Upon seeing the two separate, the crowd that had followed them up also split into two groups.
On any ordinary day, a beauty like Xia Yun'er would undoubtedly be the center of attention — and with geniuses of Song Yunfei and Ren Xiaoyao's caliber alongside her, that was practically guaranteed.
Logically speaking, most people should have followed Xia Yun'er and Song Yunfei as they left.
Yet in reality, it was an even split. Fully half of the spectators who had come up to watch actually chose to follow Chu Feng.
This said something about the level of regard people held for him in their hearts — and about just how great his pull was.
Before long, laughter of delight and the sound of praise could be heard from not far away. No need to look — Chu Feng already knew that Song Yunfei must have cut open a black crystal with a considerable haul.
Chu Feng walked along while quietly activating his Heavenly Eyes to scan the crystals, though nothing about his gaze appeared unusual to anyone else. To onlookers, he simply looked like he was observing normally, with no hint that he was using any special technique.
After scanning for a while, Chu Feng finally came to a stop before a black crystal roughly a meter tall.
"Young Master Chu Feng, that stone doesn't have good markings — don't cut it open, or you'll lose your money."
"That's right, Young Master Chu Feng, don't even think about it. Trust me, I've been hanging around this gambling stone hall for three hundred years, and I can say with near certainty that there's not a single hair inside that crystal. It's a complete waste stone."
"Really, putting a worthless black crystal like this on display — they're obviously just scamming people."
"Exactly, it's shameless. I thought the crystals on the second floor would be of much better quality, but they're just as disappointing."
Before Chu Feng could even open his mouth, the crowd behind him was already offering their two cents, insisting with absolute confidence that the crystal Chu Feng had picked was a worthless dud.
"If you all knew so much, you wouldn't still be stuck on the first floor losing more often than you win."
A mocking voice rang out. It came from an elder of the Ghost Hall, who had been following Chu Feng ever since the young man came upstairs. The elder carried a long black blade in his hand — a stone-cutting knife, specifically designed for slicing open these black crystals.
The reason he had followed Chu Feng was simple: he was waiting, ready to cut open whatever crystal the young man selected.
This kind of hospitality was one of the gambling stone hall's specialties. Elders who served as personal stone-cutters for guests were actually quite common.
"Hmph, it's a waste stone — no matter what you say, that won't change."
"That's right, it's a waste stone. Young Master Chu Feng, don't let him fool you. He's just trying to scam you."
The spectators were brimming with self-confidence, convinced they had eagle eyes. Even though the elder had openly mocked them, they remained utterly unperturbed and clung to their assessment all the more firmly.
As for the elder, he simply chuckled softly and didn't bother arguing with them. After all, apart from honored guests, the vast majority of people in this gambling hall were nothing more than compulsive gamblers. Gamblers who had no real skill yet possessed absurd confidence — even a stubborn, almost frightening degree of it.
An elder like him had seen plenty of such people. He was long past caring and saw no reason to waste his breath.
"Senior, could you help me cut open this black crystal?" Chu Feng produced eight hundred Immortal Martial Stones and handed them to an elder of the Ghost Hall.
Those eight hundred Immortal Martial Stones were precisely the price of this black crystal. He had ultimately decided to give it a try.
"Young Master Chu Feng, why won't you listen to reason? It really is a waste stone!"
"Yes, Young Master Chu Feng, don't be impulsive — please think it over!"
Seeing that Chu Feng had made up his mind, yet another wave of people immediately spoke up to dissuade him.
"Shut your mouths."
At that, the elder finally couldn't hold back and let out a sharp shout. "If you're not buying, then keep quiet. Don't go troubling Young Master Chu Feng."
Seeing the elder react this way, those people became even more convinced that he was deliberately trying to swindle Chu Feng. Though they held their tongues on the surface, they began secretly sending voice transmissions to Chu Feng, urging him under no circumstances to open that crystal. They were absolutely certain this elder was pulling a fast one.
But when the elder spoke his next words, all of them froze on the spot.
"Young Master Chu Feng, our Hall Master has given explicit instructions — you are welcome to enjoy yourself here without spending a single coin. If there's one you like, this old man will simply cut it open for you. As for Immortal Martial Stones, consider them waived," the elder said.
"What? No cost at all? He can just cut them open freely?"
"Heavens, what kind of treatment is that? As expected of Young Master Chu Feng — that influence is absolutely staggering!"