"Damn it, which one of the Fifty Heavenly Ranks dared to cross me. The Son of Desolation was furious. He had every right to be enraged; he was the Son of Desolation, the Son of the Epoch. He was the favored child of the Upper Arrow. For someone of his stature to suffer a single defeat—how could he not be incensed? Other figures below the Civilization Realm would fall silent at the mere mention of the Fifty Heavenly Ranks, as those fifty individuals represented the strongest below that threshold. But the Son of Desolation paid them no mind. He knew that even if he wasn't quite their equal now, given time, he would surely surpass them—that was the confidence of the Son of the Epoch. The Son of Desolation casually shifted his Primordial Divine Halberd. "I'll go to Gambler's Immortal Island now. It’s about to open. With my luck as the Son of the Epoch, I’m bound to profit massively. I'll gather resources, then blast away every single one of those Fifty Heavenly Ranks. I am the true strongest below the Civilization Realm; everyone else is trash. Besides, I promised the Island Master of Gambler's Immortal Island that I would serve as the pillar of support." "The next time I see Lu Yuan, it will be his death day." With a strike, the Son of Desolation’s Primordial Divine Halberd cleaved through the void, instantly teleporting him away. His instantaneous movement spanned far greater distances than that of a normal person, clearly having been upgraded and integrated with Iron Laws.

And at this very moment, upon a certain star— The Deputy Lord of the Confucian Civilization produced something remarkable: a 'Gamble' character avatar. "The 'Gamble' character still resides within the Gate of Text, and this 'Gamble' avatar is an exceedingly rare Three-Part Avatar, almost impossible to find in the world. What do you intend to use this avatar for? Remember, this is the first trial I present to you," said the Deputy Lord of the Confucian Civilization.

Lu Yuan took hold of the 'Gamble' avatar. The moment it settled in his hand, he felt his very blood begin to boil. This wasn't the usual fervor of battle burning, but an entirely different kind of emotional heat. Lu Yuan had never gambled before. Yet now, various gambling paraphernalia flashed through his mind, creating an intense urge to stake something. "Where is there a place to gamble right now?" Lu Yuan asked straightforwardly. "If there is a place for gambling, it must be Gambler's Immortal Island," replied the Deputy Lord of the Confucian Civilization. "Gambler's Immortal Island is a unique locale controlled by the Central Celestial Dynasty. It opens once every ten years, and the gambling lasts for one year each time. Every time the island opens, a wave of gambling enthusiasts heads there to place a few bets. On Gambler's Immortal Island, all manner of resources can be wagered. If you desire to gamble, you will always find an opponent." "Then we go to Gambler's Immortal Island," Lu Yuan stated. "Excellent. I have little else to do, so I shall accompany you," the Deputy Lord of the Confucian Civilization smiled faintly. He cast an illusory spell, instantly appearing as if he had transformed into someone else. "Of course, both of us are quite famous figures in the Central Celestial Dynasty, so we must disguise ourselves to visit Gambler's Immortal Island. I shall take the name Li Haoran." "Then I shall be Li Taishi," Lu Yuan replied, also adopting a disguise. The Deputy Lord of the Confucian Civilization shook his head. "Your disguise won't pass inspection yet. Never mind, I’ll teach you some deception techniques as we go."

Lu Yuan realized this Deputy Lord of the Confucian Civilization was truly extraordinary, completely unlike what he had imagined. He would deliberately impersonate someone from the Fifty Heavenly Ranks to deceive the Son of Desolation, employed all sorts of disguises, and possessed the 'Gamble' avatar. How could this be the Deputy Lord of the Confucian Civilization? It completely contradicted the upright image he was supposed to possess. The Deputy Lord of the Confucian Civilization laughed heartily. "A gentleman pays no mind to trivialities. If one clings rigidly to established forms in every matter, how can one possibly contend with others?" "Since you are Li Taishi, call me Martial Uncle. We’ll pretend we are uncle and nephew," the Deputy Lord of the Confucian Civilization instructed. "Agreed," Lu Yuan nodded. The Deputy Lord of the Confucian Civilization began instructing Lu Yuan in the Way of Disguise and Transformation. Lu Yuan discovered that this path was incredibly profound, so deeply layered it was almost incomprehensible. He realized his previous attempts at disguise were far too easily seen through; the Deputy Lord of the Confucian Civilization was a true master of this art. As for why he chose the name Li Taishi? The reason was simple: his first master was Li Yuanbai, and his second was Taishi Kong. Combining the names formed Li Taishi.

Gambler's Immortal Island! This was an island dedicated to gambling, and it was protected by layers of powerful restrictions, constantly drifting and impossible to locate normally. Only when the grand ten-year gambling festival commenced would the Central Celestial Dynasty be notified of the island's exact whereabouts. This time, Gambler's Immortal Island was situated near the World Volcano.

Within human nature, there are generally several weaknesses. One of them is the urge to gamble. Therefore, opening once a decade for a full year, Gambler's Immortal Island always attracted immense crowds. This time was no exception; it was a sea of people, gods of all kinds, masters of every stripe—far too many gathered together. "Oh, Immortal Elder of the South Pole, you've arrived too." "I have an alchemical furnace here this time. I've refined quite a few pills. I'll try gambling with them; perhaps I can earn a little more. If I lose, it’s no great matter." "Hey, Imperial Scion Wu Xiao, you came too?" "Yes, I've been sitting on quite a bit of Spirit Stones recently. I brought some to gamble with, hoping to win some cultivation methods." Among these people, not everyone was necessarily addicted to gambling. Some were there to see if they could find cultivation methods they needed, then use those as stakes. There were indeed individuals in the Central Celestial Dynasty who obtained secret arts but chose not to sell them in the marketplace, preferring instead to gamble them away on Gambler's Immortal Island.

