"Crack... crack..." Amid the crisp mining sounds, inside the carriage... Xin Yun, drenched in sweat, vigorously wielded a small mining shovel, prying off chunks of the fiery-red rocks one by one.
"Clang!" Finally, as Xin Yun's shovel struck down once more, an odd metallic ring echoed, and the mining shovel bounced back as if it had struck steel. At the same time, a beam of azure light shone from the point of impact.
Seeing that azure light, Xin Yun's heart almost leaped out of his throat. He bent over for a closer look and saw a bit of azure-colored, transparent material at the chiseled spot. Obviously... this was the Azure Stone!
In his excitement, Xin Yun could no longer hold back. He swung the mining shovel with all his might, paying no mind to his palms that split and bled, nor to his arms that were numb with pain. In just two minutes, he had pried out the round and flawless Dragon Creation Stone.
Of course, the reason he dared to be so reckless was that the hardness of the Dragon Creation Stone was terrifyingly great, nearly nothing could harm it. In the future, it could even shoot out Dragon Balls to attack enemies.
Although his heart was filled with immense excitement, Xin Yun did not dare to delay. He didn't want to end up like Shitou, who, due to excessive excitement, was discovered and met with a deadly fate. Once truly discovered by others, not to mention Xin Yun's current weakness, even if he were a thousand times more powerful, he would surely die, unless he was one of the Nine Great Experts from the past. Otherwise, no one could keep it safe.
Though he longed to start cultivating immediately and directly refine the Dragon Creation Stone to summon his own dragon, Xin Yun hadn't made any preparations prior to this. He knew... refining the Dragon Creation Stone into his own Dragon Ball would take a long time, at least a week to succeed, and without prior preparation, he could faint from hunger alone.
Carefully placing the Azure Stone into a leather bag he had prepared earlier, Xin Yun drove the carriage back to the inn. Although he had not yet returned the carriage, Xin Yun was really too nervous, fearing that the Azure Stone on his body might be stolen, so he could only send Ah Da to return it.
Back at the inn, Xin Yun found Ah Da and instructed him to return the carriage, and also told him that the Ten Gold deposit for the carriage could be his reward.
Upon hearing Xin Yun's words, Ah Da was overjoyed and nodded excitedly. With those Ten Gold, he could do many things. In Mega City like Ta Mountain, there was no shortage of fun to be had.
Before leaving the room, Ah Da told Xin Yun not to wait up for him for dinner, and while he didn't explicitly say what he was going to do, Xin Yun knew that as a sturdy man in his early thirties, having gone three or four months without a woman, he was surely desperate.
In this world, having a good time with a woman doesn't require much money, especially in a Mega City like Ta Mountain City, where there are endless varieties of pleasure.
If one is rather poor, a hundred copper coins can buy a decent woman, and if one is better off, one silver coin can get an extraordinarily pretty woman. For one gold coin, women are basically at your pick.
In his last life, when Xin Yun first traversed to this world from Earth, he lost himself in the lure of women, born in the 21st century, how could Xin Yun resist such temptation.
In this world, seeking pleasure isn't limited to brothels. If one sees a woman on the street with colorful headbands, one can strike up a conversation, agree on a price, and she'll take you back to her place to enjoy the bliss between men and women.
For a man who has just arrived in such an "exciting" world, it's very difficult to control oneself, yet everyone knows that if you can't restrain yourself, the damage to the body from nights of indulgence is immense.
Although Xin Yun had been out for half a day, when he returned to the bedroom, Yi Luo Xiang was still in a deep sleep. Watching Yi Luo Xiang's sweet sleeping face, Xin Yun couldn't help but smile gently. The allure of a woman was very attractive, but even all women combined weren't as tempting as Yi Luo Xiang, especially when she bloomed her most beautiful petals—that beauty was enough to dazzle one.
Though his body was but that of a seven-year-old child, Xin Yun's mentality was far more mature, and his longing for women was intense. It was just that there was no physical impulse. However, in this life, Xin Yun did not wish to vent these desires; if he must, he would only do so with Yi Luo Xiang. The person who could better control their desires would become an even greater master—this statement was absolutely correct.
Without disturbing Yi Luo Xiang, Xin Yun rushed to the counter, opened another room, and instructed the innkeeper that no matter what time or what happened, even if the inn caught fire, do not disturb him. Of course, before leaving, Xin Yun left messages with A Da and Yi Luo Xiang. He asked them to wait patiently here for a few days, at least a week or at most ten days, and not to worry about him.
After receiving an affirmative answer, Xin Yun had a hearty meal, then entered the newly opened room with some dry food, firmly shut the door, propped it with a stick, and then drew all the curtains, ensuring not a sliver of light could get through. Only then did Xin Yun feel reassured to take out the Dragon Creation Stone wrapped in the rock—the Azure Sea!
Carefully cleaning away the surrounding stone, the Azure Sea quickly revealed itself—an egg-sized, perfectly round, completely transparent gem emitting streaks of azure light appeared in Xin Yun's hand.
This Dragon Creation Stone was very peculiar. All Dragon Creation Stones were perfectly round from the moment they were excavated, needing no polishing, smooth and unmatched, and utterly transparent without a speck of impurity.
Looking at the crystal-clear Dragon Creation Stone in his hand, radiating streaks of azure light, Xin Yun's heart started beating violently. He took more than a dozen deep breaths before he gradually calmed down.
He closed his eyes tightly, striving to calm his emotions. After some time, Xin Yun suddenly opened his eyes, bit the tip of his tongue forcefully, and a mouthful of crimson blood sprayed onto the Azure Sea.
As the blood spattered, the perfectly smooth Azure Sea suddenly radiated blinding azure light. The blood on the Dragon Creation Stone didn't slide off the round sphere; instead, it thickly adhered to the surface of the incredibly azure stone.
Looking at the blood-covered Dragon Creation Stone, Xin Yun dared not delay. He joined his hands together, trapping the Azure Sea between his palms, and closed his eyes, concentrating his mind, feeling the coolness of the Dragon Creation Stone in his hands.
After being stained with blood, the Dragon Creation Stone began to emit a strange pulling force. The attraction was very odd; under its pull, Xin Yun felt his Divine Soul swaying, as if it were about to be sucked into the Azure Sea.
In the face of this situation, Xin Yun was not alarmed; after all, he had already experienced this once in his previous life and knew exactly what these feelings signified.
His hands tightly holding the Azure Sea, Xin Yun's body entered a state of utmost relaxation, offering no resistance at all. He could clearly feel his soul starting to move towards the Azure Sea in his hands.
"Whoosh..." Not knowing how much time had passed, amid a faint sound, Xin Yun felt a brightness before his eyes. Even though he was currently closing his eyes, in his mind's eye a world emitting azure light clearly emerged!
This was a blue world, much like the depths of a azure ocean, surrounded by undulating blue light. The actual form of Xin Yun, however, was a hazy human silhouette made up of countless colorful, flickering light spots, very ethereal.