The deeper he walked, the more splendid and bustling it became.

The small ground stalls became fewer, while the large tents grew more numerous.

He saw tents in various colors—red, blue, yellow, green—some were square, others cylindrical. Some had two pillars at the entrance, while others hung large red lanterns. Some were brightly lit inside, while others were dim and shadowy.

Fang Yuan walked and observed, finally stopping in front of a gray tent.

"This is the place." He looked up to examine it, noticing two pillars at the entrance with an engraved couplet.

On the left: "A little courage brings the bounty of the four seasons."

On the right: "Great skill earns wealth from all directions."

In the middle was a horizontal inscription: "Fortunes Change with Time."

Indeed, this was a casino.

The casino covered an acre, making it a large tent.

Fang Yuan entered. Inside the tent, along the edges, were three rows of counters. On the counters were pieces of amber or fossils. Some were as small as a palm, others as large as a washbasin, and some even taller than a person, standing directly on the ground.

Unlike the bustling atmosphere of other tent shops, this place was quiet and still.

There were a few Gu Masters standing in front of the counters, some carefully examining the stones, some gently rubbing fossils in their palms to feel the texture, some whispering with companions, and some negotiating prices with the shop assistants.

No matter what they said, they spoke softly, trying not to disturb others.

This was a stone gambling ground.

In this world of Gu, there were countless, bizarre, and varied Gu insects. Each Gu insect had specific food requirements; without food, they could only survive for a limited time before dying.

However, nature is both cruel and merciful to life.

If food is scarce, Gu insects have a slim chance of survival by entering a deep sleep, sealing themselves.

For example, if a Moonlight Gu lacks Moon Orchid Petals, it might seal itself. It would retract its power, akin to hibernation, entering a deep sleep. During this time, its body would lose its blue glow and transform from a transparent crystal-like state into a gray stone, covered with a stone shell. Over time, the shell would thicken, forming a Stubborn Stone.

Similarly, if a Wine Gu seals itself, it would form a white cocoon, curling up and sleeping inside.

Of course, this sealing and sleeping phenomenon doesn't occur with all Gu insects. The probability is low; normally, Gu insects would starve to death rather than sleep. Only a few specific Gu insects would self-seal under certain conditions.

Some Gu Masters accidentally acquire these sealed Gu insects in Stubborn Stones or cocoons, awakening the sleeping Gu inside. Some make a small fortune, while others achieve great success, their life paths taking a turn. Such occurrences are frequent in the Gu Master world, often accompanied by rumors, both true and false, sparking imagination.

The source of the Stubborn Stones in this stone gambling ground lies in this. Of course, these stones only appear to be promising; they must be opened to confirm if they truly contain Gu insects.

"In small stone gambling grounds like this, out of ten stones, eight or nine are solid, containing no Gu insects. Even if a stone contains a Gu, it's likely dead. But if you gamble on a live Gu, you can usually make a significant profit. If the Gu is extremely rare, you'll either rise to prominence or be robbed and killed."

Fang Yuan understood this well, having been involved in the trade.

In his previous life, he had joined merchant caravans and worked as an assistant in stone gambling grounds. Later, he even ran a medium-sized stone gambling ground, larger than this one, tricking many gamblers and occasionally witnessing others gamble on valuable Gu insects.

Fang Yuan stood at the entrance for a while, scanning the surroundings before slowly walking to the left counter.

Behind the counter, shop assistants stood every few meters, both male and female. They all wore blue belts, indicating they were not mortals but Rank One Gu Masters. Most were at the Initial Stage, with a few at the Intermediate Stage.

Seeing Fang Yuan approach the counter, a Female Gu Master nearby came over with a smile, speaking softly, "What kind of Gu insect are you looking for, sir? Each stone at this counter is priced at ten Primordial Stones. If you're trying for the first time and want a small gamble for fun, you might try the right counter, where stones are only five Primordial Stones. If you're looking for excitement, try the high-end counter straight ahead, where each Stubborn Stone costs twenty Primordial Stones."

She was an experienced Female Gu Master, having worked in the stone gambling ground for quite some time.

