Shen Zhou acted as if he hadn't heard, hands in pockets, his silhouette stylish against the continuing path ahead.
Bathed in sunlight, he was splendidly radiant.
Nie Qiao felt an immense sense of loss welling up inside her and cried out again, "Shen Zhou!"
Song Yang couldn't help but roar, "Why do you keep calling his name? You just said you wanted to break up with him, and now you're my woman, so stop listening to his bullshit. Even if he is a bit capable, can he compare to me?"
"What's so great about him, he's not the almighty Heaven's Emperor!"
As Shen Zhou vanished from sight, a faint whisper of his words lingered, "The Heaven's Emperor... Is he that powerful?"
At that moment, Nie Qiao suddenly felt something.
She had lost the most precious thing in her life.
It was as if she had found a treasure worth billions but didn't realize its value and carelessly threw it away.
By the time she understood, it was too late.
The treasure would never return to her hands.
Never.
Song Yang's face was ashen, and through clenched teeth he spat, "Shen Zhou, don't think you're the shit just because you've got some skills! You hit me, and I will make you pay it back—one hundredfold!!"
But if he knew what Shen Zhou was now, he'd probably be groveling at his feet in an instant!!
Shen Zhou used to live in the hospital dormitory, but now that he was evicted, naturally, he couldn't return.
He moved into a clean little inn on the outskirts of the city, nestled against mountains and water, carrying only his simple luggage.
The room charge came from his savings; he didn't touch the one million, for it had other uses.
Of course, for Shen Zhou, now that he had regained his memory and divine skills, not just one million, but even a hundred billion were within easy reach.
Shen Zhou sat cross-legged on the bed, cultivating with the Primordial Heart Method.
Mentally, he calculated that to find a mountain range rich in spiritual energy was ideal for cultivation.
Otherwise, it would be difficult to restore the power he had had before the seal.
Now that Doudou had recognized him as her dad, it was his responsibility to take care of her. Although her injury was healing, Shen Zhou discovered she had a certain congenital disease that he must cure, but with his current energy, he was still not quite up to the task.
So, keep pushing forward.
For the following two days, he stayed indoors, focusing solely on his cultivation.
Two days later, in the evening.
Shen Zhou, sitting cross-legged on the bed, suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of divine light bursting forth.
He took a long breath out.
Then, black filth oozed from every pore of his body, even emitting a dark aura.
Looking down and wiping his skin, he muttered to himself, "Very good, my power has recovered from the Primary Nine Mysteries stage to the Upper stage. Although it's just the basic level, it has expelled all impurities from my body and allows for absorbing spiritual energy much more efficiently."
"Once I've returned to the Eight Trigrams stage, I'll be able to guide and absorb even thicker spiritual energy."
"Now, time to see my sweet gem."
Remembering Doudou's adorable appearance, a slight smile of happiness curled on Shen Zhou's face.
After a quick shower, he stepped out of the inn.
A few days ago, while treating Doudou's injury, Shen Zhou had left a small brand within her bloodstream. With the information it emitted, he could find her even if they were hundreds of kilometers apart.
Half an hour later, Shen Zhou appeared at the entrance of the Royal International Hotel.
This was a five-star hotel, grandiose and imposing, with a huge electronic display screen above the entrance continuously scrolling the words:
Happy 5th Birthday to Xue Doudou, our little treasure!
Shen Zhou chuckled.
He hadn't realized today was Doudou's birthday, and he hadn't yet bought a gift. He'd have to go buy one first.
Next to the hotel was a prestigious jewelry store.
Shen Zhou walked in, intending to pick out a jade pendant or necklace, but then he saw a large table against the wall laden with jade original stones.
At that moment, several people were selecting from them.
There was an old man with white beard. In his right hand, he held an original stone, and in his left, a small copper hammer, gently tapping and listening close to the stone.
Beside her was a girl in the bloom of youth, quite attractive, but her face showed arrogance.
She seemed impatient, with her arms crossed, "Old Song, you've been picking for so long, yet you still haven't found a suitable original stone? This is the seventeenth one."
