When Xiao Yunlong held the incomplete jade pendant in his hand, the fluctuations within his divine kingdom became more intense, even showing signs of breaking through the bottleneck.
Xiao Yunlong was greatly shocked and immediately understood that this jade pendant would be of great benefit to his cultivation.
He had been stuck at a bottleneck for some time with no progress, and had been unable to find a solution or direction. He never expected that tonight, while simply strolling to clear his mind, he would stumble upon something so fortuitous.
Throughout the entire process, an old man responsible for sales had been watching Xiao Yunlong.
It was precisely because Xiao Yunlong had been too shocked earlier and hadn't paid attention that the other party had noticed something.
And antique shops, especially those selling old items and seeking bargains, often had hidden tricks.
For instance, if you were particularly fond of an old item, or discovered a bargain, but inadvertently let the seller notice your interest, they would often demand an exorbitant price. Sometimes, an item worth only a few hundred yuan could be priced at tens or even hundreds of thousands.
They might even refuse to sell it to you!
Xiao Yunlong, having had some experience in his earlier years, understood these tricks. He calmly put down the jade pendant in his hand and then picked up a nearby inkstone.
After examining the inkstone and nodding, he put it down and picked up a porcelain bowl...
He looked at about a dozen items in this manner before selecting three, including the jade pendant.
"These three small items are all quite good. I'll take them all, name your price!" Xiao Yunlong looked up at the old seller and asked indifferently.
After this interlude, the old man was momentarily unable to gauge the situation, as Xiao Yunlong had shown signs of delight when looking at several items, making it difficult for him to judge.
"Esteemed sir, these three items, a broken jade pendant, a small inkstone, and a bronze pig, are not of the same category. May I ask what you intend to do with them after purchasing them?" the old man asked calmly.
Xiao Yunlong chuckled and said, "I'll just buy them as decorations, to add a touch of refinement."
Seeing that he couldn't elicit any further information, the old man finally raised the price slightly, selling each item for one thousand yuan.
Xiao Yunlong didn't want to waste any more words. After the transaction was complete, he picked up the three packaged small items and turned to leave.
The old man had wanted to probe further, as it was rumored that some of these items had originated from ancient lands. Due to their damage and the mixture of fakes, even experienced antique dealers in the shop couldn't identify them, so they were eventually piled up here.
"Brother, is there something precious among these?" Jun Bufan couldn't help but ask after leaving the shop.
He understood his elder brother. Given his status and personality, he wouldn't buy these seemingly worthless trinkets for no reason, unless they were extraordinary.
Xiao Yunlong smiled and said, "They aren't treasures, but there's something here that was previously lost from my Xiao family."
"So that's how it is, no wonder!" Jun Bufan nodded.
"Let's go back!" Xiao Yunlong waved his hand and headed towards the street entrance.
In truth, it wasn't that he intentionally lied. It was because the Three Thousand Divine Kingdom technique was his greatest trump card. He hadn't even told his subordinates like Jun Bufan, or even Liu Ruyan, about it yet.
The two then drove back to the Century Grand Hotel. Xiao Yunlong immediately entered his room and announced that he would be going into seclusion. He was already eager to see if this jade pendant could truly aid his cultivation.
The night was quiet. Chuan City, in the late autumn and early winter, was already chilly with a biting wind. Xiao Yunlong sat cross-legged on the bed, holding the broken jade pendant in his hand.
Before this, he had carefully examined the jade pendant and found no special patterns or inscriptions. Therefore, the anomaly could only originate from the jade pendant itself, or perhaps from its material.
Sensing the unusual activity within his divine kingdom, Xiao Yunlong slowly closed his eyes and began to circulate the Three Thousand Divine Kingdom technique.
Almost instantly, a faint azure aura slowly emanated from the jade pendant, passing through Xiao Yunlong's palm and entering his body.
Of course, with Xiao Yunlong's current martial arts cultivation, he couldn't yet see these wisps of azure gas. However, he felt an indescribable comfort throughout his body, especially a refreshing coolness in his meridians.
Under the guidance of the technique, these wisps of aura, like smoke rising, circulated through his meridians. After completing a grand cycle, a booming sound suddenly echoed from within Xiao Yunlong.
The bottleneck that had remained unbroken for so long was finally opened. The first divine kingdom within him was successfully unblocked, and a long-lost sense of comfort surged through him.
"It really works!"
Xiao Yunlong's excitement was palpable, as this meant he had found a new path to cultivation.
His cultivation did not stop, because Xiao Yunlong clearly felt that the cool sensation within his body continued to persist and circulate.
And with the impact of each grand cycle, aided by this internal coolness, Xiao Yunlong finally broke through two more divine kingdoms in one go.
At this point, the divine kingdoms he had unblocked reached fifty-eight!
It was at this very moment that the jade pendant in Xiao Yunlong's palm suddenly cracked with a "kacha" sound, breaking into several pieces.
Xiao Yunlong had to cease his cultivation because the comforting coolness had disappeared, and continuing to cultivate would be of no further use.
As he slowly opened his eyes, he realized that the jade pendant in his palm had not only fractured into several pieces, but its originally clear, emerald green luster had also turned dull and lifeless. It even looked rather dry, appearing ordinary, much like a common stone.
