The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace

Fang Chen continued moving shelf to shelf, scanning quickly. His pace picked up as he went—just a brief glance at each Spirit-Sealing Stone, without ever stopping to inspect closely.

His method of selecting stones wasn't just scoffed at by experts like Wei Yiming. Even the onlookers began ridiculing him openly.

"That's not picking stones—that's just skimming through like it's window shopping."

"If someone like that actually picks out a hidden treasure, Skyvault Trading House would've gone bankrupt ages ago."

"Letting someone like that go against Master Wei? It's an insult to the man."

"Seriously, he should just admit defeat already and stop wasting our time."

Fang Chen had heard this kind of mocking and disbelief too many times to count. He simply ignored it.

As the time limit neared its end, Fang Chen's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Found it."

He stepped forward and picked up a Spirit-Sealing Stone from the top left corner of the rack—a little larger than a clenched fist.

This particular stone looked no different from any other. It was so plain that if any of the spectators had been picking, none of them would have chosen it.

Xiang Zhantian, already impatient, rushed over the moment he saw Fang Chen make his selection.

"Time's up. That's your pick, right? Good—let's cut it and see what's inside."

With Wei Yiming helping him select, Xiang Zhantian already felt his victory was in the bag. Seeing Fang Chen pick such an unremarkable stone only made him more confident and eager to settle things.

"Fine," Fang Chen replied calmly.

He was sure he would win, but he was genuinely curious about what this stone contained.

The two chosen Spirit-Sealing Stones were placed on a table. Fang Chen's stone was a bit larger, but otherwise so ordinary that no one could figure out why he'd picked it.

Wei Yiming's stone, on the other hand, had a more flattened shape. One of its surfaces was chipped, revealing a bluish hue—an intriguing sign.

Manager Wan, acting as the appraiser, confirmed aloud:

"These are the two selected Spirit-Sealing Stones. If there are no objections, I will proceed to cut them open."

Both Fang Chen and Wei Yiming nodded. Their confidence showed plainly.

Manager Wan wiped his hands with a cloth of special material, then took out a silver-white dagger.

Spirit-Sealing Stones not only blocked divine sense but were also extremely hard. Normal blades couldn't cut through them. Only tools forged from Saint-Grade materials could split them cleanly.

The dagger in Manager Wan's hand was just such a tool. He had used it for years, slicing through so many Spirit-Sealing Stones that he could probably build a mountain with the leftovers.

He picked up Wei Yiming's stone first and began shaving away at it, almost like peeling fruit.

Because the contents of a Spirit-Sealing Stone were unknown—especially the size of the item inside—cutting had to be done carefully, layer by layer.

"Crack… crack… crack…"

Chunks of stone fell to the floor.

Manager Wan's hands were rock-steady. Before becoming a branch manager, he'd spent years appraising these stones, so this was routine work for him.

In no time, the fist-sized stone had been reduced by a third. There was still no trace of spiritual energy leaking out, and Xiang Zhantian started to get nervous. But seeing Wei Yiming still as composed as ever calmed him a little.

"There it is!"

Wei Yiming's sudden call made Xiang Zhantian perk up. The onlookers' eyes widened in unison, staring intently at the stone in Manager Wan's hands.

Wei Yiming's words were prophetic.

"Crack…"

With a final slice, a piece of the stone dropped away—and a fragrant medicinal aroma immediately filled the air.

Many lower-realm cultivators visibly relaxed, intoxicated by the scent.

The crowd instantly understood: there was a pill inside—and not just any pill.

Pills were among the most common types of treasures found in Spirit-Sealing Stones. Although their value varied greatly, anything sealed inside one of these stones was, by definition, worth something.

Those who knew Wei Yiming bowed in congratulations.

"Congratulations, Elder Wei, on revealing a Spirit Pill!"

"Amazing as always—Master Wei casually picked a stone on the first floor and still got one with a pill inside."

"Master Wei still has it! What skill!"

The voices of praise rang out one after another, but Wei Yiming was already used to it. He simply stroked his beard and nodded with a smile.

Xiang Zhantian beamed. Finally, he was clawing back some face!

This was a strong start. Soon enough, he believed, he'd find the chance to utterly defeat Fang Luo and his friends—and erase the grudge burning in his heart.

His lackeys, sharp as ever, jeered toward Fang Luo with smug expressions.

"We got a pill out of our stone. You're doomed. Just hand over the five hundred top-grade spirit stones already. No need to waste more time."

"Better to surrender now and save yourself the embarrassment. If that rock of yours is empty… man, that's gonna be humiliating."

Fang Luo and Fang Qiufeng just smiled faintly, calm and composed.

By now, Manager Wan had fully opened the Spirit-Sealing Stone. The pill inside was revealed.

He placed the pill into a brocade box on the side and praised:

"Judging by its medicinal aura, this should be an auxiliary pill used for cultivation—mainly for True Saint-level cultivators."

"To pull something like this out from the first floor is quite rare."

Skyvault Trading House would sometimes offer to purchase valuable finds, but this particular pill wasn't quite there. Since it only served a supportive role—not increasing cultivation directly—and was only useful for True Saints, its value was moderate.

Still, revealing such a pill on the chaotic first floor proved Wei Yiming's skill beyond doubt.

Though he was slightly disappointed with the outcome, he still believed it was more than enough to win.

Xiang Zhantian looked at Fang Chen with renewed arrogance.

"We pulled a Saint Pill out of ours. Your little rock probably doesn't even have a pill, let alone a Saint Pill. Just admit defeat and spare yourself the shame."

Hands clasped behind his back, Fang Chen appeared completely unbothered.

"Whether there's something or not—we'll know once it's opened."

"Let's see how long you can keep talking tough," Xiang Zhantian sneered. He was dying to see the trio's expressions after their inevitable defeat.

Manager Wan gently wiped his hands again.

"Now we'll move on to this young friend's selection."

Though he knew Wei Yiming, Manager Wan showed no favoritism. He followed the rules—he represented the Skyvault Trading House, after all, and wouldn't tarnish its name over something this trivial.

After wiping down his hands, Manager Wan picked up the silver dagger once again and began cutting into Fang Chen's selected stone…