31: Chapter 31: Betting 100,000 Spirit Stones

"Accidentally Entering the Heavenly Family, I advise you to put down the sand in your hand. I open my mouth to sing, but my voice is hoarse; a powdered face covered in clothes, calling it a fake..."

Yun Ming hummed a little tune while browsing around. He soon saved up another hundred thousand Spirit Stones; even the people at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion were starting to recognize him.

If Yun Ming hadn't been wearing the Sect's clothes, they would have thought he was some kind of professional treasure hunter.

Earning a hundred thousand Spirit Stones in less than a day—any ordinary person would have stopped long ago, but Yun Ming still felt that making money was too slow.

He needed to save enough Spirit Stones to buy a foundation establishment pill before the Luoxia Assembly ended; otherwise, he would miss this golden opportunity.

Just as Yun Ming was thinking about how to earn more Spirit Stones, someone called out to him.

"This Senior Brother, I've been observing you for a long time. You've made so many trips to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion; are you short on cash?"

Yun Ming turned around at the sound of the voice and saw an Outer Sect Disciple with a professional, fake smile on his face.

"I don't do loans," Yun Ming said casually.

The Outer Sect Disciple was stunned, and his already stiff smile became even stiffer because he didn't understand what Yun Ming was talking about. "Uh, although I don't know what Senior Brother means, I do have a way here to make money quickly while also cultivating the mind and body."

Yun Ming glanced at him. "How fast?"

"Extremely fast!"

"What's the way?"

Seeing that Yun Ming was interested, the Outer Sect Disciple hurriedly said, "Betting. Senior Brother knows that during the Luoxia Assembly, the Sect Grand Competition is the center of attention. Several Elders thought it would be better to share the joy with everyone, so they opened several betting pools, ranging from the Qi Refining Middle Stage all the way to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage. You can play with as little as dozens of Spirit Stones, or as much as tens of thousands for a single match in the Foundation Establishment Late Stage."

No joke, Yun Ming was tempted.

This did sound like a way to make money fast, or rather, a path to sudden wealth.

But on second thought, although he was an Inner Sect Disciple, he wasn't familiar with anyone in the Sect. He only knew Xiao Hao and Lu Ming; one was one of the Personal Disciples of the Alchemy Peak, and the other was very famous in the Sect because he had killed four Qi Refining Perfection and one Foundation Establishment Early Stage demonic cultivators by himself.

He didn't know anyone else, let alone their strength levels. What was the difference between blind betting and just throwing money away?

In the end, he shook his head. "Forget it, I'm not familiar with them. I'd lose more than I'd win."

Seeing Yun Ming about to leave, the Outer Sect Disciple grew anxious and grabbed his sleeve. "Hey, hey, hey, Senior Brother, don't be in a hurry!" As he spoke, he nimbly pulled out a thin booklet from his robe and stuffed it into Yun Ming's hand. "This 'Luoxia Chronicles' is for you! It lists all the Geniuses and experts of our Sunset Glow Sect, along with some more private information. You can take a look to get a better idea."

Yun Ming originally had little interest, but he casually flipped through the booklet. The first few pages were all popular candidates, and the descriptions were overly flamboyant, offering no real reference value.

For example, "Blazing Mad Blade" Zhao Mang: Qi Refining Level 7, Fire-Earth-Wood Triple Spiritual Roots. His blade techniques are fierce and violent, but he has a hasty temperament. He is a favorite to win in the Qi Refining Late Stage. Weakness: Lacks stamina, disadvantaged in long battles. Secret: He cries his eyes out when drunk.

And then there was "Green Wood Fairy" Liu Qingqing: Qi Refining Great Circle, Wood Single Spiritual Root, expert in using poison. Weakness: Fire Spells. Secret: She likes women.

However, there were some familiar names in there. "Alchemy Room Deacon" Li Ping: Qi Refining Great Circle, Water-Earth Dual Spiritual Roots, solid Foundation, has been immersed in the Qi Refining Great Circle for many years. Weakness: Few offensive methods, lacks a finishing move to win in one strike.

...

Yun Ming's gaze swept over them indifferently; he felt it was all useless information, more for entertainment than anything else.

