The old man grumbled silently. Young people nowadays were difficult to handle. He continued, “Just continue walking ahead until you cross two streets. You’ll find a shop called Emerald Studio. All you need to do is enter. You’ll find the real stone gambling street there.”He did not forget to give Chase a reminder.“There’s something else, young man. If you really want to visit that street, you’ll need to pay a fee at Emerald Studio. If there’s something you need, there’s no difference in buying it on this street. No one would be able to tell the difference if that person isn’t an expert…“Hey, where are you going?”Chase rubbed his nose. He was right. There was something up with this place.However, he did not expect this place to be divided into two streets.This street only sold fake stones.The real stone gambling street was in another place.It made sense. The stones on this street could only be used to con people.The real stone gambling street would have no lack of cust
All Chase had to do was wait for the last person to get his hands on that stone. He would convince that person to sell the stone back to him. If that person refused, Chase would just snatch the stone if he had to.Everyone present felt nervous as they stared at the owner cutting the stone. They watched it without blinking. Their eyes were glued to the stone as they held their breaths. The machine quietly slid down to cut the stone.The anxious look in everyone’s eyes turned to disappointment as the sound of the stone being halved rang in the air.That slice cut the stone in half, and the smooth cut surface looked dull. There was no sign that this stone contained anything precious. Most of the spectators were disappointed, but they insisted on continue watching it.Dominic was especially focused on this. He had a group of men behind him, and when he saw that the stone yielded nothing, he cursed out loud in anger. He had both hands behind his back and held back his anger as he did no
It was just a useless piece of crap. It did not matter how much Dominic asked for it, it could not be worth as much as before.Chase did not name a price. He wanted Dominic to be the one to suggest a price.“I spent 50 grand on this stone. All my cigar money has been thrown in. I won’t sell anything to you if you don’t give me at least ten or 20 grand.”He spoke like a true head honcho. Everyone could see that all that was left of the stone were broken-up pieces.What else was there to be cut open? There was nothing left inside! How could he ask for ten or 20 grand for the crumbled pieces?!He had to be dreaming!“Don’t be stupid.”The man Chase spoke to was worried that Chase would actually take up the offer. He pulled Chase back to stop Chase from saying anything further.Everyone began discussing this.There was not much left of the stone, and it was quite an anxious situation to be in.“Nothing much is left. You can’t bully someone out of town like this, Dominic!” A col
There was no point doing something like that when he could cut a new stone for ten thousand.Chase was not affected by what the crowd was discussing. He took the remaining stones from the stall owner happily. He removed a piece of stone, which was the stone that contained the spiritual crystal.“Do you plan to cut your stone here, sir?” The stall owner asked Chase when he handed the cut-up stones over to him.Chase did not want the stones cut in public. Otherwise, Dominic might create trouble for him. Chase did not mind facing Dominic, but there was no need to give himself so much trouble.The crowd was still hanging around. Chase put away the stones and turned to leave. That was when he saw Enola and Enzo standing at the side.“Hey, Enola, isn’t that man your bodyguard? He’s such a joke. I wondered who that stupid guy was and it turned out to be him.”Enzo and Enola had been there for quite a while, but they could not squeeze through the crowd due to too many people standing aro
“Return it? Hey, what’s the look you’re giving me?! I bought this translucent stone with Enola in the high-end stone area over there. I spent a million on it. There’s bound to be something good in there. Not everyone can be like you, willing to spend money on useless stones.”There were many types of stones available, and the icy gem stone was known to be a more expensive type of gem.“What if there’s nothing inside the stone after you cut it?” Chase asked with a smile.“Nonsense! Who do you think you are? I’ve been around here for years and won’t ever pick a stone with nothing in it. Do you trust me, Enola?” Enzo was enraged to hear Chase doubting him.He was the owner of the underground auction house of Chitara. How could he continue holding his head up if he could not pick a good stone?“You have to trust me, Enola. Let’s go. We should ignore people like him who don’t know what he’s talking about.” Enzo looked at Chase with animosity.“I didn’t say I don’t trust you, Enzo.” En
Enzo sneered and said to Waylan Bolden, “Cut it open. I’ll make sure you reap the benefits as well if there’s something good in there.”“Alright.” This was a good deal for Waylan, and he was quite enthusiastic about it. He spat on both his hands.He grabbed the handle of the stone cutter. Everyone was watching intently, and he could feel the pressure that came with their stares.“Let’s start from the corner.”He marked all four sharp corners of the stone with a pencil before placing the stone under the cutter. He began to cut into it.When he cut the four sharp corners, dust flew everywhere, but there was no sign of any precious gem. If this was an icy gem stone, they would have seen some signs of a gem by now.Waylan was puzzled. However, he continued scooping water and pouring some over the surface of the stone. The water flowed along the gray sides of the stone.He laughed awkwardly. “Don’t be impatient, everyone. It could be because I didn’t cut the corners deep enough, whic
