Chapter 136: What Kind of Treasure Is This?

"This is clearly common junk, absolutely a worthless stone. There is no need to even cut it open to know that," someone remarked.

"Too obvious; it's definitely a dud."

Almost everyone present frowned and echoed these sentiments. Even the veteran stone-cutter shook his head and said, "There is no need at all to cut this raw stone."

Li Jiansan insisted, "Cut it open. Otherwise, some people might try to back out of their bet."

The veteran, maintaining his professional integrity, proceeded to cut it carefully, even though he considered it a waste of time.

"Sigh, this is clearly a piece of waste rock. Why is this kid wasting everyone's time?"

"He paid a high price for it, so I guess he wants to die with a clear understanding of his failure."

"Truly, some people never give up until they hit rock bottom..."

Sneers and mocking laughter rippled through the crowd. Everyone was convinced that Li Jiansan's raw stone held nothing and that cutting it was entirely pointless.

As the master’s blade descended, the unremarkable stone cracked open with a sharp snap. The moment it split, a soft light radiated from within, revealing a black ring embedded in the stone layer. Had the master not been so skilled with his blade, he might have sliced right through it.

"Huh? There’s actually something inside! What is that thing?"

"It looks like a ring..."

The onlookers gasped in astonishment. None of them had expected that such a nondescript stone could yield anything of value. Even the master was stunned, muttering to himself, "To think this stone held a treasure; how interesting..."

Yang Ling’s expression shifted, "He actually guessed one correctly by luck. But what is a broken ring even worth?" He scoffed, "Do you really think you can win against me with just this? It’s laughable."

The master meticulously peeled away the remaining stone casing. Once finished, he picked up the black ring and examined it closely, his voice rising in shock: "This is a storage ring! I cannot believe I misjudged it."

As the master’s words settled, a wave of murmurs swept through the crowd:

"A storage ring was actually inside that stone!"

"That’s a storage ring—a treasure capable of holding items!"

"I remember he picked this from the third courtyard. The value of this ring is dozens of times higher than the cost of the stone!"

"He earned dozens of times his investment in the blink of an eye. This kid is not as simple as he looks."

Seeing this, Yang Ling’s face darkened. "He just stumbled upon a lucky break. Hmph, even if you found a storage ring, so what? Even if you find two more, you still won't beat me."

After a brief moment of surprise, Li Jiansan handed over the second stone. "Master, please open the second one."

Having witnessed the first success, the master’s attitude toward Li Jiansan had become significantly more polite. "Very well."

However, the result of the second stone left the master deeply disappointed. Once cut, it revealed nothing at all.

"The first one yielded a ring, but this second one..." The master looked at Li Jiansan with a puzzled expression. Could it be that the first one was merely a stroke of luck, and the boy knew nothing about stone gambling?

It wasn't just him; the surrounding crowd also hesitated.

"This is... a bit embarrassing."

"Embarrassing? He's practically already lost."

"Indeed. If his third stone doesn't yield a treasure, he's finished."

Li Jiansan, however, remained unfazed. He glanced at the crowd before turning his attention to the master. "Master, please cut the third stone."

"Fine." The master no longer held any expectations for Li Jiansan and just wanted to finish the job.

Yang Ling stood to the side, sneering, "Heh, kid, there's no need to waste the master’s time with this last piece, is there? Is there even any point in cutting it?"

"Of course there is. I'm afraid someone might try to welch on the bet later. It’s better to cut them all open for clarity, so that certain people won't have room to deny the results," Li Jiansan said calmly.

"What did you say?" Yang Ling’s brow furrowed. He glared at Li Jiansan and said coldly, "Look at what that last piece is—a piece of garbage the size of a finger. You expect to find treasure in that?"

"Stop daydreaming. I’m telling you, this is even worse than waste rock. You're a fool who doesn't understand stone gambling. Nothing will come of this, and even if it did, it couldn't possibly be anything good. Don't dream of winning against me with this last stone."

After Yang Ling finished his tirade, Li Jiansan ignored him completely and placed the third stone before the master. "Master, please proceed."

"Hmph, I want to see what kind of trash you've managed to hide in that last lump of rock," Yang Ling added with a cold snort.

The master began to cut the final stone. One had to admire his professionalism; even though he believed it was impossible for this piece to contain a treasure, he still worked with extreme care. Because the stone was so small—only the size of a finger—the master had to be even more cautious than before. One wrong move could shatter the entire thing and potentially damage whatever lay inside, even if he believed there was nothing there.

After a while, the master switched to a smaller carving knife, his movements becoming even more delicate.

"Kid, look at that. Still nothing. You're making the master go through all this trouble; how do you live with yourself?"

Li Jiansan smiled. "You claim to know what's inside before it's even cut? Do you possess the power of prophecy?"

"If you're so gifted with foresight, why did the second stone you chose turn up empty?"

Li Jiansan’s expression grew mocking. "Could it be that you’re just a fool with too much money?"

"You wouldn't, would you..."

Yang Ling’s face turned livid. "You..."

"If you can't predict the future, stop spouting nonsense!" Li Jiansan retorted coldly.

"Fine, fine! I’ll wait and see what you manage to get. Don’t end up losing your shirt and having nothing left," Yang Ling threatened.

*Crack...*

As the master slowly cut away, the last stone began to shed its outer layers. Finally, as the master made another pass, a brilliant golden light erupted from within the stone.

Witnessing this, the surrounding crowd, including Yang Ling, were stunned into silence. They could only guess: given such a powerful aura, what kind of treasure could it possibly be?