Immortal of the Nine Realms

"Shopkeeper Huang, are you trying to interfere in the bet between me and him?" Hua Qianchi said lightly.

Shopkeeper Huang was slightly taken aback. After a pause, he laughed awkwardly. "I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare. It was just a slip of the tongue."

Hua Qianchi’s face showed a slight smile as he glanced at the Immortal Origin Stone in Fang Chen’s hand. "Daoist Fang, do you know why this Immortal Origin Stone is priced at thirty low-grade spirit stones?"

"Why?" Fang Chen asked.

"Because its quality is too low. Any cultivator who’s played with Immortal Origin Stones for a few months could tell," Hua Qianchi chuckled. "It seems that Daoist Fang knows nothing about Immortal Origin Stones. How about I give you another chance to pick a different one?"

The expressions of the surrounding crowd were varied. Some were filled with mockery, while others showed pity. It was clear to them that this person knew nothing about Immortal Origin Stones.

Fang Chen glanced at the Immortal Origin Stone in Hua Qianchi’s hand; it was completely empty. In contrast, the one in his own hand still had something inside, at least ensuring he wouldn’t lose.

After some thought, Fang Chen shook his head. "I’ll stick with this one, no need to change."

"Are you sure?" Hua Qianchi asked with a smile.

Hua Qianchi couldn’t help but shake his head. He turned to Qi Fa, clasping his hands in salute. "Young Master Qi Fa, may I trouble you to oversee this bet?"

"Of course, of course. Which of you will open theirs first?" Qi Fa replied with a faint smile.

Just then, a commotion erupted outside the door, and a group of people walked in. The middle-aged man at the front moved with the strength and confidence of a dragon and tiger. As soon as he appeared, the cultivators present felt an invisible pressure enveloping them.

Qin Nie immediately stepped forward respectfully. "Greetings, Father!"

Qin Xuan and the others quickly followed suit, stepping forward to pay their respects.

Chu Lan, noticing Qin Xuan's presence, felt her face darken even further. Spotting Fang Chen in the crowd, she sent him a voice transmission filled with a hint of anger, "Daoist Fang, why must you cause trouble at this time!?"

"Lady Chu, there is no need to worry," Fang Chen replied calmly through voice transmission, attempting to reassure her.

Chu Lan's expression grew even more grim. No need to worry?

She promptly noticed He Baiyan approaching. She shot him a cold glance, causing him to freeze in his tracks, panic flashing across his face.

The middle-aged man swept his gaze across the room before finally settling on Qi Fa, forcing a smile. "Young Master Qi Fa."

Qi Fa chuckled and stepped forward with a curious glint in his eye. "So it’s the head of the Immortal Qin Clan. Are you interested in Immortal Origin Stones as well?"

The middle-aged man shook his head with a smile. "I happened to be passing by with my wife and heard there was a stone gambling event inside, so I decided to take a look."

Qi Fa smirked, his gaze lingering on Chu Lan. "Head of the Immortal Qin Clan, your timing couldn’t have been better. I hear that the person betting against Hua Qianchi was invited back by First Lady Chu from the Grand Thousand Dao Sect?" �

The middle-aged man’s face immediately darkened. He slowly turned his gaze toward Fang Chen.

Fang Chen, however, remained composed, cupping his hands and bowing slightly. "Greetings, esteemed head of the Immortal Qin Clan"

The middle-aged man nodded indifferently, his expression cold. "Carry on with your bet; pay no attention to us."

Seeing the situation, Qi Fa laughed heartily and casually pointed at Fang Chen. "You go first. Cut open your Immortal Origin Stone."

Qin Xuan quietly moved to stand beside Chu Lan and whispered, "Mother, soon we’ll be able to expose this fraudster’s true face. You’ll get your hundred mid-grade spirit stones back in no time, thanks to Senior Brother Hua stepping in to help. If it weren’t for him..."

Chu Lan glanced at her daughter and transmitted, "Didn’t I warn you not to get involved in this matter? I know what I’m doing. Why can’t you just listen to me?"

