Chapter 1636: Chapter 1506: The Fish Takes the Bait

In the next few rounds of stone gambling, Ye Fan faced repeated defeats. Either the chosen stones yielded nothing, or they produced low-grade spirit stones full of impurities.

Soon, the hundreds of pounds of spirit stones he brought had been squandered away, while Wei Xuantong was so pleased that he couldn’t close his mouth. In just half a day’s time, he had won hundreds of pounds of spirit stones—a considerable fortune indeed!

"Young man, take it easy. This trade is quite mysterious, relying heavily on fate and luck. Your luck is clearly not good right now. If you continue, I’m afraid you won’t be able to leave this gambling stone workshop!"

"Yes, it’s better to stop now, especially since you don’t have any spirit stones left to gamble with."

Several elderly individuals advised Ye Fan and his companions to quit early. Even though they lost so many spirit stones, it was better to consider it as spending money to learn a lesson rather than risking their lives and belongings.

However, most people were taking pleasure in their misfortune. Some were eager to challenge Ye Fan to a bet.

To them, Ye Fan and his friends were like fat sheep ready for slaughter. There was no reason not to take advantage.

"Let’s go to the Ninth Layer Courtyard to gamble, dare you?"

Ye Fan, like a gambler who had lost his composure, angrily said to Wei Xuantong.

"Why wouldn’t I dare? Today I’m going to make you concede willingly!"

Wei Xuantong didn’t mind at all. He now had nearly a thousand pounds of spirit stones, feeling rich and not concerned at all.

"But do you have any spirit stones left? To prevent you from reneging on your debt after losing, show me your spirit stones first!" Wei Xuantong was very cautious, afraid that Ye Fan would back out after losing. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"You think I’d renege on my debt after losing?"

Ye Fan sneered and instructed Hu Fei and Shi Ye to bring out all their spirit stones, totaling nearly two or three hundred pounds—enough for one gamble.

"Hu Fei, go to our Immortal Academy’s gambling stone workshop and deliver my message: bring three thousand pounds of spirit stones, preferably top-grade spirit stones. This time I want to turn everyone’s face green!" Ye Fan secretly transmitted his message to Hu Fei.

"Alright, I’m on it!"

Hu Fei nodded, turned around, and squeezed out of the crowd, claiming to gather spirit stones, which made everyone excited.

"Little brother, can we also bet with you?"

Some cultivators who thought they saw an opportunity approached Ye Fan, proposing to gamble against him.

"Sure, I refuse no one. Who else wants to bet with me? Feel free to step up!" Ye Fan appeared to have thrown caution to the wind, instantly attracting many people.

"Ye Fan, are you confident? Be careful not to fall for it; this is no small amount. Winning or losing could easily involve tens of thousands of pounds of spirit stones—equivalent to the spirit stone reserve of a medium-sized sect!" Shi Ye worriedly transmitted to Ye Fan.

"Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. Losing so much was just to set up the game for a big win. If only small stakes were at play, it wouldn’t even be enough to fill the gaps between my teeth!" Ye Fan reassured him through transmission.

"I’ll bet with you!"

"Me too!"

"Count me in!"

"..."

In no time, many people targeted Ye Fan, ready to bet with the mindset to win big, feeling that he was easy prey. After all, each time he chose stones, he seemed to pick randomly, not at all like a savvy stone gambler.

No one wanted to miss such a golden opportunity, and almost everyone placed all their spirit stones on the line.

"Alright, let’s go to choose stones at the Ninth Layer Courtyard!"

Ye Fan took the lead toward the Ninth Layer Courtyard, followed by a large crowd, including some grey-haired elders who couldn’t help but join in, eager to witness this grand gamble.

"What? Ye Fan is gambling stones at Rongsheng Gambling Stone Workshop? How many spirit stones are needed? I’ll personally deliver them!"

Upon receiving the news, the manager of the Immortal Academy’s gambling stone workshop in Du City immediately brought tens of thousands of pounds of spirit stones, used divine skills to change his appearance, and, along with Hu Fei, headed for Rongsheng Gambling Stone Workshop.

He’s not worried about losing; rather, he’s concerned about winning too much, causing trouble for everyone. If that happens, would these people let it go easily?

The Old Bastard had already given orders: Ye Fan, as the seed disciple of the Immortal Academy, must not suffer any harm, and his safety must be ensured.

The Ninth Layer Courtyard was usually quite empty, seldom visited, but now it was bustling!

The stones in this courtyard were few but high-valued, typically only attracting old antiques or the Holy Land’s Saint Heir to gamble.

An expert was sitting here, so average people couldn’t enter, only able to watch from outside. Only those choosing stones could enter, given that these stones were too precious.

Inside the garden was an aged old man seated cross-legged on a cushion, timeless and motionless, with only four or five elderly people selecting stones.

When Ye Fan, Shi Ye, Wei Xuantong, and others entered, she was just as still, like a statue.

Others ceased their chatter, surrounding the Ninth Layer Courtyard, quietly waiting for Ye Fan and Wei Xuantong to choose stones.

Luckily, there weren’t many trees in this courtyard, so everything was clear at a glance, making it easy for everyone to see.

