He stretched out his hand, and his follower respectfully handed him the aurora stone.

Karon weighed the stone in his hand, his gaze finally sweeping over Mingxi and her pet beasts, as if he was admiring prey he was about to hunt.

He said nothing more.

Turning around, he led his three followers, like a tide merging into the shadows, parting the crowd and walking away.

Leaving behind the bewildered onlookers, and Mingxi and the female stall owner who hadn't spoken a word since the transaction was proposed.

In the air, Karon · Karman's cold and arrogant words from before he left seemed to linger.

Their backs disappeared into the depths of Dianjin Street's winding alleys, leaving behind an oppressive silence.

The onlookers, seeing that there was no more excitement to watch, gradually dispersed, their whispers still mixed with apprehension towards Karon and discussions about Mingxi's identity.

Some people among them recognized Mingxi, but they all politely refrained from disturbing her.

Mingxi withdrew her gaze from the direction Karon had disappeared and looked at the female stall owner again.

But it was only for a fleeting moment.

She calmly turned around, ready to leave with Golden Yuanbao and the others, continuing her search for clues to the Book of Rules.

"Wait... please wait a moment!" A deliberately lowered, urgent female voice came from behind her; it was the female stall owner.

Regina.

Mingxi paused, not turning completely, but just slightly tilting her head.

The female stall owner quickly and warily scanned her surroundings, and only when she confirmed that no suspicious gazes lingered did she speak in a whisper that only the two of them could almost hear: "I still have two more of those stones!"

As she spoke, she fumbled under the stall for a moment and pulled out two stones that were slightly larger than the previous one, but also had a murky mist and faint threads of light entangled and flowing within them.

Their quality was much better than the one in Karon's hand.

"Do you still want them?"

"The price is the same as for that Karman royal, five hundred thousand star coins per stone." The female stall owner's voice was very faint.

There was almost no emotional fluctuation in it.

She didn't sound like a small vendor struggling at the bottom of society at all.

Mingxi understood.

"These two stones are of better quality than that one, and I won't take advantage of you, so let's say eight hundred thousand per stone. I'll take both." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

These stones were, of course, not the so-called 'aurora stone', but 'Yellow Spring Netherworld Stone', a special energy crystal that possesses both death and life energy.

It was somewhat similar to a life-death stone, but the Yellow Spring Netherworld Stone was an energy crystal and could theoretically be absorbed by Transcendent creatures.

However, unlike other mixed-attribute energy crystals, although the Yellow Spring Netherworld Stone was composed of two completely opposing attribute energy crystals, it subtly maintained an absolute balance.

Hence, it was extremely rare.

But due to its unique nature, the Yellow Spring Netherworld Stone could not be absorbed by Transcendent creatures, because there were no Transcendent creatures in this world that simultaneously possessed perfectly balanced death and life energy.

Therefore, the value of the Yellow Spring Netherworld Stone was actually not high.

It could basically only be used as research material.

But Mingxi was different; she had Emerald Green, an Ashura, the only race in the world that simultaneously possessed life and death energy.

So her desire to buy the Yellow Spring Netherworld Stone from Karon · Karman was ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ real, but it was not as urgent as he made it sound.

After all, no matter how rare, it was just an energy crystal. If she bought it, it would be a snack for Emerald Green or raw material for refining potions; if she didn't, it didn't matter.

Emerald Green staying in the Energy Pool for a few more hours would have the same effect.

"Alright."

The female stall owner very straightforwardly handed the two Yellow Spring Netherworld Stones to Mingxi.

Mingxi exchanged money for goods.

With the transaction complete, Mingxi immediately put away the stones, nodded to the female stall owner, and prepared to leave again.

"Wait!" The female stall owner's voice rang out again.

This time, her tone carried a strange tremor, a mix of probing and anticipation.

She stared at Mingxi, asking casually:

"Have you heard of... Ashura?"

Mingxi raised an eyebrow, looking at the woman with burning eyes inside the stall.

( • ิ _ • ิ )

Guangguang's surprised voice rang in her mind: "This Princess actually knows about Ashura? Where did she hear about it?"

That's right.

This unassuming female stall owner was Princess Regina, whom they had seen at the parade that morning.

Who would have thought that the high and mighty, elegant and noble Princess would transform into a vendor making a living in a chaotic place like Dianjin Street?

Mingxi recognized her at the same time she recognized Karon · Karman.

Appearance could be changed by pet beast skills, demeanor could be acted, and aura could be concealed, but her eyes were too special.

And Mingxi had an excellent memory; once she saw something, she wouldn't forget it, especially since it hadn't been long since the morning parade.

It would be strange if she didn't recognize her.

Mingxi: "It seems this Princess is not as simple as a caged canary. Her setting up a stall here is probably to sell Yellow Spring Netherworld Stones."

Guangguang: "You mean she's using Yellow Spring Netherworld Stones to find an Ashura Transcendent creature?"

"Most likely."

Mingxi's expression management was impeccable; her surprise lasted less than half a second before returning to her usual calm, even with a hint of well-placed confusion.

She tilted her head slightly, looking at Regina, her tone carrying a hint of distant politeness and bewildered inquiry: "Ashura? Is that a Transcendent creature attribute?"

She gave Regina no chance to press further or explain, as if the other party had only asked an irrelevant, strange question.

"Sorry, I haven't heard of it. Goodbye."

After speaking, Mingxi no longer lingered, turning without hesitation and merging into the flow of people on Dianjin Street, her figure quickly disappearing around the corner.

Regina stood rooted to the spot, her face under the wide-brimmed hat changing unpredictably.

Mingxi's momentary astonishment, though brief, did not escape her gaze!

The other party was hiding something!

She must know!

So, Ashura really existed in this world? It wasn't just a delusion of their Augustus royal family?

And the Ashura that Mingxi knew, the greatest possibility was her Jinlan Asura.

Asura, Ashura?

Hope burned fiercely like a wildfire in Regina's desolate heart.

In her deep eyes, hope and madness intertwined, ultimately transforming into a rock-solid determination.

On July 29th, in the heart of Saint Shield City, the Guardian Arena, built against the towering natural barrier of the Imperial Stele, was bustling with activity.

The Starsea Cup Championship officially opened!

The stands, capable of accommodating millions of spectators, were packed, with audiences from various planets of the Human Alliance waving flags and letting out deafening cheers.

A massive holographic projection cast the scene from the center of the arena in different directions, ensuring that spectators, no matter where they sat, could clearly see the situation on each battle stage.

The stirring Alliance Battle Song echoed through the sky.

Accompanied by the booming of salutes and dazzling energy fireworks, nearly a thousand top young Beast Tamers from twenty-nine countries across the six major interstellar planets, who had emerged through layers of selection, wearing distinctive costumes or battle robes, entered the center of the venue one by one under the illumination of guiding beams!