Qin Xuan felt aggrieved. "Mother, you don’t know how people have been talking about you lately…."

Chu Lan sighed inwardly and said nothing more.

Fang Chen’s method of cutting the Immortal Origin Stone was straightforward and borderline crude, reinforcing the belief that he was a novice in this field.

Soon, the Immortal Origin Stone in Fang Chen’s hand was fully cut open. Qi Fa stepped forward, took a look, and couldn’t help but laugh. "He cut out shards of spirit stones, just enough to make a single one."

The crowd gazed at the fingernail-sized low-grade spirit stone shards and burst into laughter. The price of the Immortal Origin Stone had already determined its outcome, so they weren’t surprised; in fact, they felt it was exactly as expected.

The middle-aged man’s face grew even darker, and he shot a fierce glare at Chu Lan, who looked somewhat pale.

Qin Xuan didn’t notice this, but she was nonetheless drowning in satisfaction that the fraudster was doomed to lose.

Li Daoye drew in a sharp breath, casting a peculiar look at Fang Chen.

Looking at Fang Chen’s calm and unflustered face, Li Daoye felt increasingly uncertain.

He instinctively shifted his attention to the Immortal Origin Stone in Hua Qianchi’s hand, growing more anxious. That stone priced at four hundred spirit stones in his hand…. surely it couldn't be empty, right?

"Even if he gets something small, it should definitely be worth more than a single low-grade spirit stone..." Hua Qianchi muttered as he walked over to Fang Chen, scrutinizing the stone for a moment before suddenly smiling. "You’re lucky, at least you didn’t lose everything."

He then carefully began unwrapping the Immortal Origin Stone in his hand, layer by layer, being cautious not to damage anything within.

The crowd watched with growing curiosity, eagerly awaiting the full reveal of the Immortal Origin Stone.

Layer by layer, Hua Qianchi peeled away the stone. As time passed, the Immortal Origin Stone in his hands shrank from the size of a palm to the size of a quail egg, but still, nothing was revealed. A few people began to show odd expressions.

Qin Nie remained calm, confident that Hua Qianchi wouldn’t fail to uncover something worth at least a low-grade spirit stone. However, Hua Qianchi’s eyes betrayed a flicker of panic that he quickly suppressed, trying to maintain his composure as he continued to delicately work on the stone.

After another moment, Hua Qianchi looked down at his now empty palm, lost in thought. The shop fell into a stunned silence. Every gaze in the room was filled with disbelief.

There was nothing!

It’s completely empty!

The Immortal Origin Stone in Hua Qianchi’s hand had revealed absolutely nothing, despite being worth a full four hundred low-grade spirit stones!

"Could it be that we are seeing wrong?" someone murmured, breaking the silence.

“Surely that can’t be right. It’s not possible for the two of us to see wrong, right?” someone whispered in reply.

“It really is empty…” another voice added, as the murmurs grew louder.

Qin Xuan and the others looked around in shock, exchanging glances.

Chu Lan’s pale face now had a tinge of color, and she cast an oddly curious look at Fang Chen.

The head of the Immortal Qin Clan, who had intended to act after the wager ended, frowned slightly. He glanced at Fang Chen and then at Hua Qianchi, remaining silent for the moment.

“Uh... Qin Nie, did Hua Qianchi really not uncover anything?” Qi Fa asked, turning to Qin Nie.

Qin Nie’s expression remained unchanged, and he said nothing.

Li Daoye suddenly laughed. “It seems Daoist Fang has won this round. Although he only uncovered a low-grade spirit stone, it’s still better than nothing.”

“How could this happen…” Hua Qianchi muttered, his head hanging low.

His face was pale, and his eyes showed confusion and panic.

Fang Chen’s voice rang out. “Daoist Hua, it’s time to fulfill your end of the wager.”

Hua Qianchi stiffened slightly, as if struck by lightning. He slowly turned his head to look at Fang Chen, remaining silent.

Seeing this, Qin Nie suddenly burst into a chuckle and said to Fang Chen, “Daoist Fang, we were just having a bit of fun. Don’t take it too seriously.”