Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 536 - Spiritual Bamboo Shoot

The stone was only the size of a palm. This time, his cutting speed had slowed significantly and was much gentler. He cut it bit by bit, only shaving a small piece each time.

The stone wasn't big, and a terrifying outburst of spirituality occurred when one-third of it was left.

"What's that?" Everyone was stunned. Ordinary spiritual essence wouldn’t produce such a powerful outburst of spirituality. This made everyone wonder if there was a treasure inside.

He Hai and Chen Shen stood at the front, and their eyes nearly popped out. If the House of Tea Art's Madam Li weren't present, they would've snatched Liu Wuxie’s treasures each time he cut them open.

The stone wasn't cut open yet, and Liu Wuxie had only sliced off a small corner for it to release such a rich spirituality. This was simply unbelievable.

"Damn it! I wanted to buy that stone earlier!" A man wailed in regret and collapsed onto the ground.

He had picked up the stone that Liu Wuxie was cutting several times but had given up because the price was too low. Who would've thought he would miss out on a treasure because something was too cheap? After all, it was common sense that the items priced higher would have a greater chance of finding spiritual essence.

However, small probabilities weren't impossible, and some cheaper stones could yield supreme-grade spiritual essence. Though it was rare, that didn't mean it didn't exist.

"This is at least a high-grade spiritual essence!" Chen Shen said. Though he didn't want to admit it, he could be sure that inside was at least a high-grade spiritual essence.

It might only be one grade higher than mid-grade spiritual stone, but there was a drastic difference. This was like comparing high-grade and supreme-grade pills.

"Stop dawdling and cut it already!" Everyone gradually lost their patience because Liu Wuxie had slowed down significantly compared to his usual cutting speed.

Everyone held their breaths and waited for Liu Wuxie to cut it open. No matter how they urged, Liu Wuxie maintained the same speed, unfazed by the surrounding voices. No one could affect his inner calm.

As stone fragments began to fall, the outer layer of the stone was peeled away, revealing a faint and tender glow that enveloped Liu Wuxie.

"Supreme-grade spiritual essence!" He Hai stumbled and nearly fell to the ground.

Chen Shen had speculated it to be a high-grade spiritual essence, but it turned out to be a supreme-grade spiritual essence. Supreme-grade spiritual essence was extremely rare. Including the supreme-grade spiritual essence Liu Wuxie had found, only four had appeared in Serene Sea City’s history.

Low-grade spiritual essence was common and could be found in many shops. Mid-grade spiritual essence was rarer, but it could be bought if one could afford it. High-grade spiritual essence was more scarce because people didn’t sell it, even for exorbitant prices.

Liu Wuxie didn't remove the last layer of stone to prevent the spirituality from leaking. If the supreme-grade spiritual essence was revealed, it could be sensed within a radius of a few hundred miles, and it might attract more experts.

Liu Wuxie placed the supreme-grade spiritual essence in the interspatial ring as if he had done something ordinary.

"Today was an eye-opening experience. Not only did I witness an ancient fragment and Saint Glazed Liquid uncovered, but also the supreme-grade spiritual essence." Many people were satisfied by the bet. If there were any regrets, it would be that they had uncovered none of the treasures.

As soon as he put away the supreme-grade spiritual essence, Liu Wuxie could sense the desolate world tremble, eager to absorb the spiritual essence. After all, the desolate world was too lifeless, and even the sky was grey.

More people began gathering in the surroundings, but no one stepped forward. That was especially the case for disciples of the three major sects, who came forward knowing that Cheng Chen was conducting a stone-betting game with someone else.

Everyone's attention fell on Cheng Chen because he still had one item to cut. He had bought the largest stone from the Xiang Clan Manor, while Liu Wuxie had picked a piece of bamboo for the last item.

People would've ridiculed Liu Wuxie previously because it was impossible for a piece of bamboo to contain any treasure. But things were different now, with no one daring to laugh.

After all, Liu Wuxie had cut open treasures in all nine items he had picked, and everyone would be courting humiliation if they mocked him.

Cheng Chen stepped forward, heading for the three-meter-tall stone with a dagger to peel away the outer layers. The stone was big, and it took him ten-odd minutes to reach the core.

"Look, there are strange patterns on the stone's center!" Although no aura was released, the patterns looked weird and didn't look like an ordinary stone.

"Those aren't patterns, they're roots!" Someone with sharp eyes noticed something, and this left everyone stunned. Whatever plant could grow inside the stone was certainly no ordinary item.

Cheng Chen regained his confidence. If he could cut out a heaven-defying treasure, he could surpass the Saint Glazed Liquid that Liu Wuxie cut out. He became more careful to avoid damaging the roots.

No one urged Cheng Chen and waited. The cutting process took an hour before the three-meter-tall stone was reduced to half a meter.

