Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 531 - Stone Betting

Cheng Chen saw Liu Wuxie as he turned around. Murderous intent began gushing out of him when he saw the latter. He lost control of his murderous intent as he recalled what had happened in the House of Tea Art yesterday.

To his humiliation, not only was he scolded by Yin Jingwu, but he was also barred from entering the House of Tea Art in the future, which greatly humiliated him.

Most importantly, he also owned shares in the Dragon Gate Shop, from which he would receive ten percent of its monthly profit.

Liu Wuxie had noticed similar trends where many shops were affiliated with the three major sects when they had entered the city. Disciples of the three major sects supported many shops; these shops couldn't survive without their backing.

Liu Wuxie immediately recognized Cheng Chen in the crowd, and it felt like fate was playing a cruel joke. He had no desire for trouble and chose to ignore the murderous glare aimed at him.

"It's you!" Cheng Chen naturally knew he wasn't Liu Wuxie's match, and his arm was still aching from being thrown around yesterday.

"I'd disappear right now if I were you," Liu Wuxie said coldly, not even sparing him a glance. He wouldn't have batted an eye at the sect masters of the ten major sects, let alone a disciple from the Azure Crimson Gate.

After all, in a few short years, Liu Wuxie could break into the Nascent Transformation Realm, and even True Profound Realm experts wouldn’t be able to stand against him. By then, he would have access to even greater abilities—those of an Immortal Emperor.

Cheng Chen was enraged after being disregarded by Liu Wuxie, and the three youths behind him took a step forward, prepared to attack. However, they only did it to bluff because they had witnessed Liu Wuxie's strength yesterday.

Moreover, the four were only at the fifth-level Heavenly Phase Realm, and Liu Wuxie's cultivation was even higher than theirs.

"Do you dare to bet with me? We'll each pick a few stones and cut to see who has the higher grade. The loser will have to kneel and admit defeat!" Cheng Chen said with a cold smirk.

He owned a shop and had spent years studying items from the barren lands. Over time, he had opened numerous stones, with his greatest find being a piece of ancient spiritual essence. Though it was only the size of a fingernail, it was enough to stir envy in many.

Spiritual essence held greater value than spirit stones, whether in the form of jade essence, coral jade, or other rare types. Each was rich with spiritual energy, and absorbing them offered considerable benefits to cultivators.

These treasures were imbued with powerful spirituality, and absorbing them could enable a cultivator to advance an entire realm effortlessly.

Liu Wuxie didn't expect to be challenged by Cheng Chen. This was commonly called stone betting.

"Brother Liu, don't accept his challenge!" Chen Ruoyan spoke out. She could tell with a glance that Cheng Chen wasn't a good person, and he probably wanted to play some tricks. Thus, betting with him would result in a loss with almost certainty.

If Liu Wuxie lost, he would have to go down on his knees, which meant he couldn't raise his head for the rest of his life.

The people gathered in the surroundings looked curiously at Liu Wuxie and Cheng Chen. The Xiang Clan Manor had been displaying its items for half a day now, but not many people had made purchases, with most just watching.

However, Cheng Chen's sudden proposal to challenge the stone betting instantly excited the onlookers. After all, stone betting had existed since ancient times.

"You don't dare, do you? If you kneel and kowtow right now, I’ll let it slide," Cheng Chen taunted, his grin widening. He assumed that Liu Wuxie, as an outsider, knew nothing about stone betting. In contrast, Cheng Chen prided himself on his expertise.

Cheng Chen was confident of making Liu Wuxie lose everything if he dared to accept the challenge, including the two women by his side.

The old man of the Xiang Clan Manor smiled upon hearing the challenge. If they accepted it, his items would finally sell.

All eyes were on Liu Wuxie. It could be seen as a sign of cowardice if he didn't dare to accept the challenge.

In Serene Sea City, refusing a stone-betting challenge was considered humiliating, as it was deeply ingrained in the city’s culture. Stone betting was the city's largest industry, and nearly everyone had tried their luck at it at some point.

The piercing gazes were directed at Liu Wuxie, eager to see him agree to the challenge.

"Get lost if you don't dare to take up the challenge!" the youth standing beside Liu Wuxie yelled.

Liu Wuxie remained indifferent, facing the mockery surrounding him. When he swept his gaze through the displayed stones, a mocking smile rose on his lips.

"How do you want to bet?" Liu Wuxie finally spoke, amusement flickering in his eyes as he glanced at Cheng Chen. Why refuse when the latter had walked right into his own humiliation?

"We'll pick ten items each and cut them in front of everyone. Whoever extracts a more valuable item wins, and the loser will forfeit everything to the winner," Cheng Chen declared the rules.

"Fair enough!" Liu Wuxie nodded because the rules were reasonable.

