Chapter 1932: Another Bet

"Of course there are levels!" the attendant explained with a smile. "Some experts win consecutively, and knowing they'll surely lose, who would still be willing to compete against them? Besides, experts come here to hone their combat skills. If they kill an opponent easily, it does nothing for their improvement. So, while open tournaments appear fair, they are actually divided into several levels."

Zhang Xuan nodded.

For someone like him, competing at this level while suppressing his cultivation provided no real training.

"Normally, there are three levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Starting from your first challenge, if you win ten consecutive matches without a single loss, you advance to the intermediate level. Similarly, ten consecutive wins in the intermediate level earn you a spot in the advanced level..."

The attendant continued.

"You've now won eight consecutive matches, very close to the intermediate level. Ordinary people probably won't challenge you. If you really want to compete, you might need to issue a challenge in advance and leave a wager. If someone accepts... and you win two consecutive matches, you'll qualify for the intermediate challenge and compete against stronger opponents!"

Zhang Xuan nodded.

He had to admit, this design made sense.

"Then I'll issue a challenge..."

"Alright, how much do you wish to wager?" the attendant asked again.

"5500!" Zhang Xuan handed over the Divine Communication Card.

Having bought medicine for the gourd, he had spent all of the over a hundred thousand he had earned earlier, leaving only this much.

"5500?" The attendant smiled wryly and looked at him. "Too little money; I doubt anyone will accept..."

Profit motivated people; if the wager was too small, who would take the match?

Normally, such bets required at least fifty thousand.

Only then would many people, even knowing they would lose, come to try their luck.

Five thousand-plus Divine Communication Coins... indeed too little!

Just as the attendant thought this expert was being too stingy, a young man strode over and said, "I accept!"

Beside the young man was a beautiful girl of about sixteen or seventeen, holding a longsword.

It was none other than Huo Jianghe and Xue Qin, who had just entered.

However, both had changed their appearances, so Zhang Xuan did not recognize them.

"You want to challenge me?"

Unexpectedly finding someone to challenge him so soon, Zhang Xuan relaxed and smiled slightly. "Since you're challenging me, would you accept a bet?"

Hearing the word 'bet' again, Huo Jianghe recalled his unpleasant experience and frowned. "What kind of bet?"

"Simple: if I lose, I'll give you a hundred thousand Divine Communication Coins; if you lose, you give me a hundred thousand."

He had originally wanted to say five hundred thousand, but fearing it might scare the guy off, Zhang Xuan settled for less.

"A hundred thousand Divine Communication Coins? Can you even afford that?"

Huo Jianghe snorted.

Although he was an expert from the Lingyun Sword Pavilion and a hundred thousand Divine Communication Coins meant little to him, he didn't want to be taken for a ride.

"Don't worry about whether I can afford it. Do you dare to bet or not? If you dare, I'll compete with you; if not, forget it..." Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

Though he didn't know who the other was, his Eye of Insight revealed surging sword energy, and the girl beside him carried a longsword. They were likely disciples of the Lingyun Sword Pavilion, like Yun Feiyang and the others he had killed earlier.

Such people coming to challenge him probably wanted to avenge those who had lost. If so, why not take them for all they had?

Besides, his purpose here was to make money. He had no time for pointless sparring.

After all, suppressing his cultivation to one-twentieth meant he couldn't use many of his ultimate techniques, which was both exhausting and frustrating.

It was like playing with ants, afraid of accidentally crushing them.

"How dare you! My senior brother deigns to compete with you, and you show such an attitude?"

Seeing this Tianya's arrogance, Xue Qin scolded angrily.

The senior disciple of the Lingyun Sword Pavilion's outer sect, who would surely become an inner disciple next year—such an expert wanted to compete with you, a blessing from several lifetimes—yet he made excuses and demanded a bet...

Utterly clueless!

"Enough!"

Huo Jianghe interrupted Xue Qin and looked coldly at Zhang Xuan. "A bet is fine... but if you lose, I don't want your hundred thousand Divine Communication Coins. I want you to admit that your swordsmanship is far inferior to the Lingyun Sword Pavilion's, and to follow me back to become a disciple of the pavilion!"

A hundred thousand Divine Communication Coins meant little to him, but the sect's honor could not be compromised.

Word of Yun Feiyang and the others' defeat had already spread. As the senior disciple, if he didn't act, the Lingyun Sword Pavilion's disciples would be seen as inferior to even a rogue cultivator, tarnishing the sect's prestige.

Moreover, recommending such a talented person to the sect would bring him great benefits.

"Fine!"

Zhang Xuan nodded.

Admitting inferiority meant nothing to him.

Besides...

Losing? Impossible!

He didn't even know how to spell that word.

"After you!"

Having made the agreement, the two walked toward the arena.

"Look, Tianya is here... and he's going to compete again!"

"Great! We get to see his martial skills again—they're truly stunning..."

"Hurry and wake up those slackers. If they miss Tianya's match, they'll hate us..."

"Who is he competing against?"

"One Look River? Never heard of him... but the girl beside him, Snowy Night Zither, I think I've heard of her."

"Who is she?"

"She seems to be... the second daughter of the City Lord of Xuanjiang City, named Xue Qin. She's a great beauty and highly skilled with the sword..."

...

Murmurs arose all around.

Huo Jianghe's alias was 'One Look River,' but since he had never been to the Star Glory City's Divine Communication Hall, no one knew him.

Xue Qin was different. As the city lord's daughter, she had visited before and made a name for herself. Hence, seeing her alias, many recognized her.

It was like in the previous life, where many netizens and gaming experts were known not only by their online names but also revered as idols in real life.

For example, One Autumn Leaf, Ye Xiu. Misty Rain, Su Mucheng. Sweep the World, Wu Yanzu.

"Xue Qin?"

Hearing these words, which were not concealed, Zhang Xuan was startled.

Could it be such a coincidence?

He had come just to earn money and buy a storage ring, and he ran into his ex-fiancée?

If this 'Snowy Night Zither' was her, then this 'One Look River' must be that guy from the Lingyun Sword Pavilion recruiting disciples!

Seeing the arena right ahead, Zhang Xuan suddenly turned and reached out to grab at Xue Qin in the distance.

His movement was extremely fast. The girl, not expecting him to act suddenly, raised her longsword to block, but found he had already withdrawn his hand, a faint smile on his lips.

"What are you doing?"

Frowning, Xue Qin was about to explode.

She had thought this expert valued by her senior brother would be steady, but instead he attacked her directly.

"Nothing, I saw a mosquito on your head and helped you shoo it away..."

Zhang Xuan said.

"You..."

Breathing rapidly, Xue Qin's chest heaved with anger.

Mosquito? Mosquito your sister!

This was the Divine Communication Hall; they had entered with their consciousness—where would a mosquito come from?

Couldn't he lie more convincingly?

Ignoring her fury, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly and focused on the library that appeared in his mind. Looking at it, he saw it densely filled with flaws and a brief introduction.

"Xue Qin, second daughter of the City Lord of Xuanjiang City..."

After reading the content, Zhang Xuan's lips curled up.

Although the Divine Communication Hall allowed one to disguise their identity, it couldn't fool the Library of Heaven's Path.

In other words, as long as the opponent used martial techniques, the library would reveal their true name, leaving no place to hide.

"Since it's her, this should be fun..."

Knowing her exact identity, Zhang Xuan looked again at the nearby One Look River, pointed at Xue Qin, and said, "This woman just openly disrespected me. How about this: if you lose, besides the hundred thousand Divine Communication Coins, you lose her to me as a maidservant?"