A Ten-Million Spirit Stone Wager

"Left Clan Head!"

Zhang Sanqian, the Ghost Hand of Central Province.

Right now, he looked sideways at Ye Xingchen with a haughty gaze, full of revulsion and disdain.

"Is this the 'expert' you spent a large sum to invite?"

"Are his facial hairs even fully grown? He still looks like a suckling babe."

"Do you think this old master's eyes are blind, or do you think the threshold of Myriad Treasures Pavilion has been lowered enough for dogs to scrape through?"

He turned his head, his turbid eyeballs sizing up Ye Xingchen from top to bottom.

"Though this skin is cultivated quite well, soft and tender."

"Instead of going to pleasure houses to make a living, what are you running over to this stone gambling arena to join the fun for?"

"I just don't know if these eyes can tell the difference between stubborn rock and spirit jade."

Every single word pierced the heart.

The two beside him—Master Gu He took a light sip from his teacup without even lifting his eyelids,

while Sky-Eye Daoist closed his eyes to rest his mind, as if everything around him was beneath his notice.

These three clearly shared a pair of pants, feeling a humiliated anger toward Zuo Tianhe's act of turning to any doctor in a desperate situation—to actually let such a wet-behind-the-ears brat sit on equal footing with them!

A thin layer of fine sweat seeped out of Zuo Tianhe's forehead. The match hadn't even started yet, and his own people were already fighting among themselves.

He braced himself and laughed dryly to smooth things over. "Master Zhang, calm your anger. Although this little friend Ye is young, he truly possesses unique insights in the Dao of Source Arts. Previously..."

"Unique insights?"

Zhang Sanqian let out a snort of derision, cutting Zuo Tianhe off. His finger almost poked the tip of Ye Xingchen's nose.

"Unique insights of the Qi Refining Stage?"

"When this old master was playing with stones, his grandfather was probably still wearing split-crotch pants!"

"Left Clan Head, dragging such trash along to make up the numbers, are you trying to tell the whole world that the Left Clan has no one left? Simply lowering your worth!"

Zuo Xiaoqing flushed with anger, her pretty face red, and she was just about to flare up when she saw Ye Xingchen move.

He wasn't angry, not even furrowing his brows.

Ye Xingchen leisurely took a step forward. The moment this step landed, that roguish and devil-may-care demeanor instantly vanished, replaced by a composure as unfathomable as an abyss.

He didn't look at Zuo Tianhe, instead gazing straight into Zhang Sanqian's turbid old eyes with an even and calm tone.

"In the Dao of Source Arts, those who master it come first."

"If you truly have skill, why bother taking pride in your age? Or could it be... you're afraid of losing to a junior, ruining your reputation late in life, and unable to afford losing that old face?"

As soon as these words came out, the private room instantly became so quiet that even a pin drop could be heard.

Master Gu He's hand holding the teacup paused mid-air, and Sky-Eye Daoist abruptly opened his eyes, shooting out a brilliant glare.

They hadn't expected this youth, at merely the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining, to have such a venomous tongue, and to not even blink an eye in the face of Golden Core Realm pressure.

Zhang Sanqian froze for a split second, and immediately his old face swelled into the color of a pig's liver. Veins bulged on his neck as he slapped the table and stood up.

"Audacious! Insolent whelp, how dare you insult me! This old master has immersed himself in the Dao of Source Arts for a century. The bridges I've crossed are more than the roads you've walked. What kind of thing are you, to be worthy of discussing the word 'master'?"

"Worthy or not, it's not decided by what you say with your mouth."

Ye Xingchen tucked his hands into his sleeves with an air of utter nonchalance.

"Since you aren't convinced, arguing back and forth is so pointless—that's what shrews do. Why don't we play a private round? We'll wager on whose opened Source Stones are worth more today."

Zhang Sanqian laughed out of extreme anger, his withered palms gripping the edge of the table until his knuckles turned white.

"Good! Good! Good! Since you're courting death, this old master will grant your wish! What do you want to wager? Spirit stones? Magical treasures? Or this skin of yours?"

