Dare You Gamble?

An aged yet vigorous voice cut through the crowd.

The tide of people parted to either side like rippling water.

The newcomer wore a purple-gold robe, and a "Tianshu" badge on his chest reflected a cold gleam beneath the lights.

Myriad Treasures Pavilion's chief appraiser, Master Liu.

He strode quickly to the stone-cutting platform, his gaze locked tightly onto the crimson crystal.

"The fire patterns have gathered without dispersing, and it faintly bears the semblance of a phoenix's cry."

Master Liu raised his head. His previously casual eyes instantly sharpened, piercing straight toward Ye Xingchen.

"Little brother, this thing was mixed into the scrap section. Myriad Treasures Pavilion misjudged it. With this quality, if it were used as the main material for a Black Tier fire-element artifact, its grade could be forcibly raised by a whole level."

The surrounding breaths instantly grew heavy.

Raised by a whole level?

Wouldn't that mean it had a chance to touch the threshold of the Earth Tier?

In ordinary sects, Earth Tier artifacts were foundations that only Supreme Elders were worthy of possessing.

Master Liu raised one finger and spoke slowly.

"One price: one hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones."

The hall fell so silent that a needle dropping could be heard.

One hundred thousand.

How much capital had this kid started with?

Ten Middle-Grade Spirit Stones.

Converted, that was a ten-thousandfold windfall.

Many people's eyes reddened, a physical reaction brought on by jealousy taken to the extreme.

Someone clenched the corner of his clothes so hard that his knuckles turned white. "I risk my life in the wasteland for a whole year just to save a few hundred Spirit Stones. One cut from him is worth several lifetimes of mine?"

Sourness fermented in the air, so thick it was nauseating.

Master Liu piled on a smile. "Little brother, what do you say? Settle on the spot, or put it up for auction? An auction might fetch another twenty percent, but you'll have to wait three days, and we take a ten percent commission."

Three days?

Ye Xingchen did not even raise his eyelids.

"Sell."

"Decisive!"

Master Liu burst into laughter and waved over the accountant.

A moment later, a white card engraved with Myriad Treasures Pavilion's golden patterns was handed to Ye Xingchen.

A pale-blue panel flickered across his retina.

[Source Points: 155000]

The enormous gap to the five hundred thousand required for One Qi, Three Purities had instantly shrunk by a large chunk.

Ye Xingchen turned to leave.

Only to find his path blocked solid.

The disdainful, mocking looks from before had all vanished. In their place were near-fanatical curiosity and the greed of those hoping to follow along and drink a mouthful of soup.

The myth of getting rich with a single cut was right before their eyes. Who would not want to borrow some of that luck?

"Little brother, stopping already? Your luck's running hot. Why not play another couple of rounds?"

Someone in the crowd shouted provocatively.

Ye Xingchen's steps paused slightly.

Indeed.

This little money was still far from enough to buy cultivation techniques.

He turned back, his gaze sweeping over face after face filled with desire. A teasing curve rose at the corner of his mouth.

"Since everyone is so interested, then let's play a little more."

He did not return to the low-price section.

Now that he had capital, naturally he had to go to a higher-class hunting ground.

Ye Xingchen walked straight toward the mid-grade raw stone section in the center of the hall.

The stones in the mid-grade section had tightly packed outer skins, most faintly infused with spiritual charm. Their prices also soared from dozens to hundreds or even thousands.

Ye Xingchen walked very slowly.

The Source Heaven Eye opened.

The world faded of its dazzling colors in his eyes, leaving behind only black-and-white lines and scattered points of light.

The insides of most stones were a dead gray.

Occasional faint glimmers flickered, but compared with their exorbitant prices, their value for money was outrageously poor.

Until he stopped before a giant stone half the height of a man.

Price: fifty Middle-Grade Spirit Stones.

This stone looked terrible.

Its surface was pitted and uneven, like a toad's skin. Since no one had shown interest in it for a long time, its crevices were covered in slick green moss, giving off a damp, moldy stench.

"This kid... has his eye on Ghost's Grief?"

A few snickers arose from the crowd.

"This stone's been sitting here for three years, hasn't it? Several masters have misjudged it. They said its skin is thick and its patterns are chaotic. Even if there's something inside, it'll only be shattered dregs."

