Jun Moxie spread his hands innocently, expressing his helplessness: "I don't know either, I have no idea what's going on here."

In this matter, it seemed that it had truly exceeded the expectations of the young master. That stone was actually a fragment chipped off a spirit vein when he was with Mei Xueyan previously. The larger portion of it had been taken by Mei Xueyan to strengthen the Heavenly Punishment Forest upon her return. "Young Master Jun only had a few small pieces left in his possession, and what emerged this time was the smallest of them." "Although the Young Master knew the stone was a valuable item, enough to awe the entire gathering, he never imagined such a small thing could cause such a massive sensation? This is simply too shocking!"

Although the elder brother grasped the beginning of the matter, he had not foreseen the process nor the outcome!

After the shock subsided, everyone fixed their gaze intently upon Jun Moxie!

This kid, "*** defying the heavens, to actually produce such a treasure!"

"This... Mo kid, this stone, ahem... where exactly did you obtain it?"

Miao Jingyun’s query caused everyone to strain their ears.

Yes, if there was a first piece, there could be a second. If they knew the exact location of its retrieval, perhaps there were third and fourth pieces there... "What if another discovery were made? That would truly be..."

"Uh, the story goes like this. When I was about seven or eight years old,"

Jun Moxie began fabricating tales; this was his forte: "...There was nothing to eat that time, I was starving, so I ventured into the mountains to find wild fruits to eat. Then suddenly, a landslide occurred, and I was almost buried alive. That was truly terrible luck..."

The Young Master recounted the tale vividly, and the assembled crowd let out a collective sigh of relief.

No wonder, so it was a landslide. "I wondered how such a good thing could fall into this kid's hands..."

He obtained this thing and still claimed he was unlucky? Was that called misfortune? Why didn't such terrible luck ever befall me! As the peak experts listened to the Young Master's description, the same thought crossed every mind!

"...Just as I thought I was doomed, there were suddenly two loud thuds, and two stones smashed right onto my head. It nearly knocked me unconscious at the time..."

Jun Moxie patted his head with lingering fear: "Then I reached out and took the two stones off. One of the smaller ones felt somewhat soft to the touch... At that time, I was terribly hungry, and this stone actually smelled fragrant. So, I just swallowed that smaller piece whole; I was just too hungry, what was there to worry about then?" "When the Young Master finished speaking, all the masters simultaneously stamped their feet and pounded their chests!

What a waste!

This was truly a case of pearls cast before swine!

A genuine squandering of heavenly treasures...

"...After I ate it, I instantly felt full. Then I slept again. When I woke up, I still didn't feel hungry, and even the scrapes from the collapsed rocks had healed. Since my stomach wasn't empty, I naturally had energy, and wanted to go home... I was a bit more cautious then. That stone must be something good; at least it’s edible, and I could use it to stave off hunger in the future." "I casually tucked the other piece into my breast pocket... When my master finally found me, and I showed him that stone, he didn't recognize it either. He didn't know exactly what it was, only told me to keep it safe... and so it remained until today."

Jun Moxie smiled shyly: "Today is the Prefecture Lord’s grand birthday, and I genuinely had nothing worthy to present... so I brought this out just to fill the space. "Uh, this thing... it's acceptable, right?"

Acceptable?

Nearly all the experts present almost fainted at his words!

More than acceptable, it was absolutely outstanding!

To actually claim he had nothing worthy to present? "Hey, there's no need to be so devastating when striking others!" If this item wasn't considered presentable, then what in this world could be?

Simultaneously, everyone broke out in a cold sweat: Damn it, you scoundrel, you carry such a divine artifact with you, and you dare to casually show it to so many people to look at? Thinking of this, everyone felt like they could barely breathe...

So dangerous!

What if someone had seen this thing before, and happened to recognize it...

Then... would it even be our turn?

Moreover, this fellow carried it around in his clothes, intending to take it out for sustenance whenever he ran out of food? This—this—"It’s like he’s carrying a giant steamed bun with him?"

The minds of the crowd whirled into chaos. At the same time, they felt overwhelmingly relieved: Thank goodness the Tianxiang Kingdom has enjoyed peace and prosperity recently. If this kid had gone hungry... the consequences would have been unimaginable—"That mountain... what was its name?"

Miao Jingyun, representing everyone, asked the question they all most wanted answered.

"That mountain was just a desolate peak, with no specific name. It was only when I was descending that I overheard the local villagers calling that mountain, 'Mount Everest,'..." Jun Moxie said cautiously. He secretly chuckled, Old sirs, go ahead and search... Even if you turn this entire world upside down, you won't find Mount Everest...

"Mount Everest," everyone simultaneously let out a long breath, silently and firmly engraving the strange name of the strange peak deep within their hearts. "Elders, I noticed just now... do these stones really hold such great value?"