Ye Xingchen slowly extended a slender finger and waved it in front of Zhang Sanqian.

"Ten million spirit stones."

As soon as these five words were uttered, it was like some kind of forbidden incantation, instantly draining the air out of the private room.

Zuo Tianhe's mouth twitched frantically. It was this number again! Was this kid stuck in a money pit? Why did he open and close his mouth with ten million?

Zuo Xiaoqing even supported her forehead and sighed. This guy... truly remained as avaricious and money-grubbing as ever, and completely regardless of the occasion.

Zhang Sanqian was also stunned, then burst into harsh, grating laughter, laughing until tears almost came out of his eyes.

"Ten million?"

"Hahahahaha! An ant in the Qi Refining Stage like you, how much is your carcass worth if you get sold? Can you cough up ten million?"

"Empty-handed wolf-hunting still depends on the target! Wanting to scare this old master off? You're still a bit too green!"

He was certain that Ye Xingchen was just putting up a bluff.

Ten million spirit stones—even a wealthy family like the Left Clan would feel a pang of heartache to fork it out. What reason did this kid have?

The smile on Ye Xingchen's face gradually faded, and those pitch-black pupils instantly turned deep and ice-cold.

He took a step forward.

This step brought him right up against Zhang Sanqian, the tips of their noses separated by barely an inch.

"If I lose, this life belongs to you, to kill or carve as you please, without a single word of complaint."

Zhang Sanqian's laughter stopped abruptly.

He looked at the pair of eyes within touching distance, and his heart inexplicably skipped a beat.

That gaze was too ruthless, without a shred of joking intent.

He was being forced into a corner.

With so many people watching on the scene—Zuo Tianhe, Gu He, Sky-Eye Daoist, and even the guards at the door—

if he didn't accept this wager, tomorrow the news that "Ghost Hand Zhang Sanqian was scared out of his wits by a Qi Refining junior" would spread throughout the entire Eastern Province and even back to Central Province, and his reputation would be completely ruined.

Besides, how could he possibly lose?

He was a master who had dominated the stone gambling world for a century. This kid was nothing more than a wet-behind-the-ears hairy boy. Even if he had some luck and understood a little fur, could he really surpass him in Source Art attainment?

Absolutely impossible!

Seeing that Zhang Sanqian wasn't taking the bait, Ye Xingchen continued to press.

"What, the dignified Ghost Hand Master doesn't even have the guts to wager his life with a junior?"

"Fine!"

Zhang Sanqian ground a mouthful of yellow teeth to pieces, killing intent blazing in his eyes.

"This old master will collect this rotten life of yours! Let you know that in your next reincarnation, you should polish your eyes a bit!"

"Empty words are untrustworthy."

Ye Xingchen turned to look at Zuo Tianhe. "Clan Head Zuo, I must trouble you to act as a witness and establish a Heavenly Dao Oath."

Zuo Xiaoqing grew anxious, taking a step forward to grab Ye Xingchen's sleeve, lowering her voice in an urgent rush: "Are you crazy? That's Ghost Hand Zhang Sanqian! Do you really want to die?"

Ye Xingchen glanced sideways.

Looking at the young girl's terrified face, the originally cold and hard lines of his profile softened a fraction.

He turned his hand and gently patted that chilly little hand.

"Don't worry, my life is precious. Even the King of Hell wouldn't dare claim it."

He gave Zuo Xiaoqing an extremely confident look, one that revealed a ruffian's swagger of I'm the number one under heaven, yet inexplicably made people feel at ease.

The Heavenly Dao Oath was established, and blood-colored runes flashed across the air before sinking into the glabella of the two men.

The wager was set, irreconcilable to the death.

At that moment, a deafening bell chime suddenly rang out from outside the private room, immediately followed by a tsunami-like roar of noise.

Clang—clang—clang—

Three bell rings, and the Myriad Treasures Pavilion Stone Gambling Convention officially began.

Ye Xingchen straightened his lapels, the corners of his mouth hooking into an amused arc.

"Let's go, Master Zhang."