Wager Duel

"Whoosh!"

A wisp of autumn wind swept past, making the branches and leaves of the great trees rustle. A chilling murderous aura arose of its own accord, and the entire Treasure Pearl Temple abruptly fell silent, as though a great battle might erupt the very next moment.

But in the next moment—

"Hahaha..."

A burst of laughter rang out, shattering the murderous atmosphere. General Wang, clad in golden armor, withdrew the killing intent from his eyes and said with a smile:

"I had long heard in the martial world that Treasure Pearl Temple of Great Yan was filled with eminent monks who had attained the Dao. Seeing it today, its reputation is indeed well deserved. Since the Abbot considers himself one beyond the secular world and insists on avoiding worldly affairs and stirring up conflict, I naturally cannot force the matter.

"However, everyone in the martial world says that Treasure Pearl Temple is a sacred land of martial arts, with countless masters and divine techniques. Why don't we hold three wager duels today? No matter who wins or loses, once they are over, I will withdraw on my own. What do you say?"

General Wang's gaze was sharp as an eagle's, fixed upon Ben Zhen.

"Alas! Since that is the case, this old monk shall comply with the general's command!"

After pondering for a moment, Abbot Ben Zhen let out a sigh. Yet General Wang's intentions were as clear to him as a flame reflected in a mirror.

Treasure Pearl Temple stood high in the mountains. There was only one road leading up to its gates, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Since General Wang knew this, he surely also knew that if he forcibly sent troops to attack Treasure Pearl Temple today, he would need thousands upon thousands of soldiers to besiege it. Such a massive mobilization would clearly be unfavorable to King Tang, who was surrounded by enemies on all sides. To make such a fuss merely to vent his anger would be utterly unwise.

Yet arranging a duel with Treasure Pearl Temple brought nothing but benefits. If they won, they could trample upon the name of Treasure Pearl Temple, a sacred land of martial arts, and become renowned across the realm, drawing martial artists to join them. If they lost, Treasure Pearl Temple would hardly dare spread the matter everywhere. It was truly a venture with a hundred benefits and not a single drawback.

Ben Zhen's heart was as clear as a mirror, but when one stood beneath another's eaves, one had no choice but to bow one's head. He had already refused General Wang once before. If he refused again this time, there was no telling whether the man would fly into a rage from humiliation.

Therefore, even though he knew this would put them at a disadvantage, he had no choice but to hold his nose and accept it.

"Haha! Good! The Abbot is indeed forthright. Then let these three wager duels begin now! The contestants shall be limited by age.

"Each side will send one martial artist aged thirty-one to thirty-five, one aged sixteen to thirty, and one under fifteen. They will fight one match each, with two wins out of three deciding the victor. How does that sound?"

Seeing Ben Zhen agree, General Wang was overjoyed and quickly laid out the terms. Clearly, he had planned this long ago and come well prepared.

"So be it. We shall proceed as the general says."

Seeing that he could not refute him, Ben Zhen spoke.

"Good! Since the Abbot has agreed, the wager duel shall begin now! First, please have your temple send out its contestant for the opening match. As for my side..."

As General Wang spoke, his voice suddenly paused. Then he strode forward and stamped his foot. Thick Inner Qi instantly erupted from within him.

The next instant, a tremendous boom sounded through the air, like the Thunder Lord in heaven flying into a rage. With that stomp from General Wang, every blue brick within two meters beneath him shattered, cracks spread all around, and countless clouds of dust were thrown into the air.

"I am unworthy, but I happen to be thirty-five this year. I am willing to serve as the first vanguard in King Tang's camp for this wager duel. May I ask whom your temple will send to instruct me?"

General Wang clasped his hands in salute, performing the standard martial-world gesture for requesting instruction as he called out loudly.

"Shameless!"

"Shameless!"

Seeing General Wang behave so brazenly, the monks of Treasure Pearl Temple cursed inwardly. Even Jingsong, a little monk beside Gu Han who had only recently entered the temple and was merely twelve years old, was so furious that his face turned red. He clenched his tiny fists tightly, wishing he could rush forward in the next instant and give that shameless general a fierce beating.

Everyone knew that Treasure Pearl Temple's martial arts were orthodox Chan techniques, placing the greatest emphasis on foundations. They called for gradual progress, accumulating deeply before bursting forth.

Thus, within Treasure Pearl Temple, anyone who broke through into Inner Qi before the age of thirty-five was already a peerless genius. As for reaching Inner Qi Perfection, that was nearly impossible.

What General Wang was doing was indeed rather shameless.

Yet if he stepped outside the identity of a Treasure Pearl Temple monk and viewed the matter rationally, Gu Han felt that General Wang truly was a capable man, one who would likely achieve something great in the future.

As the saying went: warfare was the way of deception!

For General Wang to cast aside his pride and stop at nothing to secure victory meant that he was no simple figure.

Gu Han silently observed this in his heart.

Naturally, no one knew his thoughts. At this moment, seeing General Wang's conduct, Abbot Ben Zhen could only helplessly concede defeat.

"Amitabha. The general is a peerless genius. Among the martial artists of Treasure Pearl Temple under thirty-five, none can stand shoulder to shoulder with the general. We shall count this match as the general's victory. Please send forth the martial artist for the next wager duel."

"Good! Shi Rui, come out and seek instruction from the divine monks of Treasure Pearl Temple on my behalf!"

Seeing Ben Zhen concede, General Wang revealed a satisfied expression. He turned to a handsome White-Robed Young General behind him, eight feet tall with red lips and white teeth, and spoke.

