Chapter 391: Chapter 241: Accumulating Fortune and Blessings

Disrespected?

Li Jizhou raised his eyebrows slightly, there was no need to pay attention.

After all, the other party’s vision was too low to see the things at the upper level.

No longer bothering himself, Li Jizhou led Hong Luan out of Qi Stone Pavilion.

After touring Yunzhou City thoroughly, he selected a mid-range inn where he drank wine and listened to music in the hall with Hong Luan, meanwhile, he eavesdropped on the conversations around.

"Young Master, this Han Zhen is truly impartial!"

In just half a day, Li Jizhou understood how the lower-level cultivators viewed Han Zhen.

There were many criticisms, accusing him of being unsympathetic, scolding him for subcontracting the spirit ore mining rights to merchants, and for competing with the people for profit.

But there were also praises, commending that since he took office, the number of cultivators in Yunzhou City increased tenfold, the whole Yunzhou City expanded threefold, becoming more prosperous with more various shops and services.

Overall, it matched with what was previously understood. From Li Jizhou’s standpoint, this Han Zhen is a capable and loyal minister.

As for Prince Yun’s Mansion... Li Jizhou was somewhat displeased.

Not only did they occupy one of the five major mining areas, the Black Stone Mine, but they also raised multiple forces to plunder the other mining areas.

Of course, the claim about raising forces was mostly speculation from the lower levels, without solid evidence.

However, one thing was certain, the current Prince Yun had been in retreat for thirty years, probably impacting Divinity Transformation.

The first generation Prince Yun with a Top-Grade Spirit Root did not achieve Nascent Soul, yet it appeared the current eighth generation was extraordinary.

The most crucial point was that in the royal records, the talent reported for Prince Yun was merely Earth Spirit Root.

And his age was no more than five hundred years old.

Given the Spiritual Qi level here, achieving Nascent Soul would already be a miracle.

The thin Spiritual Qi could only be supplemented with Spirit Stones to maintain the Spirit Gathering Array for cultivation.

Li Jizhou had practiced this method in his past life, and found the Spirit Stone consumption extremely large.

During Core Formation Stage, only about fifty percent utilization of the Middle Grade Spirit Stones was effective, the rest got consumed.

He even cultivated all the way to Late Stage of Nascent Soul, and attempted Divinity Transformation, imagine how many Spirit Stones he must have consumed.

At the Nascent Soul Stage, to have ample Spiritual Qi from Spirit Stones, it requires maintaining at least Tier Four Middle Grade Spirit Vein level.

The annual consumption probably amounts to hundreds of thousands.

And each time a minor stage is improved, the quantity of Spirit Stones consumed doubles directly.

Now at Late Stage of Nascent Soul, the annual consumption of Middle Grade Spirit Stones is close to a million.

Thirty years of retreat, the consumption of Spirit Stone resources was unimaginable.

Throughout Heaven and Earth, all lands belong to the King, all the Spirit Stones of the Jiuli Dynasty, at least nominally belong to the Saint Emperor.

Once Li Jizhou ascends the throne, they will be his.

Even he wouldn’t indulge in such extravagance, yet seeing them consumed by a distant great-grandson, was distressing.

"Is Father Emperor truly cherishing kinship? Or simply maintaining reputation, awaiting an opportunity?" Li Jizhou wrestled with this question in his mind, feeling he now had an answer.

"I must go to Black Stone City for a good look!" Li Jizhou resolved with determination.

"Young Master, why not look at that raw stone of yours and see how your luck fares?" Hong Luan, feeling bored, casually opened a Spirit Stone that Fang Qingwei had gifted.

Uncertain whether the Spirit Stone Ore from Fang Qingwei was ill-quality rough material or Hong Luan’s luck was genuinely poor.

Her raw stone was entirely like spirit shells, with all the Spiritual Qi escaped, a mere waste stone.

Li Jizhou nonchalantly tossed his raw stone to Hong Luan.

"Young Master, this is yours, you must open it yourself, call it self-discovery." Hong Luan returned the raw stone to him.

Li Jizhou smiled and said nothing, condensing the Sword Qi practiced from the Grass Pheasant Geng Metal Sword Skill taught by Grand General Gongsun Dang at his fingertips.

"Sizzle~" Surprisingly, it didn’t slice through.

"Pfft~ Young Master, you should follow the lines to open it," Hong Luan explained with a smile.