When Fang Yuan entered, she guessed from his appearance, age, and height that he was a student.

Only Gu Masters came to gamble on stones, not mortals. Students were merely preparatory Gu Masters, just starting their cultivation journey, usually financially strained from feeding Gu insects, unlikely to have spare money for gambling.

Such students typically came to look around, broaden their horizons, and seek novelty. Most would only look, not buy, and a few from well-off families might try the cheapest fossils.

Therefore, the Female Gu Master didn't expect Fang Yuan to buy many stones.

"I'll take a look first." Fang Yuan nodded at her expressionlessly, then focused on observing.

In his memory, it should be this counter in this stone gambling ground.

But five hundred years is a long time. Many things were blurry, especially with the vast amount of memories from five centuries. To be honest, Fang Yuan's recollection wasn't very clear.

He vaguely remembered that in this year, on the first night the merchant caravan arrived, a lucky person spent ten Primordial Stones to buy a fossil with a purple-gold sheen.

After unsealing the stone on the spot, he obtained a Lumpy Earth Toad. Later, this Toad Gu was purchased, earning him a significant amount of Primordial Stones.

Fang Yuan watched for a while, frowning slightly.

There were over twenty fossils with a purple-gold sheen on this counter. Which one contained the Lumpy Earth Toad?

Each stone here was priced at ten Primordial Stones. Fang Yuan currently had ninety-eight Primordial Stones, meaning he could buy at most nine stones.

But it couldn't be calculated like that.

Any adventure or gamble must consider the consequences.

Fang Yuan was no longer a reckless youth or a gambler with an inflated sense of destiny. Those who believed they were favored by fate often fell victim to its tricks.

"I'm alone, without family or friends to support me. I must save some Primordial Stones for living expenses and to buy food for feeding Gu insects." He calculated briefly, determining he could buy at most seven fossils after ensuring basic needs.

"This stone, with purple-gold specks, is flat like a pancake, unlikely to contain the Lumpy Earth Toad."

"This one is dazzlingly purple-gold but only fist-sized. If it truly contained the Lumpy Earth Toad, it should be at least thirty percent larger."

"This purple-gold fossil is large, but its surface is too smooth, while the Lumpy Earth Toad's stone skin is pitted. Clearly not this one..."

Fang Yuan continued to observe, eliminate, and select.

Find the original at "pawread dot com".

After sealing and sleeping, the fossil formed by a Gu insect is seamless, preventing most detection methods. The remaining detection methods are often forceful and crude, killing the nearly dead Gu insect inside if used.

Thus, Gu Masters can only rely on guessing, experience, luck, and occasional inspiration when selecting stones.

If not, this wouldn't be called a casino.

Of course, in this vast world, there are rare gentle detection methods that might allow a Gu Master to know if a stone contains a Gu insect beforehand.

Fang Yuan had heard rumors in his previous life, but upon investigation, they turned out to be false.

Fang Yuan speculated privately: if such a method existed, it would surely be a secret inheritance, held by a very few mysterious individuals, having no impact on the overall gambling industry.

In the Green Reed Mountain area, it's relatively moderate; the further east you go, the more prevalent casinos become. In the Whitehead Mountain Region, every stronghold has a casino. Some large strongholds have numerous large casinos. In the three renowned strongholds for stone gambling: Rockfort Village, Tombfort Village, and Blue Whale Stronghold, there are even super-large stone gambling grounds.

These three super-large stone gambling grounds each have over a thousand years of history. They still thrive today, with a constant stream of gamblers, never having been cleared out by anyone.

The tent Fang Yuan was in now could barely be considered a small casino.

But if other fifteen-year-olds came here, they would surely be dazzled by these fossils, picking stones purely by random guessing.

Fang Yuan, however, was different.

First, he already knew part of the answer, narrowing his selection to less than thirty stones.

Of course, choosing the one from over twenty fossils was still challenging.

But Fang Yuan had five hundred years of experience as a foundation. With such a rich background, he observed for a moment and selected the six most fitting purple-gold fossils.

He was eighty percent sure that the Lumpy Earth Toad was sleeping in one of these purple-gold fossils!