Firmament Sword

"Fourth Brother…" The eldest, Yu Tianying, frowned. He was genuinely worried. It wasn't that he didn't believe in his fourth brother's strength, but Luo Tian was no pushover. If by some chance… if he lost, it would be a disaster.

To make such a colossal wager for an outsider… it was incredibly unwise!

An uproar swept through the crowd. Almost everyone was stunned, not expecting that Yu Tianjie would actually agree to such a bet.

A glint flashed in Xie Yurou's eyes, which seemed capable of seeing through a person's heart. "You can still back out now, you know!" she said.

"Even if you wanted to back out, it's too late!" Yu Tianjie retorted, tossing out another storage pouch. He sneered, "Inside here are five million Top-level Immortal Spirit Stones!"

Then, he turned to the casino's manager. "Bring a brush and ink!"

Although this massive wager had nothing to do with the casino itself, both parties were the young master and noble lady of Celestial Brilliance's Heritage Clans. The casino manager, treated like a mere attendant, showed no sign of complaint and immediately sent someone to fetch a brush and ink.

Yu Tianjie took the brush. With strokes as fluid and powerful as a Dragon and Snake in flight, he wrote out a contract detailing their agreement. After pressing his handprint onto it, he looked at Xie Yurou with a cold smile.

Xie Yurou, not to be outdone, signed her name and pressed her own handprint. She then shot a cold smile back at Yu Tianjie. "Get ready to call me Grandaunt!"

"I'll be waiting for you to lose everything you have!" Yu Tianjie sneered.

"Who will be the notary?" Xie Yurou glanced at Yu Tianjie and said contemptuously, "I don't trust you."

Just then, a voice tinged with amusement came from the crowd. "How about I serve as the notary?"

The crowd parted as a man walked through. Everyone who saw him froze, followed by a chorus of greetings.

"Greetings, Elder Jiang!"

"Disciple pays respects to Elder Jiang!"

"This junior offers his salutations to Elder Jiang!"

The newcomer was none other than Celestial Brilliance Elder Jiang Botao. He was all smiles as he looked at the people present. "I was bored and thought I'd make a small bet, but I didn't expect to stumble upon such a thrilling, high-stakes wager. I wonder if you two can trust me… to be your notary?"

Xie Yurou immediately broke into a sweet smile. "Having Elder Jiang as the notary would be for the best, of course!"

Across from her, Yu Tianjie's pupils contracted slightly upon seeing Jiang Botao. He quickly followed with a smile, "Elder Jiang is highly respected. Of course I would be willing to have you act as the notary."

With that, Yu Tianjie handed the contract and the storage pouch containing five million Top-level Immortal Spirit Stones to Jiang Botao.

Xie Yurou also gave her storage pouch to Jiang Botao and asked him to verify its contents publicly.

"Truly, two wealthy young people!" Jiang Botao sighed after inspecting the pouches. "A poor man like me feels the sting every time I lose even a thousand Top-level Immortal Spirit Stones… Alas, some people are just built different!"

"You're joking, Elder Jiang. This time, even if you bet ten thousand Top-level Immortal Spirit Stones on Luo Tian, you won't lose!" Xie Yurou laughed.

At the mention of that name, the corner of Jiang Botao's mouth twitched subtly. He really couldn't bring himself to tell these juniors that because of that very same Luo Tian, he had already lost miserably!

But that bet was his own fault. If he had also backed Luo Tian, then that Yellow Springs Map… wouldn't have been lost to the cunning Sect Leader.

'It's best not to dwell on the past…' Jiang Botao gave a kindly smile and didn't respond to Xie Yurou's comment. After all, showing such a strong bias in front of Yu Tianjie… wouldn't be appropriate.

Although deep down, Jiang Botao had no confidence in this fourth young master of the Yu Family.

News of the massive wager spread quickly. Everyone who heard about it was both astonished and excited.

"Did you hear? Xie Yurou, the noble lady from a Heritage Clan who's rumored to be close with Senior Brother Medicine Garden Luo Tian, is in a high-stakes bet with Yu Tianjie, a young master from another Heritage Clan. The wager is five million Top-level Immortal Spirit Stones!"

"Heavens… such an astonishing wager? Are they insane?"

"Ha, what's even more astonishing than the wager are the added conditions! If Yu Tianjie loses, not only must he admit he was wrong on the spot and apologize to Luo Tian, but he also has to declare that Luo Tian and Xie Yurou are a talented man and beautiful woman, a match made in heaven. Not only that, but whenever he sees Xie Yurou in the future, he has to respectfully call her 'Grandaunt'…"

"Then what happens if Xie Yurou loses?"

"If Xie Yurou loses, she has to travel to the distant Border City and apologize to Huyan Qingshan, who was exiled there!"

"My god… this bet really is high-stakes. The Yu Family's Fourth Young Master, Yu Tianjie, is willing to go through fire and water for his friend. He's truly a man of honor!"

"Yeah, it's so rare to see someone willing to go to such lengths for a friend!"

All of Celestial Brilliance was abuzz with discussion over the off-stage wager tied to this battle.

Meanwhile, Yu Tianjie was with the elders of the Yu Family. With something so major happening, the older generation was bound to get involved.

"Well? It hasn't even started, and my reputation is already spreading. This deal… was well worth it for me!" Yu Tianjie defended himself against the veiled criticisms of some of the elders.

