Firmament Sword

"In this match, Jin Ming didn't really show much. He made it look effortless, so he must still have a lot of trump cards up his sleeve," Xie Yurou said softly, looking at Xu Luo.

"Yeah, I've watched many of his previous matches, and they were all more or less the same as this one. You have to admit, Jin Ming's strength is formidable. It's rare for anyone to force him to use his true abilities," Su Qianqian added from the side.

After watching Jin Ming's match, Xu Luo had a general assessment of his strength.

He nodded and said, "Jin Ming's combat power is indeed very strong, and he doesn't seem to have any weaknesses. Whether it's long-range attacks or close combat, he appears to be skilled at both."

"I heard that in recent years, while training out in the world, Jin Ming has visited many ancient ruins and received numerous legacies. Because of that, even the Sect Leader might not know what his greatest strengths are."

Xie Yurou sighed softly and continued, "The more you learn about him, the more terrifying he seems. He's too inscrutable, his mind too deep."

Su Qianqian chuckled beside them. "No matter how deep his mind is, he still showed his hand when it came to his younger brother."

"Anxiety clouds one's judgment. In a situation like that, anyone would have acted similarly." Xie Yurou then turned her gaze to Xu Luo. "The next match is between you and Yu Tianjie. If I'm not mistaken, Jin Ming has definitely been watching every single one of your matches. His understanding of you... must be quite deep by now."

"That's unavoidable." Xu Luo smiled faintly. Apart from a very small number of people, almost no one knew what his true trump cards were.

Even Xie Yurou only knew the barest surface.

'Just because you have sharp fangs... doesn't mean you have to bare them, right?'

"In any case, you need to be careful with Yu Tianjie." With that, Xie Yurou and Su Qianqian took their leave, as Xu Luo's match was about to begin shortly.

Once Celestial Brilliance's annual competition entered the top thirty-two elimination rounds, every single match was incredibly exciting.

Moreover, betting pools were opened for every match, and sometimes even a few high-ranking figures would participate.

Of course, most of the time, it was just for fun. The primary purpose of the betting pools was to show who the vast majority of people in Celestial Brilliance... thought would win.

For Xu Luo's match to enter the top four, the odds offered for him were 1 to 1.2, while Yu Tianjie's... were 1 to 1.8!

Clearly, everyone was more optimistic about Xu Luo—the man they knew as Luo Tian—winning this quarterfinal match.

And becoming one of this year's top four competitors.

Before the match began, the four "heroic" brothers of the Yu Family arrived together at a betting station. The four of them were open about it, making no attempt to conceal their presence.

So much so that the person taking the bets felt a little embarrassed.

After all, the odds they had set for Yu Tianjie were higher than Luo Tian's, a clear indication that they didn't favor Yu Tianjie to win.

The moment the four handsome brothers of the Yu Family walked in, they immediately drew everyone's attention.

The fourth brother, Yu Tianjie, slapped a storage pouch onto the counter. "One million Top-level Immortal Spirit Stones," he said coolly. "I'm betting on myself to win."

BOOM!

An uproar instantly erupted in the spacious hall.

Everyone stared at Yu Tianjie in astonishment, never imagining he had such confidence in himself to wager such a huge sum on his own victory.

"This... Young Master Yu, as the saying goes... a little gambling is fun, but a lot will hurt you. A bet this large... isn't it... *cough cough*, isn't it a bit much?" The person in charge hurried out, a placating smile plastered on his face.

"What... Am I not allowed to bet on myself?" Yu Tianjie raised an eyebrow, his gaze turning icy.

"No, no, no... Of course you can bet on yourself. It's just... the stake... is a bit large," the manager said, wringing his hands as he looked helplessly at Yu Tianjie.

"Tch..."

Yu Tianjie sneered. "So what you're saying is... you don't dare to take the bet?"

Just as the manager was in a bind, a pleasant female voice came from nearby. "Young Master Yu, why make things difficult for them? This is just a small betting game set up by some disciples for a bit of fun. How could they possibly handle such a terrifying wager from you?"

Everyone followed the sound and saw a young woman in her teens gliding over. She had a graceful figure, skin as white as snow, and a waterfall of long hair cascading over her shoulders. Dressed in a water-blue long dress, she was dazzlingly beautiful.

"It's Xie Yurou!"

"The rumors said the noble lady Xie Yurou and the Senior Brother of the Medicine Garden, Luo Tian, have an ambiguous relationship. Looking at it now, it might be true!"

"She's definitely here to stand up for her sweetheart!"

"The noble ladies of the Xie Family... each one is more beautiful than the last!"

"That Senior Brother of the Medicine Garden is so lucky! He's only been in the sect for a year, and he's not only gained immense fame but also won the favor of a noble lady from the Xie Family..."

The hall was abuzz with discussion.

Xie Yurou glided gracefully before the four "heroic" brothers of the Yu Family and said coolly, "Fourth Young Master Yu, if you truly have a gambler's spirit, why don't I make a counter-bet with you?"

"Oh? And how does Miss Yurou... want to bet?" Yu Tianjie raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk appearing on his handsome face.

Although he had heard the rumors about Xie Yurou's relationship with Luo Tian, in Yu Tianjie's eyes, as long as she wasn't married, there was nothing between them!