Everyone was surprised by this and laughed at Enzo with pointed fingers.“Look at this. He claimed that it was an icy gem stone. Hahahah! It’s just a useless piece of stone.”“To think he was so gleeful about it!”“That’s right!”“Looks like there’s a limit to the experience of the underground auction house owner. His expertise is just the same as ours!”Enzo’s face turned pale. He did not believe what he saw. He stumbled and fell sitting on the ground in a daze. How was that possible?He had never missed a mark before. Even though it required some luck, there were still some skills to it.Enola felt terrible to see Enzo look so beaten up. He had even wanted to give her whatever treasure was in that stone. A million had gone down the drain just like that!“Impossible!” Enzo suddenly jumped up from the ground. He grabbed Waylan by the collar with great force. Enzo lost control of himself and went a little crazy. He had never felt so humiliated before.“Talk! It must be your sto
“That sounds quite reasonable. After all, he did say he would take responsibility. There’s no comparing a stone worth a million with a stone worth ten thousand.”Everyone began discussing this.“What a waste of time!” Chase said and turned to leave.It would be fine if his stone was cut without anyone of expertise around. They would think that it was a jewel at best. However, if a cultivator spotted it, there would be endless trouble.“If you don’t cut open that piece of crap today, I guarantee that as the owner of this auction house, you'll never buy another piece of stone in Chitara’s stone gambling street ever again,” Enzo threatened Chase when Chase did not agree to this.Chase heard this. He finally turned back. It was not because he was afraid. Chase believed that with Enzo’s capabilities, he would not be able to do as he threatened.However, since someone really wanted to see what was inside the useless stone he had bought for ten thousand, he might as well let them have a
A strange air of authority could be felt coming from him."How did this happen?"The skeletal old man's eyes widened, and his heart beat violently. He was trembling.Chase looked just like a demon king.He took a step forward. The earth and sky tremored as cracks appeared on the ground.Chase's physique suddenly expanded exponentially. His skin was bright red, and his bones seemed to be clanging. A strong dark blood energy flooded out from him.Chase waved his arms about crazily. Explosions went off in the air. Every punch he swung was followed by the terrifying sound of an explosion.The surface of the graveyard collapsed from Chase's savage strength.Chase crushed half the skeletal old man's face with one punch, and the old man's body flew off several yards away.Meanwhile, Chase was suffering from backlash because the true energy reserves within his body had erupted. Bloody arrows began shooting out of him."Only a little of my true energy is left!" Chase said sadly.Even
"You're pretty formidable for a young man. You were actually able to stop the spiritual resentments from going any further. You're a Collins, indeed!"The skeletal old man chuckled. "But that doesn't mean anything. You still won't be able to escape death today!"He crashed the Phantom Coffin viciously toward Chase.Chase grunted coldly and took a step forward. He evaded the Phantom Coffin.He leaped and flew into the air. Chase moved in the formation of an eight trigram and kept shimmering because of his high speed.Chase punched the Phantom Coffin continuously, and it flew off to crash heavily by the feet of the skeletal old man. He jumped at it and evaded the crash in a fluster."My coffin!"He was almost crying.The Phantom Coffin was his most valuable possession. It was built using more than a dozen rare and precious medicinal herbs. He had put a lot of effort into it, but Chase was treating it like a punching bag, denting it all over with his attacks."You're dead!" The s
"Swallow it!"Chase growled. His Sea of True Energy core began to surge and boil. It overwhelmed him like huge waves from the sea, and wisps of silver-white mist steamed from him. The mist gathered to his palm and wrapped the spiritual resentment within it.The silver spiritual spring was the liquid form of the Sky Spirit Energy's essence. It could purify the physique and enhance one's potential. It could strengthen the energy and blood within the body and increase one's cultivation talent."Swallow it!"The silver mist was like a huge vortex which slowly consumed the spiritual resentment.The minuscule purple crystal sword shuddered and tore itself away from Chase's control as it shot into the air above."How is that possible?" Chase's eyes widened. He was stunned.He could sense that the spiritual resentment he had worked hard for days to train had escaped his grip because of the Phantom Sword. It was even rushing toward the outer realm.Chase quickly used his mystical techni
