"Whether I’m confident or not doesn’t depend on me. It depends on you. If the price is right, I can even be precise down to the exact number of moves. Why don’t you open another betting pool? Bet on how many moves it’ll take for me to defeat him?"

Hearing this, the Realm Lord was taken aback. Just then, Ning Xuan heard another, more eager voice cut in. "Young Master Ning, I’m the banker from the Four Seas Bank! Just give the word, and I’ll handle the operation. You’ll get fifty percent of the proceeds!"

A fifty-fifty split was a remarkably sincere offer. Although Ning Xuan could have pushed for more, he didn’t, agreeing immediately. He then gave the banker instructions on how to set up the new betting pool.

"Ahem, ladies and gentlemen, our bank has come up with a new game..."

While the banker’s announcement captured everyone’s attention, Ning Xuan turned to Zhang Chi in the duel arena. "Have you gone mute?" After all this time, Zhang Chi hadn’t said a single word.

Zhang Chi didn’t get angry at this. He simply asked amiably, "Is everything settled?"

"It is, but I want to make a deal with you."

Zhang Chi shook his head. "Not interested."

"Don’t be so quick to refuse. Hear me out first."

Ning Xuan then repeated the same deal he had offered Chen Tao and Li Liang, with a few key differences. This time, the price was a staggering twenty times the original amount. He also adjusted the second tier of the deal, lowering the move count from thirty down to twenty.

"So, if I lose miserably after five moves, I still have to pay you four million Divine Crystals? Are you serious?"

After listening, Zhang Chi’s reaction was similar to Li Liang’s, though he was clearly far more composed.

"Of course," Ning Xuan nodded. "You’re much stronger than Li Liang, after all. He just paid a full three million."

Zhang Chi’s eyes narrowed, but he said nothing. Soon after, Ning Xuan caught Li Liang looking his way and gave a subtle nod.

A moment later, Zhang Chi spoke. "It seems we’ve all misjudged the situation. I agree. In fact, I’ll take the twenty-move option."

Not only did Zhang Chi agree readily, but he even raised the tier. His words alone guaranteed Ning Xuan a profit of ten million Divine Crystals!

"Figures. Someone with a powerful family behind them can afford to be bold with their money," Ning Xuan remarked. "However, there will be no pointers for you. I have nothing to teach you."

With that, Ning Xuan held out his hand, gesturing for Zhang Chi to pay upfront.

Zhang Chi’s expression stiffened. He had agreed without hesitation for the sole purpose of getting pointers from Ning Xuan. That guidance would have greatly increased his older brother’s chances of victory should he face Ning Xuan later. And now, this guy wasn’t playing by the rules.

"What? You’re not thinking of backing out, are you?!" Ning Xuan suddenly exclaimed. His sharp tone made Zhang Chi jump, and many in the crowd turned their attention back to the arena.

"No!" Zhang Chi replied instantly. He was certain that if he refused, this guy would expose the entire deal. The Zhang Family could not afford such public humiliation!

"I will definitely pay, but not right now. Otherwise, how would my Zhang Family keep its face? Don’t worry, I definitely won’t..."

Before Zhang Chi could finish, Ning Xuan made a gesture indicating he should write an IOU. Zhang Chi’s lip twitched, but in the end, he obediently complied.

"What’s going on?"

"What are they doing over there?" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"Are you an idiot? Can’t you see? Ning Xuan doesn’t have enough Divine Crystals to bet, so Young Master Zhang Chi is writing him an IOU!"

"But he has fifty-five million Divine Crystals! How could that not be enough?!"

"Young Master Zhang Chi is a top-ten contender! He’s being bribed by Ning Xuan!"

"That’s why I said you’re an idiot! Don’t forget about the revival tournament! If I were Zhang Chi, I’d take the Divine Crystals too!"

"Oh, right! How did I not think of that?! Hahaha, Ning Xuan is taking a huge loss on this one!"

For a moment, the crowd looked at Ning Xuan as if he were a complete fool.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the Realm Lord and the banker were grinning from ear to ear. The fight hadn’t even started, yet they already knew the outcome. They were going to make a fortune from this match alone.

Back in the duel arena, Ning Xuan tucked away the promissory note from Zhang Chi.

"Can we start now?" Zhang Chi asked impatiently.

The instant Ning Xuan nodded, Zhang Chi struck. His plan was much the same as Li Liang’s had been, and naturally, so was the result. The only difference was that this time, Ning Xuan offered no pointers—only ridicule.

"Too slow!"

"You call that a punch?"

"That’s not how you use Element Force!"

Stung by the insults, all Zhang Chi could do was push his skills to their absolute limit. But in the blink of an eye, more than ten moves had passed, and he still hadn’t managed to touch the hem of Ning Xuan’s robes!

Among the Law Enforcement Officers, a man with a striking resemblance to Zhang Chi watched with a grave expression. This was Zhang Yang. Zhang Chi had already transmitted everything to him. He had hoped that as a spectator, he could glean some insight from their duel. But to see his brother use every trick in his arsenal and still achieve nothing... it was utterly shocking.

"Something’s not right!"

"Yeah, definitely not. With Young Master Zhang Chi’s strength, no one should be able to handle him this easily!"

"Holy crap, don’t tell me..."

Just as someone said this—

BAM!

Zhang Chi’s attack finally landed. A collective sigh of relief went through the crowd.

"I knew it!"

"That’s more like it!"

"Young Master Zhang Chi, kill him!"

The crowd grew excited, completely unaware that Zhang Chi had only landed the hit after humbly begging Ning Xuan to let him. His earlier attempts at reasoning had been useless. It was only when Ning Xuan saw their charade was about to be exposed that he finally orchestrated the scene everyone was hoping for.

In the next few moves, Zhang Chi’s momentum was overwhelming, and Ning Xuan was forced into a steady retreat.

The Realm Lord and the banker were no longer laughing; they were extremely tense. The rest of the audience, however, was ecstatic.

Even Zhang Chi himself started to believe that Ning Xuan had no way to turn this around. But just then, he heard Ning Xuan’s voice transmission in his mind: "That was the nineteenth move."

The next instant—

BAM!

Zhang Chi reacted immediately, but he still couldn’t escape his fate. A single punch from Ning Xuan sent him flying!

PFFT!

His body slammed hard against the stone wall, making the entire duel arena tremble! He coughed up blood and collapsed onto one knee, unable to rise for a long while.

He was defeated. Utterly and completely defeated.

"Brother, Ning Xuan is incredibly strong! He has the power to kill me in a single strike!" This was the first thing a recovering Zhang Chi transmitted to Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang stood dumbstruck. After a long while, he finally came back to his senses, muttering incessantly, "How is this possible... How is this possible..."

Ning Xuan is in the Second Layer Heavens of the Holy Realm at best! My brother, Zhang Chi, is a genuine cultivator in the Fifth Layer Heavens of the Holy Realm! With such a vast difference in their cultivation Realms, how could my brother be defeated in a single exchange?! It’s simply preposterous!