Chapter 135: Breaking the Stone

“No, that cannot be it. That boy must have heard what they said earlier, which is why he left. Clever, I’ll give him that—but if he wants to gamble against me, that little bit of cunning won’t be enough.”

With that thought, Yang Ling stopped paying attention to Li Jian-san.

As for Li Jian-san, he made a complete circuit of the courtyard and discovered that, although there were several thousand raw stones here, many were merely cheap filler stones. There was nothing inside them at all.

Some of the onlookers asked curiously, “How are the raw stones here?”

“The raw stones here are too cheap. I’m going farther in to take a look.”

As he continued selecting stones in the third courtyard, Li Jian-san unexpectedly found more than a dozen counterfeit source stones.

The forgery was extremely skillful. Even those old gamblers would have had difficulty distinguishing them from the real thing. They were almost indistinguishable from genuine stones. Had Li Jian-san not possessed the Purple Extreme Demon Eye, which allowed him to see the flaws within the raw stones, he would have found them difficult to detect as well.

“What a treacherous merchant,” Li Jian-san cursed inwardly.

Then he suddenly spotted a raw stone hidden in a corner and exclaimed in delight, “So there was still one fish that slipped through the net.”

He walked over, selected a raw stone that appeared to be of very ordinary quality, and tossed it in front of him.

“This one.”

When the crowd saw the stone Li Jian-san had chosen, they sighed one after another.

“Why would that boy choose such a stone? Anyone can tell at a glance that it’s no good.”

“I’m afraid he’s going to lose terribly this time.”

Meanwhile, Yang Ling was delighted.

“Haha! I actually thought he was some kind of expert at stone gambling. It turns out he’s just a reckless fool. Let’s see how I make you lose everything.”

“No, no. The raw stones here are still too poor. I have to go farther inside.”

Li Jian-san continued inward.

Yang Ling paid no attention to his actions.

So, you’ve realized that the deeper you go, the more expensive the raw stones become. But so what? That will only make your loss more painful. With such petty cleverness, you can never defeat me.

Li Jian-san did not stop until he reached the seventh courtyard.

In the end, he chose a raw stone about the size of a longan fruit. It was dull gray and extremely ugly, yet several crisscrossing cracks ran across its surface.

The moment Li Jian-san selected that hideous little stone, the surrounding crowd burst into laughter.

“Brother, are you really gambling on stones? You’re practically giving money to the Origin Heaven Pavilion. That thing is obviously a waste stone. Hurry up and choose another.”

“And look at it. It’s barely as large as your finger. What could possibly come out of it? Even if there is something inside, you’ll still lose money.”

“Exactly. A raw stone this small couldn’t possibly produce anything.”

“That’s right. This stone was only left here to make up the numbers, and you actually dared to choose it? Change it quickly.”

Everyone shook their heads. Many openly mocked him, convinced that Li Jian-san knew nothing about stone gambling.

“There’s no need to change it. This is the one.”

The people around him shook their heads again. In their eyes, the raw stone Li Jian-san had chosen could not possibly yield anything.

Although the stone was small, it had cost him a considerable sum. The raw stones here were extraordinarily expensive because their rate of producing treasures was extremely high.

“I’m going farther in.”

When they saw Li Jian-san continue onward, everyone present was startled.

Ordinary people generally chose their stones in the fifth or sixth courtyard. Of course, there were also wealthy patrons who selected stones in the seventh courtyard.

But almost no one had ever ventured beyond the seventh courtyard.

Every raw stone beyond that point cost a fortune, and the price of making a mistake was simply too high.

Yang Ling nodded. “Suit yourself.”

Yet he was not concerned in the slightest. He believed that Li Jian-san knew nothing about stone gambling. The final loser would certainly be Li Jian-san himself. The farther he went, the more ruinous his loss would be.

At last, Li Jian-san entered the eighth courtyard. He picked up another inconspicuous raw stone, but after a moment’s thought, set it back down and selected one with a much better appearance instead.

“That’s more like it. When choosing a raw stone, you should at least pay attention to its appearance.”

“The boy seems to be getting the hang of it.”

