Chapter 174 – Gambling

  Elder Zhen Ronghai quietly stepped into the secluded pavilion where the Sect Master resided. The air here was dense and thick with spiritual energy, and even the Core Formation Stage Elder felt the pressure settle on his shoulders.

  At the center of the pavilion, suspended by dozens of glowing formations that formed a massive array, was the Heaven-Supressing Bell. The massive spiritual artifact hung in the air with a crack down one side, while its once-brilliant surface was dulled.

  The Sect Master, Lu Qingchen, stood in front of the spiritual artifact with his sleeves rolled back as he guided a block of BlackIron Quartz into the fissure. Each tap of his finger sent ripples of spiritual energy through the metal, shaping it like clay.

  Several additional blocks of Quartz lay beside him, all stamped with the insignia of the Ironvein Quarry Sect. These had been given to him by their Sect Master as a gift of friendship, and were the only source of ore pure enough to repair the Bell which had been damaged in the battle against the Demonic Cultivators.

  Zhen Ronghai stopped at the edge of the array formation and bowed deeply. Despite the age difference between them, Lu Qingchen was a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator and deserved as much respect as the Elder could give him.

  “Sect Master.”

  Without looking away from what he was doing, Lu Qingchen responded.

  “You’ve met with Disciple Jun De?”

  “I have.” Zhen Ronghai confirmed, before continuing his explanation.

  “Disciple Jun De accepted the jade slips without hesitation. But I feel compelled to confirm with you, Sect Master.” Zhen Ronghai hesitated before his resolve firmed. As the master of the Scripture Hall, it was his responsibility to oversee all the cultivation methods and techniques in the Tranquil Mountain Sect.

  “Those techniques, the Celestial Luminance Sutra and the Sovereign Morning-Star Metamorphosis, I could not find any record of either in the Sect archives.” Zhen Ronghai stated, and he waited patiently for the Sect Master to reply.

  Lu Qingchen finally drew his hand back, letting the formations stabilize. The BlackIron Quartz had liquified, sealing the gap in the Bell. It would take further refining, possibly for months or even years, before it would be fully repaired.

  But it was stable enough for the moment that he could turn his attention to other matters.

  “That is because they are not ours.” Lu Qingchen stated simply.

  Zhen Ronghai, despite his centuries of life and the experience that came with being a Core Formation Stage Elder of the Tranquil Mountain Sect, was taken by surprise by the answer provided.

  “To give unknown and untested techniques to any Disciple of the Tranquil Mountain Sect, especially a Disciple as talented and valued as Jun De, is irresponsible! I should have been allowed to research them beforehand, to determine if there are any unintended side effects of their use.”

  “I-” Zhen Ronghai was about to continue when the Sect Master interrupted him.

  “They came from an external benefactor.” Lu Qingchen said quietly, and his voice carried a strange weight. Any thought of disagreeing with the Sect Master was removed from Zhen Ronghai as Lu Qingchen continued his explanation.

  “From a person whose cultivation far exceeds my own. Our Sect was granted permission to store those techniques, but we are forbidden from practicing or studying them. They are not meant to be cultivated by the Disciples of the Tranquil Mountain Sect.”

  Zhen Ronghai’s breath caught at the implication.

  “Then why give them to Disciple Jun?”

  Lu Qingchen turned to look at the peak of the Tranquil Mountain, and Zhen Ronghai’s eyes followed. Both men had a respectful attitude toward the presence there, and Elder Zhen knew who had commanded the Sect Master to act.

  “The benefactor requested that those techniques be given to Disciple Jun on their behalf.” Lu Qingchen frowned, then shook his head slightly.

  “Commanded would be more appropriate to say. The moment Jun De arrived at our Sect, that person has taken a keen interest in his well-being. I was left with no choice, but I would not have acted differently even if I had been given one.”

  Zhen Ronghai bowed his head in acknowledgement.

  “I will see to it that Disciple Jun De receives my support in learning these skills, Sect Master.” Elder Zhen said, clasping his hands together respectfully and bowing once again to Lu Qingchen.

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  “I do not believe he will need it.” Lu Qingchen replied, too softly for the Elder to hear.

  Meanwhile, Lin Yue and Mei Lian stood at the edge of the crowd and watched the noisy excitement of the stone-opening gamblers as they tried their luck. Shouts, groans, and triumphant cheers echoed from the center of the gathering where a burly middle-aged cultivator was chiselling away at a fist-sized, slate-grey stone.

  Lin Yue leaned forward eagerly as she waited for the contents to be revealed.

  “This is so much fun! I’ve heard that people gamble on all sorts of things, but I’ve never actually seen it up close.”

  Standing beside her, Mei Lian shook her head.

  “Mm, this was sort of common in Nan Ao City, but it’s not exactly something respectable people did often.” Mei Lain explained as she frowned at the sight of the gamblers around her.

  There were rows of uncut stones stacked on tables and arranged on the ground in all shapes, colours and sizes. Some glowed with inner light, while others were completely unremarkable.

  “How does it work?” Lin Yue asked, practically vibrating with excitement.

  Mei Lian sighed as she was resigned to explaining to her sheltered friend.

