To most people, gambling on them was nothing but luck. A dangerous game of chance.
But for appraisers, there was more to it. They didn't possess x-ray vision, nor could they truly see inside the orb. What they relied on was something subtler—instinct sharpened by experience.
Their ability to judge came from sensing weight, balance, texture, resonance—even the faintest pulse of spiritual energy. These things gave them a sliver of certainty. A percentage.
It was never absolute, but a trained appraiser's confidence could change outcomes. That's why they were respected, and why their words could sway fortunes.
Wu Chen himself had once learned from the shadows of these very masters.
So he took a quiet breath and began to step forward, ready to inspect the orbs more closely.
But before he could go far, a sneering voice cut through the noise of the hall.
"Look at this peasant. Do you even have the money to be here?"
Wu Chen turned slowly to face a young man draped in shimmering violet silk, his fingers adorned with glowing rings. He stood smugly behind Wu Chen, arms crossed. His sharp jaw was lifted in contempt, his tone dripping with arrogance. Behind him trailed several sycophantic followers, all wearing mocking grins.
Li Wei who stood beside Wu Chen frowned and stepped forward, his protective instinct rising. "Who are you?"
The young man scoffed. "You don't even know who I am? Lin Yufeng, of the Heavenly Blade Sect! My father controls several spirit mines across the kingdom."
He smirked, eyes narrowing at Wu Chen. "And you two… nameless wanderers? Rogue cultivators with no background? How pathetic."
Wu Chen remained silent, his expression unreadable. Years of hardship had taught him one truth—dogs bark loudest when they feel safest. And this one wasn't worth barking back at.
Lin Yufeng's lip curled when met with silence. "No retort? How dull. Tell me, can you even afford to breathe this rarefied air, let alone gamble here?"
Wu Chen's eyes drifted away from the young man, already losing interest. He scanned the tables before him. The flashy, radiant orbs dominated the center display—each one exuding spiritual light meant to lure the greedy and untrained. Their surfaces shimmered under the lanterns, carefully arranged to look valuable.
But among them, his gaze caught on one that was different.
A small, cracked stone sat quietly near the edge of a modest table—its surface coated in a layer of dirt, completely unremarkable compared to the others. It had no shine. No glow. Just an odd stillness.
But Wu Chen's eyes narrowed slightly.
To most people, it was worthless. Just a broken rock.
But to him… there was something ancient within it. Faint, like a whisper. But powerful.
Because of his Supreme Intelligence his perception was unlike others. Where appraisers and common cultivators relied on visual clues or spiritual intuition, Wu Chen saw deeper. Not only with sight, but with something more precise His instinct.
It was that same instinct that had helped him survive the demonic creatures during the Trial—where others saw shadows, he saw openings.
Now, he felt that same certainty again.
Without hesitation, he walked past Lin Yufeng—ignoring his words like one would ignore the chirping of insects—and approached the table.
An apprentice appraiser stood behind it, The apprentice appraisers are individual who have stepped into the path of appraising but aren't qualified to be called one yet. The apprentice a middle-aged man with a bored expression, clearly not expecting any real business from someone dressed in plain robes clearly not from a clan.
Wu Chen pointed at the dull stone.
"This one," he said calmly.
The moment Wu Chen selected the grime-covered orb, A few onlookers who had been watching the commotion between Wu Chen and Lin Yufeng couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Ha! This fool actually thinks that dirt-clod is worth something!"
"That thing is trash!"
"He's throwing away his gold for a rock!"
The crowd's derision grew louder, echoing across the gambling hall.
Even the apprentice who was attending to Wu Chen hesitated, holding the cracked orb between his fingers like a piece of rotting fruit. "Sir Are you certain? This one hasn't been touched in years—even the low-tier appraisers dismissed it as worthless."
Seeing this Lin Yufeng's who was about to burst into rage for being ignored by Wu Chen smirk, his eyes glinting with cruel amusement. He stepped forward, his silk robes shimmering under the golden lantern light. "You actually want that piece of trash? Fine. But let's make this interesting."
Wu Chen met his gaze evenly. "Oh? And what do you propose?"
Lin Yufeng crossed his arms arrogantly. "I'll pick a stone too. Whoever gets the better treasure, the loser pays the winner—one million gold coins."
Gasps rippled through the hall.
Even an elder sipping tea in a quiet corner chuckled. "Youngsters these days… throwing around fortunes like it's pocket change."
One million gold coins. A sum large enough to buy an estate, command servants, or even fund a small sect.
Li Wei's brows furrowed. 'Why would someone pick a fight with a total stranger in a gambling den? And for that much? Just because the person is in same gambling den. It didn't make sense to him—there was no logic behind such pettiness.
But had Wu Chen known Li Wei's thoughts, he would've merely smiled, he wouldn't have been surprised.
After all, he had grown up in this very kingdom and understood its people all too well. These types—pampered heirs and arrogant young masters—were little more than bullies in silk. To them, a plain robe without a clan insignia was a declaration of weakness. It marked him as a rogue cultivator, a wanderer without backing or power.
And if there's one thing bullies in this kingdom loved more than flaunting their status—it was stepping on those they deemed beneath them.
Li Wei leaned closer, whispering urgently, "Teacher, we don't even have that kind of money, let alone enough to lose it!"
But Wu Chen simply smiled. Calm and Certain. "Fine. Let's bet."