The Young Master adopted an expression of pure innocence, feigning youthful naïveté just a little.

"Precious? Such a divine object—ahem—how can it possibly be described by the mere word 'precious'?"

A Saint Venerable expert fiercely stated, stroking his beard and glaring: "Furthermore, stop referring to it as 'that stone' or 'this stone.' Such language is nothing short of blasphemy against this divine artifact! The stone you speak of is the legendary Tongtian Jade! Do you understand now?"

At this moment, even those who were still bewildered and did not recognize the stone erupted in a massive commotion!

Tongtian Jade!

It was actually Tongtian Jade!

It was that legendary sacred object whispered to grant several centuries of pure power just from scraping off a bit of powder, and completely consuming one piece could shatter the void!

Tongtian Jade! Ah! Ah! Ah!

In an instant, everyone present had their eyes turn red. Seeing this scene, Miao Jingyun glared angrily at that Saint Venerable, who realizing he had spoken out of turn, couldn't help but blush deeply.

"Ahem, everyone please be quiet for a moment and listen to this host, this old man."

Miao Jingyun coughed twice and signaled for quiet below. After a moment, everyone finally calmed down, though flushed with excitement on their faces...

"Today's birthday gifts..." Miao Jingyun said, instinctively glancing toward the long table. He then noticed that the table was completely bare. All the dazzling and priceless birthday gifts that had been on the table had long since been reduced to messy piles of trash...

"Cough, cough, cough..." Although the birthday gifts were now rubbish, the Mansion Lord Miao was infinitely joyful. Having obtained the Tongtian Jade, even if all those gifts had turned to ash... he wouldn't care in the slightest! He coughed again dryly and said dismissively, "The gift presented by Mo Junye is the one that best suits my heart, it is the most precious and unique, and carries deep meaning... I trust no one will object now, right?" All the old men nodded vigorously like chickens pecking at grain. Precious, unique, and deeply meaningful might not be true, but that it suited his heart best was absolutely correct! In fact—it completely exceeded expectations...

It was no joke; if such an item of divine nature couldn't win the top prize for the birthday celebration today, then—it would simply be against all reason...

"Since no one has any objections, then, Mo Junye is the son-in-law of our Miao family, the husband of young Miss Miao! Today is truly a double celebration: first, the congratulation for my 500th birthday, and second, the betrothal day for my adopted daughter, little Miao, finding a suitable husband! Please drink heartily and revel until you are drunk!"

With those words, the crowd finally erupted once more.

Many of the younger eyes glowed with envious and jealous green light: Look at him, truly... Alas, he only presented something he didn't even know the nature of, and he gained such a beautiful wife... Alas, truly, comparing people only leads to anger. "I say, Old Mansion Lord Miao, no matter how precious the birthday gift, did you have to sell off your own granddaughter just like that? That choice piece of cabbage has been rooted up by that..."

As soon as Miao Jingyun finished speaking, Cao Guofeng, the Saint Emperor, stepped forward with a beaming, ruddy face and declared loudly: "Today is the day of Young Apprentice Jun Ye and Miss Miao's betrothal, and also Lord Mansion Lord's 500th birthday. It is indeed a double joy, and I, Cao Guofeng, share in this honor..."

More than sharing in the honor, Cao Saint Emperor's mouth was practically split ear to ear. All the experts looked at the dog-lucky Cao Saint Emperor with a mixture of envy and jealousy. Many felt unbalanced and almost wanted to beat him up on the spot: You old fool, what are you so smug about? Look at your smiling old face, it's like... it's utterly offensive... When Cao Guofeng appeared, Bai Qifeng and the others stood rigidly behind him, looking proud and complacent. Our apprentice is part of this too; naturally, we won't miss out on serving tea to the apprentice's wife later. Just thinking about it was exhilarating.

After Cao Guofeng finished speaking, the announcer jumped forward again.

"Now, we invite the two newlyweds to exchange their betrothal tokens, solidifying a bond for a hundred years!"

With that spirited announcement, Miao Xiaomiao lacked her previous haughtiness; she was so shy her limbs felt weak, yet her heart was filled with happiness and contentment...

Madam Miao took out a wooden sword with a body entirely black and presented it with great care. A fresh wave of gasps rippled through the attendees. This wooden sword was extraordinary in origin; it was carved from the heartwood of a branch naturally shed by the Seven-Colored Sacred Tree. Carrying it conferred the miraculous effects of clearing the mind, improving sight, and warding off all evil! It was truly a rare treasure.

When it was Jun Moxie's turn, the Young Master found himself in a quandary.

That stone had already been presented as a birthday gift. If he pulled out another one at this juncture, wouldn't it cause a complete uproar? (To be continued. If you wish to know what happens next, look for more chapters, support the author, and read legitimate editions!)