Chapter 107: Placing the Bet

Li Sibai continued to speak on the stage, while Zhao Kang stood to the side, his patience already stretched to the limit. The only reason he had not erupted yet was because of the crowd watching below; a scene now would only give others ammunition to gossip about him.

Below the stage, the crowd was pointing and whispering.

"Who is this guy talking? His cultivation looks very average, but he’s certainly bold enough to challenge Zhao Kang. Still, why is he so long-winded? Get on with it already," someone grumbled impatiently.

"You don't understand, Old He. If he dares to challenge someone with a higher cultivation than his own, he must be confident. Talking beforehand helps establish his image. Look at Zhao Kang—he's already being driven mad by him. He’s essentially lost the first round before the fight has even begun. This kid is no simpleton," a fat man nearby remarked.

"You have a point there," the man called Old He nodded. "Wait, no—how did I hear it was Zhao Kang who challenged him? Yes, that’s it, Zhao Kang challenged him. This is something else, haha! To think this boy actually accepted; he must be a fool. I expect he’ll be finished in seconds. That’ll be dull." Old He sighed, as if Li Sibai’s defeat were a foregone conclusion, making the match not worth watching.

Under normal circumstances, duels between fellow disciples were not common. If the opponents were evenly matched and fought to a stalemate, it would be a thrilling spectacle, and people would seize the chance to place bets for the excitement. After all, such opportunities were rare.

But looking at the two on stage, there was a gap of two minor stages: Zhao Kang was at the third level of the Qinxin Realm, while Li Sibai had only just broken through to the first level. To everyone in the crowd, the disparity was too vast. How could one even place a bet on that?

What was most incredible was that Li Sibai was actually the one being challenged. Old He felt the boy was incredibly unlucky and seemed a bit slow-witted, which made the whole thing quite uninteresting.

Just as the crowd was beginning to feel disappointed, someone suddenly spoke up:

"I know this guy. I assisted the inner sect disciple selection with my master this year. This young brother is named Li Sibai; he’s one of the new disciples who was promoted from the outer sect this year. I remember he entered the inner sect as the runner-up. However, I recall he was only at the sixth level of the Fengchu Realm back then. I never expected him to have broken through to the Qinxin Realm in just a few months." The speaker was a young disciple named Du Wei, who often helped the elders with organizational tasks, so everyone knew him. Hearing this, the crowd acknowledged his words, feeling they had gained some understanding of Li Sibai.

Being able to break through to the Qinxin Realm in just a few months was not something an ordinary person could achieve. Generally, the higher the level, the harder it is to break through. Achieving this was enough to qualify him to accept a challenge here.

Consequently, the crowd began to place their bets. The bookmaker was a disciple named Kang Wei, a member of a prominent family. Although his talent was decent, he was unfortunately only from a branch line. Having given up on himself, he stayed at the Xuantian Sword Sect and spent his time running bets. Since his family provided him with plenty of resources, as long as he didn't cause trouble, he was left alone.

The crowd began placing their bets after hearing Du Wei’s words, knowing the match was about to start and time was running out. Almost everyone placed their wagers on Zhao Kang. Kang Wei grew anxious—he couldn't make a profit this way—so he quickly raised the odds for Li Sibai to entice more bets.

Seeing the situation, Li Sibai grew anxious. He wanted to place a bet himself, but the currency used for gambling here was the Xuantian Yuqing Pill.

Only this item was something everyone needed; it was an indispensable part of every disciple's monthly cultivation resources and had effectively become a form of currency. Even if you tried to buy it with money, others might not necessarily sell. The problem was that Li Sibai had run out of his Xuantian Yuqing Pills. He hadn't been back in months to collect his resources, and furthermore, since he hadn't been an official inner sect disciple of the Xuantian Sword Sect until recently, it was uncertain if he even had any resources waiting for him.

He had agreed to the bet with Zhao Kang specifically to earn more Xuantian Yuqing Pills; the stakes were his own identity medallion. If he had enough pills, he wouldn't have to work so hard.

Without any pills in hand, Li Sibai was burning with anxiety. This was a golden opportunity to make money; he estimated that if he won, the payout would be even more than the 200 pills he had staked on the match itself.

His eyes scanned the crowd below, and he finally spotted a familiar face: Qin Feng.

Li Sibai hadn't seen Qin Feng since they last parted ways. Seeing no one else he knew, he waved at Qin Feng, signaling for him to come closer.

Zhao Kang, fuming on the side, barked, "Li Sibai, you’ve said your piece. Why aren't you starting? Why all this fuss? Why are you being such a dawdler?"

Li Sibai wasn't angered. With money on the line, he uncharacteristically replied in a friendly tone, "Brother Zhao, please be patient. I have some items to hand over to my friend, lest they be lost in the heat of the battle, which would be a real pity."

Zhao Kang sneered, "Fine. It seems you have some self-awareness, knowing you might lose and lose your belongings. Suit yourself. I’ll give you three more minutes."

Li Sibai nodded repeatedly, "That's plenty, that's plenty."

Qin Feng had been reading in the Xingyun Pavilion and was on his way back to his room in the Diyun Pavilion to rest. Passing by the Tianyun Pavilion, he saw a commotion and, curious about what major event was taking place, went to take a look, only to find Li Sibai.

By the time he arrived, Li Sibai had already finished his speech, and he saw everyone placing bets. He had no idea why Li Sibai was dueling Zhao Kang.

Seeing Li Sibai beckon him over, he quickly jumped onto the stage, eager to see what Li Sibai was up to.

Li Sibai leaned in, put an arm around his shoulder, and whispered, "Xiao Feng, do me a favor. I’ll reward you handsomely afterward."

Qin Feng frowned. Why did Li Sibai always ask for favors the moment they met? And what was with the "Xiao Feng"? Oh, right, he remembered—that was the agreement from last time. He replied, "Xiaobai, what is it? If it's within my power, I’ll certainly do it."

Li Sibai nodded. "That’s the spirit. Tell me, how many Xuantian Yuqing Pills do you have on you?"

Qin Feng frowned again. Was this guy asking to borrow money the moment they met after such a long time? He calculated, "Xiaobai, you know I just entered the inner sect. My resources are limited, and after my own consumption, I only have 20 pills left."

Every inner sect disciple of the Xuantian Sword Sect received at least 10 Xuantian Yuqing Pills each month, with varying amounts depending on their master and rank.

Qin Feng only said he had 20, fearing Li Sibai would ask for more.

Li Sibai smiled. "20 is fine. Everything in my bracelet, except for this Red Gold Bear Core, I’ll pledge to you as collateral for the loan. Take the 20 pills and the Red Gold Bear Core, go down there, and bet it all on me to win. If I win, I’ll give you a cut of the winnings. How about that?"