  “Each stone contains spiritual energy, but that doesn’t mean there is anything inside them. Some of the weak ones contain treasures, while the strong may be completely empty. The only people who could really see what’s inside are Core Formation experts, and they would never waste their time on this. The rewards here are too small for them.”

  Lin Yue nodded while she watched as another cultivator picked up a stone that glowed faintly with a greenish-white light. Gasps rose from the crowd as the burly man placed it on a table and began to chisel away at it gently.

  “Is that one good?”

  “It looks good.” Mei Lian grudgingly admitted.

  “But looks mean almost nothing. It’s all luck. If you pick a stone with something inside, you get to keep it, but if there’s nothing…” Her eyes flicked to the disappointed cultivator whose glowing stone, which was open, revealed nothing at all.

  “Then you lose your spirit stones.”

  Oddly, Lin Yue’s excitement only grew at seeing another person’s failure.

  “Sister Mei, it sounds perfect. Let’s try it!”

  Mei Lian’s eyes widened.

  “Perfect? This is how people lose all their money!” Mei Lian exclaimed, but Lin Yue was already stepping closer to the stall where the burly cultivator was awaiting new gamblers to pick their stones.

  The burly cultivator running the stone-gambling stall turned when Lin Yue stepped forward. She walked with the confidence of someone who had already made up her mind, and Mei Lian had no choice but to reluctantly follow.

  “We’ll play!” Lin Yue said brightly, gesturing to herself and Mei Lian.

  The man took in their Tranquil Mountain Sect robes, along with the youthful appearance and high cultivation levels, before his expression shifted from businesslike to respectful, and he bowed deeply to them.

  “Honoured Disciples, I welcome you to play. But I cannot guarantee success. In stone-opening, only luck matters. My business is sanctioned by the Sect, so there are no refunds for losses.” The man explained as he tapped a thick finger against one of the rocks on display.

  Lin Yue waved her hand dismissively.

  “We understand. We’re only here to try our luck.” Lin Yue replied, handing over twenty spirit stones to the man in order to cover both of their fees. She turned to look at Mei Lian and gave her a bright smile.

  “Go on, Sister Mei, pick one!”

  Mei Lian hesitated for a moment before she sighed deeply and looked over the table full of rocks. There were large stones veined with shimmering minerals, and others that pulsed strongly with spiritual energy. There were even smooth river stones that looked plain and ordinary.

  People whispered behind them as they wondered what the two beautiful young women from the Tranquil Mountain Sect would choose.

  Lin Yue walked all around the display, carefully observing each stone. Some she tapped with her finger or foot, while others she completely ignored after a single glance. She eventually picked up a small, thin piece with white flecks that appealed to her in some way.

  Mei Lian, on the other hand, just reached out and grabbed whatever stone was closest to her. The one she picked was a plain, round grey stone that looked like it may have been kicked here by accident. It barely radiated even a wisp of spiritual energy.

  Even the burly man raised an eyebrow at her selection, but he kept silent.

  “Perfect! I think our luck will be strong today!”

  The burly man set Lin Yue’s rock on the table and began to chisel away pieces in thin slivers. When he knocked away the last shard of the stone, there was nothing but dull, empty rock beneath. He grunted and brushed the dust from his hands.

  “Empty.” He declared.

  Lin Yue’s shoulders slumped, and she pouted at the result.

  “Ugh, I thought that one had something.”

  But her disappointment evaporated almost instantly as she turned back toward the table. The burly cultivator had placed Mei Lian’s unassuming stone on the surface and wasn’t even bothering to hide his disinterest in the stone.

  “This one is as ordinary as they come. Don’t expect-”

  The stone split almost instantly, shearing cleanly in two. For a moment, no one breathed as they saw that, nestled inside it, was a small pearl. It was smooth and lustrous, glowing faintly with an inner radiance.

  An aura exuded from it, cold and ancient, carrying a pressure that made the onlookers feel slightly uncomfortable in its presence.

  “Well, this is quite rare.” The burly man exclaimed. He took a quick glance around the crowd, thinking for a moment to abscond with the object, before thinking better of it as he saw how close Lin Yue and Mei Lian were standing to him.

  Even if he wanted to steal it, they would never let him get away.

  “That aura!”

  “It feels like something from an ancient spiritual beast.”

  “No way, how did a stone like that have something like this inside it?”

  Mei Lian stared at it in shock, while Lin Yue reached out and carefully lifted the pearl from the stone. She turned it over in her palm, and a silver-blue mist stirred inside it at her touch.

  “You’re so lucky, Sister Mei!” Lin Yue said, before she placed it in Mei Lian’s hands.

  “This…I can’t accept this! You paid for it, Sister Lin, this should be yours!” Mei Lian replied, and she tried to give it back, but Lin Yue shook her head.

  “No, this is yours! Remember that there are no debts between friends!” Lin Yue said, recalling what Jun De had said to them a long time ago.

  Mei Lian looked down at the small pearl in her hands, while Lin Yue smiled.

  “Now, let’s pick up something to eat and drink, before we go back to the Sect and have the Elders look at your prize!”