Chapter 119: One to Thirty-Two

"Five hundred thousand gold coins?" Even the usually bold Long Zhanyi gasped, startled by Xin Lang's casual remark.

Ling Tian opened his mouth, stunned, unable to utter a word for a long time.

Xin Lang continued, "Well... Young Master Ling, you don't think the stakes are too small, do you? Should we add a bit more?"

"Ah!" Ling Tian was jolted back to his senses by Xin Lang's words. He quickly replied, "Five hundred thousand gold coins is quite a lot! We are still students at the Martial Arts Academy, we shouldn't take the gambling too far! However... if student Xin Lang can produce five hundred thousand gold coins, I, Ling Tian, will certainly oblige!"

"Oh, alright then! Let's go with your suggestion, Young Master Ling—five hundred thousand gold coins it is," Xin Lang said.

Ling Tian had assumed that a thousand or eight hundred gold coins would be the limit of what Xin Lang could produce; he hadn't expected him to casually mention five hundred thousand! Although the Ling family was powerful and wealthy, five hundred thousand gold coins was still a significant sum, and it would take some effort for Ling Tian to mobilize that much capital.

Therefore, Ling Tian said to Xin Lang, "Student Xin Lang, I’m going to the Gambling Arena now to register and reserve a match time. We shall meet at the Tianqiong Gambling Arena in three hours. Don't be late! I hope student Xin Lang won't break his word!"

"Haha, very well!"

Xin Lang then turned to Shangguan Ningyu and Long Zhanyi at the same table. "Why don't the two of you challenge me as well? We might as well reserve the time slots together!"

Long Zhanyi replied, "I only challenge experts. Once you defeat Ling Tian, I will challenge you."

Shangguan Ningyu said coldly, "If you manage to survive, I will come looking for you."

With that, Shangguan Ningyu left the teahouse first.

Ling Tian also prepared to leave. He needed to scrape together five hundred thousand gold coins within three hours, so he had to make the most of his time. After taking a few steps, he paused. Having calmed down, he suddenly thought, "Could this Xin Lang be planning to slip away? Knowing he is no match for me, he might be using this as a pretext to get us to leave so he can escape back to the Martial Arts Academy!"

Ling Tian returned to the teahouse and said to Long Zhanyi, "Brother Long, student Xin Lang might not know the location of the Tianqiong Gambling Arena. Could I trouble you to act as his guide later?"

"Haha... certainly! I wouldn't miss a high-stakes duel like this for anything! Rest assured, I will make sure student Xin Lang arrives at the Tianqiong Gambling Arena on time!" Long Zhanyi replied.

Long Zhanyi understood what Ling Tian was implying. Although he did not particularly care for Ling Tian, he was a martial arts fanatic. He wouldn't allow a duel with such promise to fall through, so he would naturally keep an eye on Xin Lang.

Xin Lang understood Ling Tian's intentions as well, but he merely smiled, not objecting to Long Zhanyi following him.

Hu Qingqing asked anxiously, "Xin Lang, five hundred thousand gold coins! Do you even have that much money?"

"What? Are you thinking of lending me some, student Qingqing?" Xin Lang teased.

"I would like to, but I'm powerless to help. I can lend you at most ten thousand gold coins," Hu Qingqing said after doing some quick mental math.

"Ten thousand gold coins! It's a bit small, but better than nothing!" Xin Lang turned to Murong Yueyin behind him. "Student Murong, I wonder how much you can lend me?"

"Me?" Murong Yueyin replied. "I don't intend to lend you money. I’m going to bet all of my money on you to win!"

Hearing this, Xin Lang smiled and asked, "You have so much confidence in me? Aren't you afraid I'll lose all your money?"

Murong Yueyin gave him a meaningful look and said, "Heh... my money? If you wanted it, wouldn't it have already been yours long ago?"

Only the two of them understood the hidden meaning behind her words. Regarding the events on Mount Cangqiong, they shared a silent understanding and kept it to themselves, though both were well aware of the truth.

While Murong Yueyin was speaking in code, her words sounded quite different to the ears of Long Zhanyi and Hu Qingqing. Long Zhanyi became convinced that there was a relationship between Xin Lang and Murong Yueyin, while Hu Qingqing, believing Murong Yueyin was competing with her for his affection, scoffed and said nothing more.

When Xin Lang, Qian Baidu, and Fatty Gu left Mount Cangqiong, they had taken one point five million gold coins with them. Since it was all physical currency, it was stored within the inventory slots of Xin Lang’s Upgrader. Qian Baidu had barely spent a cent, but Fatty Gu had spent several tens of thousands on women and entertainment—a mere drop in the bucket compared to the one point five million.

Xin Lang couldn't very well bring raw gold and silver to the gambling hall, so he first went to a money house to exchange it for gold notes before heading to the Tianqiong Gambling Arena with Long Zhanyi.

The Tianqiong Gambling Arena was a circular structure with a hemispherical dome. It contained nine gambling halls: eight smaller ones on the perimeter and the largest main hall in the center. Ordinary duels were usually held in the outer halls, but matches with high stakes or those involving prestigious figures were reserved for the main hall in the center.

Ling Tian had arrived early and already arranged the match time. Because the stakes were so high and Ling Tian was the eldest son of the Great Xia Empire’s Chancellor, Ling Zhantu, the duel was scheduled for the main hall as the final, grand finale of the day.

Shortly after Xin Lang arrived, Hu Qingqing and Murong Yueyin showed up. Not only them, but Fatty Gu, Qian Baidu, and Hong Jingang also appeared. Beyond them, many other students from the Martial Arts Academy had come to watch the spectacle.

Xin Lang asked Fatty Gu, "Aren't you all at the Martial Arts Academy? How did you end up here?"

Fatty Gu replied, "Boss, the news of your duel with Ling Tian has spread like wildfire through the entire Academy! I expect even more people will be coming to watch soon!"

Xin Lang turned to Murong Yueyin and Hu Qingqing. "Did you two spread the word?"

"My mouth isn't that fast!" Murong Yueyin looked at Hu Qingqing, her implication clear.

Hu Qingqing scoffed at her. "Why are you looking at me? It wasn't me! It was Ling Tian's younger brother, Ling Feng, who spread the news!"

"Oh... haha..." Xin Lang said nonchalantly. "It doesn't matter. The more the merrier; I'm not afraid of fame!"

Hu Qingqing handed Xin Lang some gold notes. "This is all I have. If you lose, you'll have to support me from now on!"

Xin Lang didn't know if she was serious or joking. While feeling a touch of emotion, he also grew worried. "This girl isn't actually falling for me, is she? If she is, that could be troublesome!"

Xin Lang had no desire to cause any heartbreak for Hong Xiu.

He didn't take the notes. Instead, he said, "My five hundred thousand is already taken care of. If you support me, take this money and place a bet on me to win!"

"Oh, and one more thing," Xin Lang added. "If you lose, count it as my loss. I guarantee you'll win!"

"You've already raised the stakes? Who lent you the money? Was it her?" Hu Qingqing looked toward Murong Yueyin.

Murong Yueyin replied, "I don't have that much money! Besides, I've already bet all of mine. Right now, your odds are one to thirty-two, Xin Lang. We’re going to make a fortune this time!"