Not Playing by the Rules

As the sun rose, all the major powers began to make their moves.

Not every faction was qualified to participate in the Wind Cloud Genius Battle. Those eligible were all the largest local powers, led by the City Lord's Mansion, the Murong Family, and the Silver Moon Merchant Guild. Four slightly weaker factions would also participate.

Each faction would send one or two people to compete, and they had to submit a stake as an entry fee. This was the rule of the Genius Battle.

Whoever won could take all the stakes, becoming the greatest and only winner.

The stakes could be items or money, but their total value could not be less than thirty thousand taels of silver. Combined, the stakes from the seven factions amounted to wealth worth over two hundred thousand taels of silver!

That fortune was enough to tempt anyone.

A group emerged from the entrance of the Silver Moon Merchant Guild. At their head was a tall man wearing a silver-white cloak over his shoulders. He was Yue Dangkong, president of the Silver Moon Merchant Guild.

Yue Dangkong's adopted son, Yue Yifei, followed beside him. His expression seemed calm, but his eyes blazed with fighting spirit.

The group boarded luxurious carriages and headed straight for the center of Wind Cloud City, where the Genius Battle would be held.

Inside the carriage, father and son spoke from time to time.

"Are you confident today?"

"Seventy percent."

"That is enough. With those odds, it is worth taking a shot."

"If Murong Bai were not involved, it would be eighty percent."

"Yes, that boy from the Murong Family is no ordinary person. At such a young age, he has already shouldered the burden of the Murong Family. He has openly and secretly contended with elders like us several times, yet he has never fallen behind, or at least never suffered a major loss. A son should be like him."

"I will do even better than him in the future."

"Haha, now that is ambition."

Yue Dangkong's hearty laughter rang out from the carriage.

Elsewhere, Murong Bai, whom Yue Yifei regarded as a formidable rival, had also set off.

Dressed in white as snow, he rode a white unicorn horse. His expression was cold as he held the reins and rode onward, drawing the gazes and even shrieks of lovestruck women along the way.

Young and accomplished, handsome, exceptionally gifted, and wielding great authority—put all that together, and he was practically the perfect husband, the very model of a dream lover. No wonder those women were utterly infatuated with him.

"Murong Clan Leader, I am willing to remarry for you!"

"Murong Clan Leader, I am willing to return to secular life for you!"

"Murong Clan Leader, I want to bear your children!"

"I want to bear you a whole litter of children!"

"I'll bear two litters!"

If Murong Bai had not been so intimidating, these women would likely have swarmed him. With their ruthless determination to suck the very dirt from the ground, draining him dry would not have been a problem.

Murong Bai himself frowned. With a flick of the reins, he picked up speed, and the Murong Family members behind him hurried after him.

The various factions converged on the center of Wind Cloud City, creating an air of gathering storms. Each faction occupied its own area, with the three major factions claiming the largest spaces and forming a three-way standoff.

In the area occupied by the City Lord's Mansion, Fan Lang had arrived long ago with City Lord Luo Jiuxiao and the others. Luo Hongyan had come as well, but she had ignored Fan Lang the entire way, clearly still holding a grudge over what had happened that day.

Fan Lang sat beside Luo Jiuxiao in a rather lazy posture, holding a meat skewer strung with several large chunks of fragrant crab meat. He was not eating merely to fill his stomach; he was also temporarily increasing his strength.

This was Magnificent Crab Meat. After eating it, his Mystic Power would increase by ten percent for a short time. The more he ate, the greater the increase!

That morning, Fan Lang had the kitchen prepare five portions of Magnificent Crab Meat. Once he ate them all, his Mystic Power would rise by half!

With all the factions gathered, everyone had finally arrived.

Luo Jiuxiao stood and walked toward an arena at the center. The surroundings gradually quieted as countless eyes focused on the City Lord. Within Wind Cloud City, he was essentially a local emperor.

Although the three major factions stood in opposition, Luo Jiuxiao alone was Wind Cloud City's nominal ruler, having received an official title from the Seven Heroes Kingdom.

Only Luo Jiuxiao was qualified to preside over this Wind Cloud Genius Battle.

A few ceremonial remarks were unavoidable.

"Wind Cloud City has a long history and has endured countless trials. It has not been easy for it to develop to this day. This is a land blessed with outstanding people, where talented figures have emerged without end, generation after generation, each displaying their own brilliance."

"Today's Wind Cloud Genius Battle is a long-standing tradition. Its original purpose is twofold: first, to give local young talents a chance to rise to prominence; second, to determine the right to use the Ice Fire Pool."

"This Wind Cloud Genius Battle will follow the same rules as in previous years, so I will not repeat them. The stakes submitted by the participating factions are all ready and will be held by the City Lord's Mansion on their behalf. Once the Genius Battle ends, they will certainly be handed over in full to the victor. Not a cent will be withheld. Please trust my reputation."

"I have said all that needs to be said. The Genius Battle officially begins. Participants from each faction, please step forward!"

Luo Jiuxiao's speech opened the proceedings.

The quiet crowd began to stir again.

The talented youths from the various factions rose one after another and walked toward the arena.

According to the rules of the Wind Cloud Genius Battle, participants had to be under eighteen years old. These people had all been tested beforehand, and every one of them met the requirement.

This condition had not been set arbitrarily; it was directly connected to the Ice Fire Pool.

Fan Lang was competing on behalf of the City Lord's Mansion. After eating the last piece of crab meat, he turned to Luo Hongyan nearby and smiled. "Miss Luo, I am about to go fight. I am competing for the City Lord's Mansion's honor, after all. Will you cheer for me later?"

Luo Hongyan did not want to speak to Fan Lang, but there were too many people around. Out of courtesy, she had no choice but to respond, "I wish you victory at the first battle."

"With those words from you, I will definitely win." Fan Lang smiled and withdrew his gaze, then strode toward the arena.

Fan Lang had risen like a comet, but he was not particularly famous, so few people paid much attention to him.

Among the dozen or so geniuses, only a few paid closer attention to Fan Lang. Murong Bai and Yue Yifei both gave him a look.

The next step was drawing lots, with everyone drawing to determine their opponent.

Everyone assumed the Genius Battle would proceed step by step as it had in previous years. No one expected an unexpected change.

That change was Fan Lang. He had no intention of playing by the rules.

As the lots were being drawn, Fan Lang suddenly lashed out with a kick and shattered the Lot Drawing Cylinder!

Paper slips bearing one name after another fluttered down like rain.

The incident came so suddenly that no one could react in time. They were all stunned.

What was going on?

Why had he kicked apart the Lot Drawing Cylinder?

With the seven factions of Wind Cloud City gathered here, did someone actually dare to cause trouble?

They were so shocked that, for a moment, no one even thought to condemn Fan Lang. They merely stared blankly at him.

Fan Lang knew exactly what he was doing. Calmly, he walked beneath a flagpole and looked up. A large banner hung above, embroidered with the words "Champion."

Only today's victor was qualified to raise that banner at the end.

Fan Lang grabbed the flagpole and pulled it from the ground. Then he leaped onto the arena, waved the banner before everyone, and let it unfurl in the wind with a loud snap. The two words "Champion" drew every eye.

"There is no need to compete today. I am first place. If anyone refuses to accept that, come up here!"

"I do not mind a gauntlet match. You can take turns coming onto the stage. Even two or three of you at once is fine!"

Fan Lang drew breath into his dantian, his voice booming as he directly declared his victory to the ten thousand people around him. He perfectly embodied the words arrogant and overbearing.