As the runes on the Phantom Coffin began to glow brilliantly, a deafening explosion echoed through the air. A streak of ghostly green fire erupted from the coffin, surging toward Chase."What a dense ghostly aura," Chase muttered.Marais let out a crazed laugh. "That's the Phantom Flame! It burns the soul itself. You're doomed, boy! Your soul will be reduced to ashes!"The Phantom Flame was birthed from the condensed resentment of countless trapped souls and was a force of terrifying destruction.Once it latched onto its target, extinguishing it was impossible. Marais had spent centuries cultivating just a fragment of this flame. Now, using it against Chase was both his ultimate weapon and revenge."Have you finished rambling, you old fart?" Chase's cold voice cut through the air."What?" Marais froze, confused by Chase's tone."I asked if you were done," Chase repeated as his icy eyes locked onto Marais.Golden light radiated from Chase's body like a blazing sun. His hand lash
Chase paused, his expression shifting with curiosity."What's this?" he muttered to himself."Ha! Foolish boy, this is the Phantom Coffin, a weapon I painstakingly refined over decades!" Marais sneered. "This coffin isolates everything, even your spiritual senses. You won't be able to detect my presence!""Phantom Coffin, seal the souls!" Marais intoned while his hands formed seals.A massive black coffin materialized and descended like a storm cloud, enveloping Chase. In an instant, Chase felt his head grow heavy. His vision turned blurry, and his spiritual senses waver."Childish tricks," Chase scoffed as he activated his spiritual force.Yet to his surprise, his senses detected an eerie sight within the coffin—countless trapped souls writhing and roaring in an endless struggle, as if yearning to escape their imprisonment.'Impressive. It seems Secret Sect's elders are even stronger than I anticipated,' Chase thought grimly.He could tell that these souls, even if diminished,
As soon as Chase said this, he launched another strike.The battle between Chase and Marais intensified. Their moves shifted rapidly, and in a matter of moments, they had exchanged over ten blows without a clear winner."Hmm?" Marais' expression shifted to one of surprise."Your physical strength seems to have increased," he remarked. "It appears you've consumed quite a few rare treasures. No matter—it saves me the effort!"Marais' body trembled, his clothes billowing. From his frail form, skeletal branches grew like weathered wood, weaving into black armor. This was a secret technique that enhanced his defense and sped up his recovery."This body is too old," Marais admitted coldly. "Although it holds martial deity-level power, its lifespan is nearly spent. It's no longer fit for my cultivation."Only by devouring your flesh and blood can I replenish my vitality. Perhaps then, I can be reborn!"With that, Marais pushed off the ground with explosive force, hurtling toward Chase.
Chase let out a cold laugh."Do you think such petty tricks can scare me?"Before his words had faded, Chase leaped directly into the swarm of ghostly entities. Though these phantom tactics were far from ordinary, he showed no fear."Hehe…""Delicious…""Hahaha…""Feed us!"The ghostly figures lunged at Chase with terrifying cries and wails that pierced the air. It was chilling to anyone who heard them."Just a mere gathering of dark energy, and you think it can trap me?" Chase sneered dismissively.Golden light burst forth from his body, shining like a radiant star. As he wielded his golden spear, Chase swept it across the ghostly swarm in a move that generated a violent gust, scattering the ghostly entities.His hands moved swiftly, forming intricate seals. Two streams of true energy intertwined and coalesced into a spiraling drill."Break!" Chase roared, channeling his energy into the drill and slamming it into Achilles' forehead.Achilles' skull exploded instantly, his
Snowflakes drifted through the air as the icy wind cut to the bone.Chase stood motionless, his expression calm but resolute. He summoned the power of the elements and unleashed his strongest technique—Five Thunder Break.A brilliant streak of lightning roared like a furious dragon, crashing down with devastating force.The steel-hard ice formed by the Earth Vein Prison shattered instantly.Achilles coughed up blood. His chest was pierced through as a crimson mist sprayed across his garments."How are you this powerful?!" Achilles gasped with terror flickering in his eyes.Before he could process what had happened, a golden spear streaked through the air and stabbed into his shoulder.Blood gushed forth, staining the ground.Nonetheless, Chase was not done. He bent his left arm slightly, and with a swift punch, he struck Achilles with the force of a collapsing mountain.Achilles let out a groan as his body flew through the air, crashing into the earth with a sickening thud.C
Chase squinted, and a flicker of intrigue crossed his face."Indeed," Achilles said coldly. "This Earth Vein Prison was crafted from rare minerals I personally excavated, materials used to forge supreme artifacts and array cores. You're already doomed.""Oh?" Chase raised an eyebrow."I'll give you a chance to live," Achilles declared with hands clasped behind his back. "Tell me about the Collins family, and I might consider granting you a painless death."Chase responded with a faint smile and shook his head as if mocking the offer."What's so funny?" Achilles' brows furrowed, anger flashing in his eyes.Surveying his surroundings with a casual glance, Chase replied with a scornful tone, "This so-called Earth Vein Prison is hardly impressive.""You insolent whelp!" Achilles snarled, his anger erupting. "Since you've chosen death, I'll ensure it's delivered!"As his words fell, Achilles unleashed a massive palm strike from a distance, aimed directly at Chase.The devastating f