Chapter 29: Orange Origin Crystal

Zhao Erdong offered a faint smile. She glanced around deliberately, looking left and right, before finally stopping in front of the third-tier stone section. "So, if I wish to select stones from this third-tier area, I may choose three?"

Seeing the attendant nod in affirmation, she immediately pointed her finger at random, quickly selecting three stones, among which was the one containing the essence crystal.

The attendant hurriedly ordered his men to collect the stones Zhao Erdong had chosen and place them in the cutting area.

"Young Master Lu, since I have selected nine first-tier stones and three third-tier stones, for the sake of fairness, why don't you do the same?"

Lu Tianming had long since forgotten about the stone gambling. His entire focus was drifting toward Zhao Erdong. Hearing her question, he finally recalled the matter and hastily agreed to select his stones.

Lu Tianming had been cultivating since childhood and was no stranger to essence crystals. Although they were rare, his father always found ways to procure them to assist his training. However, while he was familiar with the crystals, he knew nothing about the stones themselves. He visited the gambling den only occasionally, purely as a distraction from boredom.

He was entirely preoccupied with the thought of ending the gambling session quickly so he could find an excuse to escort the beauty home. If he could learn where she lived, would he not have plenty of opportunities to grow closer to her in the future?

Lu Tianming haphazardly picked nine first-tier stones and three third-tier stones. Without further ado, he instructed the stonecutter to begin.

As expected, none of Lu Tianming's twelve stones yielded an essence crystal; they were all worthless dross. Lu Tianming did not mind; at the gambling house, it was not uncommon for no crystals to be found for weeks or even months, and it was hardly a source of shame.

Zhao Erdong's stones were cut one by one. All the first-tier stones were dross. Only three third-tier stones remained. The stonecutter was growing impatient; having failed to cut a single essence crystal in three full months, his patience, however refined, was wearing thin.

Another piece of dross. The stonecutter sighed inwardly and picked up the second third-tier stone. He used his specialized blade to peel away the stone skin, repeating the mechanical movements he had performed every day for the past three months. He had seen nothing but empty rock for so long that he expected nothing more.

Suddenly, as the blade sliced away a layer of stone, a cluster of dazzling brilliance shot forth from the gap, radiant and eye-catching.

The stonecutter froze, his blade held high. It was truly an essence crystal—an orange one. It was the first crystal he had cut in three months, and it was not the lowest-grade crimson crystal, but an orange one, which rarely appeared in the gambling den.

Essence crystals were divided into nine grades: crimson, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, violet, silver, and gold. Crimson was the lowest grade, suitable only for the refinement of first-rank warriors. Orange was suitable for second-rank warriors, and so on; each color was tailored to a specific level of cultivation.

In the current world, high-grade essence crystals were extremely rare. Whenever one or two appeared, they would immediately trigger frantic bidding or even violent looting among the powerful. Essence crystals were of vital importance to practitioners; for those stuck at a bottleneck, if used correctly, they could help one break through and advance to a higher rank.

Orange essence crystals were not exactly rare in the world, but they were certainly precious. An average family would never even see such a treasure; only children of high-ranking officials like Lu Tianming would have the means to possess and use them.