[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou":3,"chapter-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-176":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Ink Saint of Great Zhou",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2292139,4481,"Chapter 176: Hard Stone","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-176",176,"\u003Cp>Demon Heart: “Among all those materials, there is a jet-black hard stone; weapons forged from this hard stone deal double damage to Punishment, just like the Righteous Sword at the Execution Grounds, capable of easily harming the Ox-Horned Crimson-Eyed Demon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang pulled out the storage bag and carefully sifted through it, finally finding a jet-black, crystal-like hard stone—its weight heavier than ordinary ore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had it not been for Demon Heart’s reminder, he might not have recognized the special nature of this “hard stone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This hard stone is only the size of a palm—forging a weapon from it alone won’t be simple.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang tossed the hard stone in his hand, feeling a hint of disappointment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had thought there was a single material that could directly multiply damage against Punishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This hard stone was only palm-sized; if, as Demon Heart said, he needed to forge a weapon from it, he’d likely need to find many more of the same kind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Demon Heart seemed to sense Lu Fang’s thoughts and chuckled: “You’re still not satisfied? Later, try to extract from Luo Sha where she obtained these hard stones—get as many as you can.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you can forge an entire weapon from nothing but hard stone, that would be ideal—but if you can’t find enough, you can mix it with other materials.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The more hard stone you use, the greater the power will fluctuate accordingly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang tucked the hard stone back into his storage bag, frowned, gazed at the distant multicolored snow-capped mountains, shook his head, and turned back the way he came.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before reaching the cave, Xue Luo Sha and Pan were gone—they must have entered inside to cultivate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So cold!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang muttered, standing at the cave entrance, clearly sensing the intense Yin energy—he felt his blood freezing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The strangest part was, it was only a sensation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He channeled his Vast Righteous Qi to resist the cold, yet his Vast Righteous Qi showed signs of faintly congealing—that was why this snowy mountain was a sacred cultivation ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he stepped deeper into the cave, the cold intensified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because fist-sized night pearls lined the cave walls, illuminating the interior as brightly as daytime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After walking about a hundred meters, the cave suddenly widened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the center stood a dense forest of ice sculptures shaped like long swords, their concentrated Yin energy making it impossible to approach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At a distance, Xue Luo Sha and Pan sat cross-legged on the icy ground, eyes closed, absorbing the Yin energy to cultivate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is the other side of the peak spectacular?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Luo Sha opened her eyes and smiled at Lu Fang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang smiled gently: “More beautiful than I imagined—but it’s all unknown territory, brimming with danger. Otherwise, I’d love to explore it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Luo Sha smiled sweetly: “How coincidental—I thought exactly the same when I first saw these multicolored snow mountains.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang nodded slightly and asked: “Are you just sitting here to begin cultivating? What are those ice swords in the center? Why do they feel so cold?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan opened his eyes and replied: “The central ice swords form when Yin energy condenses to a critical density. If Lord Wenguan finds it too cold, you can sit farther away to cultivate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood.” Lu Fang sat down beside Pan, tossing the jet-black hard stone in his hand, smiling: “Where did you get this piece of junk?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan blinked, studying the hard stone for a moment, then hesitated: “Lord Wenguan is interested in this lump? I can’t see anything special—it’s just an ordinary ore, isn’t it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Luo Sha reached out, took the hard stone from Lu Fang’s hand, and said uncertainly: “It doesn’t seem like a common ore or material—it feels heavier and has better texture.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang smiled without answering, looking at Pan: “I want to forge a weapon and need this kind of tough ore. I won’t shortchange you—tell me where you found it, and I’ll return your wager.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan hesitated. He wasn’t a fool—anything Lu Fang took interest in must be valuable. Had he known the hard stone’s worth, he’d never have used it as a wager.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Luo Sha frowned: “If you remember where you found this ore, just tell Lord Wenguan. He’s offering to exchange ore and materials—you won’t lose out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with Xue Luo Sha’s urging, Pan remained silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang raised an eyebrow: “Of course, if you don’t want to speak, I won’t force you. But I can still find out where you went—I suggest you think carefully whether to tell me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let me think.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan furrowed his brow, weighing the pros and cons in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang waited a moment, then grew impatient: “I’ll count to ten. If you still won’t speak, fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He began counting, applying psychological pressure. At seven, Pan finally cracked, smiling bitterly: “This odd ore—I found it by accident near the eastern edge of the Deep Scorched Lands not long ago.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang nodded in satisfaction and pressed: “How exactly did you obtain it? I need specifics.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan smiled: “I found it inside the belly of a burrowing beast. Not far from there is a toxic mist swamp. Lord Wenguan can try digging there—you might find this ore.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang tossed the storage bag to Pan, closed his eyes without expression. Pan’s words were likely true—he had no reason to lie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan caught the returned storage bag, glanced inside—the contents, minus the hard stone, were untouched. He smiled and vowed: “Lord Wenguan, you’re a man of your word!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since you’re so straightforward, I’ll give you a guarantee.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Every word I spoke is true. If even one is false, may Heaven’s Dao strike me to dust.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan said solemnly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang nodded: “I believe you.” Then he whispered to Xue Luo Sha: “When we leave, have someone check whether Pan entered the Deep Scorched Lands recently.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Luo Sha whispered back: “Alright. I’ll have someone investigate as soon as we’re out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang, satisfied, said nothing more, closed his eyes, and began resting. He couldn’t absorb Yin energy—only use its chill to condense his Vast Righteous Qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, sitting beside Xue Luo Sha and Pan, the Yin energy he sensed wasn’t nearly as strong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he stood and took two steps forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Luo Sha, seeing this, hesitated: “Lord Wenguan, don’t rush cultivating with Yin energy. Just feel a slight chill—it’s enough. Push too hard, and you’ll injure yourself.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1069,"2026-06-20T03:56:21.568Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","2fbddf45e812a07f38c13e79fc7f0da724f62a46c42a00ac2bcafc42394915bf","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-177","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-175",289,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-cover.jpg"]