Chapter 1334: Deliberate

Hei Chigu froze instantly. Not just him, but Banka too. The more confident they had been just moments ago, the more panicked they were now.

Everyone else was also greatly depressed. They had originally hoped to snatch a great bargain, but instead, they had lost terribly. If the next stone revealed something valuable again, many of them would be ruined.

Seeing the continuous stream of rage points in the background, Zu'an almost burst out laughing. "Don't be afraid, everyone," he said, "the probability of finding something in these stones is very low."

A strange look appeared on the faces of the crowd. That's exactly what they had thought, which had made them so confident in gambling with him. They never expected him to say the same thing back to them. What goes around truly comes around.

"How about this," Zu'an said, "the bet we just made will remain in effect. If this stone turns out to be empty, we will compensate you with one thousand elemental stones. If it contains something, you will still compensate us with an equivalent amount of elemental stones, as per our agreement. What do you say?"

The crowd was momentarily stunned, then couldn't help but feel tempted.

According to their previous agreement, their opponent had already won. Regardless of what was inside the remaining stone, he was not obligated to compensate them with 1,000 elemental stones. Yet, they were still bound to compensate him for anything found in the stone.

It seemed like a case of a sudden windfall, prompting him to propose such a condition.

There was no reason for them to refuse. The 2,000 elemental stones they had just lost had been a severe blow to many. If they could get 1,000 back to stop the bleeding, it would be a relief. "This young man is truly generous," they praised.

"The Snake Tribe is indeed benevolent."

Praises filled the air, but secretly, they were cursing him as an idiot.

Zu'an naturally saw through their hidden intentions and secretly sneered, thinking, "We'll see who the true fool is later."

He walked up to Banka and Hei Chigu. "Your mouths must be dry right now," he said. "Would you like some water first?"

As he spoke, he casually picked up a teacup from the table, one that someone had clearly already used, and handed it to them.

Both of them felt a wave of disgust. "No need!" they retorted.

As they spoke, stone fragments flew from their mouths, and even Hei Chigu's teeth turned white.

Rage points from Banka +555 +555 +555...

Rage points from Hei Chigu +555 +555 +555...

Zu'an then looked at Lion Min and the others. "If the princes have no objections, shall we open the last raw stone?"

Lion Rong and Lion Gong instinctively looked at their third brother. Lion Min smiled and nodded. "Our Lion Tribe values chivalry above all else. How could we go back on an agreed contract?"

"Very well, then. You may begin, esteemed elder," Zu'an politely said to the Evergreen Garden steward. Yet, he felt a deep sense of doubt, wondering if Lion Min was truly so magnanimous.

The Evergreen Garden steward cast a surprised glance at Zu'an. He had initially thought the young man was an arrogant and unruly brat, but now it seemed he was playing the long game, pretending to be weak while preparing to strike.

He smiled and nodded, then began cutting the last raw stone.

Lion Rong sneered, "That was just a lucky fluke, a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse. I don't believe anything else will come out of this one."

Banka empathized deeply. "The Seventh Prince is absolutely right. This brat is truly detestable."

Hei Chigu spat, his mouth full of stone fragments. "Hmph, let him taste what it's like to eat stone later."

But no sooner had they spoken than a flash of red light blinded them.

This time, the steward didn't cut for long; a single stroke was all it took to reveal something.

Everyone instantly stared in disbelief. It was over; everything was lost. A grape-sized Earth-rank elemental stone had already made their hearts ache, and now this piece was clearly much larger. Wouldn't they be utterly ruined?

Hei Chigu swallowed with difficulty, ignoring the stone fragments scraping his sore throat. "Don't panic, everyone! This might just be superficial. We've seen it before where the outside looks great, but inside, it's all just rock."

"That's right, that's right~" A collective sigh of relief swept through the group, as if they had found comfort in his words.

That made sense. How could such a valuable item be found in the "Yellow" section, especially from the cheapest tier?

It must just be the surface layer; the inside must be solid rock. Yes, that had to be it.

Even Lion Rong and Lion Gong secretly prayed.

Only Lion Min, who had always seemed to be in complete control, showed a change in expression for the first time.

At this point, the steward's expression also turned somewhat solemn. His movements were no longer broad and sweeping but careful and precise. As the outer stone layer was peeled away, the red light emanating from within intensified, and the faces of the surrounding crowd grew progressively paler.

