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nIn the stone-cutting area, a minute or two had passed, but the person in charge of the Golden Sword Source Ore Workshop had yet to appear. He might have gone out for something and needed more time to rush back.

nThe enthusiasm of the onlookers gradually dissipated, and a portion of them dispersed.

nChen Yiming was one of the people who had left.

nHe took a few turns to arrive at the rare goods area.

nAs the name suggested, the rare goods area was an area where large pieces of source ore were sold. The small ores here were as large as half a person, and the larger ones were the size of a small hill. They were all treasures of the shop.

nIn addition, there was an expert here to guard the area.

nFurthermore, this person was not weak. He was an old man who was leaning against a wooden chair. His face was rosy, and he had a buzz cut and a white beard. He looked quite energetic and was at the jade star realm.

nAt the jade star realm, the power of the world naturally carried the characteristic of sealing. He was a true god that was not just at the weakest level of the star condensation realm.

nIn addition, the Golden Sword Source Ore Workshop was located in the Heaven Suppressing City, so it was almost impossible for there to be any problems here.

n“Compared to those that are the size of a fist, these large source ores should have a stronger ability to withstand the spatial fluctuations,” Chen Yiming thought to himself as he swept his gaze across the room.

nHe was tempted to test it out on the source ores in the rare goods area.

nAt this moment, a beautiful woman in royal clothes walked out from the counter in the rare goods area.

nHer long hair was tied up with a red jade hairpin, and her long dress could not hide her graceful figure. There were two pink straps hanging from her shoulders, and her shoulders were completely exposed.

n“Sir, do you need Ning Ji to show you around the rare source ores?” the beautiful woman said with a smile.

n“No need.”

nChen Yiming deliberately revealed a trace of his aura at the level of the star condensation realm. He couldn’t be bothered with the woman and walked straight in on his own.

nJust like when he faced the salesgirl when he entered the shop, he rejected her outright.

nIf it was any other occasion, he would naturally want to have an in-depth conversation with the beautiful woman.

nHowever, it was indeed not suitable now. Regarding the price of the source ores and the related information, he was just an amateur. He would probably be exposed with just a few words.

nThe beautiful woman’s expression turned awkward.

n“Ning Ji, come back.”

nAt this moment, the old man lying on the recliner spoke. His gaze stopped on Chen Yiming’s back as he sighed to himself. This kid wasn’t simple. He had reached the level of a god at such a young age.

nThe beautiful woman squeezed out a smile again and watched Chen Yiming’s back as she strolled back to the counter.

nThis situation often happened. Some people did not like it when someone interfered with their decision. They did not like it even if they only made a simple introduction.

nOf course, it was mainly because the old man had spoken. Otherwise, she would have used her powerful charm to persuade him. At the very least, she would not shut up just because she was rejected.

nChen Yiming was the only one walking in the rare goods area.

nPerhaps the customers had all been attracted to the stone-cutting area, or perhaps the price of the large rare source ores here was too high, but in short, it was quiet here.

n“I’m the only one in the area now. If anything happens, I’m afraid there won’t be any place for me in Heaven Suppressing City.”

n“I can’t continue with the idea of targeting the large source ores first.”

nChen Yiming pretended to be a customer who was interested in choosing a source ore and walked between the large source ores. He hoped that there would be a few more customers who would come to the rare goods area.

nHowever, things did not go his way. Other than the beautiful woman in royal clothes at the counter at the entrance and the old man lying on a chair, there was no one else in the rare goods area.

nNot long after, Chen Yiming saw a strange-looking source ore.

n“There’s actually a human-shaped source ore. Was it made using some advanced technology? Or does such a source ore really exist naturally?”

nHe thought of a type of fruit on the blue planet. As it grew, it could be shaped using a mold. After it ripened, one could take off the mold and find that the fruit had taken on the shape of the mold.

nIn a world where supernatural power appeared, there were all kinds of counterfeiting possibilities. This could not help but make people suspect that if they were tricked, they would suffer a huge loss.

nAs time passed, Chen Yiming was still wandering around the rare goods area alone. He hadn’t made a move on any of the large pieces of source ores even after a long time.

nHowever, even if no one came, he felt that he could not help but make a move soon.

n“The largest source ore here is the size of a small hill. The mountain of treasure is right in front of me. I feel uneasy returning empty-handed. It’s not my style.”

nIf he was exposed, he could only try to brush it off. If it caused a conflict, the size of the conflict depended on whether the strongest person in the Heaven Suppressing City could do anything to him.

nAfter Chen Yiming stayed in the rare goods area for nearly half an hour, the golden-haired lion man walked into the district under the lead of a man in green clothes.

nFurthermore, there was a group of onlookers behind him. Each of their faces were filled with excitement, as if they were looking at rare treasures.

n“It seems that the matter of the ore cracking has been resolved.”

nChen Yiming saw the green-clothed man pointing at three source ores that were half the height of a person and telling the golden-haired lion man that he could choose one out of three and they would be sold to him at a 10% discount.