"Fourth Brother has a point. Many people outside are now saying he's a man of immense integrity who would do anything for a friend!" At times like this, the eldest brother, Yu Tianying, always had to speak up for his younger brother.

"This deal, as it looks now, indeed doesn't seem like a loss, but…" A clan elder of the Yu Family named Yu Kuidou, with white hair and half-closed eyes, spoke in a listless voice. Yet, when he spoke, everyone looked at him with great respect.

This was one of the Yu Family's ancestors who was not in seclusion. His strength was unfathomable, and under his leadership, the Yu Family had risen from a lower-mid-tier Heritage Clan to an upper-mid-tier one!

Yu Kuidou opened his eyes fully, glanced at the crowd, and finally let his gaze fall on Yu Tianjie. "But have you ever considered… what if you lose?"

"Ancestor… I will not lose!" Yu Tianjie said with a confident expression, finally revealing his greatest secret. "I have already mastered the Celestial Curtain and… the Undying Body!"

"What?" The Yu clan elder, Yu Kuidou, who had seemed half-asleep, cried out in shock. He shot up from his seat and stared at Yu Tianjie in disbelief. "Say that again?"

A series of gasps filled the room. Everyone's gaze on Yu Tianjie was filled with surprise and… shock!

Everyone couldn't help but rise to their feet, staring at Yu Tianjie, hardly daring to believe what he had just said was true.

"Clan Elder, respected elders, my three elder brothers…" Yu Tianjie clasped his fist in his hand, bowing to everyone in a circle. "It was not my intention to hide this. Firstly, this matter is of great importance and could not be spoken of carelessly. Secondly, I have only just recently achieved full mastery."

"I had originally planned to give all the elders and my brothers a surprise, but I didn't expect this incident to occur and worry you all, so I had no choice but to reveal it ahead of time."

"Although I can be reckless at times, I am not one who fails to grasp the severity of a situation. I have watched almost every one of Luo Tian's fights and have studied his specialties… Therefore, if victory wasn't already in my grasp, how could I dare make such an arrogant claim?"

"HAHAHAHAHA! Good, this is wonderful!" Yu Kuidou couldn't help but laugh heartily, muttering, "The Xie Family produced a Xie Wanrou, the Medicine Garden produced a Luo Tian, and not long ago, there was that little fellow who mastered the True Dragon Armor. In recent years… Celestial Brilliance has truly been brimming with talent."

"I have been wondering when it would be our Yu Family's turn to shine. Hahaha, I didn't expect it to be so soon!"

"The Celestial Curtain and the Undying Body… Hahaha, mastering just one of them can make you a peerless expert, yet you've mastered both! No matter how powerful Luo Tian is, he will be no match for you!"

Yu Kuidou roared with laughter.

Everyone else in the room was also overjoyed, exclaiming one after another: "That's right! Luo Tian's greatest strength is close combat, relying on his powerful physique to crush his opponents. Against the Celestial Curtain… he'll be utterly helpless!"

"Masters of hidden weapons have always been fragile, with defense being a major problem. I never thought Tian Jie would be so talented as to master the Undying Body! Hahaha, that's a defensive art on par with the True Dragon Armor!"

"Our Yu Family… is finally going to ascend to the next level!"

"The heavens have eyes! The ancestors are watching over us!"

The group from the Yu Family was overcome with emotion. Some of the older members were even moved to tears, lamenting that the Celestial Dao was fair, for it had finally blessed the Yu Family with a disciple of such monstrous talent.

「The Xie Family.」

Xie Yurou was being scolded, her head hanging low.

The room was filled with the elders of the Xie Family. Xie Wanrou sat to one side, silent, her expression unreadable.

The one lecturing Xie Yurou was a Xie Family clan elder, the very same one who had strongly supported the marriage alliance between the Xie Family and the Huyan Family.

However, that affair had ultimately come to nothing, and this clan elder had been bottling up his anger ever since.

Today, he had finally found an opportunity to vent, aiming his tirade directly at Xie Yurou.

"You are far too presumptuous!"

"Did you think you could move such a large sum of funds on a whim?"

"Not punishing you for the last incident was already too lenient! It's made you completely lawless and brazen!"

"Do you think you represent… only yourself?"

"If you lose and have to go to that Border City to apologize to the Huyan Family's young master, will it be your face alone that you're losing?"

The clan elder, having finally gotten his chance, berated Xie Yurou relentlessly for over an hour.

Finally, when he grew tired and realized no one had responded to him, he felt something was amiss. Still, he believed he was in the right. No matter how noble Xie Yurou's status was, she was still a member of the Xie Family.

'As a clan elder, what's wrong with saying a few words?'

When he finally fell silent, Xie Yurou lifted her head. She looked pitiful and wronged, but a cunning glint flashed in the depths of her eyes.

"Clan Elder, first, I must make one thing clear. The wager… was given to me by my sister. It is not part of the Xie Family's assets. And second, I have faith in Luo Tian. I will not lose." Xie Yurou's voice wasn't loud, but her words nearly infuriated the clan elder who had just spent half the day lecturing her.

Just as he was about to continue his scolding, Xie Wanrou over on the side laughed. "It's not a big deal. Let it be. I have faith in that young man, Luo Tian, as well!"

The words the clan elder was about to spit out were choked back down. His expression was ugly, but he couldn't say a single thing.

Xie Yurou thought to herself, 'Brother Luo… I've put everything on the line to support you. You absolutely cannot let me down!'

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