Tang San naturally had no idea that Xiao Wu was letting her imagination run wild because of his peculiar behavior. With great care, he retrieved the head-sized crystal from the Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlit Night and set it on the bed. His fingers gently traced its uneven surface, as though caressing his most treasured possession.
Xiao Wu knew that Tang San was never an impulsive person. If he valued this crystal so highly, there had to be some secret hidden within it. She crouched down beside him, waiting for his explanation.
"Among crystals, it's not amethyst that's the most precious." It took Tang San a long moment before he finally said this.
"What kind of crystal is precious, then?" Xiao Wu asked curiously.
Tang San answered solemnly, "Hair Crystal."
"Hair Crystal? What's that?" Xiao Wu stared at him in surprise. She had never even heard this term before.
It was hardly surprising that Xiao Wu didn't know. This concept didn't belong to this world at all — it was something Tang San had brought with him from the Tang Sect.
Back at the Tang Sect, in addition to being responsible for crafting mechanism-type hidden weapons, Tang San had also assisted inner sect disciples in forging various other Hidden Weapons. He was intimately familiar with the research of materials used in Hidden Weapons, as well as every kind of rare material.
"Simply put, Hair Crystal forms when natural crystals are subjected to certain external influences over time, causing thread-like golden objects to appear within the crystal body. These golden threads are called crystal hair, also known as hair gold — like the hair of a crystal. No matter what color the crystal may be, if even a single strand of crystal hair appears within it, its value will surpass that of the finest natural crystal. A crystal that contains crystal hair is called a Hair Crystal."
Though Xiao Wu was prone to impulsive behavior, she was also quite clever. She looked at the large crystal in Tang San's hands and said, "Don't tell me this is a Hair Crystal. I can't see any golden threads. Besides, I've never heard anyone mention Hair Crystals before. Even if it is one, if nobody recognizes it, it's still useless. Your two hundred Gold Soul Coins were not well spent."
Tang San smiled and shook his head. "No, this isn't just a Hair Crystal. It's a Slab Crystal — the pinnacle among Hair Crystals."
"What's a Slab Crystal?" Xiao Wu asked curiously.
Tang San patiently explained. "The hair gold within a Hair Crystal is usually scattered randomly and quite scarce. However, some Hair Crystals that have existed for an exceptionally long time have the chance for their hair gold to increase in quantity. When the amount of hair gold reaches a certain threshold and gathers together inside the crystal body, forming what looks like a golden plate, that type of Hair Crystal is called a Slab Crystal. Because it contains a vast number of hair gold strands arranged in an extremely regular pattern, the Slab Crystal is regarded as the supreme treasure among Hair Crystals."
"This crystal may look murky on the surface, but if you look carefully, you can catch glimmers of golden light within. The golden plate inside is obscured by the impurities on the outer crystal, but I can say with near certainty that it contains at least ten thousand strands of golden hair. This is a miracle that can only appear in Slab Crystals that have existed for at least a hundred thousand years. Forget two hundred Gold Soul Coins — even if it cost twenty thousand, it would absolutely be worth it. I'm not buying this to resell for profit. It holds a special significance."
Tang San didn't directly reveal what that special significance was. Instead, he took out his forging hammer from the Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlit Night.
His forging hammer was two sizes larger than what a regular blacksmith would use. After first wielding this oversized hammer at Shi San's smithy, Tang San had never gone back to a smaller one.
"Xiao Wu, step back a bit," Tang San said in a low voice.
Xiao Wu moved aside. Tang San placed the Slab Crystal on the ground. A faint white glow slowly surged forth, flowing from both of his hands into the forging hammer. His expression had already turned extremely grave. In the span of a single breath, he had pushed his Mysterious Heaven Skill's internal energy to its absolute limit.
"Xiao San, what are you doing…?" Xiao Wu watched him with wide eyes, startled. She had already sensed what Tang San was about to do, but she couldn't understand why he would do it.
His calves tensed with sudden force as his body twisted halfway around. The first swing of the Chaotic Wind Hammer Technique lashed out — this was a blow infused with every last ounce of Tang San's internal energy. White light blazed brilliantly across the forging hammer, and a string of explosive cracks tore through the air. The massive hammerhead descended upon the Slab Crystal with devastating weight.
Xiao Wu instinctively clapped her hands over her ears.
**BOOM —**
Amid the thunderous crash, the entire Rose Hotel trembled. A crisp sound of shattering rang out beneath the hammer, and under Tang San's full-powered strike, the Slab Crystal was instantly pulverized into fine dust.
But at the very moment the Slab Crystal disintegrated into powder, a wondrous spectacle appeared. Countless golden motes of light erupted from within the crystal, scattering in every direction throughout the bedroom with its heart-shaped bed. It was as though the entire room had been draped in a shimmering golden haze.
Xiao Wu was startled and hastily channeled her Soul Power to shield herself from the golden specks. Fortunately, the bouncing force of those golden lights wasn't very strong, and they caused her no harm.
The dazzling splendor of all those golden motes was almost hypnotic. The crisp, tinkling sounds they produced were pleasant to the ear — some struck against the walls, others bounced off the doors and windows, and still others landed directly on the heart-shaped bed. The entire bedroom was completely blanketed in a layer of golden radiance.
The crystal had been reduced to a floor full of fine dust, but as the golden lights in the air gradually settled, Xiao Wu discovered that both the floor and the bed were now covered with a layer of golden specks — or rather, a layer of golden granules.
Each golden granule was remarkably uniform in size, roughly comparable to a grain of rice, perfectly round throughout, and shimmering with a faint golden glow. Xiao Wu instinctively picked one up and squeezed it between her fingers, only to find that the golden granule was slightly soft yet possessed extraordinary elasticity — even her Soul Power couldn't flatten it.
"Brother, these aren't made of pure gold, are they? Even if they were pure gold, they still wouldn't be worth your two hundred Gold Soul Coins."
Tang San was excited — genuinely excited. Since arriving in this world, this was the first time his emotions had surged to such a fever pitch. It was even more thrilling than when he had obtained his first Soul Ring and broken through the bottleneck in his Mysterious Heaven Skill.
(End of Chapter)