Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

Their conversation continued. When Mouse noticed the people behind the man he called Brother Xu, he asked curiously, "Brother Xu, who are these two youngsters?"

Brother Xu glanced back subconsciously, then scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed expression. "Ah! I’m so sorry," he said apologetically. "Look at my memory. This is what happens when you get old. Don’t mind me, young brother." After speaking, the spectator known as Brother Xu turned to Mouse and said, "Mouse, this young brother is a guest who arrived from another town today. He saw this stone gambling and wants to give it a try. Why don’t you tell him the rules?"

Hearing this, Mouse looked Mu Chen and Wan Xian’Er up and down before smiling. "Since Brother Xu brought you, I naturally won’t look down on you. How about this? Since it’s your first time, I’ll give you a ten percent discount. There aren’t many rules to stone gambling. You just pick an Original Stone, pay to have it opened, and that’s it. Whether you succeed or fail, however, depends on your luck and skill."

As he spoke, Mouse made a welcoming gesture, indicating for Mu Chen to go to the Original Stone area and choose one himself. Having seen how Tufei Yuan, Jiang Tao, and Song Ren made their selections, Mu Chen had originally planned to use Tufei Yuan’s method to make others think he obtained an Attribute Spirit Crystal by sheer luck. But now, after hearing about the Spirit Selection Conference, he no longer wanted to be so low-key. He had realized that the older spectator before him was a representative figure of Stone City.

’If he’s a true talent scout, he’ll naturally see my worth and I can participate in that so-called Spirit Selection Conference.’ Thus, after walking among the piles of Original Stones, Mu Chen didn’t tap and touch them left and right like Tufei Yuan, feigning expertise. Instead, he stood still, his expression calm as he gazed at the pile of round Original Stones before him.

Unbeknownst to Mu Chen, his action had drawn the attention of quite a few people, especially Jiang Tao on the high platform. For some reason, he suddenly felt that something was about to happen with this Mu Chen.

Seeing Mu Chen’s action, Mouse and Brother Xu, not far away, were both rather surprised. A thought began to form in their minds, but they quickly suppressed it. In the next moment, however, Mouse and Brother Xu were simultaneously startled. They both looked toward Mu Chen, who had been unremarkable just a moment ago but now radiated an astonishing aura. His tightly shut eyes suddenly snapped open, shooting out two startling beams of purple light. In the next instant, a circle of strange black markings covered his eye sockets, giving him a very demonic appearance.

After making a show of scanning all the Original Stones with his Purple Sky Demon Pupils, Mu Chen nodded and said, "There’s a light-green crystal inside this stone. I think it must be one of those so-called Attribute Spirit Crystals."

Without any hesitation, he walked up and picked the Original Stone containing the Attribute Spirit Crystal from a pile of Waste Stones that cost one Purple Elemental Crystal each. But when he turned around, he saw the peculiar gazes of Mouse and Brother Xu. Only the two of them and Wan Xian’Er had heard what he’d just said.

Mouse and Brother Xu exchanged a glance. The latter asked doubtfully, "Did he just say there’s a light-green crystal in that Waste Stone?"

Mouse nodded, but then asked in return, "For real? It only took him a few seconds to appraise all these Original Stones?"

Brother Xu shook his head in disbelief. "He was just asking me about the principles and rules of stone gambling. In theory, he should be a complete novice. And that stance he took just now seemed to be imitating Jiang Tao and Song Ren. Could the kid just be bluffing?"

Mouse said gravely, "Brother Xu, forgive me for saying so, but that kid definitely used a Pupil Technique just now. If he can really appraise so many Original Stones at such a rapid speed and even confirm an Attribute Spirit Crystal is hidden inside one, then you’ve really struck gold this time."

Brother Xu’s eyes narrowed as he stared intently at Mu Chen walking onto the high platform. "Let’s wait and see," he said calmly. "Maybe the kid’s just putting on an act. Don’t forget, that’s a Waste Stone."

When the other onlookers saw Mu Chen pick an Original Stone from the pile of Waste Stones, they all looked at him with disdain. A wave of discussion immediately spread through the crowd.

"Haha, this kid’s hilarious. Picking an Original Stone from the waste pile? Even if he’s broke, he should at least pick one worth a few thousand Purple Elemental Crystals. These Waste Stones aren’t even good enough to be decorations."

"Exactly! This kid probably doesn’t have many Purple Elemental Crystals. Look at the girl with him, her clothes are so tattered. They must have come here to seek refuge with relatives."

"A single Waste Stone... That’s just a bit too pathetic."

The crowd below was abuzz with discussion, but Mu Chen remained completely unfazed. With his eyes still closed and a faint smile on his face, he walked onto the high platform as if taking a leisurely stroll through a courtyard.

When Jiang Tao saw that Mu Chen had chosen a Waste Stone, he instantly dismissed his earlier premonition as a trick of the mind. He then sneered, "And here I thought you were an expert. Turns out you’re just here for the show."

A smile touched Mu Chen’s lips. ’That’s exactly the reaction I wanted.’ He then asked, "In that case, Brother, could you help me appraise this Waste Stone and see what’s inside?"

Jiang Tao was taken aback for a moment, then replied arrogantly, "A Waste Stone? Does it even need appraising? Its surface is rough, its density is too low, and it even has several cracks. It’s obviously just an ordinary rock. And you want this young master to appraise such a common stone? What a joke!" With that, Jiang Tao flicked his sleeve and stepped to the side, as if standing near Mu Chen was beneath him.

