Firmament Sword

Gasp!

Hearing this, the people around them all gasped in shock.

Ordinarily, they were all high-ranking Celestial Brilliance Elders, their bearing shaped by their status and power. It was rare for anything to faze them, but at this moment, they were all utterly stunned.

They knew all too well what level of treasure the Sect Leader's warship was.

And now he was actually putting it up as a wager... Although Jiang Botao was the Sect Leader's junior brother, and their relationship was no different from that of real brothers.

But once a bet like this was made, it had to be honored!

How could a personage of their stature possibly go back on their word?

Xiahou Kaiyuan smiled at Jiang Botao, a look on his face that said he wasn't afraid Jiang wouldn't take the bait. "I bet Luo Tian will win within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn!"

The corners of the onlookers' mouths twitched again. 'What's gotten into the Sect Leader today?' they wondered. 'To think so highly of a young man?'

'Even if he is the Medicine King Ancestor's Inheritor, even if he's been acknowledged by the Medicine King Ring, even if his status is theoretically equal to yours, Sect Leader... there's still no reason to be this confident in him, right?'

Jiang Botao, too, looked at his Sect Leader senior brother in astonishment and asked, "For real?"

"Of course," Xiahou Kaiyuan said, smiling at his junior brother. "If he fails to win within the time it takes an incense stick to burn, I'll count it as my loss."

"I'll take that bet!" Jiang Botao said, gritting his teeth. "I haven't been able to decipher that painting after all these years anyway, and I've coveted that warship of yours for a long time. Sect Leader... brother... if you lose, you can't go back on your word!"

That "Sect Leader... brother" made everyone in the room chuckle.

These great figures had been young once, too. Many years ago, this group of magnates who could now make all of Xi Hezhou tremble with a stomp of their feet had also been a bunch of naive, playful children.

Back then, Xiahou Kaiyuan, who had been designated as the next Sect Leader early on, was often called "Sect Leader brother" by many Celestial Brilliance Disciples of his generation...

But as Xiahou Kaiyuan's authority grew and that generation of disciples matured, the nickname gradually fell out of use.

"It's been many years since I've heard that name. How nostalgic!" Xiahou Kaiyuan said with a sigh. "Don't worry. Whoever loses won't be allowed to back out!"

Jiang Botao heard the implication in his words and snorted. "It might not be hard for Luo Tian to win, but within one incense stick's time... Absolutely impossible! If I lose, I will personally deliver the painting to you!"

"You are all witnesses," Xiahou Kaiyuan said, glancing at the crowd with a smile. He then sat down calmly, looking completely self-assured.

Not to be outdone, Jiang Botao also sat down and began to drink his tea with a serene and composed air.

For men of their status and Cultivation Realm, the art of maintaining one's composure was ingrained in their very bones. How could they be easily swayed by others?

The only reason they agreed to this bet was that both sides felt they had a guaranteed victory!

On the tournament stage, Xu Luo still had no idea that his match in the round of 1000 had not only caused a stir throughout Celestial Brilliance and been moved to a larger stage, but had also attracted some formidable figures. Even more incredibly, these figures had placed an astonishingly high-stakes bet on him!

"Round of 1000, Medicine Garden Disciple Chu Lin versus Medicine Garden Disciple Luo Tian... As you are from the same sect, this is primarily a spar. Do not harm the peace between you."

"The match... begins!"

At the Referee's command, Chu Lin let out a vicious laugh and a great shout. He threw his hands up, and instantly, a hundred small black orbs flew toward Xu Luo!

The entire audience of five hundred thousand people in the surrounding stands, including the great figures in the VIP booths, were all stunned by Chu Lin's move. Only a single thought remained in their minds: 'How shameless can you be?'

But Chu Lin's face was twisted in a savage grin as he laughed boisterously. "My good Senior Brother, I must thank you for awakening me, a genius of Elixirs! I've specially prepared this grand gift for you. Please, accept it. There's more to come!"

As he spoke, he flung his hand out again, and another hundred-plus black orbs shrieked through the air, blanketing the sky as they followed the first volley, hurtling straight for Xu Luo!

The people in the stands could no longer remain seated. They all shot to their feet, watching with extreme tension as the battle on the stage reached its climax from the very beginning.

Qi Yue stood in the stands. In all the years she had faced Wu Sisi, suffering defeat after defeat, she had never been this nervous. But now, she was trembling all over. She knew Xu Luo couldn't hear her from the stage because of the restrictive barrier, but she still couldn't help but cry out, "Senior Brother, be careful!"

It wasn't just her. Nearly all the Medicine Garden Disciples were cursing Chu Lin. They hadn't quite understood the hatred others felt toward them during the previous incident, but now, sitting in the stands and watching Chu Lin unleash that overwhelming barrage of attack Elixirs, they finally understood.

"He's so shameless!"

"He has no sense of decency!"

"Is this how you spar? He's clearly trying to kill him!"

Xie Yurou stood in the stands, a nervous expression on her face as she muttered, "You stinky brat... you can't let anything happen to you! I'm still counting on you to find that mysterious, even stinkier brat! Besides... I already consider you a friend. You have to hold on!"

The group of Medicine Garden Elders were all tense. In his private booth, Yuwen Ji couldn't help but stand frozen before the window, his face glacial as he glared down at the smug and arrogant Chu Lin below.

