In the duel arena, Ning Xuan and Chen Tao were in a standoff.

Across from him, Chen Tao’s face was filled with anticipation. After all, Ning Xuan had just told him that he wouldn’t be disappointed. To make a splash in this opening battle, he had spent over 300,000 Divine Crystals!

I must perform well this time!

With this in mind, Chen Tao stepped into the Central Palace and raised his hands in the Bagua stance, executing a very dashing opening move. Then, he gestured for Ning Xuan to come forward.

But what he heard was Ning Xuan’s telepathic voice, "Chen Tao, right? You seem to be quite wealthy."

This guy is doing it on purpose, isn’t he? Why bring up a sore subject! That’s it. He must not be very strong; he’s just trying to disrupt my Mental State!

Believing he had seen through Ning Xuan’s thoughts, Chen Tao sneered inwardly, but his expression remained unchanged. He responded pretentiously, "Just so-so. I’m a little wealthier than the average person. I can spare a few hundred thousand, maybe even a million, if needed."

"That’s great. Why don’t you show me some of that generosity, then?"

Upon hearing Ning Xuan’s words, Chen Tao immediately flew into a rage, but he quickly suppressed it.

He’s not going to give up until he gets what he wants, is he?

With a sneer, Chen Tao played along and asked briskly, "Sure. How much do you want?"

"Well, it depends on whether you want to win or lose. If you want to win... forget it, the price is too high. You definitely can’t afford it. If you want to lose, it depends on *how* you want to lose."

After hearing this, Chen Tao was certain that Ning Xuan had no real ability. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be racking his brains trying to upset his Mental State.

Growing even more relaxed, he asked again, "This is quite intriguing. Why don’t you explain your fee structure?"

"My rates are very reasonable. How about this: one million for a close defeat in a hundred moves, eight hundred thousand for a normal defeat in fifty moves, five hundred thousand for a major defeat in thirty moves, and two hundred thousand for a crushing defeat in just over ten moves."

Chen Tao was so angered by this that he laughed. "And what if I don’t choose any of them?!"

Ning Xuan answered honestly, "Then I’ll just have to take you down in one move."

"Very good! You’ve got guts," Chen Tao replied coldly. "Come on, make your move! Let’s see the power of this single strike of yours!"

At the same time, he gestured to Ning Xuan once again.

"Are you sure? Since you’re not short on Divine Crystals, if I were you, I’d definitely choose the million-crystal package. It’s the most spectacular, and the esteemed spectators will surely be satisfied. The more than three hundred thousand Divine Crystals you already spent wouldn’t be wasted. Otherwise, I’ll throw one punch, and you’ll..."

Ning Xuan didn’t get to finish before Chen Tao interrupted him, flatly refusing, "Let’s go! If you can really take me out in one punch, it’ll be my own lack of skill. I’ll just consider those Divine Crystals flushed down the drain!"

Ning Xuan still hadn’t given up. "If you think one million is too much, you could consider the eight hundred... cough, cough, the five-hundred-thousand one. If not, two hundred thousand is also fine. Tell you what, I’ll take a small hit and even give you a discount on the two hundred thousand deal."

This time, before Chen Tao could respond, others in the crowd had become impatient.

"Are you two going to fight or not?!"

"Exactly! What’s with all this dithering?!"

"Get on with it!"

Hearing these shouts, Chen Tao immediately explained, "It’s not that I don’t want to fight! This guy is trying to bribe me with Divine Crystals!"

"What? Is that really happening?!"

"Holy shit, that Ning Xuan is shameless!"

"This is a disgrace to us Law Enforcement Officers!"

As one voice rose after another, Ning Xuan became the target of public scorn.

Across from him, Chen Tao looked smugly triumphant.

Ning Xuan, expressionless, sighed and said, "I wanted to do business with you in good faith, but you’ve made this boring."

This time, Ning Xuan had not spoken telepathically.

"Everyone heard that, right? He admitted it himself!" Chen Tao immediately reminded the crowd.

Instantly, many Law Enforcement Officers, along with the spectators who had paid high prices for their tickets, looked at Ning Xuan with contempt.

"Chen Tao, strike now!"

"Right! You’d better kill that bastard!"

After one person spoke out, more and more people began to fill with righteous indignation.

"Ning Xuan, do you hear them? You can’t blame me for this!" Chen Tao said with a smile, but a flash of killing intent glinted in his eyes.

Just a moment ago, I was wondering how I should strike to leave a deep impression on the Ten Elders. Now I finally have an idea! I’ll go for the kill! If possible, a one-hit kill! That way, the Ten Elders will definitely remember me.

Across from him, Ning Xuan was stunned for a moment. His Six Senses were incredibly sharp, so such a change in Chen Tao naturally didn’t escape his notice.

Well now, someone’s actually courting death. What else can I do? Of course, I have to grant his wish.

Seeing Chen Tao gesturing to him again, Ning Xuan didn’t say another word. His figure flickered and vanished from the spot.

The next moment...

BANG!

An explosion rocked the arena.

PFFT!

Chen Tao sprayed blood as he was sent flying backward!

The entire arena fell silent!

It was not until Chen Tao’s body crashed to the ground, plowing a deep trench before slamming hard into the rock wall with another loud bang, that the silence was broken.

PFFT!

Chen Tao coughed up more blood. He struggled, trying to get back up, but ultimately failed.

Ning Xuan had held back. It wasn’t because he had changed his mind, but because he had decided to let him live a little longer.

If I killed my opponent with one punch, how would I get any income from the next match? I’ve already taken a loss on this one, after all. I wasted so much time. I have to earn it all back in the next round.

However, most people didn’t know what Ning Xuan was thinking. Combining his earlier words with Chen Tao’s, they came to a different conclusion, and many were dissatisfied.

"Blown away by one punch? That’s way too fake!"

"Exactly! It couldn’t be any faker!"

"I’m more curious about how many Divine Crystals Ning Xuan paid him!"

"Chen Tao lost his qualification because of this. Ning Xuan must have paid him tens of millions, right?"

"Damn, I thought Chen Tao was an idiot just now, but it turns out he’s the smartest one!"

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. With Chen Tao’s strength, there’s no way he could make it into the top ten, right? So what if he wins this match? What about the next? And the one after that? He’s bound to be eliminated eventually, so why not cash in while he has the chance! He really went all out for the money, though, agreeing to let Ning Xuan take him out in a single punch!"

"If Ning Xuan offered me tens of millions, I’d be willing too!"

"I don’t need tens of millions, five million would be fine!"

"I only need two million!"

In the audience stands, a dispute quickly arose. As for the Law Enforcement Officers who had competed with Chen Tao for a spot in the opening match, they were now filled with regret. If only they had known how generous Ning Xuan was, they would have done whatever it took to win the auction for the right to fight him! As for getting injured? That was nothing. A little rest and they’d be good as new.