Jiushe stood on the dueling platform, yet his gaze was fixed on Dongbo Xueying and the Drunken Lone Guest, his faint smirk exuding an unmistakable air of provocation.
“Brother Dongbo, the Drunken Lone Guest didn’t provoke earlier, but this Jiushe is deliberately challenging you,” remarked His Highness the Seventh Plum Rain beside him. “And he seems quite arrogant.”
Dongbo Xueying nodded.
Arrogance and pride were nothing unusual—those with true talent and strength carried an innate pride in their bones. Though Dongbo Xueying appeared humble and courteous to everyone on the surface, deep down, he was just as proud.
Dongbo Xueying didn’t care about the other’s arrogance; what concerned him was his opponent’s strength.
*”He’s truly formidable,”* Dongbo Xueying mused inwardly. *”That last move seemed omnipresent, striking everywhere at once. And its power was immense, annihilating an entire area in an instant. That opponent was ranked within the top thousand, yet he didn’t even have time to flee.”*
*”I wonder how I’d fare against him,”* Dongbo Xueying thought with anticipation. *”But the dueling matches won’t pit me against him.”*
The selection process in the prefecture city ensured that the top ten wouldn’t be forced to eliminate each other prematurely. After all, Anhai Prefecture’s goal was to choose the strongest hundred!
“He’s provoking me, but alas, the dueling matches won’t allow us to face off,” Dongbo Xueying said.
“The dueling matches won’t, but the final survival battle will determine the rankings anew,” the Seventh Plum Rain chuckled beside him. “You ranked first in the qualifiers—don’t let them surpass you in the survival battle.”
Dongbo Xueying smiled.
*So that’s why Jiushe is provoking me. His sights are set on the survival battle.*
—
One by one, the battles continued, growing fiercer as the gaps in strength between participants narrowed.
Yet none of the subsequent fighters gave Dongbo Xueying the same overwhelming sense of threat as Jiushe or the Drunken Lone Guest.
Even the Seventh Plum Rain, though impressive, didn’t feel overwhelmingly dangerous—mainly because her battles ended too swiftly. Her opponent surrendered after just two moves, preventing her swordplay from fully unfolding. Unlike those who excelled in sudden, devastating strikes, the Seventh Plum Rain specialized in prolonged combat.
“The top five hundred have been decided!”
“The first match of the second round of duels—Dongbo versus Wu Yong!”
The second round began…
The moment the match started, Wu Yong shouted, “I concede!”
Later, when the Drunken Lone Guest took the stage, his opponent likewise surrendered immediately. The same happened with Jiushe—before a single move was exchanged, his opponent yielded.
The sheer dominance displayed by the top-ranked fighters in the first round had intimidated the rest. The gap was too vast, and none wished to risk their lives when surrender was the wiser choice.
—
On the high platform, the Anhai Prefecture Lord, Lord Moxue, and the other observers watched intently.
Though there were over a dozen disciples of mighty figures among the participants, the brightest stars remained the top three—Dongbo, the Drunken Lone Guest, and Jiushe. Even Zang Xiao, who ranked twenty-seventh in the qualifiers, paled in comparison.
“That Jiushe… it seems he didn’t reveal his full strength in the qualifiers?” Lord Baisha remarked in surprise.
“He didn’t use this secret technique then,” Ronghai Wang confirmed.
“The qualifiers were just a formality. Jiushe was too confident to unleash his killing moves, yet he still ranked third,” the yellow-robed Venomous Ying Jieshen chuckled. “Now that he sees two ranked above him, he’s finally showing his true capabilities. In my opinion… Jiushe is the strongest of the three. The Drunken Lone Guest is a direct disciple of a mighty figure, his strength unfathomable—he could grasp a first-grade divine heart at any moment. As for Dongbo… he falls slightly short.”
Qin Junzhu remarked coolly, “You bear some grudge against Dongbo, don’t you? Deliberately targeting him?”
“Targeting?” Venomous Ying sneered. “He’s not worth the effort.”
“Venomous Ying, Dongbo is first because he earned it,” Lord Baisha said with a smile. “No matter what you say, he topped the qualifiers.”
