Chapter 331: Warm-up

“How amusing. You think you have anything I want? You’re wrong. If there’s something I want, I get it, I don’t need to wager. Do you understand the difference between us?” Chengyao had never seen Xuanyuan before. Not recognising him as one of the regulars, he assumed he was just another one of the rich gamblers who walked in.

“Stop talking so much, just decide if you’re going to gamble or not. Otherwise, Miss Chang’er is far out of your reach.” Saying this, he just looked away and ignored Cheng Yao.

“You bastard!” Cheng Yao couldn’t take the humiliation he faced at the hands of someone he saw as a mere emperor realm fighter.

“Oh, you’re furious now? Do you wish to kill me? Just try it, I won’t fight back. But, alas, I heard that violence is forbidden within the premises. Feel free to break the rules of the gambling house, I’m sure nothing bad could possibly happen to you. After all, royals abusing their power and bullying other customers is a very common occurrence.” Xuanyuan’s calm words, and unbothered expression infuriated Cheng Yao, especially he could sense the contemptuous underlying tone, but he could do nothing.

Cheng Yao’s face was red with fury. While it was true that he was the Sage King’s son, he had a superficial relationship with the eldest prince. The relationships within the royal family were complicated. Just because Cheng Yin was his cousin, there was no guarantee that he would even help him. Rather, he may even complicate the situation even further.

“Hmph, since you’ve talked so much, bring it on! However, the wager must not be too high, for I think you will chicken out.”

“How much we gamble for doesn’t matter to me, but since you said so, you must be scared you can’t afford it in the first place.” Xuanyuan laughed mockingly. Internally he was excited, here was a fool ready to hand him his entire fortune on a silver platter. While he wasn’t confident that he could make a sect leader his hand maiden like the Emperor of Acquisitions, he was confident that he could easily beat Cheng Yao.

Cheng Yao burst into maddened laughter as he pointed towards Xuanyuan and said, “You just ensured your doom. There’s nothing that is out of reach for me. Our wager will be on who can get more source energy from the source stones in a best of three. When I win, I’ll cut your limbs off.”

Sneering, Xuanyuan replied, “Hold on, what about when you end up losing to me?”

“Me? Losing to a hick like you? Impossible.”

“Answer the damn question.”

“There’s no point, since there’s no way you can win.”

“Well, if you’re so confident, let’s bet on the same thing, our limbs. When I win, I’ll cut all your limbs off.”

“Ok! You’ll regret this.”

Looking around at the rich and distinguished around him, Xuanyuan slowly asked, “Is there anyone who can testify to the terms of the bet? After all, I am just a wandering cultivator. What can I do if he renegades on his end of the deal when he loses?”

“Haha, don’t worry boy. Since Cheng Yao has testified in front of everyone here, they will all testify.” An old xian realm fighter laughed out. Xuanyuan looked at him, sensing his strength was immeasurable. Seeing this man, Cheng Yao paled.

That man was none other than the previous Minister of Punishment. He was a fair and just man, who always kept his word.

“Master Yu is right. Would you like us to be the intermediaries. If anyone tries to stop the bet once the conclusion is reached, we shall immediately kill them.” Another old man in the xian realm boomed, his bright eyes gleaming with strength.

“Well, since you’ve all decided to arbiter this bet, let’s start!”

Cheng Yao grimly smiled at Xuanyuan, saying, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to cut your limbs and let you bleed out to death. No one dares challenge me. If I don’t nip it in the bud, people will think I’m a pushover.”

“Stop talking so much, you oaf. Just shut up, and pick a stone.”

“Bastard! Wait and watch.” Calming down, Cheng Yao started to walk around, inspecting the stone.

Yuechang just smiled internally; the more these two fought, the more likely that it would become a fight to the death.

Observing Cheng Yao’s posture made Xuanyuan realise that Cheng Yao was no expert, at least from what he could see. Cheng Yao judged the stones based on what he had heard from the others, finally settling on a stone the size of a man.

“Master Cheng Yao, this stone is valued at 40 million king coins.” The woman who was standing next to him softly informed him.

