The Stone Gambling Festival

The Jiangzhou Stone Gambling Festival, jointly organized by over a dozen nationally renowned jewelry companies, was the largest-scale event of its kind in the country.

Tianji Jewelry Plaza—a 28-story skyscraper—hosted the festival across its first four floors.

Upon arriving at Tianji Plaza, Huo Xuan observed dense crowds swarming the entrance, evidence of the organizers' successful promotion.

Entering the first floor, Lin Yue excused herself for business meetings and took the elevator upstairs, leaving Huo Xuan to explore ​Zone D independently.

The festival divided transactions into four tiers:

​Zone A: Premium jadeite rough stones (1 million+ yuan)​

Zone B: Mid-tier lots (100,000+ yuan minimum)​

Zone C: Budget options (10,000+ yuan)​

Zone D: Mass-market stones (hundreds to thousands yuan), attracting the highest foot traffic

Huo Xuan moved through Zone D's crowded aisles, his X-ray vision scanning limestone exteriors. His 2 million yuan casino winnings provided ample funds for stone purchases.

The stones fell into three categories:

​Untested Roughs : Uncut, unanalyzed stones—pure gambling with maximum risk.​

Windowed Lots : Pre-cut stones revealing partial jadeite, though internal quality might differ from surface appearances.​

Semi-Gambling Stones : Stones with small polished "windows" offering limited visibility into interiors, carrying moderate risk.

Huo Xuan focused on ​Untested Roughs, as the other categories' predictable returns offered limited profit potential despite their higher prices.

Though Huo Xuan had previously analyzed Lin Yue's jadeite samples, he cautiously cross-verified his vision by first scrutinizing ​Windowed Lots to refine his understanding of internal stone structures.

All four zones housed stone-cutting machines. Buyers could immediately split purchased stones—a process drawing tense crowds. Cheers erupted when jadeite emerged; groans followed worthless rock.

Observing the floor, Huo Xuan noted most buyers lost money. A rare exception: an elderly man who invested 3,000 yuan in a stone yielding ​old-pit glutinous jadeite worth over 100,000 yuan, his toothy grin illuminating the hall.

After scanning hundreds of stones, Huo Xuan targeted ​Untested Roughs. Staff trailed with carts as he selected specimens:

​Criteria: Only high-grade jadeite cores​Process: Slow aisle traversal, X-ray vision dissecting each stone​Logistics: A manager assigned dedicated attendants upon seeing his third purchase

Discretion governed his choices. Yet one melon-sized stone halted him—its unremarkable exterior hid ​apple-sized ice-grade violet jadeite. Market value: 1 million+ yuan.

Cost: 8,000 yuan. Profit: 10-100x. His pulse raced. One stone could buy prime Jiangzhou real estate.

After traversing nearly all of Zone D, Huo Xuan purchased ten rough stones totaling over 60,000 yuan. Ranging from melon-sized to fist-sized, each concealed decent-quality jadeite.

Approaching checkout, Lin Yue returned with a 30-year-old man in a tailored suit. His left hand lingered possessively on her waist, gaze ravenous.

Spotting them, Huo Xuan waved brusquely. "Senior! Over here!"

The man—Xu Bo, department manager of Qianfu Jewelry and festival co-organizer—scowled at the cart. "Amateur picks. You'll be lucky to break even."

"Stone gambling hinges on risk," Huo Xuan retorted coldly, resentment simmering.

Xu Bo bristled. "My family's stone appraisers span three generations. Know your place, boy."

Lin Yue intervened diplomatically: "Xu Bo's expertise is renowned. Learn from him, Huo Xuan."

"Expertise?" Huo Xuan plucked a fist-sized stone. "Care to wager on this one, Manager Xu?"