Just as he was about to close the booklet, he suddenly saw another familiar name.

"Sword Peak Dark Horse" Ye Chen: Qi Refining Great Circle. Newly joined the Sect; his family died tragically at the hands of the Demonic Path.

Because he had just joined the Sect yesterday, there was no other information at all. Therefore, he was extremely undervalued, and the odds had reached an exaggerated one to fifteen.

"Ye Chen?" Yun Ming's eyes lit up.

"Good lad, he actually participated in the Sect Grand Competition too. He wouldn't be going for that foundation establishment pill, would he?" Yun Ming's guess wasn't far off; Ye Chen was indeed after that foundation establishment pill, but he had other goals as well.

Thinking about Ye Chen's experiences, Yun Ming was certain this kid was definitely a Child of Luck. Betting on him was a guaranteed win.

"He's the one!" Yun Ming's heart pounded; he felt as if piles of Spirit Stones were waving at him.

He grabbed the Outer Sect Disciple's wrist and said decisively, "I'm betting on Ye Chen, Qi Refining Great Circle, to win the championship!!"

The Outer Sect Disciple was stunned and tried to persuade him, "Senior Brother, you can't just look at the odds. Think about it some more—I'm not going anywhere. This Ye Chen's background and cultivation are unknown; his Realm might be unstable and very weak. You're likely just throwing your money away..."

Yun Ming didn't waste words; he took out a Storage Pouch and slapped it into the man's hand. "There are one hundred thousand Spirit Stones here. Bet it all on Ye Chen winning!"

"One... one hundred thousand!" The Outer Sect Disciple gasped, his hands trembling slightly. Looking at the mountain of Spirit Stones in the Storage Pouch and then at Yun Ming's certain face, all his words of persuasion stayed in his stomach.

Swallowing hard, a smile of heartfelt humility and respect instantly appeared on the Outer Sect Disciple's face. "Al... alright! Senior Brother is so generous! I'll register it for you right away! Also, please leave the location of your Immortal Cave. Once you've earned your Spirit Stones, we can personally deliver them to you."

He nimbly registered Yun Ming's information, recorded the location of his Immortal Cave, and handed a jade token engraved with a special rune to Yun Ming. "This is your receipt. Also, with this receipt, you can directly enter the Inner Arena to personally watch all of Senior Brother Ye Chen's matches. The nearest one is tonight. I wish you a huge profit."

Yun Ming took the receipt and put it into his naxu ring. "Alright, I understand."

The Outer Sect Disciple asked again if there were any other candidates he wanted to bet on, but unfortunately, Yun Ming had no more Spirit Stones left and had to give up.

However, this Outer Sect Disciple was still very patient and led Yun Ming to the competition venue. But since he didn't have a ticket, he couldn't go in to watch and could only let Yun Ming enter alone.

Yun Ming found a corner seat, sat down, and quietly watched the matches on the field.

It wasn't Ye Chen's turn to appear yet, but on the arena stage at this time, quite a few Qi Refining Great Circle Disciples were already fighting in a chaotic brawl.

Spiritual light splashed everywhere, and air currents swirled backward.

They maneuvered within inches, various Spells and Divine Abilities collided, and Magical Artifacts and spirit charms flickered in and out of existence.

Until the very end, it was impossible to guess who the winner would be.

Just by watching the people on the stage fight, Yun Ming felt he had gained a lot. He silently decided that in the future, he would also need to consider his own practical combat issues. Although he loved peace, others might not.

After Yun Ming excitedly finished watching another match, it was Ye Chen's turn to take the stage.

By this time, Ye Chen had already put on the robes of the Sword Peak. The white robes were somewhat loose, and the corners of the garment swayed gently in the wind.

The youth was only fifteen years old. Although he was handsome, there was still a hint of lingering childishness in his features that hadn't completely faded.

But when he stood upon the arena stage, his eyes were calm and piercing, like the deep waters of a cold pool. His whole being was like a sharp sword that had yet to be unsheathed.

Yun Ming slapped his thigh. "As expected of the person I favor; his appearance is truly extraordinary."