“Then care to make a wager? I say in the survival battle, Dongbo won’t be first—he might not even be second!” Venomous Ying retorted coldly.
Lord Baisha shook his head. “A wager? Why? The rules of the qualifiers and survival battle are entirely different. No one can predict the final rankings. Even if Dongbo isn’t first, it’s hardly unexpected.”
“Losing confidence already?” Venomous Ying mocked.
“If you’re so sure, then who do you bet will be first? The Drunken Lone Guest? Or Jiushe?” Lord Baisha countered.
Venomous Ying hesitated.
Historical precedent showed that if the top three were closely matched, any of them could emerge victorious in the survival battle. Even those ranked fourth, fifth, or sixth—if exceptionally skilled in survival—could surge to the top.
Thus, no single fighter had more than a thirty percent chance of claiming first place.
Betting on any one individual was inherently risky.
Lord Baisha refused to take the bet—and neither would Venomous Ying.
“All this talk just proves you lack faith in Dongbo,” Venomous Ying scoffed before turning her gaze back to the arena.
Lord Baisha stroked his curled mustache, sensing her persistent antagonism. He grinned. “Very well. Since I won quite a bit from the last wager, I’ll set the stakes this time. I’ll take bets on the survival battle: Dongbo first—one-to-one odds! Dongbo second—one-to-two! Dongbo third or lower—one-to-five! Maximum bet—ten million divine crystals!”
“Bold move.”
“Brother Baisha, you’re truly daring.”
“So confident?”
Qin Junzhu, Ronghai Wang, the Divine Court Emissary, Lord Moyun, and Venomous Ying all turned to Lord Baisha in surprise.
This was an audacious gamble.
One-to-one odds for Dongbo winning first meant no profit for the house—only losses if wrong. No sane person would bet on that.
One-to-two for second place was standard.
But one-to-five for third or lower? That was staggering.
“Baisha, you’re digging your own grave,” Venomous Ying sneered. “Are you truly so confident?”
“The wager stands. Place your bets if you dare,” Lord Baisha challenged.
“Oh, I’ll indulge you,” Venomous Ying said coldly, still smarting from her earlier humiliation at the banquet. This was her chance to strike back.
“Haha, Brother Baisha, with odds like these, we’ll have to take advantage,” Ronghai Wang laughed. “Five million on Dongbo second, and another five million on third or lower. If he’s second, I break even. If third or worse, I net fifteen million. As long as he’s not first, I can’t lose!”
“Who said Ronghai was slow-witted?” Lord Moyun chuckled. “As long as Dongbo isn’t first, he either breaks even or profits massively. Brother Baisha, since you’ve won plenty before, I’ll follow Ronghai’s lead.”
“Same here,” Qin Junzhu said with a smile.
“And I,” the Divine Court Emissary added.
Lord Baisha glared. “You lot are ruthless.”
All four had placed identical bets—five million on second place, and five million on third or lower.
“You’re all too cautious. I’m betting solely on the last option—third or worse,” Venomous Ying declared coldly. “Ten million divine crystals! If you lose, you owe me fifty million!”
The maximum bet was ten million.
Venomous Ying had staked everything on the lowest odds.
“Don’t back out when the time comes,” she sneered. Even for a third-layer Heaven’s God, fifty million divine crystals would sting.
“If Dongbo takes first, I sweep the table!” Lord Baisha shot her a glance before addressing the others. “Last time, I won big. This time might be no different.”
“The survival battle’s rules are different—hard to say,” Lord Moyun mused. Having witnessed every qualifier match, they all believed Dongbo Xueying might excel in survival, but not necessarily as the best.
Lord Moxue and the Anhai Prefecture Lord watched the exchange with faint smiles.
“Baisha might take a loss this time,” the Anhai Prefecture Lord transmitted privately.
“Indeed. They’ve all misjudged,” Lord Moxue agreed.
Soon, the dueling matches concluded, narrowing the field to the top two hundred fifty. Ninety-six divine experts had perished in the process.
“The dueling matches are over. In three years, the final survival battle will commence, selecting the hundred who will represent Anhai Prefecture at the Divine Court!” the Divine Court Emissary announced.
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