase was suffering from backlash because the true energy reserves within his body had erupted. Bloody arrows began shooting out of him."Only a little of my true energy is left!" Chase said sadly.Even
"You're pretty formidable for a young man. You were actually able to stop the spiritual resentments from going any further. You're a Collins, indeed!"The skeletal old man chuckled. "But that doesn't mean anything. You still won't be able to escape death today!"He crashed the Phantom Coffin viciously toward Chase.Chase grunted coldly and took a step forward. He evaded the Phantom Coffin.He leaped and flew into the air. Chase moved in the formation of an eight trigram and kept shimmering because of his high speed.Chase punched the Phantom Coffin continuously, and it flew off to crash heavily by the feet of the skeletal old man. He jumped at it and evaded the crash in a fluster."My coffin!"He was almost crying.The Phantom Coffin was his most valuable possession. It was built using more than a dozen rare and precious medicinal herbs. He had put a lot of effort into it, but Chase was treating it like a punching bag, denting it all over with his attacks."You're dead!" The s
"Swallow it!"Chase growled. His Sea of True Energy core began to surge and boil. It overwhelmed him like huge waves from the sea, and wisps of silver-white mist steamed from him. The mist gathered to his palm and wrapped the spiritual resentment within it.The silver spiritual spring was the liquid form of the Sky Spirit Energy's essence. It could purify the physique and enhance one's potential. It could strengthen the energy and blood within the body and increase one's cultivation talent."Swallow it!"The silver mist was like a huge vortex which slowly consumed the spiritual resentment.The minuscule purple crystal sword shuddered and tore itself away from Chase's control as it shot into the air above."How is that possible?" Chase's eyes widened. He was stunned.He could sense that the spiritual resentment he had worked hard for days to train had escaped his grip because of the Phantom Sword. It was even rushing toward the outer realm.Chase quickly used his mystical techni
As the runes on the Phantom Coffin began to glow brilliantly, a deafening explosion echoed through the air. A streak of ghostly green fire erupted from the coffin, surging toward Chase."What a dense ghostly aura," Chase muttered.Marais let out a crazed laugh. "That's the Phantom Flame! It burns the soul itself. You're doomed, boy! Your soul will be reduced to ashes!"The Phantom Flame was birthed from the condensed resentment of countless trapped souls and was a force of terrifying destruction.Once it latched onto its target, extinguishing it was impossible. Marais had spent centuries cultivating just a fragment of this flame. Now, using it against Chase was both his ultimate weapon and revenge."Have you finished rambling, you old fart?" Chase's cold voice cut through the air."What?" Marais froze, confused by Chase's tone."I asked if you were done," Chase repeated as his icy eyes locked onto Marais.Golden light radiated from Chase's body like a blazing sun. His hand lash
Chase paused, his expression shifting with curiosity."What's this?" he muttered to himself."Ha! Foolish boy, this is the Phantom Coffin, a weapon I painstakingly refined over decades!" Marais sneered. "This coffin isolates everything, even your spiritual senses. You won't be able to detect my presence!""Phantom Coffin, seal the souls!" Marais intoned while his hands formed seals.A massive black coffin materialized and descended like a storm cloud, enveloping Chase. In an instant, Chase felt his head grow heavy. His vision turned blurry, and his spiritual senses waver."Childish tricks," Chase scoffed as he activated his spiritual force.Yet to his surprise, his senses detected an eerie sight within the coffin—countless trapped souls writhing and roaring in an endless struggle, as if yearning to escape their imprisonment.'Impressive. It seems Secret Sect's elders are even stronger than I anticipated,' Chase thought grimly.He could tell that these souls, even if diminished,
As soon as Chase said this, he launched another strike.The battle between Chase and Marais intensified. Their moves shifted rapidly, and in a matter of moments, they had exchanged over ten blows without a clear winner."Hmm?" Marais' expression shifted to one of surprise."Your physical strength seems to have increased," he remarked. "It appears you've consumed quite a few rare treasures. No matter—it saves me the effort!"Marais' body trembled, his clothes billowing. From his frail form, skeletal branches grew like weathered wood, weaving into black armor. This was a secret technique that enhanced his defense and sped up his recovery."This body is too old," Marais admitted coldly. "Although it holds martial deity-level power, its lifespan is nearly spent. It's no longer fit for my cultivation."Only by devouring your flesh and blood can I replenish my vitality. Perhaps then, I can be reborn!"With that, Marais pushed off the ground with explosive force, hurtling toward Chase.
Chase let out a cold laugh."Do you think such petty tricks can scare me?"Before his words had faded, Chase leaped directly into the swarm of ghostly entities. Though these phantom tactics were far from ordinary, he showed no fear."Hehe…""Delicious…""Hahaha…""Feed us!"The ghostly figures lunged at Chase with terrifying cries and wails that pierced the air. It was chilling to anyone who heard them."Just a mere gathering of dark energy, and you think it can trap me?" Chase sneered dismissively.Golden light burst forth from his body, shining like a radiant star. As he wielded his golden spear, Chase swept it across the ghostly swarm in a move that generated a violent gust, scattering the ghostly entities.His hands moved swiftly, forming intricate seals. Two streams of true energy intertwined and coalesced into a spiraling drill."Break!" Chase roared, channeling his energy into the drill and slamming it into Achilles' forehead.Achilles' skull exploded instantly, his
Snowflakes drifted through the air as the icy wind cut to the bone.Chase stood motionless, his expression calm but resolute. He summoned the power of the elements and unleashed his strongest technique—Five Thunder Break.A brilliant streak of lightning roared like a furious dragon, crashing down with devastating force.The steel-hard ice formed by the Earth Vein Prison shattered instantly.Achilles coughed up blood. His chest was pierced through as a crimson mist sprayed across his garments."How are you this powerful?!" Achilles gasped with terror flickering in his eyes.Before he could process what had happened, a golden spear streaked through the air and stabbed into his shoulder.Blood gushed forth, staining the ground.Nonetheless, Chase was not done. He bent his left arm slightly, and with a swift punch, he struck Achilles with the force of a collapsing mountain.Achilles let out a groan as his body flew through the air, crashing into the earth with a sickening thud.C
Chase squinted, and a flicker of intrigue crossed his face."Indeed," Achilles said coldly. "This Earth Vein Prison was crafted from rare minerals I personally excavated, materials used to forge supreme artifacts and array cores. You're already doomed.""Oh?" Chase raised an eyebrow."I'll give you a chance to live," Achilles declared with hands clasped behind his back. "Tell me about the Collins family, and I might consider granting you a painless death."Chase responded with a faint smile and shook his head as if mocking the offer."What's so funny?" Achilles' brows furrowed, anger flashing in his eyes.Surveying his surroundings with a casual glance, Chase replied with a scornful tone, "This so-called Earth Vein Prison is hardly impressive.""You insolent whelp!" Achilles snarled, his anger erupting. "Since you've chosen death, I'll ensure it's delivered!"As his words fell, Achilles unleashed a massive palm strike from a distance, aimed directly at Chase.The devastating f