77: New stone slab found! Cooldown complete!

The next day was also the day for talent refresh.

Inside the car, Mayor Wang Kun and Lu Yuan sat side by side.

"Lu Yuan, you've really brought great honor to Jiang City in this Newcomer's Competition," Wang Kun said with a warm smile.

Lu Yuan shook his head. Why did everyone say he brought honor? Was Jiang City really that low-tier? "Mayor, you flatter me. It was just good luck."

Wang Kun waved his hand, "It's good for young people to be modest, but strength is strength."

"The City-level Resource Secret Vault is an important strategic reserve for our Jiang City, and opportunities to enter it are rare."

"The items inside will be of no small help to your future development."

Lu Yuan nodded. He indeed held some anticipation for this Secret Vault.

The car finally stopped in front of the Jiang City Card Master Association Headquarters.

Which was Lin Haige's 'yamen'.

Wang Kun led Lu Yuan directly to a separate building behind the Association's main building.

The building was entirely cast from special alloy, and two rows of fully armed guards stood at the entrance, exuding a solid aura. They were all at least Third-tier Card Masters.

"Mayor Wang," the guard captain stepped forward and saluted.

Wang Kun nodded in acknowledgment, then looked at Lu Yuan, "This is the entrance to the Resource Secret Vault."

There were two more heavy alloy doors, identical to those of the Secret Market from before.

Lu Yuan's heart stirred. Could this Secret Vault also be a small secret realm?

At Wang Kun's signal, the guard captain stepped forward and passed through multiple verifications, including iris, fingerprint, and voiceprint scans.

"Click—rumble—"

The alloy doors slowly slid open to both sides, revealing a deep, dark passage.

Besides Lu Yuan, two other contestants also qualified to enter the Secret Vault, the runner-up and third-place winner of this competition.

They followed behind Wang Kun, their faces showing obvious excitement and curiosity.

Lu Yuan, however, appeared much calmer, quietly observing his surroundings.

The passage was not long, and they soon reached its end.

At the end was another alloy door, smaller than the entrance door, but with more intense energy fluctuations.

A middle-aged man in an Association uniform with a serious expression was already waiting there.

"Mayor," the middle-aged man bowed slightly.

"Supervisor Li, these three are the top three from this Newcomer's Competition. According to the rules, they can enter the Secret Vault to choose one item," Wang Kun introduced.

Supervisor Li's gaze swept over the three, lingering on Lu Yuan for an extra two seconds.

"Congratulations to the three of you," his voice was flat, betraying no emotion.

"I'm sure the Mayor has already told you the rules of the Secret Vault."

"Once inside, you have one hour."

"Each person can only choose one item to take away."

"The Secret Vault is divided into inner and outer zones. Your access is limited to the outer zone; the inner core zone is strictly forbidden."

Supervisor Li emphasized, "Once an item is selected, it cannot be changed. When the time is up, you will be immediately teleported out."

"Do you all understand?"

The three nodded in unison.

"Very good." Supervisor Li wasted no more words and turned to operate the control panel next to the door.

With a slight energy hum, the second alloy door slowly opened.

Behind the door was not the expected warehouse or room, but a distorted light screen, rippling like water.

"Go in," Supervisor Li gestured, stepping aside.

The two contestants took a deep breath, stepped into the light screen first, and their figures instantly disappeared.

Lu Yuan didn't hesitate, following closely behind.

A familiar sensation of dizziness struck him, almost identical to how it felt when he first entered the Secret Market.

The scenery before his eyes changed rapidly, a kaleidoscope of strange and colorful sights.

When the dizziness subsided, Lu Yuan found himself in a peculiar space.

This space was vast, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Above the dome, a river of stars seemed to flow, emitting a soft glow.

Within the space, countless light clusters floated, varying in size and shape.

In some light clusters, cards quietly hung, green, blue, purple, and even a few faint orange glows in the deeper parts.

Other light clusters contained various strange materials, ores, beast bones, plant roots, all emitting different energy fluctuations.

There were also some light clusters whose interiors seemed to be special energy crystals or fragments of artifacts.

Rare treasures, a dazzling array.

Various Source Power auras intertwined, forming a unique field.

"This is the City-level Resource Secret Vault..." Lu Yuan's heart trembled slightly.

Its scale and the richness of its collection far exceeded his imagination.

The two contestants who had entered earlier now had glittering eyes, rushing impatiently towards the treasures.

Lu Yuan didn't move.

He slowly closed his eyes, calming his mind.

Although there were many floating treasures, most had mixed energies or didn't perfectly match his own attributes.

He tried to circulate the Source Power within his body, sensing carefully.

The power of Heavenly Thunder Light Falcon and Raging Waves Sea Soul slowly flowed within him.