"But I'll add one more! The loser will also have to bark like a dog three times!" Cheng Chen's smile grew wider, and he was eager to see Liu Wuxie kneel before him.

"You sure you want to add that?" Liu Wuxie's eyes flashed with a hint of sharp glint.

"If you don't dare to accept the challenge, you must admit you're a coward and get lost from this city!" Cheng Chen said, his murderous intent radiating across several hundred meters.

Judging from the aura they gave off, Liu Wuxie was clearly in a disadvantageous position because Cheng Chen was the one pressing on aggressively. This was why no one was optimistic about Liu Wuxie, considering his pause as a sign that he was scared.

"Let's begin then!" Liu Wuxie had no interest in any further argument. The best way to punish Cheng Chen was to give him a resounding slap to his face.

A sinister grin spread on Cheng Chen's face after hearing Liu Wuxie accepting his challenge.

"Old Xiang, these aren't all garbage, right?" Cheng Chen gave the old man a skeptical look.

"Rest assured, these are treasures from my Xiang Clan Manor. They may be pricey, but I guarantee the spiritual essence within," the old man said, patting his chest to reassure Cheng Chen. The Xiang Clan Manor, teetering on the edge of collapse, had brought out their finest goods in hopes of salvaging their reputation through solid sales.

"Let's begin!" Cheng Chen stepped forward and picked out ten stones from the hundreds before him.

"Junior Brother Liu, be careful!" Jian Xing’er whispered as it was too late for them to stop Liu Wuxie.

Although losing wouldn't result in death, kneeling and kowtowing was worse than dying for Liu Wuxie.

Liu Wuxie nodded and walked over to the stones on display. They were of various shapes and sizes, with the largest being three meters and the smallest no bigger than a palm.

Several rotting pieces of wood were also casually placed on one side. Cheng Chen wasn't in a hurry. He pulled out a strange pillar and put it on his nose to carefully observe the stones, one by one. He spent five minutes examining the first stone before moving on to the next.

As time passed, Liu Wuxie made his way through the rocks, but his selection methods were different from Cheng Chen's because he specifically chose the cheapest stones.

"Hahaha! Is he broke? Why is he only picking the cheaper stones? The odds of excavating spiritual essence from them are extremely low." Many stone betting experts were present, and Liu Wuxie's selection process amused them.

"Senior Brother Cheng is the real deal. I’ve heard that many shops hire him as an appraiser." Many onlookers whispered among themselves, and many people recognized Cheng Chen.

"Young Master Cheng has a great eye! This is the treasure of my Xiang Clan Manor!" the old man flattered and hovered around Cheng Chen, ignoring Liu Wuxie.

Cheng Chen was standing before a three-meter-tall stone, studying it closely.

"This is good. There is at least a seventy percent chance of finding a spiritual essence inside." Cheng Chen wasn't in a hurry because this stone was priced at one million spirit stones. He might be an elite disciple, but no one could claim to possess an endless supply of spirit stones.

Seventy percent chance was an incredibly high chance in stone betting. After all, the value of a spiritual essence the size of a fingernail would exceed one million spirit stones.

"Young Master Cheng, I'll even give you a thirty percent discount if you're interested!" The old man said eagerly, his tone filled with flattery. He was treating Cheng Chen like a savior—after all, without this bet, he might not sell anything today.

Liu Wuxie stopped upon hearing their conversation. He returned two stones he had already chosen and walked to another area to pick up two more.

"Is that kid insane? That stone is only the size of an adult's palm. I'll kowtow to him if he can cut out spiritual essence from it." One of the newly picked stones by Liu Wuxie was only the size of a palm.

What made it worse was the price. The stone only cost ten spirit stones.

Liu Wuxie ignored the surrounding laughter and continued to pick his stones. After ten-odd minutes, he had already picked seven stones, but he was still missing the last three.

On the other hand, Cheng Chen was almost finished, as the old man constantly praised him for having discerning eyes.

"Young Master Cheng has a sharp eye. I'd say there's at least a thirty percent chance he'll find spiritual essence in those ten stones," voices from the crowd chimed in, showering him with praise.

Meanwhile, Liu Wuxie moved toward a pile of decaying wood. After a brief glance, he selected a piece that resembled a thin bamboo stalk.

"He must be out of his mind! There's a saying that stone is better than wood in the stone-betting world: It's better to choose thick wood over thin, and never choose bamboo when picking thin ones."

This meant that stones were more likely to contain spiritual essence than wood. If one did choose wood, never pick any thin ones because they were practically garbage. Lastly, even if you were to pick a thin one, never choose bamboo because there was little chance of finding any spiritual essence.

Not only did Liu Wuxie pick wood, but he also picked a thin bamboo stalk, which naturally sparked ridicule from the surroundings.