nThe golden-haired lion man could not hide the joy on his face.

nThis was normal. On the surface, the source ores in the rare goods area were the treasures of this shop.

nAt this moment, someone exclaimed, “It’s actually that netherworld source ore. The Golden Sword Source Ore Workshop has paid a huge price to give the Purple Gold Divine King of the lion clan an explanation.”

nSomeone at the side echoed, “I remember that for a piece of the netherworld source ore, someone previously had to offer a 30% premium before the Golden Sword Source Ore Workshop was willing to sell it. This is equivalent to a 40% reduction in the price.”

nCountless gazes stopped on the netherworld source ore. It was completely black, and its surface was like a black crystal. Under the light, it was extremely dazzling.

nChen Yiming also had his attention on the netherworld source ore.

nHowever, he was not prepared to make a move on it. Otherwise, if there were problems with the source ore that the golden-haired lion man had taken a fancy to twice in a row, the Golden Sword Source Ore Workshop would definitely be suspicious.

nIn the rare goods area, the golden-haired lion man did not immediately decide to choose the netherworld source ore. Instead, he walked towards the other two source ores that were also half the height of a person.

nOne of them was completely blood-red, and one could vaguely hear the roars of beasts coming from it. The third one was ordinary, and looked just like an ordinary stone.

nHowever, the golden-haired lion man had stayed the longest in front of the ordinary-looking one among the three source ores that the green-clothed man had pointed out.

nSomeone discussed softly, “I think the netherworld source ore is the best choice. It definitely won’t be a problem to sell it. It might even yield something amazing.”

nSomeone at the side objected. “That might not be the case. There are many examples of those that look good on the surface but have nothing much inside. Perhaps the ordinary-looking piece will actually yield something really good.”

nThe onlookers started to argue. Each of them had their own opinions. Some thought highly of the netherworld source ore, and some thought highly of the blood-red source ore. Those who did not know better would think that they were the ones choosing the source ore.

nChen Yiming retracted his gaze and decided to make his move on the source ore that was the size of a small hill.

n“Buzz!”

nA faint spatial fluctuation appeared in the source ore. At the same time, the space anchor appeared in the center of it, providing Chen Yiming with a clear view of the inside.

nIn the next moment,

nChen Yiming’s expression changed.

nHe saw that it was filled with white fog. When the white fog moved, he could vaguely make out the outline of a living creature. It curled up in circles, and it moved when the spatial fluctuation appeared.

nPerhaps the spatial fluctuations were too weak, but after that, there were no more changes.

n“It’s so dense that it forms a white fog. I wonder if it’s essence energy.”

nChen Yiming was shocked.

nUnfortunately, the vision provided by the space anchor could only let him see the scene inside, but the aura was still sealed inside the source ore.

nIf he was really sure that the white fog was essence energy, then what was the point of looking further? He could just choose the Golden Sword Source Ore Workshop and make a big move here, letting the system absorb the essence energy.

nOn second thought, “The probability of the white fog being essence energy is really high. The creature inside moved, meaning that it’s not dead.”

n“Then if the creature inside is alive, even if it enters a state similar to eternal sleep, how can it replenish its energy if it is sealed in the source ore?”

n“It’s obvious that it is relying on the white fog to replenish its energy.”

nAt this thought, Chen Yiming forced himself to calm down.

nAt the moment, he was not 100% sure that the white fog was essence energy. It would be best if someone else helped him open this source ore to check.

nHowever, among the people present, even the golden-haired lion man would find it difficult to pay the price.

nOr perhaps it was not for sale at all, and was the true treasure of the shop, something that the factions behind the Golden Sword Source Ore Workshop had displayed to attract customers.

n“Let’s take a look at all the source stones in the rare goods area before making a decision.”

nSoon, Chen Yiming decided to play it safe. Even if he caused some problems like in the stone-cutting area, it was better than blindly opening the hill-sized source ore.

n…

nTime passed.

nThe golden-haired lion man was still hesitating, and the onlookers were still chatting non-stop. Chen Yiming had already started to make his move on the other source ores in the rare goods area.

nOne piece.

nTwo pieces.

nThree pieces.

n…

n23 pieces.

nOther than the three source ores that the green-clothed man had pointed out, Chen Yiming had seen inside all 23 other source ores.

nHowever, there were only five pieces that showed hints of essence energy.

n“It seems that be it on the blue planet or in the abandoned world, gambling is like walking from heaven to hell. Furthermore, the source ores here are rare items that have been carefully selected.”

n“However, even so, there are still a lot of fake source ores. Furthermore, the hints of essence energy are ultimately just hints. Before it is opened, I can’t sense any aura of the essence energy.”

nThat’s right. Even with the help of the space anchor, Chen Yiming couldn’t completely confirm which source ores contained essence energy.

nSome of the traces of essence energy might be an illusion, and it might be some other kind of gas.

n“Why don’t I use the Spatial Anchor talent and come again in the dead of night? With the upgrade, I can have one inside the hill-sized source ore, and the other outside the Heaven Suppressing City.”

