CHAPTER 109: CHAPTER 44: THE STRANGE GAMBLE ON STONES

When Gu Feng saw that Magic Wand, his eyes widened incredulously, and he felt so awkward that he didn’t even know where to put his hands and feet.

Even with his poor eyesight, he could tell that this Magic Wand was much better than the one he had destroyed earlier. To think that in just one night, Yun Sheng had actually managed to craft such an excellent Magic Wand.

Unable to decline Yun Sheng’s kindness, Gu Feng took the Scepter, and as soon as his hand gripped the Magic Wand, a wave of warmth shot through his right arm, making his clumsy fingers oddly nimble. He steadied his mind and chanted a Detoxification Magic spell.

Although he felt his gathering of Magic Elements was much easier than before, his stuttering chant still hindered the effectiveness of the magic.

Yun Sheng frowned. It seemed Gu Feng’s stuttering was a significant problem.

But Gu Feng himself was already very satisfied. Previously, without a Magic Wand, his Detoxification Magic would only succeed once in five attempts, but just now, he had succeeded in just two attempts. This Magic Wand was truly miraculous.

In the midst of his astonishment, a surge of ecstatic joy washed over him like a tidal wave.

Yun Sheng observed Gu Feng’s chanting process closely and realized, just as Master Mei Li had said, Gu Feng lacked neither Magic Talent but confidence and stability.

Normally, his stuttering when speaking was quite mild, but it became severe when he chanted, which would be fatal in combat. An opponent could easily kill Gu Feng countless times during his failed chanting.

Perhaps a Demon Beast Soul Stone could make up for this flaw of Gu Feng’s.

Yun Sheng stroked his chin, pondering what kind of Demon Beast Soul Stone to find for Gu Feng. The Demon Beast didn’t need to be very powerful, but it had to be exceptionally quick in Magic Chanting.

After all, no one would expect a Light Element Mage to charge into the fray.

As soon as he heard Yun Sheng planned to find another soul stone for him, Gu Feng shook his head like a rattle-drum, "It won’t do... Soul stones are too expensive. I... I can’t afford them."

Acquiring soul stones boils down to buying or hunting. Since Master Mei Li is currently developing New Magic Potions, she cannot afford to be distracted by taking Gu Feng out to hunt a suitable Demon Beast and get a soul stone, leaving the only option to be buying soul stones from Crystal Stone or Magic Wand Shops.

However, the effectiveness of such obtained soul stones would be greatly reduced, and the outrageous price is certainly not something a poor guy like Gu Feng could afford.

"I know a place where you can get relatively affordable and good-quality soul stones," Qi intervened with a deep voice.

According to Master Mei Li’s expectations, the members of Magic Potion Group Thirteen must advance and retreat together like three grasshoppers tied to the same straw during the final assessment.

Under such pressure, Qi had to mingle with Yun Sheng and Gu Feng.

Qi had seen Gu Feng using the new Magic Wand just a moment ago.

Yun Sheng and Gu Feng both stared at Qi in amazement, as if him taking the initiative to speak was a spectacle as astonishing as a red rain in the sky.

Underneath the dark green Magic Robe, Qi felt somewhat uncomfortable with their gaze: "Wanlong Gambling House."

Yun Sheng finally understood why Qi often disappeared late at night and was nowhere to be seen during the day except for classes.

This little brat had a part-time job outside the academy, and it was at the largest gambling house in Yujing.

It’s quite normal for public students to be financially strapped. For someone like Yun Sheng, who had medical expertise, there was no worry about the food problem. However, for most public students, earning money was always a significant issue to resolve.

Whether it’s repairing a Magic Wand, buying a soul stone, or purchasing materials for crafting Magic Medicine, it all costs money.

Qi is an "orphan" with no family support, and the small subsidy for public students from the academy was obviously not enough to cover his expenses.

After nightfall, the Wanlong Gambling House, known as the liveliest gambling den in Yujing, was just starting to buzz with activity.

The Wanlong Gambling House, an infamous gold-swallowing place in the city, stood four stories high, entertaining guests ranging from commoners to royals and nobles, wealthy foreign merchants, and even magicians, martial artists, and summoners frequented its floors.

With glittering glazed tiles and gilded columns, pure gold-paved floors, and walls carved with lighting magic arrays, it operated throughout the night, attracting tens of thousands of gamblers going in and out.

Gu Feng was initially alarmed when he first heard about going to the gambling house, but after Yun Sheng’s persistent coaxing and nudging, he unwillingly followed him to the Wanlong Gambling House.

To avoid drawing attention, Yun Sheng and Gu Feng wore the same magic cloaks as Qi, making their way into the Wanlong Gambling House.

Upon entering the gambling house, Yun Sheng noticed the bustling crowd, with all sorts of people present; Qi’s striking dark green magic cloak did not attract too much attention among the gamblers.

"Qi, you’re here," greeted the staff of the Wanlong Gambling House warmly upon seeing Qi.

In a place like the Wanlong Gambling House, where all sorts of people mingled, including those who caused trouble after losing money, its standing in Yujing was also due to the formidable guard team that oversaw the venue.

Most of the guard team consisted of martial artists, with magicians and summoners among them as well.

Qi was a member of the Wanlong Guard, having come to the gambling house to look for a part-time job at the beginning of the year.

At that time, the members of the guard team mocked him for being young and merely an ordinary magician, ridiculing him for not knowing what was good for him.

Little did they know, with just a wave of his snake staff, the man who laughed at him the loudest turned into a puddle of pus.

After that incident, Qi stayed on.

The young man was not talkative, and his identity remained a mystery; most guessed he was still a student at the Magic Academy. But whenever there was trouble in the gambling house, he was always the quickest to act, striking with lethal precision. Over time, he built a small reputation within the guard team.

Now, no one mocked Qi for his youth anymore.

On the Wuji Continent, strength was everything; regardless if one was an elderly sage or a greenhorn child, as long as one’s power was superior, they earned the right to be addressed as a senior.

"I’ve brought two friends over; they’d like to ascend to the fourth floor to join the ’Stone Gambling Feast,’" said Qi, his tone as indifferent as ever.

The Wanlong Gambling House had four floors: the first was open to ordinary commoners, the second to wealthy patrons with a minimum of ten thousand Gold Coins in chips, the third to royals, nobles, and distinguished literati.

As for the fourth floor, most Shengjing citizens couldn’t set foot there, no matter how rich they were.

Only martial artists, magicians, or summoners could ascend to the fourth floor by presenting their respective identification credentials.

Because there, a very special sort of gambling took place, known as stone gambling.

The stone gambling of the Wuji Continent was not like the contemporary sense of stone gambling known to Yun Sheng, the wagering of jade, agate and such; here, it referred to soul stones.

Only those qualified to use soul stones were allowed up to the fourth floor of the Wanlong House to gamble with them.

As for the specific method of gambling, Qi was unaware; he had only overheard guards mention that with some luck, one could buy high-quality soul stones in the Wanlong Gambling House at a meager price.

So, he brought the perplexed Yun Sheng and Gu Feng along.