Chapter 45: Tips

"Pfft! What did he say? Did I hear that right? Under eight gold coins?"

Hearing Zhang Xuan's bold declaration, everyone gasped, wide-eyed, looking at him as if he were insane.

Is he serious?

Treasure gambling is about thrills and fortune. Any single item here would fetch at least a hundred gold coins. Eight gold coins... what could you possibly buy with that?!

"Is there something wrong with this guy's head?"

"Eight gold coins? Hahahaha, you might as well pick up a handful of dirt from the ground!"

"And 'under eight gold coins'? There's nothing that cheap here, is there?"

...

A moment later, everyone was laughing so hard tears streamed down their faces.

Seriously, kid, are you trying to be a joke?

Where in this place would you find anything under eight gold coins? Not even eighty gold coins would buy you anything decent here!

"What? A prestigious treasure gambling hall like this doesn't even have a single item worth less than eight gold coins? How embarrassing!"

Ignoring the crowd's mockery, Zhang Xuan looked at the stall owner, his face stern and righteous. His predecessor had only left him eight gold coins; he couldn't offer more even if he wanted to.

Everyone exchanged glances again, barely suppressing their laughter. *You* are the one being embarrassing! It's like going to a real estate office and asking if they have a house you can buy for one gold coin. Brother, are you serious? Is there something wrong with your mind?

"There's certainly no treasure worth eight gold coins. Tell you what, pick anything you want from this pile. I'll pay for it. If you make a profit, it's yours. If you lose, just apologize to me as we agreed!"

Seeing the young man's demeanor, 'Master Moyang' looked disdainful. He put his hands behind his back, adopting the air of a superior individual.

"As expected of Master Moyang, such great magnanimity!"

"This young man is just a clown, here to make a fool of himself!"

"I admire the Master's character!"

...

Hearing that the 'Master' was actually willing to pay for his opponent, everyone secretly admired him.

See that? Look at his caliber, then look at this kid... Forget it, let's not compare them. I might just throw up...

"Are you sure?" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up. Knowing the other party was a swindler, he felt no guilt about spending his money.

"Of course, I, Moyang, always keep my word!" 'Master Moyang' declared, as if he were a transcendent being untouched by the mundane world.

"Heh heh, then I'll pick one..."

Zhang Xuan smiled slightly and strode up to the stall, looking at the pile of treasures. Since the opponent had selected a small item, he naturally couldn't choose a large one. Besides, large items would take a lot of time and effort to polish.

"This kid is truly shameless!"

"Yeah, I really don't know why Master Moyang is so good-tempered. If I met someone like this, I would have slapped them away long ago!"

"Insulting the Master, then spending the Master's money to buy something... shameless!"

...

Seeing that the young man showed no remorse, but was instead cheerfully picking out an item, everyone was speechless. They had seen thick-skinned people before, but never this thick. You openly attacked the Master, calling him a swindler. Regardless of anything else, you're in an adversarial relationship. How could you have the nerve to spend his money to buy something and then compete against him? You're too much!

Ignoring the crowd's chatter, Zhang Xuan touched each item he saw. Soon, he picked a palm-sized treasure and handed it over.

"That's also 200 gold coins!" the stall owner said nonchalantly after a glance.

"Master, please pay quickly!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand, showing no sign of embarrassment.

"..." 'Master Moyang's' face darkened. He had intended to make the other party look foolish, but the young man had taken his offer literally, making Moyang seem like a mere servant. Suppressing the urge to strangle the young man, he paid the money.

"Alright, let's polish it right here, with everyone watching, so no one can claim it's fake!" Zhang Xuan gestured grandly.

"Hmph, once it's polished, let's see if you're still so arrogant!"

Seeing the young man's actions, the stall owner's teeth itched with irritation. He casually retrieved the polishing tools and began to work on the item bit by bit.

Before long, the item, previously covered in moss and rock, revealed its true appearance. It was a translucent stone, emitting a soft, warm glow.

"This is... a Linglong Stone?" Someone in the crowd cried out upon seeing the stone's appearance, their voice filled with disbelief.

"What's a Linglong Stone?" Some recognized it, while others did not.

"You don't know this? Linglong Stone is one of the main materials for crafting Ghost-grade weapons! Each piece is incredibly valuable, practically priceless and rarely seen on the market!" The person who spoke first was breathing rapidly.

Weapons are categorized as Divine, Saint, Spirit, Ghost, and Mortal! In a place like Tianxuan Kingdom, even perfected Mortal-grade weapons are rare, let alone Ghost-grade weapons. Each one would likely fetch a sky-high price. A single piece of a primary material for crafting a Ghost-grade weapon, once put up for auction, would surely drive countless families and powerful individuals into a frenzy.

"How much is it worth, approximately?" Those unfamiliar with the item couldn't help but ask. While describing its rarity didn't provide a clear concept, stating its value would make everything clear.

"A few years ago, I heard a piece was auctioned in the Liuzhu Kingdom. It was smaller than this, only egg-sized, but it fetched fifty thousand gold coins! This piece is so much larger, and its purity seems higher. It must be worth at least a hundred thousand..." The speaker swallowed hard.

"One hundred thousand..."

Everyone present nearly went mad. He bought something for 200 gold coins and it turned out to be worth 100,000? A 500-fold increase... Is this for real?

"This... this..." The stall owner's hand trembled as he stared incredulously at the item in his hand. As a treasure gambling stall owner, he recognized many treasures and their prices. He knew the person who spoke earlier was absolutely correct! This item was definitely worth that price!

"Impossible... I must be mistaken..."

While the crowd was stunned, Master Moyang felt like he was about to have a seizure. He had expected his opponent to choose something worthless, allowing him to mock him and reassert his authority as a master. He never dreamed that Zhang Xuan would pick such an incredible treasure. Both items were bought for 200 gold coins, but his own was only worth 2,000, while the other's was worth 100,000... The difference was simply too vast!

"This Linglong Stone, I'm auctioning it now, highest bidder wins!" Already knowing what the item was, Zhang Xuan showed no surprise. He took the treasure from the stall owner's hand and surveyed the crowd.

"I bid 100,000!" The person who had recognized the Linglong Stone earlier was the first to shout. While 100,000 gold coins was a large sum, compared to a treasure like the Linglong Stone, the latter was definitely more valuable.

"I bid 110,000!" Someone else also recognized its value.

"120,000..."

...

Soon, the price settled at 153,000 gold coins, claimed by a wealthy middle-aged man.

"This is a principal bearer bond from the Tianxuan Exchange. With this, you can withdraw 153,000 gold coins from any Tianxuan Exchange branch in Tianxuan City!" The middle-aged man took the Linglong Stone and handed over a stack of gold notes. Gold coins were heavy and inconvenient for circulation. Just like in ancient times, paper currency like gold notes had emerged here.

"Mhm!" Zhang Xuan glanced at it, confirmed it was genuine, and casually tucked it into his robe. Then, he took out a 1,000 gold coin note and walked towards 'Master Moyang', who was not far away: "You paid 200 gold coins for me earlier. Keep the change from this 1,000 as a tip!"