The Egg-Betting Mission

Chapter 47: The Task of Gambling on Eggs

Due to the laws of the interface, many formidable insects with heaven-defying supernatural powers cannot cross the boundary. However, even those that do cross over—despite being slightly inferior in strength—are not something ordinary cultivators can contend with. Thus, this place has become one of the four forbidden zones.

The area for hundreds of miles around the Insect Forbidden Zone is occupied by all manner of exotic insects. These creatures possess extremely low intelligence and cannot cultivate, yet they are born with incredible innate abilities. Their strength grows with time, and because many of them are gregarious, ordinary cultivators are simply no match for them.

However, these exotic insects have one unique characteristic: before they hatch, a cultivator only needs to drip their own blood onto the egg to establish a mental connection and command the creature. Once hatched, however, an exotic insect can never be tamed.

The practice of "gambling on eggs" has existed since shortly after the forbidden zone was formed, but the industry truly flourished thanks to one man: the founding patriarch of the Insect Taming Studio. The Insect Taming Studio is a top-tier immortal sect on par with the Myriad Demon Sect.

Legend has it that hundreds of years ago, the patriarch of the Insect Taming Studio was merely a destitute Rogue Cultivator. Yet, by gambling on an unremarkable insect egg and melting its shell with his own blood, he managed to hatch a peerless, ferocious insect. This creature possessed various incredible abilities, and its bloodline carried ancient, world-shaking immortal arts. Relying on this insect, the patriarch leaped to become a supreme powerhouse in just a few hundred years, leading him to establish the Insect Taming Studio.

Ever since then, cultivators have been obsessed with gambling on eggs, and there have indeed been many instances of people striking it rich after winning a rare egg, causing the practice to grow increasingly prosperous.

"So that's how it is."

After listening to the Porcupine Demon's explanation, Chen Lin suddenly understood. He looked at the various strange eggs in front of the stall and couldn't help but ask, "Does gambling on eggs guarantee that one will obtain an exotic insect?"

The Porcupine Demon chuckled and said, "Gambling on eggs is, naturally, nine losses out of ten. Because the survival rate of the eggs is extremely low, ninety-nine percent of them are dead eggs. You cannot tell this from the outside, even if an expert uses their soul power to probe them. However, based on past experience, the more vibrant and unique the color, the more precious the egg inside is likely to be. As for those with dull colors, they are likely dead eggs."

As he spoke, the Porcupine Demon pointed indifferently at some eggs on the outermost edge of the stall. These eggs were unremarkable, mostly dark gray or black, and exuded a lifeless, Death Energy-filled aura; they were naturally the dead eggs the Porcupine Demon spoke of.

Chen Lin nodded calmly, but he did not let his head get hot with the urge to gamble. Instead, he watched coldly from the sidelines.

Although the spirit stones required for gambling were not cheap, as time passed, the surrounding cultivators could no longer restrain themselves and began to pick out eggs.

"This one! I want this one. How many spirit stones?"

Among them, a fat, burly cultivator was the first to snatch up an egg the size of a fist, its surface shimmering with purple light. He held it in his palm and refused to let go.

Chen Lin took a look. Among the many eggs, this one was indeed quite unique; not only did its surface shimmer with purple light, but it also had natural patterns, making it look extraordinary.

"Hehe, this fellow Daoist has a good eye. This egg looks truly remarkable. If I weren't in urgent need of spirit stones, I would have been tempted to gamble on it myself. Three hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones, no bargaining!"

The middle-aged stall owner chuckled, first giving a thumbs up to praise the man's discerning eye, then holding up three fingers.

When the fat cultivator heard the price of three hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones, his expression flickered, but in the end, he gritted his teeth and took three bright spirit stones from his Storage Bag, handing them over.

"Mid-Grade Spirit Stones?"

Chen Lin's gaze sharpened, and he looked at the gambling cultivator with some surprise.

Spirit stones are divided into four types: Low-Grade, Mid-Grade, High-Grade, and the extremely rare Top-Grade.

One Mid-Grade Spirit Stone is worth one hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones, while one High-Grade Spirit Stone is worth one hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. As for Top-Grade Spirit Stones, they are worth one hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones. Of course, if a cultivator possesses Top-Grade Spirit Stones, they generally would not use them for trade.

Once the fat cultivator handed over the spirit stones, the egg belonged to him. The surrounding crowd watched the purple egg in his hands with curious and burning gazes.

"Fellow Daoist, why not hatch it on the spot? Let us see how your luck is!"

"That's right! This egg looks quite extraordinary, it even has natural patterns. It might just be a live egg. Fellow Daoist, hurry and drip your blood to claim it; let us broaden our horizons."

Hearing the jeers and encouragement, the fat cultivator was quite decisive. He carefully cradled the purple egg in one hand, as if afraid it might fall, and used his other hand to extend a thick index finger, biting it hard until blood welled up.

