Lu Ping of the Azure Dragon Merchant Association, Eighty-to-One Odds
I'll grant your wish, Little B.
Lu Ping chose B.
[You chose B.]
[You head straight to the Azure Dragon Merchant Association of Commerce's materials trading area.]
[You still have some Spirit Stones; you need to continue gathering the materials for the Star River Myriad Blades.]
[The reason I came to the Azure Dragon Upper Domain this time was to gather materials for the Star River Ten Thousand Blades.]
[The main materials like Void Iron Essence and Silverfrost Mystic Copper are readily available from the Azure Dragon Merchant Association, as long as you're willing to spend the money.]
[You walk to the counter in the special materials section.]
"Manager, how many Sha Soul Crystals are left?"
The portly manager didn't even look up, his fingers flying across the abacus.
"It's sold out; it was out of stock last month."
[Without further ado, you slammed the Level Three VIP jade plaque onto the counter.]
The fat steward stopped what he was doing.
He looked up, his chubby face quickly squeezing out a professional smile.
"Oh, esteemed guest. How much would you like?"
"I want as much as you have."
"To be honest, Sha Soul Crystals are extremely rare; ordinary Artifact Refiners can't afford them."
"You're Level Three VIP, so I'll give you all forty of the remaining stock."
[You paid the Spirit Stones and took forty portions of Sha Soul Crystals.]
[You held a piece of grayish-black Sha Soul Crystal in your hand, your fingertips tracing its patterns.]
[Having crafted the Hundred-Blade Ring, you can be considered a semi- Artifact Refiner. Although you haven't been certified, you already have a discerning eye.]
Although Sha Soul Crystals are only produced under specific conditions in the White Tiger Domain, they are not actually considered rare treasures in terms of the quality of materials used for Artifact Refining.
[Logically speaking, materials of this caliber should not be lacking in a resource distribution center like Baodi City.]
[But unfortunately, the supply in the market is pitifully small.]
[You put the Sha Soul Crystal into your Storage Ring.]
[You leave the Azure Dragon Merchant Association headquarters and enter the main street of Baodi City.]
[In mid-air, the enormous light screen of the Recording Stones intertwined to form a dazzling sea of light.]
["Heavenly Pill Pavilion Exclusive Title Sponsorship! The 70th Seven-City Dao of Alchemy Grand Competition, Baodi City Division, is about to begin!"]
[Ten Thousand Treasures Tower has secured the broadcasting rights to the entire competition with a high-priced Recording Stone! We are now seeking distributors and agents in various cities!]
[Exclusive pre-match interview with Si Qinghan, the direct descendant of the Si Clan of Dangang City! Unlock the full version for only 999 Low-Grade Spirit Stones!]
You stand on the street corner, staring in disbelief.
What a frenzied commercial extravaganza!
[You seem to have returned to Blue Star, to a time when a ball game is being played across the entire Blue Star.]
[The sheer volume of advertising slogans will leave your ears ringing.]
[The busiest places on the streets aren't the shops selling Law Treasure or Pills, but rather the gambling dens of all sizes.]
[Each betting booth was crowded with monks whose eyes were gleaming with greed.]
[You walk into a betting station with a sign that reads "Four Domains Gambling House".]
[On a jade disc ten zhang high, information and odds for more than twenty participating teams from Baodi City were densely listed.]
[You scan from top to bottom.]
[The top-ranked team is the seeded team from the Heavenly Pill Pavilion, with odds of 1 to 1.2.]
[Below are teams from several top-tier sects, such as Medicine King Valley and Pillheart Sect.]
[You looked down and finally found your name at the very bottom of the jade disc.]
[Azure Dragon Merchant Association Team: Liang Yishou, Lu Ping]
[Odds: 1 to 80.]
[This number stands out starkly among the odds in the single digits, truly unique and exceptional.]
You stared at that number, looking at it three times.
[Eighty times the original price?]
"Sigh, has the Azure Dragon Merchant Association completely given up this year?"
[A cultivator in a gray robe pointed to the bottom of the jade disc and spat.]
"Exactly! In previous years, they at least sent a few reputable Alchemists to make up the numbers, but this year, what kind of rubbish did they bring?"
[Another tall, thin monk chimed in, his tone full of mockery.]
"I know that Liang Yishou. He's been stuck at the bottom of the Chamber of Commerce for over a hundred years. He's not very talented, and he's always failed the selection process. But this year he actually got in!"
"And there's that guy named Lu Ping, I heard he was picked up from the Central Region."
"The Central Region? What good Alchemists could come from that wretched place? Probably some high-ranking official's illegitimate son who came here to get a prestigious degree!"
"It's just a roadside stall. If these two team up and aren't carried off in the first round, I'll eat this whole table!"
A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd.
[As you listened to the crowd's discussion, a thought struck you.]
[You recall Yan Xuanyao's last words, "Your partner is decided," and then look at these ridiculously high odds.]
A sigh escapes your lips.
[Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!]
[That old fox Yan Xuanyao wasn't interested in your cooperation with Liang Yishou at all.]
[He precisely created a perfect combination of "useless player + newbie," a super underdog game that everyone was predicting would fail!]
[This is hardly a selection competition!]
This is clearly a complete financial manipulation scheme!
[The participating teams cooperated with the bookmakers to inflate the betting volume and then ruthlessly fleece retail investors!]
[Looking at those low-level cultivators, their eyes bloodshot from betting on odds, you deeply sigh at the swift and ruthless scythe of cultivation capitalism.]
This was essentially a tacit understanding already reached among the major capital groups in Baodi City.
But you're involved.
[One to eighty! This is practically giving you free money!]
[If I bet everything on myself to win, the odds are 1 to 80...]
Even if you only bet 10,000, you'll get 800,000.
[You'll have all the resources needed to reach the Golden Core Late Stage.]
[You steadied yourself and squeezed your way to the betting counter.]
"Fellow Daoist, suppress the Azure Dragon Merchant Association Guild's main team."
[You take out a Storage Bag full of Spirit Stones and slap it on the table.]
[The Deacon behind the counter, who was engrossed in calculating accounts, glanced up at you upon hearing this.]
He picked up a Formation Plate and Baojia Token at your waist.
A blinding red light immediately flashed on the Formation Plate.
The casino Deacon's face instantly turned cold.
"Lu Ping, contestant from the Azure Dragon Merchant Association."
He pushed the Storage Bag back in front of you, his tone curt.
["Seven-City Alliance Joint Ban: All participants and their immediate family members within three generations are prohibited from participating in any betting platform."]
You were stunned.
"I can't even bet on myself to win?"
["No."]
[The gambling Deacon produced a copper coin inscribed with "Prohibition," and said,]
["The rules are clearly written. Once illegal betting is discovered..."]
He grinned, revealing a cold, emotionless smile.
"The bookmaker has the right to confiscate all principal without bearing any joint liability."