"Would you like to go first, Jack?" Ling Yun gestured to Jack.
Jack reached out and casually drew a card from the deck, without looking at the hole card, and placed it face down in front of him. Ling Yun smiled slightly and followed suit, drawing a card from the deck as well, also without looking at the hole card, and placing it face down in front of him.
"Ling Yun, before revealing my hand, I want to ask you a question?" Jack suddenly said leisurely.
"Ahem, this is really a bad habit. It seems like VIPs all like to say something before gambling. Why can't they say it after they've finished?" Ling Yun spread his hands helplessly. "Alright, ask me whatever you want, but don't ask anything too boring, or I'll refuse to answer."
“Because some things are only meaningful when said before the mystery is revealed; it loses its meaning once the ending is known,” Jack said with a smile. “What I want to ask is, Ling Yun, have you truly passed the test of the fourth hall?”
"Of course, this test is very simple. You told me this from the beginning, and my terrifying leveling speed all comes from this. Otherwise, why do you think I could defeat several VIPs or even high-level VIPs so quickly? Without your guidance and my verification, I'm afraid I would still be completely clueless."
He suddenly pressed down on his trump card, leaned forward, and looked at Jack seriously, saying, "The fourth hall tests faith, a blind faith, even the ability to achieve everything solely through spiritual confidence. At first, I didn't believe it, but after several verifications, I finally believed it."
He continued, "Before the gambling, I observed the expressions and demeanor of several pairs of gamblers, partly to verify what was happening. To my surprise, regardless of the odds or the balance of luck, as long as one gambler had slightly more confidence than the other, the more confident gambler would definitely win. In the roulette area, the man won because he had more confidence, while the older brother of the fat twins won because he had slightly more confidence. In the end, although all the boys died, the boy who should have won was killed first by the boy who should have lost. This undoubtedly proves something."
“I didn’t expect you to be so observant,” Jack said with a smile. “However, these observations are very detailed and specific. I was wondering why you weren’t in a hurry to gamble, but instead wanted to take a look first. So that’s why.”
“However, sharpening the axe won’t delay the work of chopping wood, so observation is necessary. What if you’re lying to me?” Ling Yun smiled. “After observing, I prepared to start the experiment. Unfortunately, and coincidentally, several VIP gamblers became the victims of my experiment. Their tragic deaths not only verified your conclusion but also mine. This virtual casino is indeed very strange. Probability, gambling skills, and luck each play a certain role in gambling, but the biggest element is confidence. Even if this confidence is blind and appears in someone who is completely unfamiliar with gambling, it will definitely work. As long as I am sure that I will win, then I really will win. As long as I hypnotize myself and say that I can definitely do it, hehe, of course I can do it!”
“But other VIPs also have the same confidence, so how can you possibly beat them? Are you sure your confidence is 100% stronger than theirs? I don’t quite believe that, dear Lingyun. VIPs are all seasoned experts, true warriors who have survived countless battles. How can you be so sure you’re stronger than them?” Jack said with a smile again.
"How many people did they kill?" Ling Yun said disdainfully. "I can kill more people with just one finger than they have all killed in total. And don't forget, my brain is different from others. I can't explain it to you, but it's true. When it comes to confidence that has a brainwashing or hypnotic effect, no one is stronger than me, unless they are crazy."
“Alright, real confidence, Lingyun, are you sure the fourth test is confidence? Maybe you have a point, but the final trump card hasn’t been revealed yet.” Jack sighed and said, “Your confidence could be shattered by reality at any moment.”
“It’s no use. Your words are still a challenge to my confidence.” Ling Yun said calmly, “Confidence changes everything. I don’t believe in any facts.”
“Alright then, if you’re confident, show your cards!” Jack gestured. “I drew my cards first, so you can show yours first.”
Ling Yun chuckled and said, "Alright then, don't tell me your hole card is also an Ace of Spades. This is a newly assembled deck of cards; there's no way it could have a bug unless you're God." With that, Ling Yun turned the hole card over.
The moment the card was revealed, Ling Yun was stunned. The hole card was an Ace of Hearts, not an Ace of Spades. Although it was only a hair's breadth away from the best card, in a gamble of this god-like level, that hair's breadth could mean life or death.