"He's gotten carried away, absolutely carried away. He just got a little money and it's already burning a hole in his pocket. Typical nouveau riche mentality."

The murmurs carried no attempt at concealment.

Ye Xingchen turned a deaf ear.

In his vision, a murky yet incomparably heavy earth-yellow glow lay hidden within the moss-covered stone.

The light mass had a strange shape, like a lock, yet also like a section of dead tree root.

He reached out and patted the moss on the stone. It felt wet, slippery, and cold, deeply unpleasant.

"Fifty Middle-Grade Spirit Stones."

Ye Xingchen muttered to himself, lightly rubbing the rough stone skin with his fingers. "A little expensive, but... there's profit to be made."

Just as he was about to call someone over, a chilly gaze wound around him like a venomous snake.

Within the crowd, a young man in a dark cyan brocade robe stared at him fixedly.

His eye sockets were sunken, his complexion as pale as paper, and a cyan jade pendant engraved with the character "Shen" hung at his waist.

Shen Clan, Shen Li.

Enemies truly met on a narrow road.

Ye Xingchen's eyes shifted. Rather than paying immediately, he turned to look at Shen Li.

"Brother, I see darkness between your brows and dullness in your eyes. Have you been losing badly lately?"

Shen Li had already been in a foul mood. At those words, his face immediately darkened.

"Kid, are you courting death?"

Ye Xingchen's smile became even brighter.

He pointed at the moss-covered stone beside him. "Don't be in such a hurry to get angry. I think that jade pendant at your waist is pretty nice. Dare you gamble?"

"Gamble?" Shen Li narrowed his eyes, his gaze sinister.

"We'll gamble on this stone."

Ye Xingchen planted one foot atop the moss-covered raw stone, his posture incomparably arrogant. "I'll buy it and cut it open. If what comes out is worth less than the stone itself, I'll lose one hundred thousand Spirit Stones to you."

"If it's worth more than that price..."

He pointed at Shen Li's waist. "Leave that jade pendant behind."

The entire hall erupted.

This kid had gone completely mad!

He was using one hundred thousand Spirit Stones to bet against a jade pendant worth around five thousand?

This was the classic case of someone who won once and thought he was the child of destiny, arrogant beyond all bounds.

Shen Li froze for a moment, then undisguised greed burst from his eyes.

"Words alone prove nothing." Shen Li sneered. "What if you lose and refuse to pay?"

Smack!

Ye Xingchen directly slapped the still-warm white card onto the stone-cutting platform.

"The money's right here. Myriad Treasures Pavilion can bear witness."

He looked provocatively at Shen Li, his eyes full of contempt. "What, people of the Shen Clan don't even have this much courage? If you're afraid of losing, tuck your tail between your legs and scram. This young master won't blame you."

A provocation.

Very crude, but before so many people, very effective.

"Fine! I'll gamble with you!"

Shen Li tore the jade pendant from his waist and slammed it down beside the spirit note. The pendant struck the stone platform with a crisp ring.

"Everyone heard it! This kid is seeking his own death. When he loses everything down to his underwear later, don't let him cry for his daddy and mommy!"

The surrounding spectators were flushed with excitement.

Stone gambling plus a side wager, and a high-stakes gamble of one hundred thousand Spirit Stones at that. This was far more thrilling than watching the courtesan queen dance.

Zuo Xiaoqing stood at the edge of the crowd, watching the defiant youth standing atop the stone, her brows tightly furrowed.

She had returned after leaving and happened to witness Ye Xingchen's first miraculous cut.

She had thought he would quit while he was ahead, but instead, he was gambling bigger and bigger.

Now he had even deliberately provoked the Shen Clan.

"Master, get to work."

Ye Xingchen waved at the stone-cutting master.

It was still the same master from earlier. He now looked at Ye Xingchen as though he were looking at his own father and ran over eagerly, the stone-cutting blade in his hand polished to a brilliant shine.

"Master, how should I cut it? Rub away the skin, or slice it?"

Ye Xingchen's fingertips glided across the slick moss.

Under the Source Heaven Eye, the location of that yellow light mass was perfectly clear.

"Neither."

Ye Xingchen's words startled everyone.

"Bring a hammer. Smash it directly."