"What's this sure-win method?" Gu Ling'er asked.
Gu Qingfeng ignored her and instead said to the attendant, "Bring out all the Immortal Source Stones in your shop."
The attendant couldn't quite grasp Gu Qingfeng's status, but seeing how he dared to challenge Yuwen Xiong, he didn't dare to be negligent. He immediately went to consult the shopkeeper and fetch the Immortal Source Stones.
Before long, rows of Immortal Source Stones were presented.
These stones were bizarre and varied; some resembled strange beasts, while others even took human-like forms.
"Will you go first, or shall I, young master, go first?" Yuwen Xiong said arrogantly, confident that the Zhongming Clan was invincible in the art of stone gambling.
Before these eyes of his, anyone would face utter defeat!
Gu Qingfeng smiled faintly. "This one does not stoop to bullying juniors. You go first."
Hearing this, a flash of anger crossed Yuwen Xiong's face. "Fine! You said it yourself. Don't regret it!"
He hesitated no longer, deciding to defeat Gu Qingfeng directly.
A faint, ghostly light flickered in his eyes as another pupil appeared within his eyeball. He looked towards the array of Immortal Source Stones, his dual pupils spinning rapidly.
The stones immediately appeared different in his vision.
The layered stone shells became like peeled eggshells, the treasures within unable to hide from sight.
Although he couldn't see completely clearly what the treasures inside were, he could judge their value based on the intensity of the Immortal Light they emitted.
After a moment, Yuwen Xiong's gaze locked onto one human-shaped Immortal Source Stone and one qilin-shaped Immortal Source Stone.
He was torn. The Immortal Light emanating from within these two stones was nearly identical. In such a situation, to determine which was more valuable, one could only rely on market price.
It was like comparing Netherworld Jade and Immortal Spirit Jade. In essence, their value was the same, but because Immortal Spirit Jade had wider applications, its market price was higher.
This was the reason for Yuwen Xiong's dilemma. He thought to himself, This man in the bamboo hat dares to provoke me even after seeing my consecutive wins. He must have some skill.
Unless something unexpected happens, the man in the hat will surely also choose between the human-shaped stone and the qilin-shaped stone. These two stones are of comparable inherent value, but their market prices are not necessarily so.
What if he gets lucky and picks the one with the higher market price? Wouldn't I be doomed to lose?
"Tsk tsk, a successor of a Celestial King, taking so long to choose a stone? If you're afraid of losing, then obediently hand over the Great Luo Immortal Weapon with both hands. Don't waste everyone's time," Gu Qingfeng mocked from the side.
Proud and arrogant, Yuwen Xiong couldn't stand such provocation. He immediately snapped angrily, "Afraid of losing? I'll choose this one!"
In the end, he chose the qilin-shaped Immortal Source Stone.
"Your turn!" Yuwen Xiong stared fiercely at Gu Qingfeng.
Gu Qingfeng stepped forward slowly and began his selection.
Yuwen Xiong, standing nearby, watched him dead-on, his gaze constantly shifting between Gu Qingfeng and the human-shaped Immortal Source Stone.
Outwardly calm, inwardly he was screaming, Don't choose the human-shaped stone!
As long as Gu Qingfeng didn't choose the human-shaped stone, victory was assured.
But if he did choose it, then it would truly come down to luck—whose treasure had a higher market price and was more valuable.
Slowly, Gu Qingfeng walked up to the array of Immortal Source Stones. Without even looking, he reached directly for the stone next to the human-shaped Immortal Source Stone... a fist-sized, round stone.
Yuwen Xiong, whose heart had been in his throat, saw Gu Qingfeng's choice and was instantly ecstatic!
This guy is an amateur!
Hahaha!
I'm definitely going to win!
The surrounding onlookers also erupted in murmurs. Firstly, they hadn't expected Gu Qingfeng to choose without even looking.
Someone as formidable as Yuwen Xiong had pondered for a good while, yet this man was so overconfident.
Secondly, wasn't this guy clearly choosing at random?
Those who could stand here knew a thing or two about stone gambling. While it wasn't easy to tell which stone would yield treasure, they could somewhat judge a stone's quality by its appearance.
The round stone Gu Qingfeng chose had a pitted surface and dim Immortal Light. To anyone looking, it was the worst possible choice, clearly the stone with the poorest appearance among all the Immortal Source Stones.
