14. Return fully loaded_1

Seven, seven petals?

Song He deliberately slowed his pace, reconfirming he wasn't seeing things.

'Is my luck really that good, or is there something to be said for the fate and luck of this object?'

At this moment, Song He was happy.

But he was also facing a dilemma.

There were only three or four people here now; if he were to directly guess seven petals, wouldn't that make too big a splash?

That clashed with his plan for steady development.

Yet, if he were to give up on guessing the seven-petalled Daynight Flower and choose another, Song He couldn't bear it—seven petals meant sevenfold, his spirit stones could instantly surge to three thousand three hundred and twenty-five.

He could lie back and relax for a long time then.

'What to do, what should I do...'

While he hesitated, suddenly a group of people arrived, with Senior Brother Meng walking over with a smile, a fan waving in his hand, as if surrounded by a host of stars.

Song He's eyes lit up as he pulled Zhou Yue to one side.

Perfect timing, Senior Brother Meng! With you here, no matter what I bet on, it won't seem too conspicuous.

With this "Child of Fate and Luck" who made several hundred thousand spirit stones in one day as his backing, the spirit stones were as good as in his pocket.

He didn't care how the other had guessed so accurately.

He didn't care how much the other had earned either.

As long as he could make the urgently needed spirit stones, he would be content.

Satisfaction brings eternal happiness.

Hiding inconspicuously among the crowd, Song He watched as Senior Brother Meng approached the jade table and scrutinized the seeds in the pot.

He frowned tightly and then relaxed.

After several cycles of this behavior, he took out his storage bag embroidered with gold silk threads and tossed it to the Inner Sect cultivator manning the table.

He spoke casually:

"This flower isn't bad, I bet on nine petals, eight hundred fifty-thousand spirit stones!"

As soon as these words were uttered, the surrounding onlooking cultivators exploded like a pot boiling over.

"He's betting eight hundred and fifty thousand spirit stones all at once?"

"Nine petals?"

"This, this, this... Senior Brother Meng wants to make a huge profit!"

Some were surprised and excited, others were skeptical and disapproving.

"Isn't this too risky?"

"Greed leads to loss; Junior Brother Meng is still too arrogant."

"If a nine-petalled Daynight Flower blooms, it might even alarm the Sect Leader!"

What was initially a relatively quiet Flower Guessing House suddenly turned into a chaotic marketplace, to the point where Song He felt like he was being assailed by the quacking of countless ducks.

If cultivators do not intentionally suppress their voices, they are on par with loudspeakers.

'It seems even the detached cultivators can't help but be shocked by such grand gambling bets.' Song He silently mused.

Just then,

A voice seemed to emerge from the depths of everyone's hearts—

"Silence!"

The voice was not loud, but extremely authoritative.

Along with that voice, an old man holding a wooden staff suddenly appeared beside the table, with no one noticing when he had appeared.

It was as if he simply materialized there in the blink of an eye.

The entire Flower Guessing House fell into sudden silence.

But a moment later—

"We pay our respects to Uncle-Master!"

All the cultivators bowed in unison.

Their voices were loud and in chorus, as if prearranged.

Even the cultivators in charge of the jade table left their posts to bow in the open space, none daring to make light of the occasion, all acting with reverent respect.

The old man with the wooden staff merely glanced at the crowd before withdrawing his gaze, then chastised the cultivator manning the jade table: "As for the guessing game, guess however you please, no matter how many spirit stones, the sect can afford it.

"Have you forgotten the bet between the former Sect Leader and the Sect Leader of the Sky Leap Sword Sect?

"The elder predecessors used the Daynight Flower as a wager, betting on the ownership of spirit plants worth tens of millions of top-grade spirit stones and a heavenly cave and fairyland."

"A few hundred thousand Spirit Stones, what is that?"

The tone was indifferent, yet it conveyed a sense of supremacy, as if looking down on all directions.

The Inner Sect Disciple in charge of guarding the jade table bowed hurriedly: "Disciple understands."

"Hmm."

The elder let out a hum, glanced at a certain spot, and, just like when he had arrived, disappeared without a trace.

But the residual power lingered, and no one dared to shout or scream any longer.

