Diamonds are known as the hardest substance on Earth—or at least, that's what everyone believes. Technically, there are materials even tougher under experimental conditions, but the idea that 'diamonds are the hardest' is deeply ingrained in people's minds.
Crushing a diamond with your bare hands? How strong would you have to be! And even if you had that kind of grip, odds are you'd break your own hand before the diamond gave way. So when Jack Young opened his palm and revealed a handful of powder, even the monitor in the café looked like he'd seen a ghost and shouted, 'Impossible! This—this can't be real!'
'It's gotta be sleight of hand, right?' The observer quickly tried to rationalize: 'Just like a magician, swapping the real thing for a fake. Looks like he crushed it, but he must've switched it out! Chosen Ones all have storage spaces—if he's a Chosen One, maybe he used his storage space for the trick...'
But if it was a trick, he'd have to prep the props ahead of time. Who walks around with diamond powder in their storage space anyway? If it wasn't a trick... Well, that's even less believable! No matter how much the observer pulled up surveillance data, he couldn't figure out what just happened.
It wasn't just the observer—the whole party was stunned. They'd watched this 'close-up magic' unfold right before their eyes. But the most shocked of all was Zhu Ming. He'd bought that diamond ring himself, certificate and all, so there was no way it was fake. And he saw clearly: there was none of the telltale glow Chosen Ones give off when they use their storage spaces!
Even if it's just a flash, whenever a Chosen One uses a storage space, the others can spot a quick burst of light. But Jack Young's hand was calm—no glow, nothing weird. Even the Nano Core couldn't detect any trickery.
Did he really just crush a diamond?!
No way. Absolutely impossible!
Zhu Ming was frozen, but someone else quickly piped up—a woman rolled her eyes and shouted, 'What a great magic trick! So real, none of us could see through it!' Her words snapped everyone back to reality. Heads nodded, whispers spread: 'So it was magic!' 'Pretty impressive, I couldn't tell at all!' 'Even the ring looks untouched, that's wild!' 'I almost believed it, hahaha!' And before long, applause broke out for Jack Young's 'magic.'
Seeing the mood lighten, the woman upped her game: 'Alright, we all know you're a master magician, but maybe don't mess with someone's engagement ring. Give it back, okay?'
Jack Young dumped the powder onto the table, dropped the empty ring with a clink, and kept a straight face: 'I'm not joking, and it's not a magic trick. This is the real deal.'
"Uh..." Everyone was at a loss for words. After a brief silence, the room erupted with heated debate and noisy chatter. Some insisted Jack Young was just putting on a show. Some took the chance to roast Zhu Ming, saying even his engagement ring was fake. Others argued back, saying the ring was clearly the real deal—no way it was a knockoff. Then there were the skeptics: 'If you can crush it by hand, it must be fake, right?'
Crushing a diamond with your bare hands is absolutely bonkers. Honestly, even The Queen herself would struggle to do it, even if she used all her dragon-strength. Human fingers are soft and flexible, and diamonds are tiny and super hard—it's not like cracking walnuts with a door. But somehow, Jack Young managed to pull it off.
And the technique was so simple—even simpler than Jack Young expected.
Diamonds have a special crystal structure: they're scratch-resistant, but not great with knocks—and really bad with vibrations. It's like glass: tough, but you can shatter it with the right sound. Jack Young took advantage of this. First, he studied the diamond's structure (not every side is equally strong), then channeled his Bright Jade Technique into his palm and maxed out his Iron Palm Blade Transformation. As he rubbed the diamond, his tightened skin kept striking the diamond's sharp edges, like a bunch of tiny hammers tapping away.
The whole diamond was basically surrounded by an endless barrage of demolition palm strikes. When it comes to resisting vibrations, even regular rocks are tougher than crystals. Jack Young's demolition palms can even break diamond rock, so a diamond is no big deal. With a full-force squeeze—crack—the diamond split. And once it started breaking, it only got easier: the fragments smashed and scraped against each other, speeding up the process. So all anyone saw was Jack Young fiddling with his fist a few times, and when he opened his hand, all that was left was powder.
'This is ridiculous! Impossible!' The woman immediately pointed at Jack Young and yelled, 'You—you stole the ring, didn't you! That's right, you're a thief! That ring's worth at least a hundred grand—you just want to get rich by stealing it!'
Jack Young glanced at her. She looked familiar—turns out, she was the same woman who'd mocked him for being broke when he walked in. And her partner? Wasn't he the guy who got forced to drink the spiked wine earlier? Looks like these two were planted here by the officials just to stir up trouble.