Smiling, Mu Chen shook his head, held up the stone, and declared loudly, "I say there’s an Attribute Spirit Crystal hidden inside here. Do you believe me or not?!"

After hearing Mu Chen’s shout, all the onlookers below were momentarily stunned, then suddenly burst into earth-shaking laughter. "A kid is a kid. He doesn’t even think before he brags."

"Haha, little guy, you’re biting off more than you can chew."

"An Attribute Spirit Crystal? Tsk, tsk. You think those are as common as Purple Elemental Crystals?"

Facing the doubt from below, Mu Chen said nothing. He simply walked slowly to the table where Song Ren had been, placing his left hand on the Original Stone. Both Brother Xu and Mouse watched him with confusion. Mu Chen then looked at Jiang Tao and said, "Since you don’t believe me, how about this? I’ll make a bet with you. Do you dare?"

Jiang Tao froze. "A bet? What kind of bet?"

Mu Chen said, "We’ll bet on whether I’m right or wrong. I bet that there’s an Attribute Spirit Crystal hidden inside. Do you dare to take me on?"

Jiang Tao sneered. "Outsiders really are different. So arrogant, without even considering whose territory you’re on. A bet? I, Jiang Tao, have never been afraid of one. Go on, what are the stakes?"

Mu Chen thought for a moment and said, "If I win, you give me the Earth Spirit Crystal in your hand. If I lose, I will pay you the price of one Attribute Spirit Crystal. What do you think?"

Jiang Tao chuckled, but his expression wasn’t entirely contemptuous. He wasn’t some incompetent silk-pants. The fact that Mu Chen was so certain it contained an Attribute Spirit Crystal forced him to be a little more cautious; after all, it pays to be careful. Still, he was more inclined to believe it was a bluff. If he backed down now, he would lose all face in front of so many people. But if he won, it would be a dishonorable victory, making it seem like he was bullying an outsider.

"How about this," Jiang Tao proposed. "If I win, I won’t bully an outsider like you. You won’t have to pay anything; just apologize to everyone for your arrogance. But if you win, forget one Earth Spirit Crystal—I’ll also give you the Wood Spirit Crystal from my Storage Ring. What do you say?"

Jiang Tao’s expression was very humble, making everyone present feel he had the bearing of a master. He greatly enjoyed their looks of admiration. If he won, Mu Chen would suffer no loss, so there would be no talk of him bullying an outsider. On the contrary, he would win everyone’s respect. This was precisely his goal.

Mu Chen smiled faintly. "Young Master Jiang is truly magnanimous. In that case, how about you do the honors of opening this Original Stone, Young Master Jiang?"

Seeing the smug look on Jiang Tao’s face, Mu Chen could only apologize in his heart. ’To participate in this Spirit Selection Conference, to get that worldly treasure, the Stone Immortal... I have no choice but to use you as a stepping stone.’

The conceited Jiang Tao chuckled coldly. "You want me to open it? Since you trust me so much, it would be rude to refuse." As he spoke, Jiang Tao formed his fingers into a claw and made a sharp grasping motion. The Original Stone flew into his hand. Just to be sure, he quickly activated his Pupil Technique. A faint blue halo covered his eyes. It didn’t take long—in just a few breaths, Jiang Tao had thoroughly appraised the Waste Stone. It was, indeed, a Waste Stone.

Therefore, after confirming this, Jiang Tao said with a hint of ’regret,’ "Although I admire your guts for daring to bet with me, I have to tell you, there is no so-called Attribute Spirit Crystal in here." With that, Jiang Tao suddenly clenched his hands. With a muffled THUD, the Waste Stone shattered with a CRASH into countless tiny fragments and dust. But amidst those fine shards lay a thumb-sized, light-green crystal.

"WHOA!!"

As the light-green crystal radiated a brilliant light, every spectator from Stone City stared with their mouths wide open, each one sucking in a sharp breath. "It really is an Attribute Spirit Crystal!"

"And it’s a rare Wind Attribute Spirit Crystal! Heavens! This is the first time a Rare Spirit Crystal has appeared in our Stone City... and it came from a Waste Stone!"

"This... this is fucking defying the heavens..."

Also standing there, slack-jawed and stunned, were Jiang Tao on the high platform and Brother Xu and Mouse by the piles of Original Stones. Jiang Tao was seen muttering, "This is impossible... How could a Waste Stone produce such a rare Wind Attribute Spirit Crystal? I even appraised it! With my Pupil Technique, how could I not have detected the presence of a Spirit Crystal inside? This is impossible!!!"

"It seems I’ve won the bet," Mu Chen said to Jiang Tao, his smile widening.

Hearing this, Jiang Tao trembled, his face turning deathly pale. He had actually lost. He, the Young Patriarch of a Gambling Stone Family, had actually lost to an outsider, a complete novice. ’Was he an expert pretending to be a novice? Or was he just lucky?’

"It must be luck!" After saying this, Jiang Tao’s face was still pale, but his agitated expression calmed down. "I have to admit, your luck is truly incredible. I lost the bet. But I lost to luck, not to you!"

With that, Jiang Tao tossed down a Storage Ring, sped off the high platform, and walked straight into the distance. He couldn’t bear the stares from the crowd. However, the onlookers also accepted his explanation of losing to luck. After all, Rare Attribute Spirit Crystals were just too few and far between. How could one possibly see through them so easily?

But while they might think that, Mouse and Brother Xu, who had been present, did not. They had personally heard what Mu Chen had said beforehand.

A sharp glint suddenly flashed in Brother Xu’s dazed, small eyes. He smiled faintly. "It seems I’ve had an unexpected harvest on this trip back."