Chapter 1345: Divine Radiance

Zu An’s expression was calm: "Don't celebrate too soon. Let's first cut your stone to see what's inside."

Shi Rong laughed: "Do you think the stone my third brother chose will also be empty like yours? Stop dreaming."

Zu An said coolly: "If you're not convinced, let's gamble again. The more triumphant you are now, the harder you'll fall later."

"You!" Shi Rong exploded in anger.

Just as he was about to speak, Shi Min stopped him again.

"We've already won for sure, don't create unnecessary trouble." Shi Min also couldn't understand what tricks the other party was playing, but as long as he didn't fall for them, the opponent would definitely not be able to turn the tables this time.

"But seeing that guy, who clearly has nothing, still acting like everything is under control, I can't help but get angry," Shi Rong said, glaring furiously at Zu An nearby.

"Ignore him, he's just a clown. He sees that he's bound to lose, so he's trying to create some variables. We'll just stick to our plan and adapt to any changes," Shi Min soothed his brother.

Shi Rong and Shi Gong suddenly realized: "Third brother is wise, that guy is too cunning."

At this moment, under Shi Min's signal, the Azure Garden steward began to cut the stone.

With a single cut, a beam of light shot straight up. Soon, a phantom image of a phoenix coalesced above everyone's heads, letting out a clear cry. The phoenix phantom then flew around the garden, and wherever it passed, everyone immediately felt a sacred aura, as if they were in the most exquisite blessed land.

Even the plants in the garden underwent a transformation; many new shoots sprouted at a visible rate, and some flower buds fully bloomed. Although it was winter, and the demon race inhabited a northern cold region, so despite the careful design of the Azure Garden, there weren't many flowers in the courtyard. But at that moment, a hundred flowers bloomed, truly giving a sense of spring and the revival of all things.

"Is this the aura of a phoenix?" the Second Prince exclaimed. He mentioned that the Golden Crow clan had some connection with phoenixes, and he seemed to feel a stir in his bloodline.

"A phoenix?" Everyone was astonished. Initially, they had only speculated, but this time it was confirmed, and all eyes turned to the unpolished stone.

The Little Golden Peng King said, "Shi Min, I'll buy this stone. Name your price."

Chi Wen also shouted, "Sell it to me, sell it to me! No one is richer than my dad."

Shang Liuyu, standing beside him, had a dark expression, thinking how her sister could have given birth to such a dimwit.

Others also clamored to buy, but only Hu Yong remained silent because he knew Shi Min would never sell it to him, no matter who else he sold it to.

He felt a pang of jealousy; that son of a bitch truly had good luck.

Even the usually composed Shi Min couldn't help but feel a little smug at this moment: "Please forgive me, but I won't be selling this item."

A chorus of regretful sighs immediately swept through the crowd, but everyone understood that no one who obtained such a divine object would ever sell it.

If it were an ordinary person, they might find a way to seize it by force, but the Lion clan was a powerful race, and these princes were not weak. No one would take such a great risk unless absolutely necessary.

Yun Jianyue was a bit anxious: "It's over, it's over, we've lost terribly! You brat, you've even cultivated the *Phoenix Nirvana Sutra*, why didn't you sense the phoenix's aura beforehand and let others get the upper hand?"

Yan Xuehen frowned slightly: "You're just blaming him unfairly. Unpolished stones inherently block spiritual perception. How could he have known?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she paused, realizing she had instinctively spoken up for Zu An.

She glanced nervously at Yun Jianyue, afraid she might notice something, but fortunately, Yun Jianyue was too anxious to pay attention.

Zu An replied, "They're celebrating too early."

"What? Is that not the phoenix's aura?" Yun Jianyue was surprised.

"That is indeed the phoenix's aura, but there's something different about it," Zu An said. Having cultivated the *Phoenix Nirvana Sutra*, he was naturally very familiar with the phoenix's aura and immediately sensed something amiss.

The women paused, about to press for more details, when Shi Min, in a triumphant posture, approached them: "Queen Medusa, it seems you've lost this time. How do you intend to give me those one hundred thousand Heaven-rank primordial stones?"

He was thinking this was the perfect opportunity to completely seize control of the Snake clan's economic lifeline. Once the entire Snake clan was under his command, this stunning Medusa Queen would naturally live or die at his whim.

Yu Yanluo's delicate brows furrowed. In the past, 100,000 Heaven-rank primordial stones would have been a trifle, but now she genuinely couldn't produce them on short notice.

However, she didn't show any fear. Her past experience managing the Yu family had given her extensive experience in handling such matters. Just as she was about to respond, Zu An interjected, "Who said we lost? You haven't even revealed what's inside yet. You can't just unilaterally declare victory based on some abnormal phenomenon, can you? What if there's nothing inside?"

The Azure Garden steward beside him also nodded: "That's right. It's common for some unpolished stones to show unusual phenomena but contain nothing inside. For the sake of fairness, let's finish cutting it."

Of course, he wasn't speaking up for Zu An out of kindness, but out of curiosity about what was truly inside this unpolished stone.

The Azure Garden had suffered a huge loss this time and couldn't afford to lose money without understanding why.

The rest of the crowd also echoed his sentiments; clearly, they all wanted to see what exactly was inside.