On the entire Gambler's Immortal Island, everything imaginable could be wagered: resources, techniques, even women—there was no limit to what people would bet. Of course, to enter Gambler's Immortal Island, one first had to pay ten Heaven-Grade Spirit Stones at the pier. If one didn't even possess ten Heaven-Grade Spirit Stones, they were entirely unqualified to gamble there. Gambler's Immortal Island primarily profited from this fee; ten Heaven-Grade Spirit Stones was no small sum, and with large numbers of people, the collected stones multiplied. However, Gambler's Immortal Island itself took no commission from the bets.

On this day, a pair of Martial Uncle and Nephew arrived at the island. The Uncle was named Li Haoran, and the Nephew, Li Taishi. Their sect or origin was unknown, and Gambler's Immortal Island didn't inquire; as long as one gambled heartily, that was sufficient. The island didn't concern itself with such details. The Uncle, Li Haoran, appeared to be a figure at the tenth heaven of the World Realm. Such cultivation was not unusual here; there were quite a few tenth-heaven World Realm experts among the patrons, and even Half-Step Civilization Realm cultivators. In the Central Celestial Dynasty, generally, the higher the realm, the fewer the people, but the tenth heaven of the World Realm and the Half-Step Civilization Realm were densely populated because breaking through to the Civilization Realm was immensely difficult, trapping countless individuals at this bottleneck.

Lu Yuan, disguised as Li Taishi, currently looked like a traveling scholar, following behind the Deputy Lord of the Confucian Civilization, who was Li Haoran. As they walked, they passed all manner of gambling stalls and instruments—games involving tiles, dice shaking, Pai Gow, and so on. Naturally, one could also bet on whose hand was faster. The variety was endless; whatever way you wished to play was accommodated. Lu Yuan could clearly sense that on Gambler's Immortal Island, some people gambled purely for the thrill, starting a bet simply for the excitement. Others wagered for specific cultivation methods or artifacts, playing with extreme composure, exhibiting every conceivable demeanor.

This was Gambler's Immortal Island!

Lu Yuan tried a few rounds on the side. He found that with the 'Gamble' avatar in hand, his luck was unbeatable; he won several hands in a row. This was Lu Yuan's very first experience with gambling—he had always favored wine and fine food, never venturing into wagers. Now that he had started, various resources were flowing into his hands, much faster than fighting tooth and nail.

This was the allure of gambling!

Of course, Lu Yuan knew perfectly well that his success was entirely due to possessing the 'Gamble' avatar. Without it, acquiring such resources so quickly would not have been so easy.

Hmm! What is this?

Lu Yuan noticed at one gambling table that one participant was using a Heavenly Venerate Pill as a stake! A Heavenly Venerate Pill! That was the elixir required to break through to the Heavenly Venerate level—the seventh heaven of the World Realm. Such pills were exceedingly rare, and now one was being gambled! Lu Yuan looked at the gambler and saw a person who constantly looked sad and tearful.

This person was none other than Copper Weeping! He happened to be the second disciple of the First Chief Strategist, Copper Cloud Sorrow. Copper Weeping had previously aided the Son of the Sword, accompanying him to the Sword Gate to help him seize the Sword Scroll, but in that battle, the Son of the Sword had lost to Lu Yuan, rendering his assistance useless. Now, Copper Weeping was deeply engrossed in a wager. His Heavenly Venerate Pill had attracted the attention of many sixth-heaven World Realm cultivators, several of whom were betting against him. However, absolutely no one had managed to win. The Deputy Lord of the Confucian Civilization whispered to Lu Yuan, "In those years, Copper Cloud Sorrow was known as the Gambling Fiend and created a cultivation technique called the Gambling Fiend Heart Method, which is extremely difficult to counter in the gambling circles. Copper Weeping is his disciple; it seems he has learned some of that method." "A figure like Copper Cloud Sorrow gambled?" Lu Yuan couldn't help but be surprised. "Aren't the wisest supposed to be extremely calm?" "Gambling was one of Copper Cloud Sorrow's methods of cultivation back then. He sought to see through the human heart, and the vice of gambling is one facet of that heart. Of course, Copper Cloud Sorrow rarely takes action now, only leveraging gambling when he covets something specific," the Deputy Lord of the Confucian Civilization explained. "This Copper Weeping is likely practicing the Gambling Fiend Heart Method as well."

Lu Yuan’s heart stirred upon hearing this. "Then I shall place a bet as well."

Lu Yuan sat down across from Copper Weeping. Copper Weeping looked at Lu Yuan; he clearly had not met this person before and failed to see through Lu Yuan's disguise. Lu Yuan stated calmly, "My surname is Li, given name Taishi." "Present your stake. The bet cannot be small. You are likely aware of the value of a Heavenly Venerate Pill—five hundred Heaven-Grade Spirit Stones." Since he didn't recognize him, he naturally required the other party to put up the collateral first.

Five hundred Heaven-Grade Spirit Stones equaled five million Earth-Grade Spirit Stones. This was a massive gamble! Lu Yuan scoured his entire wealth, collecting everything from the killing of the Bound Old Ghost and others, barely managing to scrape together five hundred Heaven-Grade Spirit Stones. This meant that if he lost this single hand, he would be utterly ruined. But if he won, he would acquire the Heavenly Venerate Pill and could use it to attempt breaking through to the seventh heaven of the World Realm.

One hand to decide the victor. Such high stakes on a single wager. It meant risking his entire fortune. Even with the 'Gamble' avatar protecting him, Lu Yuan felt a tremor of nervousness during his first gamble.