To be honest, no one had much hope for Ye Fan and his group, as his previous defeats were too pronounced. People treated him like a fat sheep, and even here, he couldn’t possibly turn the tide.

The Tianzihao Stone Garden had quite a bit of bamboo, lush and green, adding a touch of tranquility!

The stones here aren’t many, but each has its own place. Rongsheng Gambling Stone Workshop’s staff checks them daily because they are so precious.

However, these stones are placed naturally, either among the bamboo grove, beside the bubbling spring, or amidst the green vines.

The stones blend with the scenery, creating a very harmonious atmosphere, with a sense of unity with heaven and earth, returning to nature.

A diligent Spirit Stone advisor follows them around, constantly introducing the stones.

Even though Ye Fan was mentally prepared, he was still startled. Many stones aren’t very large but are worth hundreds of jin of Spirit Stones.

More astonishingly, some stones are worth a thousand jin of Spirit Stones per jin, leaving him quite shocked. It was his first time encountering stone gambling, and he didn’t expect it to be so deep.

"I say, old master, isn’t this too outrageous? Can anyone afford this?" Ye Fan inquired.

"On ordinary days, you rarely see young people here; it’s all prepared for old antiquities. You all certainly feel overwhelmed. But for those people, if they can gamble for a hope, a future from this place, they’re willing to give it all." The Spirit Stone advisor replied.

"What treasures have been cut out here?" Shi Ye asked naively.

"Too many. The most recent one was a cut of an Immortal Elixir leaf, which shook the Five Domains at the time, even startling many old antiquities." The Spirit Stone advisor said with a smile.

"An Immortal Elixir leaf..."

Ye Fan was quite speechless. This old guy sure can brag. What is the Immortal Elixir? It’s something even the Ancient Emperors would be tempted by!

It’s something that can let an emperor live a second life. Other than the Immortal Elixir, there’s nothing else. Can the gambling stone workshop here really cut out a piece of an Immortal Elixir leaf?

"Have you all chosen your stones?"

Wei Xuantong asked from not far away. He had already selected a piece of stone, weighing more than ten jin, looking very ordinary, but something that caught his eye must definitely contain hidden treasures.

Though the stone wasn’t big, it was worth more than a hundred jin of Spirit Stones, a typical stone that is more expensive than Spirit Stones, something ordinary people simply cannot afford.

Ye Fan observed it using the Stone Appraisal Technique and found that the stone he chose indeed contained hidden treasures, at the very least possibly nine-colored High Grade Spirit Stones.

Ye Fan wandered around for a long time, checking out many stones, and finally picked a very large stone, a full two meters tall, weighing over a thousand jin!

"Really think choosing a big stone will yield something rare, truly don’t know anything!" Wei Xuantong mocked when he saw the stone Ye Fan had chosen.

Ye Fan completely ignored the sarcasm. In his view, while the stone looked ordinary on the outside, it actually contained great potential, likely housing something extraordinary inside.

Moreover, Ye Fan also repeatedly checked; this stone had no issues, wasn’t tampered with, which made him feel comfortable buying it.

"Still the old rule? Bet within a bet, whoever cuts out Spirit Stones with the highest value wins?" After selecting the stone, Ye Fan asked.

"Of course!"

Wei Xuantong sneered with disdain, saying, "However many Spirit Stones I cut out, you must pay me the same amount, and vice versa. Additionally, the Spirit Stones spent on purchasing the stone will also be covered by the loser!"

"That’s how it should be!"

Ye Fan smiled slightly, calming down at this point.

"Then let’s cut the stone!"

Wei Xuantong nodded, prepared to cut the stone.

Just then, there was a commotion outside, and Hu Fei loudly shouted, "Clear the way, we brought Spirit Stones, who dares to gamble with us?"

As the voice came, Hu Fei and a middle-aged cultivator entered together.

The middle-aged cultivator gave Ye Fan a deep look, then without saying a word, directly invoked a Space Spiritual Treasure. With a clatter, three to four directions of Spirit Stones were poured out, the piles of Spirit Stones immediately dazzling everyone’s eyes.

"I use these Four Directions Spirit Stones as a wager, anyone who wants to gamble can join in!" Ye Fan seemed like a gambler losing it all, wanting to turn the tide in one go.

"I will bet with you!"

Seeing the Four Directions Spirit Stones thrown on the ground, everyone was eager to try.

Clatter!

In just a short moment, Ye Fan was surrounded by hundreds of thousands of jin of Spirit Stones, a full tens of directions.

In addition to wagering his entire fortune, Wei Xuantong also borrowed several hundred jin of Spirit Stones from others and put them in.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

With the light of the knife flashing up and down, the stone Wei Xuantong selected quickly diminished in size, and before long, a brilliance shone forth, unexpectedly a simple blue hue, like a dream, like a fantasy.

"Heaven Grade Spirit Stone, Dream Blue!"

Everyone exclaimed in shock, not expecting Wei Xuantong’s luck to be so extraordinary, cutting out a Heaven Grade Spirit Stone, which, even if only the size of a fingernail, was worth thousands of jin of ordinary Spirit Stones!

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