'Noble ladies from Heritage Clans, aren't they all like this? How many of them can actually decide their own marriages?'

His good brother, Huyan Qingshan, had taken a liking to this woman, and their marriage was practically a done deal. But then Luo Tian suddenly appeared out of nowhere and completely ruined the arrangement.

He even forced Huyan Qingshan to leave his home and go far away...

This left Yu Tianjie feeling extremely displeased, and he directed all his frustration at Luo Tian. At the same time, his impression of Xie Yurou had also soured considerably.

It's just that as a man, he couldn't easily go looking for trouble with a woman. He never expected Xie Yurou to serve herself up on a platter today.

'If I can't use this opportunity to get some payback for my good brother, I'll feel like I've let Huyan Qingshan down.'

"It's simple. Didn't Fourth Young Master Yu just put up a wager of one million Top-level Immortal Spirit Stones? I also have... one million Top-level Immortal Spirit Stones right here. Why don't we bet against each other? The loser hands over their stake to the winner." Xie Yurou looked at Yu Tianjie. "How about it?"

"No problem!" Yu Tianjie's lips curled into a smile. "But... a bet like this doesn't seem exciting enough."

"Then what new tricks does Fourth Young Master Yu have in mind?" Xie Yurou, nicknamed the Little Witch, was definitely not the type to be easily taken advantage of.

"Why don't we raise the stakes... make it a little bigger. One million is too little. Let's make it five million Top-level Immortal Spirit Stones! And, let's add another condition. If you lose, you will obediently go to the Border City, find my brother Qingshan, and personally apologize to him!"

BUZZ!

The crowd in the hall buzzed with excitement. Everyone stared at the two in the center of the room, their excitement palpable.

Now things were getting interesting!

The fourth of the Yu Family's "heroic" brothers, Yu Tianjie, was actually trying to get revenge for his friend!

And the stakes... were so high!

Five million Top-level Immortal Spirit Stones! That was an astonishing fortune. Even for a Heritage Clan... suddenly taking out that many Top-level Immortal Spirit Stones would be painful.

This was no longer a little fun; it was a high-stakes gamble!

The winner would make a fortune, while the loser...

The hearts of the onlookers clenched. They imagined that if it were them, losing five million Top-level Immortal Spirit Stones, they would probably want to die.

Nearby, Yu Tianying frowned slightly. The bet itself was a small matter in his eyes. Since his fourth brother dared to bet on himself, he must be confident.

But getting involved in the affairs between the Huyan Family and the Xie Family seemed unwise. This wasn't the right way to stand up for a friend.

After all, the Huyan Family's Patriarch hadn't said anything, yet an outsider was speaking up. The Huyan Family might not even thank Yu Tianjie for this later.

However, what was done was done. Yu Tianjie had already spoken, and as young masters of a Heritage Clan, they all had their pride to maintain.

So, Yu Tianying just frowned but didn't say anything more.

Xie Yurou, however, was immediately incensed. But though the young woman was somewhat naive, she knew she couldn't back down at a time like this.

Because not only was her surname Xie, but this time, she was also clearly standing on Luo Tian's side.

If she were to back down, everyone would laugh at Luo Tian.

Xie Yurou gave a faint smile and looked at Yu Tianjie. "Your terms seem a little unfair. You only said that if I lose, I have to go to the Border City... and apologize to Huyan Qingshan. But you haven't said... what you'll do if you lose."

"I won't lose!" Yu Tianjie declared with a proud smile, looking at Xie Yurou. "Don't tell me you're scared?"

"That's a boring thing to say. Whether you lose or not isn't up to you. In my opinion, there's no way you'll win!" Xie Yurou retorted sharply.

"Fine. If I lose, I will publicly apologize to that Luo Tian and congratulate you two on being a talented man and a beautiful woman—a match made in heaven!" Yu Tianjie smiled faintly at Xie Yurou. "Are you satisfied now?"

In her heart, Xie Yurou was a thousand times satisfied, but how could she agree so easily? Although she had absolute confidence in Luo Tian, the bet itself sounded very unfair.

"Not satisfied!" Xie Yurou sneered. "If I lose, I have to travel all the way to the Border Region. If you lose, you just have to casually say a few words within Celestial Brilliance. Do you take me for a fool?"

"Then what do you propose?" Yu Tianjie was getting annoyed as well and asked coldly.

"Simple. In addition to what you just said, if you lose, from now on, every time you see me, you have to respectfully call me 'Grand-aunt'!"

PFFT!

A burst of laughter immediately came from the crowd.

They thought to themselves that this young lady was truly wicked. She was a delicate beauty, yet she proposed such a devious condition.

If Yu Tianjie were to lose, he would probably never want to see her again for the rest of his life.

Otherwise, being demoted several generations out of thin air... who could possibly stand that?!

Yu Tianjie's handsome face flushed red and then turned pale. He really wanted to get revenge for his friend, but this price... seemed a little too high.

'But... I, Yu Tianjie, will never be defeated!'

'So, what does it matter if I agree to your terms?'

'After this battle, my name, Yu Tianjie, will become famous throughout Celestial Brilliance!'

'I will climb to the top over your dead bodies!'

Yu Tianjie gave Xie Yurou a cool glance. "I agree!"

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