"I was thinking the same thing. After you, Fellow Daoist Zhao." Song Changsheng was also keen to go up and see what it was like.

The two went upstairs together and found far fewer stones on the second floor. However, even a layman like Song Changsheng could tell that the quality of these stones was a cut above those below.

The prices were also "touching." A single one could easily cost over a thousand Spirit Stones, and he even saw some priced at over ten thousand.

For a moment, Song Changsheng was a bit dazed. ’Are these really Spirit Stones and not cabbages?’

If they were guaranteed to contain treasures, Song Changsheng could understand the high price. The key was that there was no safety net; the money could very well go down the drain.

To be fair, though, the vast majority of these stones emitted a Spiritual Light. Only a very small portion contained nothing at all.

The woman was much more cautious now. She looked around for a long while before finally picking one about the size of a basketball.

Song Changsheng glanced at the price and couldn’t help but be taken aback. ’Three thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones?’

Seeing that she was about to have it cut, Song Changsheng thought for a moment and decided to offer a reminder, "The one next to it seems a bit better."

The woman shot him a disdainful look upon hearing his words, but she still explained patiently, "Stone gambling isn’t about size. When I make a move, you can rest assured."

With that, she sent the stone to be cut.

The result was, naturally, just as Song Changsheng expected. The stone was ground to dust with nothing inside. Three thousand Spirit Stones had gone right down the drain, a painful sight for anyone to watch.

Staring at the pile of dust, the woman let out a wail of despair.

Her luck was truly abysmal. In that entire section of stones, there were only two without any Spiritual Light, and using her secret technique, she had precisely picked one of them.

In a way, she was a talent in her own right.

Just as he and Zhao Bin were about to offer a few words of comfort, an irritating voice came from behind them. "Well, well, isn’t this the one who spent one hundred thirty thousand Spirit Stones to get one hundred thousand back? How have you managed to regress so much?"

Hearing this, the already sour-faced woman’s expression beneath her mask turned frosty.

Following the voice, they saw two black-robed figures, one tall and one short, standing at the top of the stairs. The one who had just spoken was the taller one, who wore a very distinctive mask with a green face and sharp fangs.

"Chen Menglong, what’s that supposed to mean? You were the one who lost last time we gambled on stones!" the woman retorted, her beautiful eyes filled with killing intent.

Song Changsheng found it a bit strange. ’Doesn’t everyone in the Black Market hide their identity? How can they recognize each other?’

Before he could figure it out, Chen Menglong sneered, "I was just letting you win that time. I didn’t think you’d actually take it seriously."

The woman was so angry she laughed. With her hands on her hips, she said furiously, "What did you say? Do you dare to make another bet with me?"

Chen Menglong was completely unfazed. He crossed his arms, tilted his head up, and said, "Fine by me. A bet’s a bet. If I lose, I’ll grant you any one condition. But if you lose, I want that Jade Exquisite Pagoda in your hands!"

’So he’s after the Jade Exquisite Pagoda.’ "A bet’s a bet! Who’s afraid of who?"

"Siying, calm down! He’s setting a trap for you." Seeing the woman getting impulsive, Zhao Bin immediately tried to dissuade her.

"Zhao, I advise you to mind your own business. If you’re going to be the Black Market’s dog, then act like one. You have no say here."

Chen Menglong’s words were extremely arrogant, causing Song Changsheng to frown slightly.

A flash of anger flickered in Zhao Bin’s eyes, but considering the other party’s prominent status, he ultimately held back and stood to the side without a word.

"Chen, don’t drag others into the grudge between us. Name your terms. I’ll take the bet," Siying said, her voice filled with anger.

"Heh, simple. In half an ancient hour, we each pick three stones. After they’re cut, the Black Market will appraise their value. Whoever’s treasures are worth more wins!" Chen Menglong said with great confidence.

"Fine! We’ll see about that!"

After speaking, Siying began to carefully select her stones.

Chen Menglong, however, didn’t move. Instead, he shot a look at the shorter man beside him, signaling for him to do the picking.

