Chapter 118: The Gambling Duel

Murong Yueyin and Hu Qingqing found Xin Lang in the teahouse, only to discover that he was sitting at the same table as the three top masters on the Martial Arts Academy’s prestige list. Judging by Xin Lang’s expression, he seemed unaware of who they were.

Murong Yueyin was not worried about Xin Lang’s safety; in her heart, Xin Lang was the invincible "Martial Saint." Fighters like Ling Tian and Long Zhanyi posed no threat to him whatsoever.

However, Hu Qingqing thought differently. Long Zhanyi was second on the prestige list, Ling Tian third, and Xin Lang had only just been promoted to Grandmaster. Neither of these two was someone Xin Lang could easily contend with.

Although Shangguan Ningyu was only fifth on the prestige list, that was merely a nominal rank. Rumor had it that her true strength was second only to the top-ranked Huangfu Huijing. Sitting with Long Zhanyi and Ling Tian at Xin Lang’s table, it was clear this was more than a casual tea gathering.

“Xin Lang!”

Hu Qingqing hurried into the teahouse and approached Xin Lang.

“Hu Qingqing? Murong Yueyin!” Ling Tian exclaimed in surprise as the two women entered.

Seeing Hu Qingqing and Murong Yueyin standing behind Xin Lang, Ling Tian’s expression darkened considerably.

“Haha…” the rugged Long Zhanyi laughed loudly. “Rumor has it that the four campus beauties of our Martial Arts Academy are all your boy’s territory! Seems like there’s some truth to that after all!”

The poetic and elegant Shangguan Ningyu cast Long Zhanyi a cold glance. “Long Zhanyi, this is a refined and quiet place. Please keep your voice down. Also, don’t spread rumors about things you know nothing about.”

“What’s that? Shangguan Ningyu, you sneaked out to meet this guy and got caught red-handed, but you won’t admit it?” Long Zhanyi scoffed.

“Hmph!” Shangguan Ningyu snorted and fell silent, clearly unwilling to waste words on such a boor.

“Shangguan Ningyu, fifth on the prestige list! Long Zhanyi, second!” Xin Lang looked at Ling Tian. “And you? What’s your rank?”

“Third, Ling Tian,” he answered arrogantly.

“Oh…” Xin Lang’s lips curled into a sly smile as he addressed Long Zhanyi and Ling Tian, “You guys came looking for me today—could it be to kowtow and admit your mistakes?”

“Oh… haha…” Long Zhanyi was momentarily stunned but soon burst into laughter. “Alright, alright, pretty arrogant, but I like that about you!”

“But…” Long Zhanyi shifted tone. “I wonder if you have the foundation to keep being that arrogant?”

“Heh!” Xin Lang smiled indifferently. “Making you guys bow and admit defeat shouldn’t be a problem.”

Upon hearing this, a flicker of emotion stirred in Shangguan Ningyu’s usually impassive face. She raised her delicate brows and looked at Xin Lang.

Ling Tian’s expression grew even darker; he had reached the limit of his patience and seemed on the verge of losing his temper.

Xin Lang’s words had instantly tightened the atmosphere at the table. Hu Qingqing quickly intervened, addressing Shangguan Ningyu, Long Zhanyi, and Ling Tian: “Don’t listen to Xin Lang’s nonsense, he just likes to joke around!”

“No, I’m not joking. What I say is true!” Xin Lang stood and faced the three. “Time and place don’t matter. I’m ready to accept your challenge anytime!”

“Xin Lang! You…” Hu Qingqing stomped her foot anxiously but could do nothing; once spoken, words could not be taken back.

Long Zhanyi smiled and said, “Let me clarify, I’m not courting anyone. I just love fighting strong opponents. You’re not yet qualified to be my opponent. If you want me to challenge you, wait until you’ve beaten those two first.”

Long Zhanyi then directed Xin Lang’s gaze toward Shangguan Ningyu and Ling Tian.

Shangguan Ningyu sipped her tea calmly, appearing completely indifferent.

