Chapter 37: Murderous Intent

Fifteen people had placed bets, each wagering a hundred catties of Source. The ancient insect-embedded Source that Li Yao had cut was also worth a thousand catties. Including everything, that amounted to two thousand five hundred catties of Source. Added to the flaming red Source from earlier, he had raked in nearly ten thousand catties in this short span of time—enough to cover the cost of the deduction of the Heavenly Book.

"This truly is a business with no overhead!" even Li Yao marveled to himself.

Li Yao did not linger in the third courtyard; instead, he continued toward the fourth. He was here to test his mastery of Source techniques, and since he could discern the contents of nearly all the Source stones in the third courtyard, staying there had little purpose.

"Come on, let's follow and see."

The people from the third courtyard followed along, eager to watch the spectacle. A large crowd poured into the fourth courtyard, leaving the people there feeling quite surprised. However, after listening to explanations from the others, they all began to eye Li Yao with curiosity.

Such a young master of Source techniques? Since when had Source mastery become so easy to cultivate?

Li Yao appeared to be only thirteen or fourteen years old, and his aura of life was incredibly youthful; he was no ancient monster. To possess such extraordinary skill at his age left many of those present feeling shocked.

In truth, however, those most shocked were the members of the Yaoguang Holy Land present. They knew exactly when Li Yao had begun his cultivation. He had only embarked on the path half a year ago, yet while reaching the Divine Bridge Realm, he had also mastered an impressive level of Source technique. They couldn't help but wonder if Li Yao’s "half-year" was fundamentally different from their own. In half a year, he had reached the Divine Bridge Realm and possessed combat strength sufficient to crush two peak Divine Bridge experts, whereas their own progress in that time had been strictly limited.

Under the scrutiny of many eyes, Li Yao focused entirely on selecting his stones. He used his Source techniques to deduce their contents and pushed his "Heaven-Man Connection" to its limit, carefully observing every single stone. The number of stones in the fourth courtyard was significantly fewer than in the third, but they were far more extraordinary, each radiating a powerful aura. Under his perception, these stones seemed to possess their own ancient and vast presence.

Eventually, Li Yao selected the four stones he was most certain about. He knew they all contained something, but he was unsure of their value and lacked total confidence. The stones in the fourth courtyard were more expensive, exceeding the value of pure Source; for every catty of stone, one had to pay two catties of Source. The four stones Li Yao chose weighed a total of a thousand catties, costing him over two thousand catties of Source.

"What an exorbitant profit," he mused internally, before readily paying the two thousand catties of Source.

...

Li Yao frowned. He had already cut open three stones and found treasures in all of them, but he hadn't made a profit; he had barely broken even. The first stone yielded a baby-sized piece of flaming red Source, worth about five hundred catties—just enough to break even. The second stone contained a very precious purple crystal Source that could enhance a cultivator’s soul; though only the size of a corn kernel, it was comparable to the ancient insect Source and worth a thousand catties. The third stone, however, yielded only ordinary Source; it was large, the size of a human head, but contained only thirty catties, resulting in a loss of four hundred and seventy catties.

Finally, he looked at the fourth stone—the one he felt most confident would yield something significant. The previous three had basically broken even, so whether he profited or lost in the fourth courtyard depended entirely on this one. Still, Li Yao felt confident. He looked up at the crowd.

"Fellow Daoists, is anyone interested in placing a bet?"

No one stepped forward. Li Yao felt a bit disappointed. *What is this? Aren't the cultivators here supposed to be fearless? What’s going on? Why is no one stepping up to wager against me?*

Li Yao didn't give up. "Everyone, no takers? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

This time, some were tempted, but they held back. Whether they had heard of his track record in the third courtyard or witnessed him opening the three stones here, it all proved that Li Yao was a master of Source techniques. Gambling against such a person carried a high risk of failure.

Seeing that no one stepped forward, Li Yao felt let down. He had high hopes for this stone; if there had been a dozen bettors like in the third courtyard, he surely could have made a killing. Since no one would bet, he stopped asking and began to cut the stone.

This was a stone the size of a millstone, deep crimson gold in color. Its surface was covered in intricate, naturally formed patterns that looked like the trajectories of the Dao. Li Yao cut quickly, not like a master who would carve slowly; he hacked away with bold, sweeping motions, aiming at a specific point and slicing off a huge chunk with a single 'clang.' In the blink of an eye, the millstone-sized rock was reduced to the size of a fist.

The onlookers watched with bated breath. To them, this way of cutting was reckless. Many things hidden within Source stones were incredibly fragile; one wrong move could ruin them, drastically reducing their value.

Soon, the stone was the size of a fist. Even Li Yao slowed down. He no longer dared to use his hands, instead picking up a silver blade. The contents of Source stones were strange and unpredictable, and no one could guarantee what was inside. He had used his hands earlier only because he was certain there was nothing dangerous inside those stones. But this time was different. As he cut down to the size of a fist, the 'Heaven-Man Connection' revealed a peerless, sharp aura leaking from within. Had he continued to use his hand, it wouldn't be the stone that shattered—it would be his own palm.

Seeing Li Yao act so solemnly, the onlookers grew curious. They had already concluded that his Source-mastery was profound, and such caution suggested he might truly be about to reveal something extraordinary.

"Click!"

When the stone was reduced to the size of a goose egg, Li Yao stopped. His heart pounded, and the hair on his arms stood on end. His heightened senses perceived a sense of extreme danger emanating from the egg-sized rock. He did not proceed; instead, he took two steps back, distancing himself from the stone.

The onlookers were confused, unable to understand what was happening. Lacking his 'Heaven-Man Connection,' they could not perceive the murderous intent. Li Yao calmed his fear and beckoned Liu Shi over. When he arrived, Li Yao asked, "Who is the Grand Elder currently guarding the Yaoguang Gambling House?"

The sudden question left Liu Shi stunned, but he quickly realized why Li Yao would ask. However, Liu Shi felt Li Yao was being overly cautious. Although the Yaoguang Holy Land was riddled with factions and their relationships were far from harmonious, in such a public setting, even if the Guardian Elder belonged to the Dragon Peak faction, they would have to follow the rules and could never act recklessly.