Starting as a stray dog, I embarked on a journey of cultivation.

Gou An quickly stepped forward and discovered that they were gathered around a stone table.

On the tabletop, ten palm prints of equal depth are neatly recessed, clearly indicating that ten people need to press their palms precisely in the corresponding positions to trigger the mechanism.

"Fellow Daoist, come quickly, we're just missing you," Old Sheep Qingmianzi said politely.

Gou An nodded slightly, stepped forward, and together with the other nine people, steadily pressed their palms into the palm print grooves.

The next instant, the heavy stone table suddenly began to tremble violently.

Caught off guard, everyone was startled and retreated to avoid the danger. Some even instinctively summoned defensive magical artifacts, ready for battle.

However, the anticipated crisis did not materialize.

The original giant stone table split into ten smaller stone tables of the same size. These smaller tables slid automatically along the patterns on the ground and stopped precisely in front of the ten people, effectively separating them and creating a distance between them.

At the center of the original large stone table, a hazy, illusory humanoid remnant soul slowly coalesced and floated out.

Gou An stared intently, and the outline of this remnant soul was blurred, its face and figure completely unrecognizable, leaving only a faint phantom suspended in mid-air.

With just one glance, Gou An could sense the ancient and weathered aura emanating from that remnant soul.

After a moment of silence, the remnant soul finally spoke, its tone filled with a hint of excitement at a long-awaited reunion: "Finally, someone else has come to challenge the tower!"

"Now I will explain the rules for climbing the tower to you all."

"The ancient tower has nine levels, and you ten will attempt to conquer it together. At least one person will be eliminated on each level."

"If you are lucky enough to make it to the ninth floor, there may be two of you left."

"But the secret treasures I preserved will ultimately belong to only one person."

Upon hearing this, Gou An's mind raced with deductions.

This nine-story ancient pagoda secret realm was clearly left behind by this remnant soul before its death.

The person who could set up such an ancient pagoda-like secret realm and create such a series of challenging rules must have been a powerful figure with extraordinary cultivation in his lifetime.

Before Gou An could ponder further, the remnant soul's voice rang out again, officially initiating the first level of challenge rules: "Next, I will explain the rules of the first level of the game in detail."

As soon as he finished speaking, ten jade tablets the size of copper coins appeared out of thin air on the small stone table in front of the ten people. They were warm and smooth, with a restrained spiritual light.

Each player starts with ten jade tokens as chips. There are three rounds of betting and gambling. After the three rounds, the player with the fewest chips is eliminated.

If there are multiple players with the fewest chips, all of them who are tied will be eliminated.

The expressions on everyone's faces varied; some were calm and composed, while others looked grave, having already grasped the danger of this round of competition.

The remnant soul continued its indifferent explanation: "The rules are extremely simple. Each stone table has a narrow slit on its side where you can insert jade tokens."

"The amount of each person bets is not visible to others, and there is no limit to the amount, but each person only has one opportunity not to bet."

"I will announce the results of this round once everyone has placed their bets."

"In each round of betting, the player with the most chips wins all the chips wagered in that round."

"However, if multiple people are tied for the highest chip stake, all chips bet in this round will be cleared, and no one will profit."

The moment the rules were set, a powerful, invisible pressure suddenly enveloped the entire stone chamber.

Their cultivation was forcibly sealed, their feet were nailed to the ground and they could not move at all, and only their arms could move freely.

Gou An knew perfectly well that it was the remnant soul that had sealed everyone's divine sense and ability to investigate.

Eliminate all possibilities of spying, perception, and cheating to ensure that this game is absolutely fair and relies entirely on mental calculation.

The remnant soul's cold voice reiterated: "Remember, after three rounds of competition, the one with the lowest stake is eliminated. Do you have any further questions?"

The group exchanged glances, having already grasped the rules, and no one dared to ask a question; the stone chamber remained silent.

"Since there are no objections, the game shall officially begin. Everyone, you may place your bets in the first round."

"Limited time offer, just one incense stick's worth!"