"Xu Luo... Hold on!"

'Xu Luo... Hold on!' Yuwen Ji thought. In all of Celestial Brilliance, besides Su Qianqian, he was the only one who knew Xu Luo's real name!

At this moment, Xu Luo stood there, watching the attack Elixirs hurtling toward him, his heart as calm as still water, without a single ripple of emotion.

It had to be said, Chu Lin was indeed a genius when it came to Alchemy and Medicine Making!

As the Elixirs flew through the air, some exploded mid-flight. The force of their detonation propelled the others, creating a squall that trapped Xu Luo from all directions!

No matter how Xu Luo tried to dodge, there was no way to completely avoid all the Elixirs!

In the stands, many of Celestial Brilliance's chosen prodigies held their breath, all wondering the same thing: 'If it were me up there, could I have dodged that?'

The answer was disheartening. If it were them, they couldn't have completely avoided it either!

In the top-tier private booth, Jiang Botao saw this and raised an eyebrow slightly. "I'm about to win!"

"Be calm," Xiahou Kaiyuan said coolly.

Swarms of Elixirs... exploded all around Xu Luo. The entire stage was filled with a massive display of pyrotechnics. The immense power slammed against the restrictive barrier surrounding the stage, causing it to fluctuate violently.

The barrier, originally invisible to the naked eye, actually began to ripple!

Amid the gasps from the crowd, Chu Lin's maniacal laughter echoed from within the smoke. "Senior Brother... HAHAHA, Senior Brother my ass!"

"You're just a piece of trash who got lucky and was acknowledged by the Medicine King Ring! You became a Direct Disciple without any effort... Today, I'm going to show you what a real Direct Disciple is!"

"Oh, Luo Tian, Luo Tian, among my Elixirs are thirty-eight poison pills. All of them are fast-acting toxins, the deadliest poisons in the world. A single touch means certain death!"

"There are also various Elixirs of the Five Elements. Mmm, and among them, my proudest creation is called the Ice and Fire Burst Pill!"

"Once this pill explodes, it simultaneously releases an aura so cold it can freeze the air, while also erupting with heat like the scorching sun!"

"HAHAHAHA... Am I just talking to a dead man right now?"

"What a pity. I still have many more types of Elixirs on me. This was only the first round... Honestly, I'd rather you didn't die just like that!"

"Look... see how many great figures are in the stands today? After this battle, I, Chu Lin... will surely make my name known throughout Celestial Brilliance!"

As Chu Lin's wild laughter continued, the smoke in the air gradually dispersed. The Referee at the edge of the stage had a cold look in his eyes; he had already activated his strongest defenses. Even so, the poisonous mist in the air was still constantly corroding his Protective True Qi.

But on the stage itself, Xu Luo was nowhere to be seen!

A sudden wave of gasps erupted from the stands.

"Where did Luo Tian go?"

"Where's Senior Brother?"

"Could it be that Senior Brother..."

"You stinky brat... You can't be dead!"

In a corner of the stands sat a quiet young woman. Dressed in a white gown with her long hair draped over her shoulders, she sat there serenely, like a lotus flower blooming in a secluded valley.

At this moment, a hint of anxiety also showed on her face.

This young woman was none other than Su Qianqian!

Beside her sat several other pretty young women, all from the Celestial Brilliance Scripture Pavilion, her fellow disciples.

Although Qianqian was a little anxious, she had even greater faith in Xu Luo!

"Luo Tian... Have you been blown to smithereens? HAHAHA, did you die that easily?" Chu Lin clutched a handful of attack Elixirs, looking around with extreme vigilance.

The vast stage was empty, save for him and the distant Referee.

Chu Lin's eyes darted around. He then stared at the Referee and shouted, "Luo Tian is dead! I've won!"

The Referee remained expressionless, but inwardly, he was utterly disgusted with Chu Lin.

In past annual competitions, there had been life-and-death battles on the stage, but no one had ever been as shameless as Chu Lin.

Not to mention, word of Chu Lin's previous deeds had already spread. It was safe to say that very few people in all of Celestial Brilliance still had a favorable impression of him.

"Referee, why aren't you declaring the result? I've won!" Chu Lin shouted as a reminder.

Just then, a voice spoke from behind him. "The Ice and Fire Burst Pill you mentioned, is this it?"

Chu Lin felt an icy chill run down his back. An aura of death instantly enveloped him, and he let out a terrified roar.

As he spun around, he threw all the attack Elixirs in his hand at once!

"Stop playing tricks! Go to hell!" Chu Lin roared, a mixture of terror and rage in his voice.

BOOM! RUMBLE!

A large number of attack Elixirs exploded in mid-air once again.

This time, Xu Luo did not dodge. He held his hands horizontally in front of his chest, one palm facing up, the other facing down. He crushed the Elixir in his hand...

BANG!

With a world-shaking crash, the Ice and Fire Burst Pill in his hand detonated. A surging blast wave pushed directly toward the other Elixirs in the air.

Then, a strange Yin Yang Power in the air swept up all the smoke and force in its path and, in one fell swoop... blasted toward Chu Lin!

Chu Lin stood there, utterly dumbstruck, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. He let out a cry filled with despair and unwillingness. "No!"

BOOM!

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