Making a 'Friend' at a rock gambling den.

The rock melted away to reveal a Gu with the body of a beetle, covered in a hazy blue shell with red lines that zigzagged across the back, revealing glimpses of red tendrils dancing within. Its eyes burned with a heavy resemblance to magma, constantly churning out a liquid that was shimmering yellow in color with a metallic undertone.

The Rock Gu Extractor's body shook upon seeing this Gu. "Rank-4 Mother Magma Beetle Gu!" he exclaimed with disbelief in his voice. "It consumes 80 percent of initial-stage rank-4 primeval essence to produce a rank-3 Golden Rank Up Gu, capable of elevating a pure earth path material to that very same rank." His eyes revealed immense greed and desire for the Gu.

As saliva began to drip from his mouth, with lightning speed, Xie Ling cupped the Gu, securing it in his possession, before inquiring, "What's the value of this Gu in the market?"

Upon the Gu being pulled from his grasp, the extractor felt a sharp pang in his chest, like a snake sinking its fangs into his heart. He knew deep down that procuring such a Gu was a fruitless endeavor. With a heavy heart and a resigned expression, he replied, "The average market price for it is four and a half million primeval stones."

However, before the gu master could bereave his loss, Xie Ling placed another rock onto the palm of his hand, jolting him back to reality.

With a heavy sigh, he pushed through this loss, repeating the extraction process once more, using the mist that swirled around his hand to fully encapsulated the rock.

⸻

Within minutes, a crowd had gathered around the rock gambling den, their eyes widened in disbelief at the incredible display before them. Despite only five rocks being opened so far, each one contained a rare rank-4 Gu.

As the crowd continued to grow, suddenly, the aura of a rank-4 gu master pervaded the surroundings. It belonged to none other than Yi Huo, also known as the "Blazing Inferno," the fifth general of the clan. Well known for his smile as radiant as the sun, shining and dazzling with every flash of his teeth.

Approaching the rock gambling den, Yi Huo surveyed the area, announcing authoritatively, "I've been informed of a disturbance that even our esteemed Shang clan rank-3 Gu masters feel hesitant to handle."

One of the officers stationed there swiftly stepped forward to brief him on the situation. Yi Huo listened intently, his mind analyzing every little detail. "I see," he murmured thoughtfully, before striding through the crowd to investigate for himself. His presence raised the expectations of all who watched, eagerly anticipating an even grander spectacle.

Upon entering the rock gambling den, many thoughts came to his mind, the first and most likely being that this was a hoax, nothing more than an elaborate publicity stunt to pull in more customers.

Yi Huo was well aware of the common nature behind rock gambling dens using such tactics to lure in unsuspecting customers. It was a simple trick, really. All they needed to do was to acquire some Gu, put them in a rock, and artificially hibernate them. However, this method doesn't long-lasting, and it best would still negatively affect the Gu's health.

As he surveyed the scene, he took notice that even the leader of the rock gambling den appeared amazed, with his jaw hanging open in disbelief. In scorn he couldn't help but scoff inwardly, thinking to himself, "Gai Blin, have your acting skills improved so much since the last time I saw you?"

Just then, Gai Blin noticed Yi Huo, immediately approaching him with a begging expression written on his face. "That man is disturbing my business!" he pleaded with tears coming out of his eyes, "But none of the guards have attempted to get rid of him because he's a peak rank-4!"

Yi Huo arched an eyebrow and inquired, "So? Are you saying that he is not one of your associates?"

Gai Blin refuted, "No, certainly not. Do you really think I could persuade a rank-4 gu master to assist me even if I wanted to?"

Yi Huo scoffed and countered, "Even so, his presence must still benefit your business, right?"

Gai Blin shook his head and explained, "Not necessarily, particularly if he was dispatched by someone else. Once this is all said and done, he will probably reveal the source of those stones, which will inevitably result in the loss of all my customers."

Yi Huo furrowed his brow, while this wasn't his jurisdiction, and it wasn't technically the man's fault, he still had a duty to maintain order and ensure that businesses weren't disrupted. With a deep sigh, he approached the man and grumblingly stated, "Sir, while I understand your desire to extract Gu from your rocks, your actions have disrupted the business of this establishment. Therefore, I must ask you to leave."

However, Xie Ling remained silent in response to Yi Huo's words, instead turning to Gai Blin and proclaiming, "For those who wish to observe, you must first acquire a gambling rock." He then turned to the crowd, speaking rhetorically, "Is that clear to everyone?"

The crowd responded with a mix between some lowering their heads and departing, while others made their way to the rock gambling tables, and picked a rock at random, before paying for it.

Yi Huo couldn't help but be impressed with Xie Ling's shrewdness and chuckled, "Well played." Before Then shifting his gaze toward Gai Blin and remarking, "It would seem that everything has been settled."

Turning back to Xie Ling, he inquired, "I don't believe we've met before. Are you associated with a clan or are you a wandering Gu Master?"

Xie Ling responded calmly, "I am a lone Gu Master." He then took out a rock from his sleeve and tossed it to Yi Huo, saying, "Thank you for handling the situation earlier."

Yi Huo was taken aback by Xie Ling's gesture and quickly activated his method for extracting Gu from rocks. Unlike the earth path Gu Masters' techniques, Yi Huo's method was far more efficient and produced immediate results. As he performed the extraction, the room was filled with the aura of a powerful rank-4 Gu.

The moment he saw the Gu, he instantly recognized it, "Rank-4 Imparting Flame Gu!" His voice was laced with utter astonishment. "With this Gu, I can easily alter the direction of my attacks in an instant!"

Xie Ling interrupted Yi Huo mid-thought, "Forgive me for interrupting, but could you help me extract the Gu from the rest of these rocks?"

Yi Huo absently nodded in agreement, seemingly unconcerned about the potential impact that extracting Gu from rocks at a gambling den might have on his reputation. "Of course, I'm happy to assist," he replied.

Xie Ling interrupted Yi Huo once again, "But not here. I'm worried about the possible repercussions this might have on your reputation. What if we went somewhere more private?"

Yi Huo glanced around before realization hit him. Scratching his chin, he gestured towards the exit while stating, "Follow me."