Shi Min's brows furrowed deeply. He had spoken directly to Yu Yanluo just now because he didn't want the cutting to continue, fearing that any treasure inside might be exposed, leading to a lot of trouble later.

But now, with public sentiment against him, he had no choice but to agree and let the steward continue cutting.

The steward breathed a sigh of relief and began cutting carefully. Under his skilled hands, the useless stone skin was peeled away, finally revealing the true contents.

"This is..." The people around were stunned, because it wasn't the sleeping phoenix or phoenix egg they had imagined, but a flower.

No, it couldn't even be called a complete flower; there were only a few fragmented petals, though the pistil inside was remarkably well-preserved.

The steward's expression was peculiar, a mix of regret and relief: "This item is the Heavenly Wind Pistil. In ancient times, phoenixes would not rest except on Wutong trees, nor drink except from sweet springs. Sometimes, when Wutong trees bloomed and phoenixes were nearby, the flowers would be imbued with their aura and transform into Heavenly Wind Pistils."

The Second Prince said, "Oh. What is this item used for?"

The steward replied, "Ancient texts record that this item was often used to refine certain elixirs, serving as an essential auxiliary ingredient. However, the formulas for those elixirs have long been lost..."

He then proceeded to describe various elixirs he had read about in ancient texts.

The more Shi Min listened, the more something felt off, and he quickly asked, "Then what is the value of this item?"

The steward replied, "Although this item has a significant origin, it has been found in various places and is not considered extremely rare. If put up for auction in our Azure Garden, it would likely fetch somewhere between several hundred to one thousand Heaven-rank primordial stones."

"What?" Shi Min's face turned ashen. He had spent a full five thousand Heaven-rank primordial stones to buy this unpolished stone, and this thing was only worth a few hundred?

The people around showed strange expressions; some sighed, some felt regret, while others gloated.

Hu Yong burst into laughter: "Tsk, tsk, tsk, greed knows no bounds. So many people wanted to buy it at a high price just now, but some fool thought himself clever and rejected them all. Now he must be regretting it bitterly."

"No one thinks you're mute if you don't speak!" Even the usually composed Shi Min lost his temper at this moment.

"Haha, my mouth is on my face, I'll say what I want. What are you going to do, hit me?" Hu Yong, who had been frustrated for a while, finally found an opportunity and naturally went all out.

Shi Min's face twitched, but he knew Hu Yong's cultivation was quite high, and with his two younger brothers present, even if the three of them fought, they might not gain any advantage, so he restrained himself from acting out.

At this moment, Shi Rong glared angrily at the Azure Garden steward: "Hmph, are you coveting the treasure my third brother cut out, and so you deliberately fabricated something called a Heavenly Wind Pistil to deceive everyone and trick away this treasure?"

Shi Min secretly nodded. His seventh brother wasn't entirely foolish; he actually had the same doubts but found it inconvenient to voice them in front of so many important figures. Now, expressing them through his younger brother's mouth was far more appropriate.

The Azure Garden steward's face darkened: "Seventh Prince, do not speak carelessly. Our Azure Garden has been operating in the Royal Court for many years. Even if a guest uncovers the rarest treasure, we allow them to take it. Our reputation for integrity has been well-known for years; how could we destroy our name for this item? If the princes do not believe me, you can take this item back and inquire with other merchant guilds to see if it is indeed a Heavenly Wind Pistil."

At this moment, the Little Golden Peng King also spoke calmly: "I have been in the Royal Court for many years and can vouch for the Azure Garden; they would never engage in such vile and shameless acts."

The Azure Garden steward quickly bowed: "Thank you, Little Golden Peng King."

Seeing this, Shi Min quickly reprimanded his brother: "Seventh brother, you speak too rashly. How could they be such people?"

He then apologized to the Azure Garden steward and the Little Golden Peng King: "My apologies, my seventh brother is young and impulsive. I hope everyone will be understanding."

The power behind the Azure Garden was unfathomable, and no one knew who was secretly operating it. Seeing the Little Golden Peng King speak up for it, could he have a share in its operations?

The Azure Garden steward naturally wouldn't press the matter, and soon both parties exchanged a few polite words and let the issue pass.

Shi Min was also seething with anger, and seeing Zu An watching like it was a show further infuriated him: "Now that the item has been revealed, you're convinced you've lost, aren't you?"

"You revealed this broken thing, and you expect us to concede?" Zu An scoffed.

"Although our Heavenly Wind Pistil isn't as precious as we expected, it's still worth about a thousand Heaven-rank primordial stones, which is certainly better than you revealing nothing at all. You just picked the cheapest large stone, thinking you'd have the same luck as with that 'Huang' character room every time," Shi Min said bitterly. He now strongly agreed with his brother's earlier words; this guy clearly had no real basis for his confidence yet always looked inexplicably self-assured, which was truly annoying to witness.

"Excuse me, our luck has always been quite good," Zu An said, walking to the table and picking up a piece from the pile of broken stones.

Shi Min chuckled: "This piece is as thick as a palm; it's just a cut-off layer of stone skin. You're not imagining there's something inside, are you?"

The Azure Garden steward also said, "This is indeed just an ordinary piece of stone skin. If there were anything inside, I couldn't possibly have missed it."

Zu An smiled faintly: "There are always exceptions to everything."

With a casual flick of his hand, the piece of broken stone cracked open, and then a divine light burst forth, dimming all the lamps in the entire garden.