Seeing Ling Yun finally show a look of surprise, Jack smiled silently. "Old friend, let me teach you something. Don't overestimate your confidence. Having confidence is good, and it is indeed a test of the Fourth Hall. But blind confidence can destroy you. In this world, you can't accomplish anything just by having confidence. Strength plus confidence is the true path to success. This is the real test of the Fourth Hall. Unfortunately, you have grasped the test of confidence, but you haven't grasped the true meaning of confidence."
"Hmm, I understand. Thank you for solving the mystery for me." Ling Yun was only stunned for a moment before regaining his composure and even smiling with considerable grace, seemingly unconcerned about losing the situation.
"You're welcome. It's a pity you fell short. You were almost there, but you were just one step away from passing the final hurdle." Jack smiled gently and revealed his trump card.
His smile suddenly froze on his face, just like Ling Yun who had just revealed his trump card. Jack's aristocratic demeanor and etiquette vanished instantly, replaced by an expression of utter astonishment.
In front of him was an Ace of Clubs, which was one level lower than the Ace of Hearts.
Ling Yun sat opposite him with a smile, like a clever little fox. He gently peeled off a piece of orange and ate it, saying, "Dear Jack, I'll teach you something too. Before you reveal your hand, never lock in the outcome, otherwise your Ace of Spades might just disappear like mine!"
Chapter 358 Choice
Jack's face paled for a moment, then returned to calm.
“You’ve won, Ling Yun. Congratulations on passing the test of the fourth hall. According to the rules of gambling, I should pay the price for losing and use my life to bid farewell to your victory,” Jack said slowly. Although he had lost, Jack’s expression remained unchanged, seemingly unaffected by the imminent death. This composure deeply impressed Ling Yun. No wonder he was the God of Gamblers; most people, even VIPs, wouldn’t be so calm when facing death.
“You don’t have to die. Anyway, the fourth hall will disappear after I pass the test, so it doesn’t matter whether you live or die.” Ling Yun said after a long silence, “I don’t like gambling, not at all. But I can’t change people’s gambling instincts, so I can only try my best to change some things. Fortunately, it’s just a virtual platform, so I don’t have to invest real feelings.”
"Is that so?" Jack smiled elegantly. "My dear Lingyun, if I told you that if I don't die, you'll never leave this casino, would you still try to keep me from dying?"
"Oh? Is that so?" Ling Yun was taken aback, then nodded nonchalantly, saying with a heavy and sorrowful tone, "Then, dear Jack, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and pick up a gun and blow your head off so I can leave this place!"
“Lingyun, you are truly a remarkable person.” Jack smiled silently, revealing his snow-white teeth. “In you, I see what seem to be two extremely contradictory personalities, yet they are so harmoniously unified. This gives me a strange feeling, as if the person in front of me is not the real you, but just a shadow, an ethereal shadow.”
“It’s normal to exhibit different personality traits in different environments,” Ling Yun said. “Just like in this casino, everyone is crazy, so I have to be even crazier than the crazy ones to level up here and have a calm conversation with you. Otherwise, I would have died in the first round of roulette long ago. The temple has taken away my superpowers, so I can only rely on myself.”
“I almost forgot to ask you, how did you finally see the true test of faith? I gave you a strong hint at the beginning, and you did just that, and it was proven true. Why did it change when the cards were revealed at the end? I clearly remember that my hole card should have been an Ace of Spades, but when I revealed it, it suddenly became an Ace of Clubs. Why is that?” Jack asked Ling Yun with a hint of curiosity in his eyes.
“I never believed your nonsense from the beginning. What do you mean by having confidence and you can win? Unless this is a completely imagined world, and casinos are virtual scenes, they are projections of reality.” Ling Yun smiled and said, “If it really comes down to confidence, then the most enthusiastic gamblers are often the most powerful VIPs. But they are clearly not. I’ve gambled with several VIPs, and the higher the VIP level, the more afraid they are of dying. There was even a level 23 VIP who ran away from the game. What does this show? It shows that having confidence is correct, but relying entirely on confidence is a big mistake.”
"You noticed something was wrong a long time ago?" Jack said, his eyes gleaming.
"Of course, I'm not a three-year-old. How could I believe in such nonsense as wish fulfillment, which is just a nice blessing? I never believed it from the beginning. All confidence is based on reality. Water is water; can I really believe I can turn it into fire?" Ling Yun said.
