Chapter Sixteen: The Black Stone Explosion

It was exactly that piece of black stone he had found behind Thunder Ridge! This was also his greatest secret, known only to him and his elder sister. Even Lin Ru was unaware that it had exhibited the ability to foresee the future back at the Tianlong Pavilion.

“This black stone not only made me a cultivator, it also saved me from the stone beast’s clutches—its significance to me is immense! But more importantly, it allowed me to witness Zhao Yuyang’s entire inscription process. If I could master it, its ability to glimpse the future could, in theory, prevent every possible mishap during inscription, raising the success rate to… almost perfection!”

At this thought, he couldn’t help but lick his lips; even the pressure from the Obsidian Mountain’s unrest felt lighter. After all, he’d never heard of anyone achieving a perfect inscription—no matter how great a master, there was always an element of luck involved. As for someone of Zhao Yuyang’s caliber, success was even less assured!

But his situation was entirely different. As long as he could see into the future, even failures brought on by luck could be foreseen ahead of time!

“As long as something can be foreseen, there’s a way to avoid it! However… foresight alone isn’t enough; even if I can anticipate mistakes, I still need at least a basic grasp of inscription techniques to proceed. Being completely ignorant is out of the question.”

He frowned at the thought. In truth, this wasn’t the real problem—the issue lay with the black stone itself. For him, as long as he could control the stone, nothing else mattered. He could keep correcting his mistakes during the inscription process, trying countless times in the futures he foresaw until he succeeded! In that manner, even a fool could master the craft in no time.

The crux was how to truly master the black stone and freely wield its various powers.

In fact, he had never ceased studying the stone since acquiring it, but with little spare time, he had made scant progress. So far, he only knew of three instances when it had reacted.

The first was behind Thunder Ridge, when it elevated him from a mere mortal to the Mountain-moving Stage in a single leap. The second allowed him to unleash strength beyond his limits and escape the stone beast. The third enabled him to foresee Zhao Yuyang’s inscription process and thus avert the failure of the Spirit Scroll Staff.

Three distinct abilities, each manifesting at a critical moment; it was no exaggeration to say that these three reactions of the black stone had forged the person he was today.

But precisely because of this, although he had never ceased his probing, he had always been cautious, worried about damaging it.

All he could confirm now was that it was neither a magical implement nor a treasure; the usual methods of refining such objects were useless.

“In other words… must I take a risk?”

He fell into deep thought.

If forceful refinement was possible, he had means for that as well. Among the Shadow Guard’s formations, there was a blood refinement technique—using it, even a roadside pebble could be forged into his own weapon, so the black stone should be no exception.

But he had doubts; if he refined it this way, would the black stone truly become nothing more than something to bash people with?

“No matter what, I have to try. I don’t think the black stone is so fragile as to be easily damaged.”

He considered for a moment, then glanced around the room and found a sunlit spot. Biting his finger, he drew a blood refinement array on the ground, then placed several grade-two thunderstones around the black stone at the center. He let a drop of fresh blood fall onto it.

“Success or failure, it comes down to this!”

Gritting his teeth, Tu Lu steeled himself. He immediately channeled his spiritual power to stir up his blood and activate the array, attempting to forcibly refine the black stone!

But he had barely started when his expression changed dramatically.

No matter how he tried, neither his blood nor his consciousness could penetrate the black stone in the slightest!

He took a deep breath, then held it, marshaling his entire strength to drive his blood forward!

This time, his spiritual power barely grazed the surface of the stone.

But before he could feel any elation, the instant his consciousness touched it, it was as if he’d been struck by lightning—his mind numb—and a crack appeared on the stone!

Not good!

His face paled, and he quickly tried to withdraw.

“Keep going!”

At that moment, a clear, bell-like voice rang in his ear like an oriole’s song.

He hadn’t noticed the little girl had come up behind him, and for some reason, she had suddenly called out just then.

Tu Lu started violently, his consciousness faltering.

But almost immediately, a terrifying backlash surged from the black stone; his face flushed an alarming red, and he lost color at once. In his shock, he focused anew on the stone, gritted his teeth, and launched another spiritual assault!

“Damn it!”

As he pushed with all his might, the stone kept splintering until cracks covered its entire surface.

The little girl, uncharacteristically, stared at it intently.

At last, there was a crisp “crack,” and the black stone shattered. In the wake of its destruction, a dreadful power began to gather.

Not good!

Tu Lu’s face changed dramatically; he scooped up the little girl and ran for the door.

He hadn’t gotten far before a tremendous blast erupted from the inn.

The earth heaved!

The room’s defensive array didn’t even last a breath before shattering completely. The inn itself was obliterated, a mushroom cloud rising above the ground.

“What happened?”

“Damn it, I was resting—why did it just explode? Have the beast hordes broken through?”

“Manager, what the hell is going on?!”

A dozen disheveled figures rushed back, shouting furiously at a middle-aged man with a bearded face!

They were all guests at the inn, most of whom had been resting peacefully. The sudden explosion had caught them all off guard; every last one had been affected, and though none were seriously hurt, they were incensed.

Tu Lu mingled among them, his voice the loudest of all.

“Manager, we paid thunderstones to stay here, and this is how you treat your guests?!”

“I’ve spent months cultivating in seclusion, only to have it ruined in an instant—how will you compensate me for my loss?!”

“Yes! Compensate us!”

Tu Lu shouted along, glancing nervously at the other guests who looked ready to tear the manager apart. Shrinking his head, he raised his voice even more.

The innkeeper, sweating profusely, kept apologizing to everyone while investigating the cause.

He had no idea what had happened!

But by the time he discovered the site of the explosion, Tu Lu had already slipped away with the little girl, now wearing a different face, to the border between the eastern and southern parts of the city.

“Whew—”

Only after ducking into an alley did he finally exhale.

Though the black stone had been destroyed, his face was alight with excitement. If not for his lingering guilt, he would have burst out laughing.

Because, during the explosion, four orbs of light shot out from the stone’s fragments—three entered his body, and the last merged into the little girl.

Those three orbs were exactly what he needed!