n“I’ll travel through space and enter the source ore. If the white fog is essence energy, the system can suck it dry. Then, I can make a move on the other source ores that have hints of essence energy.”

n“In the end, no matter what happens to the source ores, I can instantly escape after absorbing the essence energy.”

nThe surrounding people were still discussing the three source ores when Chen Yiming came up with a simple idea.

n“However, I wonder what level the Golden Sword Source Ore Workshop is at in Heaven Suppressing City. Is there any other source ore shop that operates on a larger scale?”

n“In addition, I wonder which city Gao Shuai went to after he came out of the forbidden death zone. If there is someone around who knows the situation, I might be able to obtain more essence energy at once…”

nAround the forbidden death zone, there was not only one city. There were many other large cities that were built around the periphery of this restricted area.

nAt this moment, Chen Yiming missed Gao Shuai. Although it seemed like they would need to split the essence energy 50-50 for the two of them to work together, the efficiency of obtaining essence energy was also much higher.

nLittle did he know that in a certain large city, Gao Shuai was also troubled.

nThe mountain of treasure that Gao Shuai had encountered was even bigger than Chen Yiming’s. It was so big that he didn’t dare to touch it easily. This feeling could only be understood by experiencing it personally.

nSoon, a commotion brought Chen Yiming back to his senses.

nIt turned out that the golden-haired lion man had given up on the two unusual-looking source ores.

nIn the end, he did not choose the netherworld source ore, nor did he choose the blood-red source ore. Instead, he chose the ordinary-looking source ore.

n“Could it be that he doesn’t have enough money on him?”

nChen Yiming turned around. This was his guess. He had not looked inside those three source ores, but after looking at the other 23 source ores in the rare goods area, he realized that those with mysterious appearances were more likely to be true source ores.

nChen Yiming didn’t know about the other shops, but at the very least, there were no hints of essence energy in the ordinary-looking source ores in this shop.

nTherefore, betting on an ordinary-looking source ore was equivalent to not being willing to invest a large sum of money. Naturally, the probability of a return was much lower. This was the same as the price of the half-opened source ores soaring.

n“Crack!”

nSuddenly, the familiar cracking sound appeared again.

n???

nThis time, it was not that there was a problem with the half-opened source ore. Instead, a small portion of a certain source ore in the rare goods area had cracked.

nThen, under countless incredulous gazes, a small portion of the source ore fell to the ground, but the rest remained intact.

nHowever, it felt a little strange, as if there were signs of manual work done on it. It was as if the part that had cracked and fallen to the ground had been filled in manually.

n“Even an intact source ore can’t withstand the slightest spatial fluctuation? Could there be something fishy going on? Is the Golden Sword Source Ore Workshop up to something?”

nChen Yiming’s first thought was that there was something wrong with the source ores.

nThe person in charge of the Golden Sword Source Ore Workshop was stunned when he saw this. However, from his instant reaction, it did not seem like the Golden Sword Source Ore Workshop had secretly tampered with the source ores and made them bigger to trick the customers.

nIt had to be known that the price of the source ores was calculated by their weight. The portion that had shattered and fallen to the ground was equivalent to about a quarter of the original price. The number involved was not small.

nThe golden-haired lion man was even more dumbfounded. He had just paid the corresponding hidden dragon coins to the Golden Sword Source Ore Workshop. Now, the source ore already belonged to him. But it was a problem whether he chose to open it or not.

n“Could it be that the person who sold the source ores to the shop tampered with them?”

nSome people could not help but voice their doubts.

nThese words had a double meaning. Who knew if the person who had tampered with the goods was the one providing the source ores or the ones running the shop?

n“Don’t spout nonsense. Be careful not to create trouble with your words. The Golden Sword Source Ore Workshop is one of the top 10 shops selling source ores in the Heaven Suppressing City. It’s impossible for it to be a scam.”

nSomeone quickly berated him.

nIn business, especially in the long term, reputation was important.

nThe Golden Sword Source Ore Workshop was a large chain. Not only did it exist in Heaven Suppressing City, but they had nearly 100 shops on the entire planet.

nIt had to be known that the value of the source ores was obvious. To have 100 shops, they clearly had an extraordinary backing. Otherwise, their business would not have expanded so much.

nUnder normal circumstances, the Golden Sword Source Ore Workshop would not do such a thing that would severely damage their reputation if they were exposed.

nThere was a high chance that just as the previous person had said, the Golden Sword Source Stone Workshop had also been scammed. It was all because of the person who had delivered the goods to them.

nFurthermore, to the Golden Sword Dawn Stone Workshop, these unfortunate incidents did not come individually. They had just suffered a loss to give the Purple Gold Divine King of the lion clan an explanation, and now this had happened.

nHowever, something else quickly happened that dumbfounded everyone.

nIn the rare goods area, cracking sounds rang out one after another. The problematic source ores were not just one or two, but more than 10 of them.

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