He hoped to find an item that resonated with these two gold cards, or with that mysterious source core fragment.

Time passed by second by second.

Lu Yuan slowly paced through the Secret Vault.

He passed several purple cards that looked to be of good quality, and even a card emitting a faint orange glow.

He also passed several energy-rich Source Power crystals and some rare beast-taming materials.

But he didn't stop for any of them.

Those things, while valuable, were not what he wanted most.

He trusted his intuition more, that pull from the depths of his soul.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Lu Yuan's footsteps halted.

To his front left, about dozens of meters away, was an inconspicuous corner.

An extremely faint, yet unusually familiar fluctuation entered his perception.

This fluctuation... Lu Yuan's spirit was roused.

It was extremely similar to the fluctuation emitted by the mysterious fragment he had previously picked up!

Almost from the same source!

He immediately quickened his pace, heading towards that direction.

Passing through several floating light clusters, he arrived at that corner.

The light here was dimmer than elsewhere.

A palm-sized, dusty stone slab quietly floated in an inconspicuous light cluster.

The surface of the stone slab was covered with ancient and obscure patterns, pitted and uneven, looking dilapidated and without any energy glow emanating from it, as if it were just an ordinary piece of waste rock.

However, its material was extremely hard, comparable to some rare materials.

This might also be the reason why it was included in the Secret Vault.

Lu Yuan reached out his hand, slowly approaching the broken stone slab.

The moment his fingertip touched the light cluster, a cool sensation spread.

He took the stone slab out of the light cluster and held it in his hand.

The stone slab felt slightly heavy in his hand, with a rough texture. Besides the faint, special fluctuation, there was no other abnormality.

He tried to inject a trace of Source Power, but this time the stone slab showed no reaction, like a mud ox entering the sea.

Was the method of opening it incorrect?

Or were his attributes incompatible?

Lu Yuan frowned slightly.

"One minute left."

Supervisor Li's reminder echoed in the Secret Vault.

The other two contestants, hearing this, no longer hesitated. Each chose an item they liked and returned to where they entered.

One chose a purple card emitting an icy aura.

The other took a fist-sized piece of fiery ore.

Their eyes showed satisfaction.

Lu Yuan glanced at the broken stone slab in his hand, and without any hesitation, he gripped it tightly.

"Time's up."

Supervisor Li's voice sounded again.

The next moment, Lu Yuan felt a gentle pulling force.

The scenery before his eyes became blurry again.

When his vision cleared, he was already back outside the alloy doors.

Mayor Wang Kun came forward with a smile.

"How was it? My three young friends, what did you all gain?"

The two contestants eagerly displayed their spoils.

"Mayor Wang, I chose a [Frozen Constraint] card, three-star purple, a control-type skill card. It should be very useful!"

"I chose a piece of [Blaze Marrow Ore], which can be used to strengthen my gold-attribute beast!"

Wang Kun nodded in approval at each item.

Then, his gaze fell on Lu Yuan.

"Lu Yuan, what did you choose?"

Lu Yuan opened his palm, revealing the dull, broken stone slab.

"A stone," he said calmly.

"I felt... a connection with it."

Wang Kun and Supervisor Li, as well as the two contestants, all focused their gaze on the stone slab.

The stone slab was plain and unadorned, even somewhat ugly. No energy fluctuations could be felt from it, making it seem like a piece of junk picked up from the roadside.

A hint of strangeness flashed in the eyes of the two contestants, as if they were wondering if Lu Yuan had lost his mind, choosing such a thing when there were so many good items available.

Supervisor Li, on the other hand, secretly chuckled, "The President even told me to 'take care' of this kid. I think he's an idiot, choosing awaste rock (waste stone) when there are so many rare treasures."

He had managed the Secret Vault for many years and was familiar with most of its contents. He also had an impression of this stone slab; it had never attracted much attention because no valuable energy reactions could be detected from it.

It was just simply hard. What use was hard?

To crack walnuts?

Wang Kun was also taken aback. He took the stone slab, weighed it in his hand, and then examined it carefully.

He indeed couldn't feel anything special about it.

"Haha, if there's a connection, that's good, that's good," Wang Kun chuckled, returning the stone slab to Lu Yuan.

He didn't take it too seriously, just attributing it to a young person's unique taste or some special hobby.

After all, Lu Yuan's previous performance had already proven his extraordinary nature.

Perhaps this stone truly held some unknown secret.

Of course, it was more likely that Lu Yuan had misjudged this time.

Lu Yuan smiled as he took back the stone slab. He was eager to return now.

Nothing else, just that Guaranteed Gold Drop had just finished its cooldown!

His fourth gold card was about to appear!

...Thanks to Mu Qianxi, who loves boiled meat, and all the friends for their tips and support!