Old Song looked up at her, somewhat annoyed but still polite.
This young lady was definitely not someone to be trifled with.
He spoke slowly, "Miss Gao, finding a good original stone is not easy. Moreover, many of the stones here that you can choose from for ten thousand are inferior goods."
"Take this one I'm holding, for instance, it can produce a green color, but it's too thin, so it's no good."
He shook his head and sighed softly, putting the original stone down.
Miss Gao glared at him, "Hurry up, my patience is running thin, and the little girl's birthday party is about to start."
Old Song said, "Seeing as Miss Gao isn't gifting the original stone for a birthday present, why not come back after the party and take your time to choose?"
"I won't!"
Miss Gao was stubborn, "I want to pick one now, or wouldn't it have been a waste to accompany you for so long?!"
Old Song shuddered, a bitter smile on his face as he nodded repeatedly and picked up another original stone to examine carefully.
Shen Zhou had approached and immediately grabbed an oval stone, smaller than a bowling ball.
He weighed it in his hand for a bit and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
He turned to the clerk and asked, "Ten thousand for any stone I pick?"
The clerk pointed to a sign on the wall and politely said, "Yes, sir, but are you sure you want this one? You haven't inspected it."
Surprise showed on his face.
Shen Zhou nodded with conviction, "I want this one."
Next to him, Miss Gao started to taunt, "Old Song did you see that? You're nowhere close to his level, you took more than half an hour and still haven't picked one, while he chose in a few seconds. You can't compete with that speed."
Old Song looked at Shen Zhou disdainfully, "Greenhorn, you don't know how to pick stones at all, just randomly grabbing one, guessing you're trying to get lucky, but your luck is awful."
He said with a hint of pride, pointing to the stone in his hand, "Young man, it's better you don't choose that one. I have inspected it in detail, and though there is some green, it's just tiny and scattered like goose feathers."
"Once you cut it open, you'll find that the largest piece of green won't even make an earring, let alone anything else."
"You'd better pick another one."
Shen Zhou shook his head, "I want this one."
He paid the ten thousand, then said, "Bring over the Stone Cutting Machine."
Old Song mocked him further, "You are too stubborn. Ten thousand down the drain, and by the looks of your outfit, you don't seem to be rich. This sum must be quite a lot for you, too bad."
Miss Gao spoke up, "Hey, kid, do you know who he is? The owner of Baofang Jewelry, a national second-level jade appraisal master. He seldom makes mistakes with stones and possesses unique exploration techniques."
"You'd best listen to him, or else when you cut the stone open, you might just faint in the restroom."
She looked at Shen Zhou with full disdain.
Shen Zhou found it a bit amusing, "The original stone I picked, I can tell if it's valuable or not."
With both hands cradling the original stone, he rubbed it slowly.
A faint glint of gold flickered under his palms and disappeared into the original stone.
The clerk, mocking, handed over the Stone Cutting Machine and muttered, "Even Old Song said it's just goose feather dregs; you're still showing off. You'll soon know the taste of regret!"
Miss Gao and Old Song stood aside to watch the excitement.
Old Song just shook his head, "Not heeding the old's advice, the loss is before your eyes. That ten thousand, you can only consider it a lesson learned."
Miss Gao inquired, "Old Song, are you certain there are only goose feather dregs in this stone?"
Old Song nodded, "Goose feather dregs are the easiest to recognize. A strike from a little Copper Hammer gives a scattered echo. Ninety percent of the time it's the case. I can bet my lifetime reputation on this stone—"
"There's absolutely no jade that can be made from it. He'll lose everything!"
He laughed heartily, full of confidence.
Miss Gao giggled ceaselessly, looking at Shen Zhou, "I didn't expect a trip to the jewelry store could be this entertaining, watching a fool in action. Alright, let's see how foolish you look once the original stone is cut."
"You'll just have to swallow your teeth afterward!"
Shen Zhou was undisturbed, operating the Stone Cutting Machine.
Barely looking, he cut through the stone under the mocking gazes of the crowd!!