"Don't worry, that's not a problem!"
Li Yang now harbored animosity towards Jiang Long. This guy clearly had never won before, and if he didn't teach him a lesson today, he wouldn't know the immensity of heaven and earth.
After calmly agreeing, he turned to Jiang Long and said, "How do you plan to bet with me?"
"The rules are up to you. I don't want to bully the young ones; it would be bad for my reputation if word got out!" Jiang Long arrogantly held his head high and puffed out his chest.
"Heh, you have a reputation?"
Li Yang couldn't help but chuckle, saying dismissively, "I think an old lecher like you, even if you have some skill in stone gambling, is just a parasite in the industry. You'll be cleaned out sooner or later."
"You brat, you don't know what's good for you, so don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Jiang Long was filled with rage by Li Yang's words. He glared fiercely at Li Yang and said, "Since you're not setting the rules, I will. Let's bet on going 'Up to Heaven Mountain'!"
"What? Up to Heaven Mountain? Isn't that a rule that only appears in the provincial stone gambling competitions held every year?"
"I remember this Gambling Saint once won three consecutive championships in the Up to Heaven Mountain stone gambling competition. His strength is evident!"
"It seems Boss Qing is finished today. Although Mr. Li is famous in Jiangcheng, to compete Up to Heaven Mountain with the Gambling Saint is simply without any chance of winning."
The surrounding audience, upon hearing Jiang Long's words, all began to worry for Li Yang.
Up to Heaven Mountain was a type of stone gambling competition in the gambling world. The method involved unlimited betting increases. No matter how strong the opponent was, as long as there was a stake, bets could be raised continuously.
Many people became too emotional during Up to Heaven Mountain and were overly confident in their stone gambling skills. In one round, they would lose all their wealth.
Clearly, Jiang Long's method of betting with Li Yang was intended to completely crush Li Yang in one go, leaving him no chance to recover.
Even if Li Yang was famous in Jiangcheng, after this round of stone gambling, he would lose everything.
"Brat, do you dare to go Up to Heaven Mountain with me? If you don't dare, then kneel down now and kowtow to me three times, acknowledging me as your master, and I can forgive your earlier rudeness," Jiang Long said confidently.
"What is there to be afraid of? Isn't it just unlimited betting? I, Li Yang, still have some savings; it's more than enough to play with you."
Li Yang smiled calmly and looked at Jiang Long, saying, "Since you want to go Up to Heaven Mountain, let's do it. But how many 'Heavenly Gates' do we need to open for this trip?"
Heavenly Gate referred to the number of stones to be gambled. Opening one Heavenly Gate meant gambling one stone; opening three meant gambling three stones.
This was usually decided based on the economic strength of both parties.
"Heh, you brat actually understand the rules. If I open too many, I'm afraid you won't be able to afford it. Let's open one Heavenly Gate." Jiang Long, seeing Li Yang so fearless, decided not to hold back.
Li Yang shrugged dismissively and said, "Then let's open one. We'll each go and retrieve our Heavenly Stones."
Afterward, they each went to the raw stone area. Each person needed to select a stone they favored and place bets from low to high based on their understanding of the stones.
The Gambling Saint Jiang Long walked up to the raw stones. He seemed to know them like the back of his hand. With just a few taps of his hand, as if selecting a watermelon, he quickly chose a stone and brought it over.
Meanwhile, Li Yang stood there foolishly, not moving for a long time.
This naturally caused confusion.
"What's wrong with Mr. Li? He's not moving at all. Could he be too scared to choose stones?"
"It seems the Gambling Saint's deterrence is too powerful. Mr. Li has conceded defeat without a fight."
"I don't think so. Mr. Li is the top appraisal master in Jiangcheng. Haven't you heard that Mr. Li received the Grandmaster title at the Spring and Autumn Battle today? Perhaps he's just contemplating."
The audience had mixed opinions. Even though some held a sliver of hope for Li Yang, most still believed Li Yang had no chance of winning.
This was because Jiang Long, as a three-time champion of Up to Heaven Mountain, was simply too strong!
"This is bad, Mr. Li might really be frozen with fear?"
Even Qing Luan, watching from afar, couldn't help but feel worried at this sight.
She looked at Shui Xiang and asked, confused, "Sister Shui Xiang, can Mr. Li's skills really defeat Master Jiang?"
"Don't worry, it'll be fine."
Shui Xiang had complete confidence in Li Yang. She had seen Li Yang gamble on stones many times before, and each time Li Yang brought her surprises. Therefore, she believed Li Yang could overcome this disaster as well.
"I've chosen!"
After meditating for a long time, Li Yang finally selected a stone from the pile that he was very satisfied with.
However, the moment he carried the stone over from a distance, everyone present looked puzzled!
This was because the stone he chose looked like a dull, gray layer of mortar, much like a stone picked up from outside. It was impossible to tell if there was any jade inside.
In the stone gambling world, people rarely chose such stones because the risk of opening them was very high.
"Haha, I thought you, a stone gambling expert, would pick some amazing stone after choosing for so long. I didn't expect you to pick a rough, sandy stone."
"Even a Gambling Saint like me wouldn't dare to casually pick a stone like this. You actually dare to take such a risk and want to go Up to Heaven Mountain with me using this stone?" Jiang Long burst into laughter upon seeing Li Yang's stone.
Li Yang was dismissive and chuckled scornfully, "Who told you such stones can't go Up to Heaven Mountain? If you don't dare to play like this, it only shows your skill is lacking."
"Good kid, you truly don't know the immensity of heaven and earth. Today, I will make you lose convincingly!"
Jiang Long's gaze was deep, and he vowed to teach this kid a harsh lesson.
Following that, he and Li Yang took their stones to the cutting area. Before the stones were cut, he ascended the first step of Up to Heaven Mountain and declared, "For this first tier, I bet three million with you. I bet your stone won't yield jade on the first cut."
"Alright, I'll match the three million. I bet my stone will yield jade on the first cut, and at the same time, I want to ascend to the second tier."
Li Yang said dismissively, "Second tier, I bet five million with you. I bet your stone won't yield jade on the first cut."
"Heh, that's utterly laughable. I know my stone extremely well; there's definitely jade inside. I'll match the five million!"
Jiang Long sneered, finding Li Yang's confidence ridiculous!
Without hesitation, he continued to climb the third tier, stating, "I'll go up another tier. I bet within approximately thirty centimeters of your stone's surface, there will be no jade. For this tier, I'm betting ten million!"
"I'm sorry, I don't agree with your statement. My stone will yield jade within twenty centimeters. If it doesn't, then I lose. I'll match this ten million!" Li Yang said confidently.