"Pop~" Indeed, Li Jizhou casually followed a groove with his Sword Qi, slicing along it, and the head-sized raw stone instantly cracked.

However, before Li Jizhou could take a closer look, a sharp Spiritual Qi burst out from the crack.

Simultaneously, a metallic reverberation was heard, "Zheng~".

"Hiss~"

"Is this... uncovering a peerless treasure?"

"Oh my, incredible, this raw stone certainly contains a treasure!"

... 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Almost instantly, the hall’s patrons gathered round, with excitement and greed in their eyes, more had envy and jealousy.

Most spirit ore consists of Spirit Stones formed by the liquid Spiritual Qi condensed from the Ancestral Spiritual Sea.

But sometimes, heavenly materials and treasures are flushed out from the Spiritual Sea.

These heavenly materials and treasures are wrapped in Spiritual Liquids, the outer Spiritual Liquids gasify into a hard Spirit Shell that isolates the Divine Soul, preserving the heavenly materials and treasures within completely.

Always encompassed by Spiritual Liquids, their Spirituality continually grows, and the longer the spirit ore lies dormant, the better the Spirituality of heavenly materials and treasures becomes.

In the history of Spirit Stone Ore mining, there have even been cases of discovering undying divine medicine in raw stones!

"..." Li Jizhou raised his eyebrows slightly.

First raw stone in life, and a gifted one at that, such fortune?

Could it be not only Spirit Root accumulated for me in my past life, but also fortune?

Smiling bashfully, he wasn’t too emotional.

At this point only a small gap was exposed, the object inside still layers wrapped, uncertain of what it was.

Li Jizhou was about to strike again.

"Oh young master, you lack the skill for stone opening, don’t act recklessly, you absolutely can’t haphazardly open it, otherwise the blade might cut through the spirit ore’s condensation point, upon contact all the Spiritual Qi inside will escape, and the treasure inside might be destroyed!"

"Halt, don’t waste this precious item."

"Young master, don’t be rash, why not visit a stone gambling house to find an expert for opening, this spirit ore with assured treasure, any stone gambling house will welcome you, offering free opening, and possibly even selling at a high price on site!"

...

The crowd around him urged to stop.

"Young Master, slow down, Young Master, I am the owner of this establishment, wonder if the Young Master plans to sell? Although the chances of it containing a treasure are high under the current circumstances, it’s hard to determine what treasure it is, I’m willing to buy at Tier Four precious material price, how about three thousand Middle Grade Spirit Stones?"

A spirit ore with only a single crack opened was a gamble preferred by conservative people.

"Bah! Tier Four precious material? Your face is thick, the sharp spiritual light just now, I estimate at least Tier Five precious material, and it’s even of Metal Element!" someone immediately stood out in opposition.

"Isn’t Shopkeeper Chen attempting to take advantage of the Young Master as an outsider for a bargain? I’ll bid ten thousand Middle Grade Spirit Stones!"

Before Li Jizhou could speak, the crowd was already in an uproar.

"Who says I intend to sell?" Li Jizhou chuckled, shaking his head, and directly stored the spirit ore into his Storage Ring.

Witnessing Li Jizhou’s Storage Ring, silence fell upon the surroundings.

Even the cheapest Storage Ring costs several ten thousand Middle Grade Spirit Stones, a Top-Grade one at least a hundred thousand Middle Grade Spirit Stones.

The cultivator capable of utilizing a Storage Ring, especially appearing as a newly Foundation Establishment cultivator, has a background so terrifying not something these common inn cultivators dare covet.

Hong Luan took out a Middle Grade Spirit Stone to settle the bill before following Li Jizhou outside.

"Young Master, where to now?" Hong Luan asked, while unleashing the intimidation of her Divine Soul akin to Divinity Transformation, deterring the onlooking insignificant folks in the inn.

"As it was gifted by Qi Stone Pavilion, let’s ask them to open it!" Li Jizhou casually replied, yet he didn’t mention his primary intent was to find a guide to investigate Black Stone City’s depth.

Black Stone City, cultivated by the successive Prince Yun for five thousand years, had become fortress-like, entrants must have their identity verified in detail, requiring a guide, otherwise entry is impossible.

Moreover, he needed to learn more about Prince Yun’s Mansion from others’ mouths. Compared to strangers, the faction Qi Stone Pavilion having conflicts with Prince Yun’s Mansion was more trustworthy.