Finally, a fist-sized red crystal appeared in the center. A scorching heat emanated from it, filling the entire room with an incredibly rich elemental energy, far purer than the Earth-rank elemental stone seen earlier.

"This aura... is it Heaven-rank?" someone in the room stammered, their voice trembling.

Yan Xuehen, who had still been somewhat worried about Zu'an, secretly breathed a sigh of relief at the sight.

"The kid just got lucky," Yun Jianyue snorted. Though she claimed disappointment at not seeing him 'eat stone', there was no hint of it in her expression.

"This is Heaven-rank Blazing Fire Glaze! It has miraculous effects for fire-attribute cultivators seeking breakthroughs and advancements," the steward said, his voice trembling. Although he had unearthed more precious items over the years, finding something like this in a low-priced stone from the "Yellow" section was unprecedented. It was enough to make him a legend in the industry.

"How many elemental stones is this worth?" Zu'an asked. His confidante, Big Manman, was a fire-attribute user; he wondered if she could make use of it.

However, the Azure Palace was a major sect; they probably wouldn't be lacking in such resources.

The steward replied, "At least one hundred Heaven-rank elemental stones."

"Only a hundred?" Zu'an was somewhat dissatisfied. Back in the Misty Forest outside Marquis Sui's tomb, to help Wu Liang dispel the fog, everyone had pooled elemental stones to activate an array. People like Solonshi and Kong Nanjin could casually produce a hundred Heaven-rank elemental stones.

However, on second thought, those individuals were top-tier second-generation demon aristocrats; the resources they could mobilize were certainly extraordinary.

Even the demon clan princess and the Peacock Royal Clan princess carried only about a hundred Heaven-rank elemental stones. It seemed this item was indeed quite valuable.

Upon hearing his words, the surrounding people were filled with indignation. "Listen to him," they thought. "Is he even speaking human language?"

One hundred Heaven-rank elemental stones were equivalent to one hundred thousand Earth-rank elemental stones, or ten million common elemental stones!

If they had ten million elemental stones, would they even need to come to this "Yellow" section to try their luck?

In the end, out of greed for 1,000 elemental stones, they ended up losing 10 million!

Thump, thump...

A series of thuds echoed as many people in the room went limp, unable to stand, and collapsed onto the floor.

Hei Chigu felt a dizzying wave. The Hei Chi family was royalty, so 10 million elemental stones could certainly be produced, but he was merely a descendant of a branch family. How could he possibly have the authority to use so many elemental stones?

Banka was even more depressed. The Hyena Tribe was already poor, and their sense of crisis was exceptionally strong, so they used any elemental stones they acquired for cultivation and improvement, leaving them with no reserves.

Zu'an, however, didn't approach them first. Instead, he walked directly towards Lion Min and the others. "Princes, isn't it time to settle the bill?"

"You brat, don't push your luck!" Lion Gong and Lion Rong exploded in fury. This fellow was practically rubbing their faces in it.

Rage points from Lion Gong +444 +444 +444...

Rage points from Lion Rong +444 +444 +444...

Zu'an's expression turned cold. "What, who was it just now boasting about their chivalry, only to try and deny their debt now?"

Just as Lion Gong and Lion Rong were about to retaliate, Lion Min stopped them. "We lost. Here are three hundred Heaven-rank elemental stones. I'll pay for my brothers as well."

As he spoke, he produced a heavy brocade pouch, its rich elemental energy palpable even from a distance.

The surrounding people clicked their tongues in awe. The Lion Tribe was indeed powerful; any prince could effortlessly produce 300 Heaven-rank elemental stones to give away.

Lion Gong and Lion Rong grew anxious. While 100 Heaven-rank elemental stones were a significant sum, it wasn't insurmountable for someone of their status. However, being openly humiliated like this was incredibly frustrating.

"Third Brother, aren't you usually skilled at appraising stones?" Lion Rong couldn't help but complain through a spiritual voice transmission. "How did you find them two such valuable raw stones?"

"Seventh Brother, stone gambling is never 100% accurate. You can't blame Third Brother for this," Lion Gong quickly interjected.

Lion Min's expression was indeed quite peculiar. "Actually... I knew there was something inside both of those raw stones."

"What? You knew, and you still recommended them to *them*?" Lion Rong nearly shrieked. Even Lion Gong stared at his brother, utterly shocked.