Drip.

As the blood dripped onto the surface of the purple egg, the fat cultivator stared with his round, beady eyes, watching the egg with intense nervousness.

The surrounding cultivators also fell silent, watching for any changes. Even the middle-aged stall owner couldn't help but stare intently at the egg, his eyes filled with anxiety. After all, he was the one selling the eggs; if a rare insect really hatched, he would likely beat his chest and stomp his feet in regret. One must know that even the most common exotic insect was worth over a thousand spirit stones.

"Sss~"

After absorbing the fat cultivator's blood, a strange sound suddenly echoed shortly after. The purple light on the egg's surface flashed once, and then, under the bated breath of the crowd, it gradually dimmed. The purple luster vanished, and the entire egg seemed to lose its vitality in an instant, turning a dull, lifeless color.

"Sigh, it's a dead egg."

"What a pity. It looked so good; I really thought it would produce an exotic insect."

"What's so strange about that? Gambling on eggs is nine losses out of ten; it's nothing to be surprised about."

The fat cultivator stared blankly at the lifeless egg in his palm, seemingly unable to believe it. Then, disappointment and anger flared in his eyes. He slammed the egg onto the ground and shouted viciously at the middle-aged stall owner, "Did you know this egg was dead all along and deliberately used it to swindle me?!"

The middle-aged stall owner's face, previously full of smiles, darkened. He sneered, "Fellow Daoist, if I truly had the ability to distinguish between live and dead eggs, would I still be here setting up a stall to earn spirit stones? Furthermore, gambling on eggs is a matter of mutual consent. If you lose, you should be prepared for it. Is this your first time gambling on eggs?"

"Exactly. Gambling on eggs is a matter of luck. This fellow Daoist's mental fortitude is truly lacking. I've been gambling on eggs for years—I've tried at least eight hundred, if not a thousand—and I've only ever hatched two exotic insects."

"That's right. If exotic insects could be hatched so easily, wouldn't the world be filled with powerhouses?"

Hearing the sarcasm and ridicule from the surrounding cultivators, the middle-aged stall owner sneered repeatedly. The fat cultivator seemed to realize he was in the wrong and dared not say more. Instead, like a gambler who had lost his mind, he gritted his teeth and pulled out three more Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, saying, "I don't believe my luck is that bad! I'll gamble again!"

As he spoke, he picked up another golden, radiant egg and, without a word, dripped his blood onto it once more.

The middle-aged stall owner tossed the three spirit stones in his palm; his previously gloomy expression smoothed out, and his gaze toward the fat cultivator was no longer hostile. After all, anyone who pays with spirit stones is a master, and he instantly cast aside his previous annoyance.

Unfortunately, this egg, which also looked extraordinary, was just like the previous one—a dead egg. It quickly faded to a dull, gray color.

A wave of sighs rose from the crowd, and the fat cultivator's face turned completely ugly.

Chen Lin watched coldly from the sidelines, shaking his head inwardly. It seemed that gambling on these eggs really was a matter of luck.

"My turn!"

At this moment, another cultivator from the Demon Race waved his hand, picked out an egg with a decent appearance, and began to drip his blood to hatch it.

However, it was a pity; it was another dead egg.

Despite these failures, the enthusiasm of the surrounding cultivators did not wane. Instead, as the crowd grew, the eggs were being sold at an incredible speed, leaving the middle-aged stall owner beaming with joy.

"Eh? There's a change! A live egg! It's a live egg!"

"Not bad! It really is a living egg. I just wonder what grade of exotic insect this is, and what kind of immortal technique is inherited within its body."

"Even if it only inherits the lowest-grade Human-tier immortal technique, it's still a profit, considering it only cost 200 Low-Grade Spirit Stones."

Hearing the many voices of discussion and envy around him, Chen Lin also cast his gaze over.

It was an insect egg shimmering with cyan light. After a drop of fresh blood was dripped onto it, the cyan glow became even more brilliant, radiating rings of light. At this moment, it was being carefully cradled in the palms of a short, middle-aged human cultivator, whose face was illuminated by the cyan light with an expression of wild ecstasy.

The middle-aged stall owner's smile was somewhat stiff; as he watched the cyan-shimmering insect egg, a look of heartache flashed through his eyes.

Chen Lin was also filled with curiosity, staring at the glowing egg, but his expression changed quickly. Because, at that very moment, the cold and numb voice of the Guide suddenly arrived.

"Ding!"

"Main quest initiated: The Contractor must gamble for a living insect egg within one hour."

"Quest completion reward: Random draw of a precious item from another plane. Quest failure penalty: Deduction of 10,000 points of Death Energy. Note: When Death Energy reaches a negative value, the system will execute an erasure command on the host. Current remaining Death Energy: 54,861 points."