The wide roar before them stretched towards the dome of fire in the distance, and ended at its base. Where the road met the dome of fire, an archway in the fire was visible, allowing for passage into the dome without coming into contact with it. A long line of thousands of cultivators stretched out from the entrance, almost to where John was currently standing.
"Looks like quite a few people are trying to get entry," he said, frowning. A line this long could take days to get through depending on how fast the entry rate was.
"Don't worry," Zuri said, giving him a sideways smile. "The Guild has its perks. We won't have to wait like the others."
John nodded with relief and stepped forward to follow Zuri.
"Make way for the Saber-Dao Sect's Saber King," a voice shouted out behind him.
John turned his head, spotting a large group of white-robed cultivators walking nearby. The group of cultivators were in the Dao Transformation Realm, with three World Expansion experts at the front leading the way.
Each cultivator radiated a strong saber Dao aura, with the strongest aura coming from the palanquin carried by the center members of the large group. The palanquin was rather large, several dozen yards wide and long, and was carved from a marble-like stone, pure white in color. Detailed carvings of saber-wielding cultivators covered the outside of the impressive looking palanquin.
The group passed near John, uncaring of the people before them. The people in the way hastily scrambled to the side, narrowly dodging the procession. The Saber-Dao Sect group briskly passed by, moving past the long line towards the archway in the distance.
They arrived a short moment later and were permitted immediate entry, disappearing within the wall of flames.
John raised a questioning eyebrow as he turned to Zuri, who stood beside him.
"Saber-Dao Sect?" he asked.
"A subsect of the Sword-Dao Sect, and one of the strongest Tier Two Sects on the continent," she explained. "As for the Saber King, he's their most talented Dao Transformation Genius."
"I see," John nodded, understanding who the source of the aura within the palanquin was. "Quite a flashy entrance."
"The Saber-Dao Sect has always been like this," Zuri said. "Flashy and overbearing. Come, lets continue."
John nodded, then followed Zuri towards the Yang-Dao Sect. As he walked, he overheard some conversations from the people in the line. Some were talking about the overbearing nature of the Saber-Dao Sect, some about the Saber King, and one conversation about placing bets on the Saber King.
"I placed a bet at the Nirvana Gambling Hall for the Saber King to place top one hundred," he overheard a middle-aged man say.
"That's a pretty bold bet," a nearby cultivator replied. "But I've heard he's made great strides since the last tournament, so it's possible."
The first man nodded, an expectant smile on his face. "If he does place top one hundred, I'll be rich."
John's footsteps slowed down as he thought of an idea. Zuri turned to look at him with a questioning expression.
"Do you want to win a mountain of spirit crystals?" he asked, a sly smile appearing on his face.
"Hmmm? How?" she asked.
"Have you heard of the Nirvana Gambling Hall?" he asked curiously.
Zuri looked at him with a straight expression for a moment, then smiled widely in realization. Her eyes seemed to light up with a brilliant sparkle, as if she had just heard the best news possible.
"Haha, you're a genius," she said, turning around and grabbing his arm, pulling him back into the city. "Why didn't I think of this! I'm going to be rich!" she exclaimed as she raced back into the city.
John was dragged along like a kite in the wind, as if Zuri had forgotten he even existed. She raced through the streets of the city, bumping others aside without concern. A moment later she stopped, and John finally landed back on his feet, giving her a frowning look. She ignored it as she stared at the building in front of them.
John looked at the building, which was one of the largest buildings he had seen in the city thus far. The building stretched up for a thousand yards, glowed with a brilliant multi-colored hue, as if the entire building was a glowing formation. The building looked like a hundred-tiered pagoda made of fire, its walls waving from side to side as it rose to a pointed top.
The walls were not actually moving, but the shape and the changing multi-colored lights gave the illusion that it was, making it quite eye-catching.
A large staircase a hundred yards wide led up to the building's entrance, which was buzzing with activity. Thousands of cultivators were flowing in and out of the building every minute, while conversations of bets placed, and other similar topics passed him by as the cultivators moved around him.
Above the entrance was a glowing multi-colored sign more eye-catching than any he had seen before.
'Nirvana Gambling Hall.'
"How trustworthy is this place?" John asked after studying the building. Zuri's answer would determine how much he was willing to wager.
"The Nirvana Gambling Hall is the foremost gambling business on the continent, and one of the wealthiest powers," Zuri said. "Their entire business model depends on them being honest and fair, and I have never heard of them cheating anyone out of their winnings, no matter the size."
John nodded his head with satisfaction, as his bet was going to be a large one.
"Come," Zuri said as she pulled John into the building, pushing past the crowds surging both ways.
After entering the building, a massive, open room hundreds of yards wide, long, and high greeted them. The large room was intricately detailed, with statues of both humans and beasts carved with so much detail that they appeared to be alive. Fountains were scattered throughout the room, spewing water into the air, forming various shapes from the streams.
Beasts, items, battle scenes, and more. It was all so luxurious, startling John who had never seen anything close to this. It was as if this room embodied the Daos of Luxury and Wealth. The room was buzzing with the conversations of thousands, each going about their business. Some placed bets at tables scattered about, while others talked to attendants of the Hall. Others lounged at the various bars visible throughout, enjoying drinks as they discussed the upcoming tournament.
The entire floor was alive with activity, so much so that even John felt himself get drawn into the excitement of it all.
"May I help you?" a well-dressed man, appearing to be in his late thirties, approached them. He wore a suit-like outfit, and had an early Dao Transformation cultivation. He addressed Zuri first, as she had the higher cultivation of the two.
"We'd like to place some bets on the Three Dao Tournament," Zuri said, getting straight to the point.
"Very well," the man nodded. "First, how much would you like to wager?"
"Is there a limit to how much I can wager?" John asked.
The attendant looked at John, his expression as if he heard the dumbest question. He refrained from speaking his mind, and shook his head lightly.
"No, there is no bet limit," the attendant said, his tone as if he considered John's question to be a useless one.
"Good," John nodded, then handed over a spatial ring to the man. "Then I'd like to wager this amount."
The attendant took the ring, gave John a skeptical glance, then inspected the contents of the ring. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head as he saw the mountain of wealth contained within, then handed the ring back to John.
"Apologies for my rudeness earlier," the attendant said apologetically. "I had no idea you were a man of such wealth. Please, follow me."
John nodded, satisfied with the treatment, then followed the man through the room. Zuri glanced curiously at John, then the ring in his hand.
"How much are you going to bet?" she asked.
John handed her the ring to inspect, and after doing so, her eyes bulged in a similar manner to the attendants.
"How….how did you manage to collect this much wealth?" she asked, mouth agape. "Just this much is more than I've earned in my entire lifetime, multiplied many times over."
John shrugged, a satisfied smirk on his face.
"I got lucky I guess."