More roots began to appear, and a bamboo shoot over a foot tall, growing inside the stone, was revealed before everyone. This was definitely not a fossil; the roots drew spiritual energy from the surroundings.

"This is an ancient spiritual bamboo shoot!" An expert in the Nascent Transformation Realm let out an exclamation.

"Spiritual bamboo shoot? What's that?" Everyone was confused, including Madam Li.

Only Liu Wuxie smiled faintly because he had also considered choosing that stone, but Cheng Chen had beat him to it.

Moreover, that stone was too expensive. It didn't matter if Cheng Chen bought it because everything would go to the winner.

If Cheng Chen won, he would have to give up everything he had cut open over, and that was the same if he won.

The bamboo shoot's value was definitely above the Saint Glazed Liquid's, which was complete, while the Saint Glazed Liquid was stored inside the wood for countless years.

"Hahaha! The heavens haven't forsaken me!" Cheng Chen laughed as his stress vanished. He was confident he could crush Liu Wuxie with the spiritual bamboo shoot, and he stopped cutting further, worried that he might damage the internal structure of the spiritual bamboo shoot.

"Young Master Cheng, I will buy it for one billion spirit stones!" The Xiang Clan Manor's patriarch was on the verge of tears. The treasures uncovered today were beyond his wildest dreams.

Both Liu Wuxie and Cheng Chen had made a fortune with the ten stones they had purchased. The total value of treasures uncovered by Liu Wuxie had reached one billion spirit stones, while Cheng Chen's spiritual bamboo shoot alone was worth one billion.

"The spiritual bamboo shoot is useful to me, so I don't plan to sell it now!" Cheng Chen was rather polite, mainly because the Xiang Clan Manor's patriarch had sold the stone to him at a thirty percent discount.

He might have given up buying it if there wasn't a discount. After all, one million spirit stones wasn't a tiny amount.

His response was expected because no one would sell it if they were in Cheng Chen's position.

The spiritual bamboo shoot was worth more than the valuation of spirit stones, and no amount of spirit stones could match it. The ancient power it contained had already been lost through time.

No one mentioned the Saint Glazed Liquid and spiritual essence anymore because they were no longer worth mentioning before the spiritual bamboo shoot. The treasures that appeared now grew more in value with each reveal.

The half-meter-tall stone remained in place. Cheng Chen didn't put it away as if he were showing it off.

"It's your turn now!" Cheng Chen said. His demeanor was completely different from before. If he beat Liu Wuxie, he could not only redeem himself but also acquire all of Liu Wuxie's treasures from the items he had cut open, and he didn't expect such good fortune to fall onto him.

With so many treasures, he was confident of reaching the Astral River Realm and becoming a true disciple. Most importantly, the Saint Glazed Liquid and spiritual bamboo shoot could transform his body and increase his potential. This meant he could even reach the True Profound Realm in the future.

Liu Wuxie's current potential would allow him to reach the Nascent Transformation Realm at best. If he wanted to reach the True Profound Realm, he would have to absorb more spirituality to increase his potential.

Everyone was reluctant to shift their gaze away from the spiritual bamboo shoot.

Chen Shen wanted to snatch it away but soon gave up that idea because of Cheng Chen's identity as the Azure Crimson Gate's disciple.

Many disciples of the Azure Crimson Gate were present, and he would have to face an assault from them if he made a move. Besides, it was futile even if he could snatch it because the Azure Crimson Gate had many experts stationed, which meant he couldn't escape even if he succeeded.

Liu Wuxie, however, was different because he was an outsider with no background. No one had expected the House of Tea Art to appear out of nowhere.

The bamboo he had chosen was roughly two inches in diameter and the width of three fingers.

It was roughly a meter in length but didn't weigh much. This made everyone skeptical about whether there was any treasure inside.

No one knew and could only continue to watch quietly. If he wanted to win the bet, Liu Wuxie had to cut out something more valuable than the spiritual bamboo shoot.

Otherwise, all the treasures would fall into the hands of the winner. This rule had already been agreed upon before the bet.

Liu Wuxie slowly reached out for the bamboo, but strangely, he put away the dagger. The bamboo was only this wide, and he did not need to use a dagger.

The smile on Cheng Chen's face grew wider as if he could see victory at a glance, believing he had turned his fate around at the last moment.

"Thanks for all the treasures. Don't forget to bark like a dog when you lose!" Cheng Chen let out a sinister laugh and demanded that Liu Wuxie hand over all the treasures he cut open, along with going down on his knees and barking like a dog.

"You're so sure that I'm the one who will be losing?" A mocking smile rose on Liu Wuxie's lips, and he smashed the bamboo down on a rock beside him. This action shocked everyone because Liu Wuxie wasn't cutting or peeling off the layer but smashing it against a rock.

The bamboo looked too ordinary, and even if it contained any treasure, it would surely shatter into pieces under the impact.