The news of Wan Yankun's challenge to Jiang Yun spread like wildfire. Soon, nearly all the inner and outer disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect knew about it. By the afternoon, Wan Yankun's presence was indeed seen at the sparring arena.
Li Dadan had also arrived early at the arena. As more and more outer disciples gathered, Zhou Ziyue still wore a light smile as he casually waved a folding fan, but this time, Zhou Ziyue's entrance was overshadowed by someone else.
"Look, isn't that Senior Brother Roche, one of the top three in the inner disciples?"
"Such a strong presence. He truly embodies the style of the Heavenly Sword Sect's three elites and the experts of the Earth Martial realm."
"I wonder when I could become an expert in the Earth Martial realm too..."
Roche arrived at the arena accompanied by Qin Haifeng and his followers, drawing considerable attention. Even Zhou Ziyue looked at Roche's radiant display with a hint of envy.
At this moment, Li Dadan saw that most people had arrived and walked to the most concentrated area. He shouted, "Betting's open, betting's open! Today's participants are well known to all. I announce that we're now accepting bets. Whether you bet on the winner or loser, the odds are one to one."
"Odds of one to one? That's not much of a payout. But with Jiang Yun at Qi Martial Fifth Layer and Wan Yankun at Yuan Martial Sixth Layer, who would bet on Jiang Yun? He stands no chance against Wan Yankun with a whole realm's difference."
"You're missing something here. During the assessment, Jiang Yun once defeated Wan Yankun, taking into account that they were restricted from using spiritual energy. That's why he's confident about setting the odds. However, he's too naive. Doesn't he know that the assessment's conditions wouldn't stand in a real fight?"
"Senior Brother, you're only seeing the surface. Li Dadan and Jiang Yun are close. I suspect he's indirectly supporting Jiang Yun by doing this."
Li Dadan's shout soon received a response. "I bet on Wan Yankun's victory, one hundred silver tickets!"
Seeing the silver tickets in that person's hand, Li Dadan chuckled and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't make it clear just now. This time, we're not accepting monetary bets. I don't have money."
Before he could finish speaking, someone began to curse, "If you don't have money, why are you accepting bets? What kind of bookmaking is this?"
Li Dadan blushed at the criticism, then pulled out a small bottle from his pocket, raising it high. "For this round of bets, we only accept Body Refining Pills as stakes. Remember, the odds are one to one for both sides. Betting starts now."
When these outer disciples heard that only Body Refining Pills were accepted as stakes, they began to hesitate. After all, acquiring these pills wasn't easy. They had just received their first one yesterday, and using it for betting felt a bit extravagant.
"Alright, if it's Body Refining Pills we're betting with, then let's bet on Senior Brother Wan's victory. With a realm's difference between the two, I don't believe Jiang Yun has the ability to turn the tables."
As this statement was made, many who had been indecisive began to see things clearly. This battle seemed to be a foregone conclusion. Betting on Wan Yankun's victory was almost a guaranteed win. What was there to think about? In no time, people began placing bets one after another.
"I bet on Senior Brother Wan's victory."
"I'll bet on Senior Brother Wan's victory too, using one Body Refining Pill."
"Senior Brother Wan."
The noisy voices reached Roche's ears. After a disdainful smile, he turned to Qin Haifeng beside him and said, "You still have some of those Body Refining Pills I gave you yesterday, right? Go and push that person."
Qin Haifeng understood Roche's intention perfectly well. He nodded, walked up to Li Dadan, and handed him a small bottle. "Here are three Body Refining Pills. I'm betting on Wan Yankun's victory."
"Putting out three Body Refining Pills in one go. These inner disciples are truly wealthy."
Qin Haifeng's extravagant move ignited the enthusiasm of everyone present. At first, only a few outer disciples had hesitated to place bets, as most were reluctant to wager their Body Refining Pills. But with Qin Haifeng's intervention, those reservations vanished.
Even if they lost, weren't there others who would lose worse? Embracing this defeatist mentality, Li Dadan soon found himself surrounded by people, and the number of Body Refining Pills in his possession grew substantially. In no time, more than thirty people had placed bets. Li Dadan was happy to accept anyone's bets, grinning widely as he welcomed them.
Qin Haifeng's actions prompted the inner disciples to consider wagering as well. They followed suit and placed bets, sparking a new wave of betting. The number of Body Refining Pills in Li Dadan's hands quickly exceeded seventy, and almost all of them were bet on Wan Yankun's victory.
"I bet on Jiang Yun's victory."
Li Dadan looked in surprise at Wang Kaihai, dressed in white before him. He was the first to bet on Jiang Yun's victory. However, Li Dadan had already established that betting was two-way, so he couldn't refuse Wang Kaihai's bet and simply accepted it.
Wang Kaihai left expressionlessly, paying no attention to the discussions behind him. He treated it as if he had just done something completely natural.
"Has he lost his mind? He actually bet on Jiang Yun's victory. Impossible! Jiang Yun and Senior Brother Wan are separated by a whole realm. How could there be a chance?"
"He probably thought this battle would be just like the assessment. But this isn't child's play; it's a real fight."
At this moment, Jiang Yun finally arrived, dressed in a moon-white robe and carrying the Qingping Sword on his back. He strolled leisurely into the sparring arena.
Li Dadan greeted Jiang Yun with a grin, continually shaking the bottle of Body Refining Pills in his hand. It was as if he was telling Jiang Yun, "I've carried out the task you entrusted me with."
Indeed, Jiang Yun had orchestrated this gambling event himself, inspired by Wan Yankun's idea. Considering the stark difference in realm between him and Wan Yankun, he was certain that most people would believe he couldn't possibly win. He then proposed a one-to-one odds bet. At this point, most would naturally bet on Wan Yankun's victory, and nobody would take the risk of betting on Jiang Yun.
As he anticipated, aside from Wang Kaihai, there wasn't a second person who bet on his victory. However, Li Dadan now had a stash of seventy-six Body Refining Pills, enough to support Jiang Yun's cultivation for some time.
The crowd's gaze followed Jiang Yun as he entered slowly. After all, in this battle, he was the protagonist.
"I thought you might be scared and wouldn't show up," Wan Yankun said coldly. He had actually considered the possibility of Jiang Yun chickening out at the last moment.
"Don't you know that masters always appear last?" Jiang Yun's attitude toward Wan Yankun had relaxed significantly. What he was truly wary of was Roche, who stood observing from a distance. From the moment Jiang Yun entered the sparring arena, Roche's gaze had been fixed on him. Jiang Yun's senses were sharp, and he felt like prey targeted by a leopard, a sensation that sent shivers down his spine.