The market buzzed with noise as Li Shuang and Luo Mingyue stepped deeper into Lingbao Pavilion. The air smelled faintly of incense and polished jade. At the center of the hall, a crowd had gathered around a raised platform where several large, uncut stones sat on display.
Stone gambling—cultivators purchased rough stones that might contain rare spirit jade, herbs, or even hidden treasures. Most were worthless, but the rare winning stone could make someone rich overnight.
"Welcome, welcome!" Manager Qiu beamed, his obsequious smile hiding his unease. "Our finest stones are here today! Who dares test their luck?"
Several disciples whispered excitedly.
Luo Mingyue grinned. "Junior Sister, you've never tried stone gambling before, have you? It's fun! Pick a stone, cut it open, and see if fate smiles on you."
Li Shuang's gaze swept over the stones. To others, they looked ordinary, but through the faint pulse of her Heaven and Earth Furnace, she sensed hidden fluctuations. Spiritual residue clung faintly to some stones—traces left by whatever was sealed inside.
But there was something else.
A flicker of malice, faint but unmistakable, coiled around a cluster of stones in the center.
She knew instantly.
These are rigged.
In the corner, Ye Zhaozhao watched intently from behind a fan, feigning casual interest as she whispered to her system:
"Ready the capture."
[System Notice: Target approaching staged event. Anticipated negative emotional spike: +85.]
She smirked. "Let's see her face when she loses everything."
Manager Qiu clapped his hands. "Today's special! Each stone—fifty mid-grade spirit stones! Who will be first?"
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Fifty stones was steep, but the allure of hidden treasure outweighed caution.
"Junior Sister," Mingyue said, tugging Li Shuang's sleeve. "Want to try? I'll spot you the stones if you're short."
Li Shuang shook her head. "I have enough."
She stepped forward, ignoring the whispers around her.
"Manager Qiu," she said calmly, "I'll take three stones."
Qiu's smile tightened. Perfect. The three she'd chosen were precisely the ones he'd tampered with—empty shells designed to humiliate her.
As Qiu marked the purchase, Zhaozhao's smile widened.
Li Shuang placed her hand lightly on the first stone.
The Heaven and Earth Furnace roared to life in her mind, its golden light washing over the stone's surface. Her spiritual sense sank in effortlessly.
A hollow interior.
Empty.
She shifted to the second—same result. The third—again empty.
But just as Zhaozhao smirked in triumph, Li Shuang's gaze drifted past the display to an unassuming, cracked stone shoved into a shadowed corner. Its surface was dull, but beneath its exterior pulsed an intense, condensed aura.
There.
Li Shuang turned away from the rigged stones and pointed at the overlooked one.
"I want that one."
The entire room stilled.
Manager Qiu blinked. "That? It's worthless scrap, Elder Sister. We only keep it around for—"
"Then it should be cheap," Li Shuang interrupted.
Zhaozhao's fan froze mid-motion.
"Fine," Qiu said through clenched teeth. "Ten mid-grade stones."
Li Shuang paid without hesitation.
As the cutting blade sliced into the stone's rough surface, a brilliant glow spilled out. Gasps erupted as the cutter split it open, revealing a flawless Pure Heart Jade Pendant—a rare artifact worth at least one hundred top-grade spirit stones.
The room exploded in noise.
"She hit a jackpot!""That pendant's priceless!""Unbelievable!"
Zhaozhao's grip on her fan tightened until it cracked.
[System Alert: Negative Emotional Spike—Source: Ye Zhaozhao. Value: +120.]
Her expression twisted.
"No… no, no, no!"
Li Shuang lifted the jade pendant calmly, her expression serene.
"Thank you, Manager Qiu," she said lightly, her voice carrying through the hall.
Qiu's face drained of color.
Luo Mingyue laughed aloud. "Junior Sister, you're amazing!"
And as Zhaozhao watched from the shadows, trembling with fury, Li Shuang tucked the pendant into her sleeve without sparing her a single glance.