The remnant soul hovered in mid-air, silently looking down at the ten people below, waiting for them to complete the first round of betting.

In the hands of the remnant soul, an incense stick appeared out of thin air and burned very quickly.

However, time limits were set for everyone to place bets.

Gou An held the jade pendant between his fingers, intending to spy on the movements of the people around him, but found that his body was sealed more and more completely, and his neck was stiff and unable to move.

His view was completely blocked, and he could only stare at the stone table in front of him.

After much hesitation and deliberation, Gou An finally decided on his betting amount.

In the blink of an eye, the incense burned out.

"The first round of betting has ended, and I will announce the results."

With a gentle wave of his sleeve, the remnant soul caused the bottom of the ten stone tables to flash with spiritual light. All the jade tokens that everyone had placed flew out and hovered in mid-air, clearly arranged, providing a complete view of the betting situation for this round.

All eyes were focused on it, and they instantly understood the situation of this round of competition.

Gou An did not place a single jade token in the first round, and only the old sheep demon Qing Mianzi made the same choice as him, also placing zero bets and holding onto his chips.

The remaining eight people all placed bets, with most of them betting only one jade pendant to test the waters and cautiously gauge the situation.

Only the human cultivator elder and the fox demon went all out, each betting all ten chips in their hands, clearly intending to dominate the first round and gain an advantage in one fell swoop.

This idea is risky, but if it succeeds, victory will be assured.

Because if he wins even one jade token in the first round, he will have the most chips.

So in the next two rounds, he can go all in, and no one can beat him.

Unfortunately, the two had the same idea and placed the exact same bet.

According to the rules, all betting chips were cleared in this round, and no one profited.

Seeing this situation, Gou An's lips curled up slightly, and he understood.

Steady!

At this moment, only he and Old Sheep Demon still hold ten full chips, firmly holding the top spot.

As long as you don't lose all your chips in the next two rounds, you can steadily advance to the next level.

From this perspective, the mental battle in this ancient pagoda's secret realm is far less difficult than I had anticipated.

In contrast, the human cultivator and the fox demon were filled with regret, their faces ashen.

The two went all in on the first round, but instead of profiting, they lost all their chips and were left penniless. They had no chance of turning the tables and were completely eliminated.

The other demon cultivators and human cultivators also breathed a sigh of relief.

Clearly, they also had the idea of ​​going all in on their chips in the first round, but they weren't that impulsive.

Ignoring the various expressions on everyone's faces, the remnant soul, like a cold and ruthless machine of rules, announced once again: "The second round of betting begins immediately."

Gou An calmed his mind and quickly analyzed the current situation.

Currently, he and Old Sheep Demon are tied for first place in chips, far ahead of everyone else.

He quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind.

If they go all in this round, they will most likely win the entire game and collect all the chips.

However, if the old sheep demon agrees with him and bets the same amount, the two will end up with zero chips, wasting their advantage.

The current situation is very clear.

Both of them have been completely eliminated, and they have already used up their chances not to bet.

Next, you must place a bet!

The safest approach is to only throw one ball in each of the next two rounds, playing steadily and never taking risks.

But Gou An had other considerations in mind. He vaguely sensed that the chips in each layer of the game might not only be used for the settlement of this round of elimination.

It will most likely be linked to challenges in subsequent levels; the more chips you hold, the greater your advantage will be later.

This second round of betting, seemingly uneventful, was actually the key to widening the gap and taking control of the overall situation.

The remaining six players each have nine jade tokens left, and each still retains one chance not to place a bet.

Given the cautious nature of most people, they would most likely choose to observe and refrain from betting in this round, to avoid incurring large bets from themselves and the Old Sheep Demon, and losing their chips for nothing.

In this way, this round of the game is essentially a one-on-one duel between him and the old sheep demon.

The only way to widen the gap and gain the upper hand is to consistently out-bet the old sheep demon.

After careful consideration and weighing the pros and cons repeatedly, Gou An no longer hesitated, raised his hand and took out three jade tablets, which he accurately dropped into the crack of the stone table.