'Quick, grab him—don't let him get away!' The woman shrieked, doing her absolute best to cause chaos. 'Don't listen to his excuses—he definitely stole it! Hurry, call the cops! Arrest that thief—'
'Enough! Quiet!' A furious shout cut through the woman's rant and the chaos in the room. The person yelling wasn't anyone else—it was Qi Xi. No one expected her to lose her cool at that moment, not even Jack Young. Qi Xi's chest heaved with emotion; she clearly lost her composure for a second, but quickly pulled herself together and said softly to everyone, 'There's no thief here. Let's just say I lost the ring, okay?'
'Lost it?' The woman wouldn't let it go: 'That's your wedding ring—how are you supposed to get married now? Zhu Ming spent real money on that, and you haven't even married in yet! You think you can just brush it off like it's no big deal? You... '
Jack Young was honestly getting annoyed with her, but instead of arguing, he just went along: 'You're right. No ring, no wedding. If I broke the fake ring, then I'll take responsibility.' He looked at Qi Xi and smiled, 'Qi Xi, let me buy you a new ring—a real one.'
The moment Jack Young said that, everyone froze, their brains short-circuited for a second, then couldn't help but want to shout: 'What the—whoa!'
Buy her a ring? And a real one? What is he trying to say? What's the hidden meaning here? This isn't even subtle anymore—it's like going full Gatling gun with the hints! Are we witnessing a live soap opera or what? Everyone exchanged glances, barely holding back from making a scene, but their eyes were shining, all excited.
Qi Xi was stunned—she never expected Jack Young to say something like that. She looked up into his eyes, and saw a wild glint there. Qi Xi felt like she'd been struck, instinctively stepped back two paces, and was left speechless. Just then, Zhu Ming finally snapped out of it, shoved through the crowd, pointed at Jack Young, wanting to yell something, but he was so worked up he couldn't get a word out.
Jack Young's eyes flashed. Alright, come on, make a move—I’m ready for you!
Across the café, Cobra's eyes gleamed with wicked amusement. He picked up a microphone, pressed a special button, and quietly said, 'Mr. Zhu Ming, don't forget your mission—keep it classy.'
Zhu Ming's eyes went wide. He started breathing hard, his face turning bright red, then slammed the table with a bang. After a few deep breaths, he barely managed to swallow his anger: 'Fine, it's no big deal! We'll just buy another one, right now!' He felt a tug on his elbow—turns out Qi Xi was holding onto his arm, trying to calm him: 'Everyone's had a bit to drink tonight, let's just...'
'Enough with the chatter!' Zhu Ming didn't care, grabbed Qi Xi, and spun around: 'Yeah, right now—it's not too late, let's go buy it! Everyone, let's turn this into a road trip party and hit the town!'
'Alright!' After all the drama, everyone was dying to see how it would end, swearing they'd stay up all night if they had to. People rushed to get their cars, Zhu Ming changed into a suit and went to get his car, and this wild night was about to enter its next chapter. Engines roared to life, and these half-drunk partygoers couldn't care less about drunk driving, howling as they showed off their luxury cars on the road outside the villa.
The young crowd revved their engines like street racers, showing off and competing. The roar of the motors echoed everywhere—luckily, it was only nine o'clock, not too late, or they'd be in trouble for disturbing the peace.
'Wow!' someone shouted from afar. Everyone looked over and saw a luxury car rolling out of the villa's garage. When they spotted the white two-seater sports car, a chorus of voices rang out: 'Isn't that a Ferrari?' 'That's a Ferrari California—so jealous!' 'Zhu Ming is loaded, a real high-class rich guy!'
Screech—the Ferrari stopped at the door, definitely a head-turner. The door opened, and Zhu Ming stepped out in a fancy suit, sparking a round of cheers: 'Wow! The groom!' Zhu Ming walked up to Qi Xi and said a few words; Qi Xi didn't seem too thrilled, but after a deep breath, she got in the car.
That annoying woman popped her head out of a BMW, looked at Jack Young standing at the door, and laughed mockingly: 'Hey, broke boy, did you really come here by cab? If you did, you can't hang with us!'
After she said that, everyone suddenly realized—yeah, it looked like he didn't have a car. People had arrived in groups, and now that it was time to leave, there weren't any spare seats. Even if there were, with things so tense, who'd dare offer him a ride? Zhu Ming kept a close eye on Jack Young, but didn't say a word. He knew Jack Young was secretly loaded, but didn't spill the beans. Sure, you could call in a helicopter in half an hour, but for now, Jack Young was stuck.
Getting the upper hand, even for a moment, was enough to make Zhu Ming want to laugh.