Chapter 2240: Chapter 2242: Daoist Crown Clues

The Void Stones placed here by Master Jiu Tong are indeed the lowest grade, essentially bordering on "scrap" material.

Just think about it, what kind of Void Stone could you possibly buy for ten medium Spirit Stones?

Master Jiu Tong insists that the more valuable Void Stones won’t be sold here, "... There’s a hidden Teleportation Formation inside, which can transport to a location near the headquarters. Valued clients willing to give a deposit of ten upper Spirit Stones can find me through the Teleportation Formation."

Are you really afraid of this danger? Feng Jun finds the development of things somewhat absurd, but it’s clear that these Tianqin Natives have a much more precise assessment of danger than he does, "Looks like I’ve introduced you to a dangerous business?"

"Dangerous... what does that count for? I quite like it," Master Jiu Tong thinks otherwise, smiling slightly, "As a cultivator, I only worry about being mediocre, not about danger!"

Feng Jun was speechless for a moment. The peculiarities of the cultivators on the Tianqin Plane aside, this fearless mindset is indeed worth learning for people on Earth.

"In your words, risk and reward have always been proportional," Elder Yi Jue spoke softly, "Currently, only we can enter the void and extract Void Stones, so the price can’t drop for now, to be honest..."

"If I were a cultivator here, I would outright buy all her lottery tickets, regardless of whether I can get anything good from them. Even reselling the stones without opening them could make money... Am I crazy, not to earn such money?"

"Elder Yi Jue, I have considered such a possibility," Master Jiu Tong replied solemnly, "The same person cannot purchase more than a hundred lottery tickets consecutively, and if pushed to the limit, I can just quit the lottery."

Feng Jun was about to commend her for having the insight to prevent monopolization, but her following words left him speechless—such unchecked behavior still relies on having the power to protect oneself.

Nonetheless, despite his feelings, he finally realized that on the Tianqin Plane, stone gambling truly is a lucrative business.

Is it dangerous? Certainly to some extent, but without danger, can you make money?

Anyway, just be more cautious in the White Pebble Beach’s stone gambling market in the future; it’s not a huge deal. If truly no one is interested, the business might not be worth doing at all.

Feng Jun and Yi Jue stayed on the Ice Plate for two days; besides the stone gambling market, he also visited the Spirit Stone Mine and found Xia Nichang on guard there. He couldn’t help offering some benefits—can’t let her work for nothing.

Master Jiu Tong expressed that she had already done promotions on other plates and planned to hold a grand opening ceremony near the Xuanshui Sect Branch in a month—of course, due to the involvement of "gambling," it couldn’t be held inside the branch.

She invited Feng Jun and Yi Jue to be guests at the ceremony, stating it would be lively for three days, and afterward, normal operations would be moved to the town, saving the sect members inside from unrest.

She looked eager and seemed very keen to make a big impression—after all, in the void for the past ten months, she had obtained thousands of Void Stones. With proper management, they should last for a while.

Won’t your sect members become restless? Feng Jun was very curious, with such a small amount, the Xuanshui Sect’s internal circle could certainly consume it. Are you sure you can resist your fellow sect members’ requests?

However, after thinking it over, he realized he might not even need to collaborate with her next time, so some deep questions should perhaps be left unspoken.

Thus, he clarified that he might not be able to attend the celebration due to the high likelihood of having to return to White Pebble Beach for closed cultivation.

In fact, he was about to advance to the Golden Core Third Layer; although in reality, it had been less than a year since he advanced to the Second Layer Golden Core, twenty-one months had passed in the void, and the two-year gap for the Devouring Primordial Heaven Technique in the Golden Core Stage was reached.

This was also why he urgently wanted to leave the void. Originally, he planned to endure two years in there, but dealing with the Tunxing Clan’s corpses made him a bit unhappy, so he opted to leave slightly earlier. Honestly, it was more about not wanting to keep compromising.

After returning from the void, he adjusted for a while, importantly having received Kunhao’s Domain Care, which meant conditions for advancement were basically mature now.

Of course, he didn’t mention "advancement," not wanting to provoke outsiders, opting for "closed cultivation" as a vague term.

Master Jiu Tong felt a bit helpless; she really wanted to improve relations with Feng Jun. In her heart, she was clearly aware that everyone casually picking up stones in the void started with her, making her the initiator.

Although Feng Jun had provided the concept of stone gambling, it didn’t guarantee a good impression of her, and she wished to continue the business, necessitating the strengthening of their relationship.

Looking at it now, maintaining this relationship would be quite difficult, and she couldn’t help but feel some anxiety as her opening day approached.

However, just as Feng Jun was about to leave, three True Immortals arrived, one from the Xuanshui Sect, at Nascent Soul Initial Stage, and two unexpectedly from the Gongye Family of the Three Hundred Secret Realm Families.

The term "Three Hundred Secret Realm Families" is a general reference; on the Tianqin Plane, including various secondary planes and lower realms, there are far more than three hundred families with Nascent Souls that created their own secret realms.