With this elder's appearance, the following matters proceeded much more smoothly. Many people followed suit in guessing the flower, some guessing nine petals, others six, or eight.

In any case, there were guesses for practically all numbers above three petals.

Song He naturally bet on seven petals.

With the elder's influence, the cultivator guarding the jade table collected nearly all the Spirit Stones from those who wished to participate in the flower guessing, and it was only after an hour that he infused spirit Qi into the flower pot.

The Daynight Flower bloomed instantly.

Silver branches and leaves supported the golden flowers.

The seven-petal bloom glowed brilliantly.

The dazzling golden light and spirit Qi radiated in all directions.

What was even more marvelous was... perhaps the elder had instructed something, for the disciple guarding the jade table did not use the gourd to absorb the spirit Qi. Instead, he allowed it to dissipate, absorbed by all the cultivators present.

As a result, Song He advanced a class as well.

He successfully entered the Late Qi Refining Stage, Class VIII.

He knew when to quit, not a bit greedy, and holding the Spirit Stones he had won, he proposed a farewell to Zhou Yue.

This kind of advancement seemed easy, but in practice was not easily obtained—how many cultivators lingered here daily? How often would a Daynight Flower with more than three petals bloom?

And when one's turn came, how much spirit Qi could one absorb?

If one were truly to dally here every day and neglect cultivation or farming, unable to fulfill sect tasks, that would really be a joke.

Song He even suspected that this might be an area the sect specifically set up to filter out cultivators.

Lingering here every day to guess the flowers, addicted to it... what would the sect elders think?

Thinking of this, Song He felt even more urgency to return.

"Fine, you go back first, I want to keep guessing," Zhou Yue said.

Zhou Yue had also guessed seven petals and, having won a large sum of Spirit Stones, he seemed rather exhilarated, perhaps feeling that he was on a lucky streak today with so many Daynight Flowers blooming with more than three petals.

He wanted to continue his guesses.

Song He looked at him, excited in the midst of it all, bit back his words, and decided against saying anything—anything said at such a time would be futile, for although cultivators have strong willpower, once they become irrational, their madness is real.

Besides, if he persuaded Zhou Yue and then another Daynight Flower with more than three petals bloomed, wouldn't he become the bad guy?

Blocking someone's fortune is akin to killing one's parents, so saying nothing was best.

Song He chose to turn around and leave, not dragging his feet in the slightest.

But he couldn't help but glance over at Senior Brother Meng before he left, and saw that Meng had an expression of resignation, seemingly not at all annoyed at the loss of hundreds of thousands of Spirit Stones.

Moreover, it seemed he was still keen on continuing the guesses.

Seeing this, Song He had a thought, and he quickened his pace.

He left Xiao Le Peak shortly after.

...

Upon returning to his own cave, Song He went to the Wood Gourd.

The Spiritual Nature of the gourd seemed to sense his arrival, reaching out on its own and connecting with his Divine Sense, swaying gently.

Divine Sense is the most sensitive and acute aspect of a cultivator, and at this moment, Song He even felt the wondrous sensation of a puppy's soft, cool fur rubbing against him.

He couldn't help but laugh, "Don't be anxious, I've brought plenty of Spirit Stones, enough for you to consume!"

With that, he grandly took out a whole thousand Wood spirit stones and stacked them evenly on the ground.

"Eat up! There's more if it's not enough!"

Luckily for Song He, the Spiritual Leaf Sect consumed the most Wood spirit stones, and thus the default distribution of Spirit Stones was Wood element, saving him the trouble of going to Deacon Hall to exchange them.

With so many Spirit Stones piled on the ground, Song He could feel the spirit Qi in the surroundings becoming much denser, and the consciousness that was previously acting coquettishly with him cheered and then fell silent.

But thin tendrils of roots extended from beneath the ground, beginning to wrap around these Spirit Stones—this was the beginning of its consumption.

Seeing this, Song He dared not slack off.

He simply sat down to meditate and regulate his breath, adjusting to the sudden increase in his Cultivation Level, all the while closely monitoring the changes in the Wood Gourd with his Divine Sense.

He had a feeling that the Wood Gourd would certainly give him a delightful surprise.