Chapter 94: The Ancient Magical Artifact, the Opportunity of the Dharma Flower Zen Temple (1/2)

Ye Qingning looked at the dog-headed spirit beast flapping its small wings and the ordinary-looking stone Qi Feifan had just picked.

It was the kind of stone that she wouldn’t even bother to pick up if it had been casually thrown on the ground.

Compared to the one Qi Feifan had chosen earlier, this one seemed even more ordinary.

The key point was that it was priced at 38,000 top-grade spirit stones. No wonder it hadn’t been bought yet.

Just then, the dog-headed spirit beast suddenly barked: “Ningning, look at this one! And this one too! These two are also ordinary! They seem like the one described in the book!”

Ye Qingning felt a throbbing headache in her temples. Could this really not end? But after looking at the other two stones, she was also conflicted. These stones looked like triplets in the world of source stones.

So, in her past life, how did Ye Hanyue end up choosing this particular stone? The main character’s aura really was something else.

The dog-headed spirit beast assured her: “That’s it! I’m sure there’s no source stone more ordinary than these three! The one in the book must be among these three!”

Ye Qingning thought for a moment and then called for Yi Jiazi, asking her to try her luck and pick one. She thought it might be better to have a divination done, which was why she had called Yi Jiazi over.

However, when it came to divination, you couldn’t directly ask which source stone contained treasure. It was better to ask in another way.

“Help me see these three source stones, which one is destined for me, and which one might lead to a loss.”

The dog-headed spirit beast couldn’t help but twitch its mouth. It seemed like Ye Qingning had learned how to do divination from experience.

Yi Jiazi didn’t say much, immediately taking out a copper coin and muttering some words as she tossed it.

As the coin landed, she pointed to the stone on the far left and said to Ye Qingning, “The divination shows that this stone holds risks for you. The stone on the far right is destined for you, and it will aid you in breaking through.”

“Don’t worry, my divinations are the most accurate in the first three of the day. There’s almost never been a mistake. This is today’s third divination.”

Ye Qingning didn’t hesitate or doubt, immediately selecting the stone on the right. The key point was that it was also the cheapest of the three.

Priced at 17,000 top-grade spirit stones, it was enough to help her breakthrough to the next small realm.

However, relying on spirit stones to break through wasn’t without its drawbacks.

The first major issue was an unstable foundation.

Over-relying on spirit stones for breakthroughs could cause one’s cultivation to be hollow, making it easy to suffer setbacks when facing real challenges.

The second issue was that the bottleneck would become harder to overcome.

Additionally, once one became reliant on resources, if those resources were in short supply, their cultivation progress would slow down significantly or even stop completely.

If the spiritual energy contained in the spirit stones was impure, absorbing this energy for long periods could cause damage to the meridians. This was also why cultivators wouldn’t absorb top-grade spirit stones unless absolutely necessary.

The most critical issue was that once all the spirit stones were used for cultivation, you’d become poor when it came to buying other things.

Thus, whether to rely on spirit stones for cultivation depended on the individual’s situation, and proper absorption was the key.

Amid the astonished gazes of the others, Ye Qingning purchased the seemingly ordinary source stone using her storage stone card.

Even the master who was cracking the stone paused for a moment, probably not expecting that such a plain-looking source stone would be sold today.

“The younger generation these days sure is generous! A plain source stone like this, and they just buy it without hesitation.”

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Chapter 94: The Ancient Magical Artifact, the Opportunity of the Dharma Flower Zen Temple (2/2)

“Instead of properly cultivating, they’re thinking about making money through gambling on stones. This mindset isn’t conducive to cultivation.”

“Back in our time, we cultivated with pure intentions, focused solely on the Dao. We didn’t have these distractions. Nowadays, the younger generation is impulsive and their minds are unstable. They don’t realize that the road of cultivation is about the state of mind. If the mind is unstable, even if you have high cultivation, it will be difficult to achieve the Dao.”

“I once saw a junior who was obsessed with gambling on stones. He neglected the foundation of cultivation, and his state of mind became more and more restless. His cultivation stagnated. What’s the point of cultivating like that?”

“Cultivators should focus on the mind and respect the Dao. Only with a pure mind can one perceive the ways of heaven and earth and understand the true meaning of cultivation. I truly hope that these younger generations can wake up and return to the right path of cultivation.”

Ye Qingning twitched her mouth. She hadn’t expected that buying a source stone would result in such a lecture. It felt like being scolded by a bunch of aunts and uncles.

She chose to ignore it. She wanted to gamble, so what? Was it their spirit stones?

However, as the source stone was gradually cracked open, faint light began to emerge from within.

The stone-cracking master’s eyes widened in surprise, almost dropping the spiritual tool in his hand. This was unexpected.

The people who had been lecturing about the younger generation also stopped talking. Their attention was drawn to the sudden phenomenon.

Inside the source stone, fine golden threads, as thin as hair, were interwoven, emitting a solemn and mysterious aura.

Everyone realized that this might be the source stone that would reveal a treasure.

As everyone held their breath, the stone-cracking master carefully peeled off the remaining outer skin. A golden法器, about the size of a palm, came into view.

The artifact resembled a bell, its design ancient and solemn. Intricate, complex patterns were engraved on the body of the bell. Surrounding it were thin chains, and at the top of the bell was a spire, with a transparent crystal embedded in it. The surface of the bell shimmered with golden light, as though something was alive and moving within.

Someone in the crowd shouted in shock: “It’s the ancient magical artifact—The Brahman Sound Bell!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire area went wild.

Although the bell was only the size of a palm, many bells could change in size depending on the user’s will. Not to mention, this was the ancient Brahman Sound Bell.

The power of the Brahman Sound Bell lay in its ability to purify the soul of the listener, putting them into a deep meditative state, greatly improving cultivation efficiency.

At the same time, the bell’s sound could expel evil and protect the listener from external demonic influences. It was especially effective at suppressing the growth of inner demons.

For cultivators who had been severely injured or whose spiritual senses were damaged, the sound of the Brahman Sound Bell could stabilize their minds and speed up their recovery.

When used in battle, the bell’s sound could emit special sound waves that would interfere with and attack the enemy’s divine sense.

There was also a legend.

It was said that the Brahman Sound Bell had once been the treasure of a great Buddhist temple in ancient times. However, during a great war in the ancient era, the temple was destroyed, and the bell was lost.

No one had expected that it would show up in the stone gambling market today.

In her past life, Ye Hanyue had cracked open the Brahman Sound Bell and thus formed a connection with the Dharma Flower Zen Temple.

As the treasure of the Buddhist temple, the Brahman Sound Bell was the most revered item in the hearts of all Buddhists, without exception.

Ye Hanyue also understood that bringing the Brahman Sound Bell along might make it difficult to enter Penglai, and she had sold it to the Dharma Flower Zen Temple precisely to form a connection with them.

At this moment, the high monks of the Dharma Flower Zen Temple had all risen from their seats, their eyes filled with barely concealed excitement.