“But I’ve been observing you. You’ve maintained an unwavering confidence in winning throughout all the rounds of gambling. If you didn’t believe it, where would your confidence come from? And I can tell you’re not faking it; you genuinely have the confidence to win and feel that everything is under your control,” Jack said.
"If you saw that your hole card was an Ace of Spades, and you were 100% certain of winning, wouldn't you have absolute confidence in your victory?" Ling Yun countered.
“Of course, the facts cannot be changed. If I knew I could definitely win, then of course I would be confident. The problem is, when you're playing roulette, how can you be sure you've got the game in the bag? That's what I don't understand,” Jack asked.
"I didn't compete with them in terms of confidence, or rather, I didn't compete with them in terms of gambling skills at all, because I know that whether it's confidence or gambling skills, I'm no match for the VIPs. So what I used was just deception," Ling Yun said with a smile.
“A scam?” Jack’s eyelids twitched, and he repeated involuntarily.
“Yes, including with you, I didn’t have the confidence to gamble with you. I still used deception, but the deception I used was rather special. Although the Fourth Hall prohibited my special ability, it could not prohibit my other ability.” Ling Yun said softly.
"What kind of ability?" Jack asked with great interest.
“It’s a secret,” Ling Yun shrugged. “From the moment the first VIP gambled against me, I was always holding a revolver with six bullet holes, but none of them were filled with bullets. If I were to shoot myself in the head with an empty gun, wouldn’t I be 100% confident of winning? No matter how confident the other person was, no matter what level of VIP they were, it didn’t matter to me. From the very beginning of the gambling, I was in an invincible position. My dice rolls and comparisons with you all stemmed from this. My seemingly terrifying leveling speed is hard to understand, but in reality, it’s worthless.”
“I really want to know, how did you do that?” A glint of shrewdness flashed in Jack’s eyes.
Ling Yun smiled slightly but remained silent. Naturally, he wouldn't tell Jack about his independent Yellow Book barrier space. This was his greatest secret; he didn't even know about the enormous spiritual consciousness within the barrier. In situations where he couldn't use his special abilities, the Yellow Book barrier played a crucial role.
The revolver on the gambling table was originally a seven-shot one, but every time Ling Yun picked it up, he would secretly place the seven-shot revolver into the yellow book's barrier. What would appear in his hand was an identical but six-shot blank gun. So no matter how the VIP middle-aged man and the female gambler used their gambling skills, Ling Yun was always shooting blank guns at his own head. This cheating method was so ingenious that even the Fourth Hall did not notice it, and Ling Yun naturally won with ease.
Fortunately, a large amount of supplies had been stored in the yellow book's protective barrier beforehand. With a small alteration, Ling Yun successfully deceived most people, including VIPs. Everyone appeared to be an ordinary person, allowing Ling Yun's trick to go undetected. The same applied to his bet with Jack. When the staff brought new playing cards, Ling Yun switched them. The highest card retrieved from the barrier was only the Ace of Hearts, meaning that when Ling Yun revealed his hand, his victory was already secured.
Originally, it wouldn't have mattered to tell Jack this secret. Ling Yun didn't dislike this polite guy. Unlike those VIPs who pretended to be noble gentlemen, Jack's temperament was genuine and emanated from his heart. Ling Yun even felt a slight liking for him. However, he couldn't tell whether Jack was a virtual being or the BOSS of the Fourth Hall. Under such circumstances, how could Ling Yun dare to reveal his secret? If the barrier itself knew, he would have no trump cards left.
“Alright, that’s your secret. I shouldn’t have pried. I’m really sorry to have bothered you.” Jack waited for a while, and seeing that Ling Yun remained silent, he understood what Ling Yun meant. He wasn’t angry, but just smiled slightly. “Mr. Ling Yun, do you know why there’s no time limit in the trial of the fourth hall?”
"Oh? I really don't know. I'd appreciate it if Mr. Jack could enlighten me." Ling Yun's expression faltered. Jack's question was indeed something he hadn't been able to figure out: why did the first three halls have time limits, while the casino in the fourth hall didn't? Ling Yun had carefully observed whether there was a hidden time limit like in the third hall, but he hadn't found it. However, after searching repeatedly, he was finally certain that the fourth hall was a test without a time limit.