The Revelation of the Stones

The streets of the city were alive with noise—merchants hawking their wares, cultivators bartering for rare ingredients, and the distant hum of a bard's lute. But Lin Wei heard none of it. His mind was locked onto one thing: the stones in his storage ring.

Returning to his inn, Lin Wei utilized the storage ring provided by the clan head to check out all of his acquired stones. The ring's capacity impressed him, accommodating all his purchases with room to spare.

He informed the guild attendant that his services were no longer needed and compensated him generously with 500,000 gold coins.

"Before you go," Lin Wei said, "I need you to find the fastest horse available in the city and also help me acquire a treasure shoring box for me, buy as many as possible, even if it is up to thousands, get them for me with the sum remaining after purchasing the horse, here is 5 million gold coins, it will be enough.

The attendant, surprised but pleased, accepted the task eagerly.

Within just 1 hours, he return with everything just ask he was instructed

The horse was a Stormhoof Stallion—a beast bred for speed, its coat dark as midnight, its eyes gleaming with unnatural intelligence.

"It's the fastest in the region," the guild guide boasted. "But it's expensive."

Lin Wei didn't care, he went back inside the inn that he just booked just few minutes ago

The inn he had chosen was modest compared to the grandeur of the City Lord's estate, but it was quiet—perfect for what he was about to do. The moment he entered his room, he sealed the door with a simple latch (he had no cultivation to set barriers, but he wasn't foolish enough to leave himself exposed) and that why the one he is in at the moment came highly recommended to him by the person he rented it from.

He pulled out the stone-breaking tool—a small, hammer-like artifact with a blade sharp enough to split even the hardest mineral. His hands trembled slightly as he placed the first stone on the table.

This one had faint smoke.

A single strike.

Crack.

Inside was a Moonlight Jade Fragment, glowing softly in the dim light. Not rare, but valuable enough to sell for 10,000 gold—double what he paid.

Lin Wei smirked. This changes everything.

The next few stones yielded similar results—minor treasures, but nothing extraordinary.

Then came the crimson-glowing stone.

The moment he struck it, a pulse of energy rippled through the room. The stone split open, revealing a Bloodfire Core—a crystallized drop of a legendary beast's essence.

Lin Wei's breath caught.

Not only because of how precious the bloodfire core is but how he was able to know the name even without hearing of it before, he even know the function.

"He started wondering what is really happening to him"

This… this is worth a fortune.

Bloodfire Cores were used in high-tier alchemy, capable of refining elixirs that could extend a cultivator's lifespan. Even a single one could sell for 500,000 gold—if not more.

Then came the one that had called to him—the stone burning with silver fire.

He hesitated.

Something about it felt… alive.

With a slow exhale, he struck it.

BOOM.

A shockwave blasted outward, rattling the walls. The stone shattered, and within it

A Heaven's Tear Gem.

Lin Wei's blood ran cold.

This was no ordinary treasure. Legends said these gems were fragments of the heavens themselves, capable of bending reality in the hands of a powerful cultivator.

How is this even here?

Just as he reached for it, his chest burned again—this time, so violently he gasped.

A vision flashed before his eyes—a village in flames. A woman screaming. A blade glinting in the dark.

Home.

His hands clenched.

Something is wrong.

Lin Wei quickly stored the treasures, his mind racing.

I need to leave. Now.

The Journey Begins

Lin Wei mounted the stallion, his storage ring heavy with treasures. The moment he spurred the beast forward, it blurred—moving faster than any natural creature should.

The wind howled in his ears. The city vanished behind him in minutes.

But the dread in his chest would not fade.

Within one week of traveling without rest, he was already tired, he only ate some leftovers food he bought from the city before and the horse is also getting tired as well but at this moment he didn't care, the only thing on his mind his home.