The duel between Ning Xuan and Zhang Chi was a complete shock to the experts watching. Ning Xuan’s final strike, in particular, made the pupils of the Ten Elders contract. They were all utterly stunned. For a cultivator at the Second-Layer Heavens of the Holy Realm to dominate a battle against one at the Fifth-Layer Heavens so easily... It was terrifying!

In the dueling arena, Ning Xuan cupped his fist at Zhang Chi. "Thank you for letting me win."

He was in a delightful mood, and for good reason—tens of millions of Divine Crystals were now his. The bank had just informed him of his winnings. Everyone who could enter the inner field was incredibly wealthy, and this particular bet was fresh, thrilling, and a guaranteed win for the house. As a result, many people had even chosen to go all-in. Being the house, Ning Xuan naturally made a fortune.

However, someone was there to remind Ning Xuan not to get carried away. That person, of course, was Zang Peng.

"I’ll hold off Ding Heyan for you later. Just make sure you run fast!"

Zang Peng rarely offered to take on such tasks, and frankly, he didn’t want to. But seeing the looks Ning Xuan was getting from the crowd made his heart pound, especially from those who had bet heavily. They treated Ning Xuan as the prime culprit, looking like they wanted to tear him to pieces.

Of course, Zang Peng wasn’t worried about Ning Xuan’s safety; he was worried Ning Xuan would use the ensuing chaos to escape. He had to get Ning Xuan under control beforehand. The offer to block Ding Heyan was a lie. In fact, he’d be thrilled if Ding Heyan managed to pin Ning Xuan down. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Damn it, this guy is so much trouble! Thinking of the mess he’d have to clean up after the selections, Zang Peng felt a surge of irritation.

As if on cue, Ning Xuan rubbed salt in the wound. "It’s almost your turn, isn’t it? By the way, who’s your opponent?"

Hearing this, Zang Peng grew even more irritated. His opponent this time was Teng Zhenjie.

Unlike Zhang Chi, Teng Zhenjie had much more popular support. Everyone considered his entry into the top ten a foregone conclusion, so his odds at the Four Seas Bank were extremely low. If Zang Peng won, he would inevitably draw a lot of attention. But if he didn’t win and ended up facing a stronger opponent later, the revival matches would be even tougher. And he *had* to get into the top ten. Only then would he be free from the rules and able to come and go as he pleased, even without a Token. Zang Peng just wanted to lie low a while longer.

With his plans in disarray, he was already furious. And now this damned bastard Ning Xuan had to go and touch a raw nerve!

God damn it! This is so infuriating! he fumed silently.

Just then, it was Zang Peng’s turn to enter the arena.

"Teng Zhenjie for the win! Teng Zhenjie for the win!"

Ning Xuan’s sudden cheer made Zang Peng stumble, filling him with rage.

That damned bastard is definitely doing this on purpose!

Teng Zhenjie glanced at Ning Xuan in surprise. He didn’t know the man at all. Besides, his grandfather was one of the Ten Elders and had just been giving Ning Xuan a hard time.

Is this guy really that magnanimous?

"Can we begin?" Zang Peng’s voice rang out while Teng Zhenjie was still lost in thought.

Teng Zhenjie had barely nodded when—

BOOM!

Darkness flooded his vision. Before he could even react, it was already too late.

SLAM!

Zang Peng’s strike blasted him into the rock wall.

Defeated.

The entire arena fell into a dead silence. Aside from Ning Xuan, everyone watched in disbelief.

What just happened?! Who is this guy? So ruthless!

Zang Peng, without a word, turned and walked away. This forced Teng Zhenjie, who had just pulled himself out of the rock wall and was about to speak, to swallow his words. Instead, he glared fiercely at Ning Xuan, his eyes burning with murderous intent.

It’s all his fault I was distracted! How else could I have lost so miserably?!

At the same time, some members of the audience could no longer contain themselves. This was especially true for the gamblers who had lost a fortune on Ning Xuan’s duel. They had hoped to recoup some of their losses from this fight. In the end, not only did they fail to win anything back, but they now owed the Four Seas Bank a large sum of Divine Crystals! And the one responsible for it all was Ning Xuan.

"Ning Xuan, you bastard! You’d better make it into the top ten, or I swear I’ll tear you to pieces!"

"Count me in! If you don’t make the top ten, you’re not walking out of here alive!"

"I want to kill him right now! Aaargh!"

The crowd seethed, their eyes bloodshot as they teetered on the edge of madness. They dared to shout like this because they were certain Ning Xuan couldn’t possibly make it into the top ten. Although he was now in the top fifty of the selection matches, the defeats of both Zhang Chi and Teng Zhenjie meant he had now offended two of the Ten Elders. Add to that the Lu Family and their close allies, the Yan Family, and it was clear Divine Crystals would no longer solve his problems in the next duel. After all, no one could afford to offend these four major families at once. It was safe to say that Ning Xuan’s next match would be his last.

Ning Xuan glanced at the stands, shrugged, and raised a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture. He didn’t say a word, but his expression and actions were more infuriating than any insult. He was openly provoking them.

I just love to see you all hating my guts but being completely powerless to do anything about it.

The gesture made the gamblers, who already hated him enough to gnash their teeth, see red.

Fuck! That son of a bitch is so damn arrogant!

Finally, the time came to draw lots again. When the crowd saw who Ning Xuan’s opponent was, they all burst into laughter.

Ning Xuan had drawn He Ang!

He wasn’t just a strong contender for the top ten; he was a potential candidate for the top three, or even the championship!

"You’re finished this time, you bastard!"

"The more arrogant you were before, the more hopeless you’ll be in a moment!"

"Young Master He, please show no mercy! Beat him senseless! Just leave him breathing for us!"

"Yes, yes! Young Master He, that bastard isn’t even human! The more brutal you are, the better we’ll feel!"

A group of them shouted excitedly at a young man dressed in black.

He Ang didn’t respond, but he did glance at Ning Xuan, only to be met with a slightly mocking and playful smile. The sight made He Ang’s heart clench. He instantly grew wary, deciding that no matter what Ning Xuan said, he would pay it no mind.

In that short time, he had also received several sound transmissions. Aside from his grandfather, the others were all members of the Council of Elders, men of equal status. Without exception, they all warned him not to be careless.

Simultaneously, the Dali Realm Lord was also sending a sound transmission to Ning Xuan, asking if he could really defeat He Ang. To his surprise, Ning Xuan replied that he could without a moment’s hesitation.

"Ahem. That He Ang may also be at the Fifth-Layer Heavens of the Holy Realm, but he has had a fortuitous encounter and cultivates a secret technique. There are even rumors that he’s the strongest expert in the He Family besides He Zhi!" the Dali Realm Lord couldn’t help but remind him. "And by the way, He Zhi is one of the Ten Elders!"

This was a shocking evaluation. Ning Xuan, however, remained completely unruffled and once again gave an affirmative reply.

The Dali Realm Lord said no more for a long time. Meanwhile, the gamblers were already clamoring for the bank to release the betting odds for the upcoming duel.