Fire rubies were naturally occurring precious stones that were able to generate and and emit fire-element energy on their own.

Anything that could create their own energy would be considered a valuable resource, and fire rubies were no exception.

Zhao Yunxiao might not have seen one in person before, but its traits were simply too distinct to be missed!

“That’s right, this is a fire ruby...” Lou Yuan’s words trailed off towards the end as he found himself mesmerised by the beauty of the red stone.

“Why do you look so surprised as well?” Zhao Yunxiao questioned. “Didn’t you come here specifically for this?”

“Who is surprised? You are the only one who is surprised here! I can’t be more composed right now!” Lou Yuan broke out of his daze and quickly recollected himself.

“Is that so?” Zhao Yunxiao raised an eyebrow sceptically. “So? Are you going to take it away?”

“Of course, I will!” Lou Yuan answered. “Hurry and remove the rest of the outer layer, so I can put the rest of it away!”

“Seems like you aren’t able to do so?” Zhao Yunxiao mused. “But why should I help you? What’s in it for me?”

When Zhao Yunxiao thought about it, that made sense as well.

It had taken him quite a bit of effort to break through the outer layer of the celestial meteorite, so how would someone like Lou Yuan be able to do so?

“We can split the fire ruby! How about that?” Lou Yuan offered without hesitation. “One third for me, one third for you, and one third for your anti-social friend over there.”

Nie Hanchang felt the corner of his lips twitch.

He might not like to speak much, but isn’t it a little too much to say that he is anti-social?

On the other hand, Zhao Yunxiao smirked upon hearing Lou Yuan’s words.

“It seems that there is more of it than what you have expected?” Zhao Yunxiao surmised.

He had thought that it was strange for Lou Yuan to act so surprised. Having come all the way for the celestial meteorite, surely Lou Yuan must have a few conjectures as to what it was?

It was also strange that Lou Yuan would so readily offer up two-thirds of the fire ruby after going through all that effort, especially when Zhao Yunxiao had not even asked for that much.

But both of that would make complete sense if this find was actually far larger than what Lou Yuan had initially expected!

“So what if I have miscalculated a little? Isn’t this outcome better for all of us?” Lou Yuan did not bother hiding it. “If that is not enough, you can have all the outer layer too. It is nothing special to me, but it should still be of some value to you guys.”

“Since you have already said so, I shall not stand on ceremony,” Zhao Yunxiao agreed. “A third it is, with the outer layer going to us.”

He had personally experienced the toughness of the outer layer of the celestial meteorite earlier.

Even though he did not know what this black metallic-looking material was exactly, there was no harm in bringing it back for now.

Who knows?

Perhaps he might be able to find some use for it after some experimenting!

And by going with this distribution arrangement, he would not have to feel bad about Nie Hanchang getting nothing from this trip, either.

Of course, whether Nie Hanchang really cared for the fire ruby was another matter altogether.

In fact, considering their relative combat strengths, as well as how they were currently alone in the middle of nowhere, it was not impossible for them to just seize everything outright instead of sharing with Lou Yuan.

However, such an act would be no different from the unethical behaviours of unorthodox cultivators.

As a proud member of the great Black Tortoise Sect, Zhao Yunxiao would naturally not do something as shameful as that!

Or at least, not with just this level of rewards on the line...

With that, Zhao Yunxiao continued working on breaking away the outer layer of the celestial meteorite while making sure not to hit the fire ruby that lay in the centre.

If possible, Zhao Yunxiao would have preferred to keep the outer layer as a whole instead of breaking it into pieces, but there was nothing he could do about that.

Without breaking open the outer layer, there was simply no way to get to the fire ruby within.

The temperature in the sand crater continued to climb as more of the fire ruby became exposed.

As time passed, even Zhao Yunxiao and Nie Hanchang became drenched in sweat from the heat, yet Lou Yuan still looked unperturbed.

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Zhao Yunxiao could not help but feel amazed upon seeing this.

Judging from its effect so far, Lou Yuan’s treasure robes were probably worth quite a fortune!

“Why are you slowing down?” Lou Yuan questioned while carefully scrutinising a small piece of the black metallic outer layer.

“What’s with that tone? Do you believe that I will just stop altogether?”

“Haha, I was just joking! Come on, why are you being so angsty? Just go on at your own pace. I will wait, I will wait...”

Almost a full hour had passed before Zhao Yunxiao finally managed to pick apart an entire face of the celestial meteorite, exposing the entire fire ruby.

The sand crater seemed to have changed colours at some point, basked in the bright red light that was constantly emitted by the fire ruby.

The surrounding temperature had now soared to an unprecedented height, and even Zhao Yunxiao was starting to find it unbearable despite the protection of his essence energy.

It was almost as though a mini sun had descended upon them.

Yet disregarding the black metallic outer layer of the celestial meteorite, the entire fire ruby was actually only the size of a fist.

To be able to generate this much energy despite its relatively small size... it was no wonder that Lou Yuan had been willing to come all this way just for a chance at finding it!