Nodding, Cheng Yao took out four king crystal cards, each worth ten million king points.

The woman took the cards and returned to the sides. Cheng Yao took out a knife and began to carve it down. While his speed was not slow and his skill not bad, compared to Xuanyuan’s, it looked rough. While he could ask the woman to cut it down for him, buyers usually tend to want to cut it down themselves.

Xuanyuan said nothing, simply smiling.

As time went by, the stone became smaller and smaller, finally being reduced to the size of a lemon. Cheng Yao broke out into a nervous sweat. After all, they weren’t wagering with money, but their limbs. If he lost, no one could save him from his fate. Resigned to losing the round, Cheng Yao shaved off the last pieces of the stone, only to see a bright five-coloured light break out as a sliver of pure energy source peeked out.

This pieve which weighed one pound was enough to make Cheng Yao declare triumphantly, “There you go! Now, it’s your turn.”

All those watching shook their heads in second-hand embarrassment. After all, Cheng yao just spent 40 million king coins only to gain one pound of pure energy source, and yet he acted so ecstatic. However, there were those who spent hundreds of millions only to get nothing, thus they didn’t comment on his behaviour.

Xuanyuan, on the other hand, had no such qualms. He laughed at Cheng Yao, “What are you so excited for? That’s just a single pound of pure energy source. I’ve seen fools in my lifetime, but you are the biggest one yet.”

“Hmph, I’m sure you won’t even get a single pound.” Cheng Yao was slightly embarrassed, he knew that single pound was nothing to boast about. But then again, several people never find pure energy source despite spending hundreds of millions. As long as Xuanyuan didn’t find any, he would win.

Not even bothering to use his Heavenly Eyes of Acquisition, Xuanyuan walked up to a pile of source stones smaller than a head. He chose one that looked poor, all warped and cracked, only the size of a child’s head.

“This is the one.”

“Haha, have you resigned yourself to your doom, choosing such a pathetic stone.” Cheng Yao had a confident smile on his face. He never thought someone would willingly choose such a pathetic stone. Even the spectators shook their heads in disappointment; they didn’t expect Xuanyuan to be worse than Cheng Yao when it came to appraising stones.

“Young master, are you sure you want to buy this stone? It is very unlikely that it will contain any pure energy source. However, if you have decided, this stone costs eighty thousand king coins.” Seeing Xuanyuan pick up this stone, Yuechang felt terrible. She didn’t know how long this stone had been here for, unchosen by everyone, yet Xuanyuan picked it up.

Not responding, Xuanyuan simply handed over the amount and began cutting the stone open. As the Devouring Sword cut the surface of the stone, the entire outer layer burst open, revealing a brilliant five coloured light.

Everyone looked shocked; it was as if a worm had transformed into a dragon. They couldn’t believe their eyes, but there was no way to refute what just happened in front of their eyes.

“How is this possible!”

Weighing the pure energy source in his hand, Xuanyuan laughed and said, “Haha, looks like this is definitely over a pound. I win!”

Everyone could see that the pure energy source that Xuanyuan unearthed was bigger than that of Cheng Yao. Cheng Yao’s face turned red with rage, and he looked fit to explode.

“Hmph, this is not over yet. Time for the second round!” Unable to believe his eyes, he roared internally, “How the fuck does a stone that size contain pure energy source bigger than mine?!”

Choosing again, Cheng Yao picked a larger source stone, costing 80 million king coins. He began slowly carving the stone, as if it would magically form a pure energy source if he cut it carefully. Xuanyuan just laughed continuously, but there was nothing Cheng Yao could do.

As the stone began to get smaller and smaller, Cheng Yao carved ever more carefully. Finally, a pure energy source weighing 20 pounds was cut out from the stone, Laughing, Cheng Yao proudly declared, “Hmph, let’s see if you can still win.”

Xuanyuan smiled contemptuously. In his eyes, Cheng Yao was only a warm up. The heavens had dropped a money tree in front of him, ripe for the picking. Xuanyuan was intent on extorting as much as he could from the great fortune dropped into his path. He went up to the collection of source stones and picked another one, once again making the spectators frown.