Thousands of years ago, the Secret Realm Families began to decline, and once elected the three hundred leading families to oppose the sect system. Over time, with some families rising and others falling, the Three Hundred Secret Realm Families were not fixed.

Up to now, it’s hard to say if there are even a hundred families daring to call themselves part of the Three Hundred Secret Realm Families.

But regardless of how the list is calculated, the Gongye family firmly ranks among the three hundred families. This is an ancient clan, with at least five major branches, two of which are definitely among the three hundred.

They say all Gongye under the heavens are one family, and in a society that values a family system, the branches of the Gongye family should unite.

However, the reality is not so. Once a family grows large, resource allocation tends to become imbalanced, and closeness and distance vary, leading to a host of troublesome affairs,

In such situations, if the Gongye family could produce an extraordinarily talented individual, perhaps they could persuade the branches to set aside their prejudices and unite against external threats. This scenario is not uncommon in other families.

Regrettably, the Gongye family is too powerful, and no one desires to see them reunite. The sect system doesn’t want it, nor do the secret realm families wish to see such a giant emerge within the system—the current branches of the Gongye are already very strong!

Therefore, whenever there are signs of the Gongye family putting aside past grievances and cooperating, an endless series of accidents occur among the branches, ruining the efforts.

The Gongye family is aware that someone is manipulating these events, yet frustratingly, they cannot find the mastermind behind it. Even applying the theory that ’the greatest beneficiary is the greatest suspect,’ the Gongye family finds there are simply too many potential culprits.

These are just simple background introductions. This time, the Gongyang family sent one person at the Nascent Soul Eighth Layer and one at the Nascent Soul Second Layer. The eighth layer’s name is Gongye Qianxin, and the second layer’s name is Gongye Youbao.

Feng Jun was somewhat puzzled by their appearance: Xuanshui Sect is one of the seven top sects, so why are they so close to a secret realm family?

True Immortal Cang Jing quickly learned of their purpose and led the two Gongye True Immortals to Feng Jun, saying, "They’re looking for you."

"Looking for me?" Feng Jun was genuinely surprised. From Earth to Kunhao, I don’t even know anyone named Gongye.

"That Daoist Crown," True Immortal Cang Jing spoke in a serious tone, "may be a lost heirloom of the Gongye family."

"Hold on, just wait a moment," Feng Jun gestured to pause, speaking in a deep voice. "You said it was a standardized item of Xuanshui Sect five thousand years ago."

He didn’t deny obtaining the damaged Daoist Crown because there was no need. At some level, Feng Jun was now a notable figure and couldn’t afford to lose face. Moreover, he intended to either repair the Daoist Crown for sale or personal use, so there was no need to deny it.

"Xuanshui Sect used to have disciples from the Gongye family," Elder Cang Jing casually responded, though it was clear she didn’t want to say more. "This style of Daoist Crown was used by both Xuanshui Sect and the Gongye family, though neither uses it now."

Feng Jun thoughtfully regarded her, "I feel there’s more to it..."

However, he didn’t delve deeper and instead turned to Gongye Qianxin, "Before you see the Daoist Crown, I think it’s necessary to emphasize one point... I picked up this Daoist Crown in the void, and it’s been drifting there for who knows how long."

"Understood," Gongye Qianxin nodded slowly, speaking expressionlessly. "We won’t trouble you, nor will we take it for free. A payment will be made."

Feng Jun wanted to say more but, seeing the other’s demeanor, decided against it. "Despite being damaged, the Daoist Crown is ultimately of True Treasure level. If you can prove it’s yours, I’ll only charge a small fee. If you cannot prove it..."

Gongye Youbao, at the Nascent Soul Second Layer, snorted coldly, "How can it be proven? Even if I call to it, it won’t respond, right? Rest assured, my young friend, the Gongye family won’t falsely claim an ancestor!"

Feng Jun simply ignored him and looked at Gongye Qianxin, "Is this the stance of your Gongye family?" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"Youbao, don’t be rude!" Gongye Qianxin first reprimanded, but his face still showed no smile. "The Gongye family won’t falsely acknowledge items. If you’re unsure, friends from Xuanshui Sect can vouch for us... what do you think?"

"Playing the good guy, bad guy, huh?" Feng Jun shook his head, speaking disinterestedly, "Can’t you be a bit more original? Like... forcibly taking it?"

Even someone as composed as Gongye Qianxin couldn’t help but furrow his brows at this, "Feng Xiaoyou, I’m negotiating with you in good faith."

Feng Jun couldn’t help but roll his eyes, muttering softly, "In good faith negotiations, you’d first have to ask if I’m willing to hand it over."

Hearing this, Gongye Qianxin was left somewhat speechless, thinking to himself, do you really take yourself seriously?

He had certainly heard about how popular Feng Jun was now, but as an elder of a grand family, in his eyes, this was merely a lucky young fellow. Although possessing certain skills, his background wasn’t necessarily comparable to the Gongye family, was it?

Even Xuanshui Sect has to show the Gongye family some respect!

(Updated to here, summoning monthly votes.)