“Now, how do we split it?” Zhao Yunxiao asked.

“It’s not as tough as it looks, just use your halberd to split it apart,” Lou Yuan said.

“Is that okay?” Zhao Yunxiao confirmed again. “Won’t its value decrease if it is split into smaller pieces?”

“That’s fine. Unlike most other precious stones, the value of a fire ruby is not in its whole,” Lou Yuan explained with a smug look on his face, happy to be able to show off his knowledge. “Every known use of the fire ruby is either by processing it in smaller pieces or by extracting its essence. Even if it is shattered, there will be no real impact on its value.”

Zhao Yunxiao nodded.

That was what he remembered as well. However, it was not like he was an expert in this field, so he would have preferred not to make an irreversible move like that without first confirming it with existing records.

But since Lou Yuan seemed so sure of it, Zhao Yunxiao decided to trust him once again.

Zhao Yunxiao smashed down with his halberd, this time aiming directly at the fire ruby instead of the outer layer.

And it was just as Lou Yuan had said – the fire ruby was not as tough as it looked.

With a single swing of his halberd, Zhao Yunxiao instantly shattered the fire ruby into numerous tiny fragments.

Lou Yuan stepped forward without hesitation at this point, and extended an open palm towards the shattered fire ruby.

Whoosh-!

The fire ruby fragments formed three separate streams that flew towards him, landing in his hand to form three mini towers.

Even after being shattered, these fragments of the fire ruby did not lose their shine.

They continued to emit a bright red light along with an intense heat, akin to three towers of flame forming atop Lou Yuan’s palm.

“Don’t be too surprised,” Lou Yuan smirked after seeing the expression of shock on the faces of Zhao Yunxiao and Nie Hanchang. “As a famous designer, I naturally have a supreme level of mastery when it comes to material handling!”

Zhao Yunxiao felt the corner of his lips twitch.

This Lou Yuan simply could not let go of any opportunity to brag about himself!

But then again, what he did was truly surprising indeed.

While moving items from a distance was definitely possible with a trick or two, even a cultivator at the Essence Condensation realm would find it difficult to do so with such precise control!

At the same time, Zhao Yunxiao’s gaze could not help but linger upon Lou Yuan’s gloves.

To be able to withstand the heat of the fire ruby under direct contact, could it be that Lou Yuan’s gloves were just as much of a treasure as his robes?

It was a wonder that those bandits on Stoneyard Hill had managed to stop themselves from robbing him clean!

“Here, one stack for each of us as promised,” Lou Yuan stretched his hand out.

“I won’t stand on ceremony then,” Zhao Yunxiao stepped forward.

With a flick of his wrist, he took one small tower of fire ruby fragments, storing it away in his spatial pouch.

Nie Hanchang did the same, and Lou Yuan kept away the last tower.

After they did, it felt like day had suddenly turned into night.

Along with the fire ruby, the bright red light that had flooded their visions since the start vanished all of a sudden, and the temperature around them similarly plummeted.

Even though they were still in the middle of a desert while subjected to the glaring afternoon sun, the difference made it feel as though they had dived into a cold pool of water in the middle of summer.

This sensation was extremely refreshing!

But rather than relishing in this sensation, Zhao Yunxiao quickly got busy instead.

Now that he had collected his share of the fire ruby, he stored away the black metallic outer layer of the celestial meteorite, before going around to sweep up the rest of the broken pieces that had fallen to the ground earlier.

This was part of his share, and he was not about to leave any of it behind!

“Isn’t this enough already? Do you really have to collect every last piece?” Lou Yuan asked with a look of disdain.

“Wastefulness is a sin!” Zhao Yunxiao replied only after making sure that he had retrieved even the smallest remnant. “Now then, are we done here?”

The celestial meteorite might have been a surprisingly valuable find, but that had not been their aim from the start.

While Lou Yuan might have been here for the materials, Zhao Yunxiao and Nie Hanchang had followed along only because they hoped this could put an end to the drought.

And with the removal of the celestial meteorite, Zhao Yunxiao believed that they had already done their part for the villagers back in Kindness Village, and there was no need to linger any longer.

After all, this was the only clue they had regarding the cause of the drought in the area.

What happened next would depend on the villagers’ fortune.

If it managed to solve the issue, that would naturally be for the best.

But even if it did not, the villagers would just have to find their own path to survival instead!

“Are you really intending to return to the bandits?” Lou Yuan asked hesitantly.

“Naturally,” Zhao Yunxiao shrugged. “But as I said, you are free to go from here. There is no need for you to return with us.”

“O-Of course! No one can stop me from going wherever I want!” Lou Yuan instinctively replied. “However, my pride simply prevents me from leaving before forcing you to admit my ability as a famous designer.”

“You mean you are coming back with us?” Zhao Yunxiao raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“I guess there’s no way around it. I would just have to bear with you bunch a little longer,” Lou Yuan shrugged. “But don’t be too happy just yet. When I’m done letting you know just how amazing I am, I won’t be deigned to stay even if you beg me to!”