Gu Ling'er grew anxious too and quickly sent a mental message. "Don't choose that one! That Immortal Source Stone looks terrible. Pick another!"
Gu Qingfeng gave a disdainful smile. "What do you know? The protagonist in stone gambling always picks the one with the worst appearance. Then, they uncover a heaven-shaking treasure from inside, creating a stark contrast. That's how you deliver a satisfying slap in the face."
Gu Ling'er was utterly confused. "What are you talking about? Who deliberately picks the worst one? Isn't that just sick?"
Gu Qingfeng shook his head slightly. "You can't discuss ice with a summer insect. If one weren't a bit 'sick,' could they be the protagonist?"
"Someone! Hurry up and cut my stone!" Yuwen Xiong, fearing Gu Qingfeng might change his mind, quickly called for an attendant to cut the stone.
"Will you go first, or shall I?" Yuwen Xiong asked.
"Naturally, you, the junior, go first."
"Fine, cut the stone!" Yuwen Xiong didn't dawdle either, not giving Gu Qingfeng any chance to reconsider, and promptly began the stone-cutting.
Under the attendant's skilled hands, the qilin-shaped Immortal Source Stone grew thinner inch by inch, stone dust flying constantly.
Everyone present stared intently at the stone.
With another cut of the blade, a dazzling beam of black and white energy shot straight into the sky. Its radiance was so intense that even the roof couldn't contain it, momentarily turning the world into shades of black and white.
The appearance of the black and white energy was accompanied by a rich, strange fragrance that spread throughout the hall. Those who smelled it felt refreshed in spirit and stirred in heart.
"This is..."
"The Life-Death Egg!"
"What?! It's actually the ancient rare treasure, the Life-Death Egg!!"
"The legendary Life-Death Egg that can reverse life and death, comparable to a second life!"
"With this treasure revealed, who can compete? Young Master Yuwen is sure to win today!"
Hearing the crowd's exclamations, Yuwen Xiong nearly laughed out loud. He felt his luck today was truly explosive—not only did he uncover an ancient rare treasure, but he would also win a Great Luo Immortal Weapon. A double blessing.
"Your turn!" Yuwen Xiong said to Gu Qingfeng with a look of contempt.
"Well, well, putting on airs now? Someone, cut this one's stone," Gu Qingfeng said calmly.
Seeing Gu Qingfeng's attitude, the crowd felt slightly puzzled. With the Life-Death Egg presented, this man in the bamboo hat still seemed so confident and composed. Could he truly be a stone gambling master who saw mysteries in this worthless stone that others couldn't?
Gu Qingfeng's composure even made the confident Yuwen Xiong somewhat nervous. Did I misjudge?
Unwilling to accept it, he secretly activated his Dual Pupils again to look at the round Immortal Source Stone. He confirmed that the Immortal Light within was indeed extremely faint, incapable of yielding anything good. Only then did he relax slightly.
He concluded that Gu Qingfeng was bluffing.
"Hmph, no need to put on a brave front here. Once the stone is cut open, who wins and who loses will be clear for all to see."
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the attendant picked up the cutting knife and began to work on Gu Qingfeng's stone.
One cut, two cuts, three cuts... ten cuts!
After ten cuts, half of Gu Qingfeng's stone had been cut away, yet there was still no sign of light.
Whispers rose from the surrounding crowd.
"This... this is waste material!"
"Half of it is gone, and still no light. It's clear there's no treasure inside. Or even if there is, it's probably only the size of a sesame seed or a mung bean. How could it possibly compare to the Life-Death Egg?"

grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)

u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.

tions: attribute allocation, analysis, proficiency, and simulation. Specializing in mechanical alchemy, from crafting sorcerous battle armor to handcrafting mechanical maidens, his mechanical legion conquers endless realms... Relying on his wits, he begins with a student-teacher romance, wins over a female director, enslaves a female assassin and a underworld queen, becoming the husband of a Grand Duchess... He enslaves the Goddess of Magic from the divine realm, developing his power simultaneously in both the Wizard World and the Realm of Gods...

rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!