Seeing the stone Li Jian-san had chosen, everyone smiled. They felt that he had finally begun to understand the principles of stone gambling.

“I’ve made my choice. Now it’s your turn.”

Li Jian-san looked at Yang Ling.

“You can choose here, or you can enter the ninth courtyard. It’s up to you.”

“You want me to enter the ninth courtyard? Are you sure?”

Yang Ling was startled by his words.

Each time one advanced to another courtyard, not only did the prices multiply several times over, but the likelihood of finding a treasure increased substantially as well.

Li Jian-san said calmly, “Go ahead. In my opinion, even if I let you enter the ninth courtyard, you still won’t have the ability to defeat me.”

“Since you’re determined to gamble away your entire fortune, I won’t waste my breath on you.”

With that, Yang Ling entered the ninth courtyard.

Before long, he emerged carrying three raw stones.

“I’ve finished choosing. Master, please cut them open.”

Yang Ling approached a gray-haired old man and spoke respectfully.

After several centuries of accumulation, the soil and stone encasing the treasures within the raw stones had fused tightly with them. If they were cut open recklessly, the treasures inside could easily be damaged.

Therefore, once the stones had been selected, they were generally entrusted to the Stone Gambling House’s professional masters for careful cutting.

“Very well. This old man shall begin.”

The gray-haired master stepped forward. With great ceremony, he wiped the blade in his hand before beginning to解石.

As the master brought his knife down again and again, the outer layer of stone slowly fell away. The raw stone grew smaller and smaller.

“About one-third has already been cut away. I estimate there’s nothing inside. Shall I split it open with one stroke?”

“Very well.”

After Yang Ling gave his approval, the master quickly made a cut straight through the middle of the raw stone.

With a loud crack, the stone split open. Inside was nothing but ordinary soil.

“Consider yourselves lucky. The next one will make you weep.”

Yang Ling frowned, clearly unwilling to accept the result.

“Master, cut the second one.”

The master soon began working on Yang Ling’s second raw stone.

Clack, clack.

The stone was unusually hard, and the master had to exert considerable strength to cut through even its edge with the first stroke.

The moment the edge was opened, a dazzling purple radiance suddenly burst from within.

At the sight of it, everyone present stared with wide eyes.

“This… must be a treasure of immense value.”

“As expected of Young Master Yang. One move is all it takes to reveal his skill.”

“That boy is finished now. Young Master Yang’s three raw stones all came from the eighth courtyard. Even if he sells everything he owns, he couldn’t afford to compensate for them…”

Listening to the crowd, the pride on Yang Ling’s face grew more pronounced.

Finally, after the master had finished cutting, a completely purple crystal appeared before everyone’s eyes.

“Congratulations. This is a purple crystal, worth a fortune.”

The master who had opened the stone smiled at Yang Ling as well.

Purple crystals were exceedingly scarce in the Imperial City. Whenever one appeared, it was immediately snapped up. As a result, their price had risen steadily.

The master then began cutting open Yang Ling’s final raw stone.

In the end, he extracted a pill that was green from head to toe.

“Congratulations. This is a third-grade pill—the Blue Soul Pill.”

The Blue Soul Pill could heal every injury suffered by a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Possessing one was equivalent to having an additional means of saving one’s life.

On the market, the pill could command the astronomical price of five thousand spirit stones.

“Impressive, Young Master Yang! In the blink of an eye, you’ve already earned several thousand spirit stones. After deducting the cost of the raw stones, you’ve still made several thousand in pure profit.”

Seeing the treasures Yang Ling had obtained from his stones, the surrounding people looked at him with undisguised envy.

“What do you mean, after deducting the cost of the raw stones? Haven’t those already been paid for by someone else?”

Yang Ling turned toward Li Jian-san with a smug smile.

“Isn’t that right?”

“My stones haven’t even been opened yet. How can you be so confident?”

Li Jian-san replied.

“Haha, you? Do you really think those rotten stones you chose can produce treasures worth more than mine?”

Yang Ling sneered. “I advise you not to bring shame upon yourself.”

“Just wait and see.”

Li Jian-san placed his raw stone before the master.

“Master, cut this one.”

“That broken stone is obviously a waste stone. Is there really any need to open it?”