This further convinced Song Changsheng that Chen Menglong had come prepared.

To be honest, he and Siying were just chance acquaintances. He could have stayed out of it, watched the tigers fight from the sidelines, and avoided getting involved in this mess.

Even Zhao Bin, who clearly had some history with her, was staying out of it, wasn’t he?

However, Song Changsheng had a rather good impression of this woman.

She was warm and sincere, and she didn’t have the high-and-mighty attitude common among disciples of major powers.

Aside from her love of gambling, her pride, and her tendency to boast, he hadn’t noticed any other flaws.

Therefore, Song Changsheng still hoped that she could win.

However, her agonizingly bad luck made it impossible to see any hope of victory. Unless she hit a major stroke of luck, she was bound to lose today.

After a moment of thought, he moved to her side and sent a voice transmission: "That Chen Menglong came prepared. Are you confident you can win?"

Hearing this, she glanced at him and said irritably, "So what if I’m not confident? The Chen Clan and my family have always been at odds. He’s already come to my doorstep to provoke me. Can I possibly refuse?

This has nothing to do with you guys. You should leave early, lest you get caught in the crossfire."

"I may not understand stone gambling, but these eyes of mine are quite unusual. If you trust me, Fellow Daoist, how about you let me choose for you?" Song Changsheng said, full of confidence.

"You can—" Siying gasped in surprise, but she quickly caught herself and sent a voice transmission to Song Changsheng, "You can see through these stones?"

"I can’t see through them completely, but I can roughly judge the value of the treasure inside a stone."

Song Changsheng wasn’t exaggerating on this point. He had been observing for a while and had discovered that the stronger the Spiritual Light, the higher the value, and vice versa.

It wasn’t precise, but it was far more reliable than letting her choose on her own.

"You have this ability and you didn’t say so sooner? You just watched me lose so many Spirit Stones!"

Surprisingly, Siying didn’t question the truth of Song Changsheng’s words. Instead, she complained about why he hadn’t spoken up earlier.

"I reminded you twice, but you wouldn’t listen," Song Changsheng said, a bit helplessly.

"Well, whose fault is it for not being clear?" Siying said, puffing out her chest righteously.

"Alright then, you choose. If I win this time, all the treasures we find are yours."

Song Changsheng raised an eyebrow and said, amused, "Trusting me so much? Aren’t you afraid I’m a spy sent by the other side?"

"Oh, right." Siying looked as if she had just woken from a dream. Only then did she remember that she and Song Changsheng barely knew each other.

But she quickly broke into a smile. "You’re definitely not. What kind of spy introduces themselves like that? But, why are you helping me? Aren’t you afraid of offending the Chen Clan?"

"Once we leave this place, who could possibly know my identity? As for the reason... I just don’t like the look of that guy. Since you trust me, I’ll do my best to make sure you win."

Song Changsheng smiled and activated his [Eye of Truth]. He began to observe the surrounding stones, and instantly, a vast expanse of multicolored lights filled his vision.

Each color represented a different characteristic of the treasure within.

Seeing this, he turned his head and asked, "In this stone gambling, what kind of treasure is the most valuable when opened?"

"Spirit Plants with their root systems intact, of course. These stones come from the Ancient Battlefield and contain many Spirit Plants that are already extinct in the outside world. As long as you can get one, many people are willing to pay a high price to acquire it."

Song Changsheng immediately understood. He began to focus on observing the stones that emitted a green Spiritual Light. Based on his observations, those that gave off this color of light were most likely various types of Spirit Plants.

After some comparison, he quickly selected two stones with the richest Spiritual Light and one average-looking one, spending a total of forty thousand Spirit Stones.

Looking at the unremarkable stones before her, Siying didn’t hesitate and paid for them readily.

It wasn’t that she trusted Song Changsheng that much; she was simply taking a "nothing left to lose" attitude. After all, she didn’t have any better options.

Soon, the agreed-upon time was up.

Both parties brought their three stones to the cutter, ready for them to be sliced open.

In an instant, the air crackled with tension.

...