Ling Tian had long wanted to teach Xin Lang a lesson but had held back within the Martial Arts Academy. Upon hearing Xin Lang had left the academy, Ling Tian had immediately sought him out, only to find Shangguan Ningyu and Long Zhanyi had beaten him to it. Since neither Long Zhanyi nor Shangguan Ningyu was eager to deal with Xin Lang yet, Ling Tian now had his chance.

“Xin Lang, since you’ve put it out there that you welcome our challenge anytime, I, Ling Tian, will be the first to challenge you!” he declared.

Noticing the red diamond six-level side quest pop up on the upgrade device, Xin Lang felt a surge of joy. “Damn! A 3,000 experience point reward—that’s generous!”

Excited, Xin Lang grabbed Ling Tian’s hand. “Ling Tian, let’s find a place and start right away!”

Xin Lang’s overly familiar gesture made Ling Tian suspect he had some strange preference. He hurriedly pulled his hand away, saying, “I heard that within the Martial Arts Academy, challengers have to pay a fee…”

“I’ll waive that for you!” Xin Lang cut him off, afraid Ling Tian might back down if he couldn’t afford the fee. Losing those 3,000 experience points would be unbearable.

“Oh… Xin Lang, you’re so generous!” Ling Tian responded. “I meant that within the academy, matches also have point rewards. Although we’re outside the academy now, there should still be some stakes.”

“Stakes, huh?” Xin Lang’s eyes gleamed as he licked his lips and glanced at Murong Yueyin, Hu Qingqing, and Shangguan Ningyu across the table. “I’m not short of women, but keeping them costs a fortune! As you can see, I only keep the finest…”

His gaze roamed over the figures of Murong Yueyin, Hu Qingqing, and Shangguan Ningyu, flaunting his pride, then continued, “So, the stakes? Let’s bet gold coins—and none too few!”

Murong Yueyin, knowing Xin Lang’s character, remained calm, but Hu Qingqing wasn’t so composed. She grabbed Xin Lang’s arm and said, “Are you crazy? Ling Tian is ranked third and has just advanced to sixth-level Grandmaster. You’ve only been training ‘Qi Transformation’ for two days. You can’t beat him!”

Hu Qingqing’s concern moved Xin Lang slightly. He thought, “If it weren’t for feeling guilty toward Hong Xiu, maybe I’d take this busty woman as well. At least her touch is quite tempting.”

Shangguan Ningyu found Xin Lang increasingly unfathomable. His realm was much lower than Ling Tian’s; a simple fight would be tough enough, and he’d probably get beaten. Yet now he wanted to gamble on the match. Shangguan Ningyu couldn’t understand where his confidence came from.

“Ha ha!” Long Zhanyi grinned. “Stakes, huh? I say you two should head to the Summer Capital’s Betting Arena. That way, we spectators can join in the fun!”

“Betting Arena!”

Xin Lang had heard of the Betting Arena; it was similar to the Combat Arena but with one key difference: matches there involved wagers. The betting parties agreed on stakes, and the arena itself acted as the house. Spectators could also place bets.

“Alright, then to the Betting Arena!” Ling Tian happily agreed to Long Zhanyi’s suggestion. Teaching Xin Lang a lesson there and signing a betting contract meant no one could complain afterward.

Xin Lang’s lips curved into an unintentional smile. “Ling Tian, how big do you want to bet?”

Ling Tian’s father, Ling Zhantu, was Prime Minister—a powerful and influential figure in the Great Xia Dynasty. Naturally, the Ling family had plenty of wealth.

Ling Tian initially wanted to bet his hand, life, or cultivation, but after learning about the Betting Arena, he dropped those ideas. So he casually said, “Money is just a number to the Ling family. Bet as much as you want, I, Ling Tian, will accept!”

“Oh, really?” Xin Lang’s smile turned sly. “Young Master Ling, you are truly rich! Fine, let’s keep it modest—five hundred thousand gold coins each!”

The remark stunned everyone, especially the ever-composed Shangguan Ningyu, who suddenly sprayed her tea all over. If Xin Lang hadn’t dodged quickly, the tea would have drenched his face.