"It seems I have absorbed the essence of the jade pendant, but what is this essence...?"
Xiao Yunlong furrowed his brow and pondered intently.
"This jade pendant was originally made from jade. Could it be that the essence within jade... is spiritual energy?" Xiao Yunlong murmured to himself.
He had previously consulted some ancient texts. According to some related ancient records, the reason jade could nourish people was largely due to its inherent spiritual energy. Of course, only jade of very good quality and appearance could contain spiritual energy.
"It must be so. What I absorbed from this jade pendant just now should be its essential spiritual energy. In other words, it is this spiritual energy that can truly aid my cultivation!"
Xiao Yunlong analyzed step by step, meticulously unraveling the conclusion.
Suddenly, he recalled some scattered ancient texts he had perused. It was said that in ancient times, Earth contained spiritual energy, but with continuous evolution and development, the spiritual energy gradually thinned until it eventually disappeared.
However, a very small portion of spiritual energy was preserved through special channels or special materials. Jade was one such special material.
Of course, these were merely myths and legends. Xiao Yunlong had only read these scattered ancient secret texts for the purpose of expanding his knowledge and for amusement, and had not investigated their authenticity.
But today, after absorbing the essential spiritual energy from the jade pendant and successfully breaking through, he had to re-examine the authenticity of these ancient texts.
"It seems I'll have to visit antique shops more often in the future, or perhaps, go directly in search of jade!" Xiao Yunlong thought to himself.
With the jade pendant no longer available to assist his cultivation, Xiao Yunlong naturally stopped. He washed up briefly and rested.
The night passed without incident. The next day, after breakfast, Xiao Yunlong called Jun Bufan again and headed to the antique street.
Jun Bufan was quite puzzled by this but didn't dare to ask too many questions. After all, as a subordinate, he only needed to follow silently.
However, this time, to Xiao Yunlong's disappointment, he had walked through almost every shop on the antique street, even checking the stalls lining the street, but found no items that could cause his divine kingdom to react.
"It seems that jade items containing spiritual energy are not that common. There was only one such item on the entire antique street!"
Xiao Yunlong shook his head inwardly, feeling a bit disappointed. He could only leave dejectedly.
However, Xiao Yunlong soon remembered that the neighboring Longyan City was precisely a city of jade. It had three jade mining sites alone. The output of jade from that place was very large, and its quality was also among the best in the Long Kingdom.
"After I finish dealing with matters in Chuan City, I'll go check out Longyan City!" Xiao Yunlong thought to himself and then pulled open the car door.
Just as he sat in the car, his phone suddenly rang.
The call was from Tang Bowen. As soon as he answered, he said, "Master, the Chuanlong Ridge Lord has come to Chuan City. He just sent someone to notify me, saying he wants to see you!"
"The Chuanlong Ridge Lord is in Chuan City?" Xiao Yunlong frowned, somewhat surprised.
"Yes, today is the day for Qi Dengxian's memorial service. The Chuanlong Ridge Lord is likely here to pay his respects. What do you say, Master, do you want to meet?" Tang Bowen asked on the phone.
Xiao Yunlong smiled faintly and said, "Since he wants to see me, then I'll meet him. I'm not some shy young maiden, what's there to be embarrassed about!"
In fact, both of them knew very well that Qi Dengxian was a close confidant of Long Yan, the Chuanlong Ridge Lord. With Qi Dengxian killed, Long Yan's arrival now was naturally intended to seek an explanation.
"The other party said that a banquet will be held at noon at the Longchuan Restaurant, and that's where we will meet!" Tang Bowen said.
Xiao Yunlong nodded and smiled, "It's just about lunchtime, and I'm hungry. I'll head over now. Also, you guys can come along. I heard the dishes there are good, so let's take this opportunity to try them."
"Yes, Master, we'll be right there!" Tang Bowen nodded.
Xiao Yunlong hung up the phone and then turned to signal Jun Bufan. After starting the engine, the car drove directly eastward.
Half an hour later, it was exactly noon. Xiao Yunlong arrived at the Longchuan Restaurant. Tang Bowen, Zhuge Wushuang, and Tu Fu were already waiting at the entrance.
The fact that the Chuanlong Ridge Lord, Long Yan, could host a banquet here indicated that the restaurant was not ordinary. Besides being authentic Sichuan cuisine, the entire restaurant had a high standard, with an ancient and elegant style, and a three-courtyard layout.
Normally, only influential figures in Chuan City could dine here. However, today, the entire place had been booked.
As they were about to enter, two tall bodyguards in suits and sunglasses at the entrance said, "You must be Mr. Xiao. Our Ridge Lord has been waiting for a long time. Please come in!"
Saying this, they stepped aside and gestured for him to enter.
Upon entering, Xiao Yunlong and his companions discovered that the entire restaurant courtyard was filled with guards in suits, with very strict security and a grand display of presence.
Xiao Yunlong scoffed at this, "With such a display, people might think the Southern Border King has arrived!"
However, at that moment, a deep, hoarse voice echoed from the upper floor: "Mr. Xiao, you may not know, but even if the Southern Border King were to arrive, his display might not be as grand as mine!"
These words were truly arrogant!