"Yes, General!"

Hearing this, the White-Robed Young General's expression turned solemn. Without any delay, he carried his Halberd and strode to the center of the square. In the next instant, his blood and qi burst forth like a tiger and leopard as he declared in a ringing voice:

"Shi Rui, Vanguard Officer of the Third Army under King Tang Li Hanhai of the Great Yan Dynasty! I am unworthy, yet I request instruction from the eminent monks of Treasure Pearl Temple today. I hope you will not be stingy with your guidance!"

Shi Rui's voice rang bright and clear. His white armor reflected dazzling divine light beneath the sun, making him seem like a celestial god descending into the mortal world—majestic and noble, too imposing for others to look at directly.

"Yuanyin, you will go and exchange pointers with Vanguard Shi in this match!"

Looking at Shi Rui, whose blood and qi soared into the heavens as his Halberd pointed directly at their side, Ben Zhen's expression remained unchanged. He spoke to the toweringly tall middle-aged monk in yellow robes beside the head of the Dharma Institute.

"Please forgive me, but I cannot find this book by its title. Try searching for the author instead; perhaps it was simply renamed!"

"By the chief's decree!"

Upon hearing this, the yellow-robed middle-aged monk Yuanyin stepped forward, carrying an iron staff as thick as a wrist and weighing no fewer than fifty or sixty jin, and walked to the center of the square.

"Please!"

"Please!"

The two men faced each other and exchanged greetings.

In the next instant, both their bodies moved.

"Rip!"

The air seemed to be torn apart like thin paper in an instant. The Halberd forged from refined iron, weighing dozens of jin, seemed as light as a feather in Shi Rui's hands. He swung it casually, slicing through the void as it chopped furiously toward Yuanyin.

If such a terrifying blow truly landed upon a body, let alone flesh and blood, even a century-old tree would likely be smashed into two halves in an instant.

"Good!"

Seeing Shi Rui attack, Yuanyin gave a sharp shout and raised the long staff in his hand toward the heavens, like a temple Vajra enraged and ready to slaughter countless demons!

This staff technique was precisely the secret staff art of the Treasure Pearl Temple's Dharma Institute—the Demon Subduing Staff Technique!

Clang!

Dust exploded across the ground as the two met in close combat. The sound of metal striking metal erupted in an instant, spreading out in every direction from the center of their clash. It made everyone's eardrums buzz as waves of force rolled through the air.

"You great monk, what tremendous strength!"

As staff and halberd collided, the White-Robed Young General Shi Rui was the first to falter. He staggered back three steps, while the Halberd in his hands hummed violently as though it might fly from his grasp.

Clearly, in this exchange of strength, he had lost.

"You are not bad yourself!"

Yuanyin's expression turned solemn as he spoke.

From the beginning of his martial training, through Skin Tempering, Muscle Tendon Strengthening, and Blood Tempering, all the way to his current Blood Tempering Perfection, the martial arts he cultivated had always focused on developing strength. Coupled with the Heavenly Divine Strength he had been born with, his physical power was nearly invincible among Blood Tempering martial artists!

If an ordinary Blood Tempering Perfection martial artist competed with him in strength, they would likely suffer minor injuries from a single blow and be defeated. Yet Shi Rui had only retreated three steps, showing just how great his strength was.

"Ha! Again!"

After confronting each other for several breaths, Shi Rui gave a low shout and attacked first. The Halberd in his hands moved with uncanny mastery, filling the square with overlapping halberd shadows.

Clearly, after seeing Yuanyin overwhelm him with strength, Shi Rui had changed tactics and intended to win with agility.

Clang, clang, clang...

Halberd shadows and staff shadows flew through the square as metallic collisions rang out again and again. The two exchanged blows without pause.

Shi Rui attacked from all directions, using footwork and movement techniques, withdrawing at the first touch and refusing to contend with Yuanyin in a contest of strength. He was as nimble as a clever ape.

Facing such an agile Shi Rui, Yuanyin's response was simple. He merely gripped his long staff and blocked every attack. He wielded that refined iron staff weighing dozens of jin so tightly that not even water could be poured through it, standing rooted in place like a pagoda, unmoving as a mountain.

"This Shi Rui is probably going to lose."

After roughly two or three quarters of an hour, watching the two men in battle, this thought arose in Gu Han's heart.

Although he was currently no match for either of them, his strength was still fairly close to theirs. He had long noticed that as time passed, Shi Rui's footwork and movement techniques had become increasingly disordered. His stamina was clearly being depleted severely.

Yuanyin, on the other hand, had been defending passively the entire time, so his stamina loss was not great. Even after such a long battle, his staff technique remained strict and orderly, unhurried and unflustered. He clearly still had strength in reserve.

Sure enough, after only the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Yuanyin found an opening in Shi Rui's halberd technique and suddenly swung out his long staff.

"Let go!"

A thunderous shout rang out. Shi Rui's halberd was instantly knocked from his hands by Yuanyin's sweep, crashing onto the ground in the distance. Shi Rui himself was sent flying by the staff strike and slammed onto the ground. With a "wah," he spat out a large mouthful of blood, his face instantly turning deathly pale. Clearly, he no longer had the strength to fight again.

"Amitabha! General, our temple has won this match!"

Watching Yuanyin display his might and defeat Shi Rui, Ben Zhen's face revealed a faint smile.

He was not a Buddha who felt neither sorrow nor joy, one who had severed the seven emotions and six desires. General Wang had pressured him so relentlessly today for no reason at all. Now that he had finally vented some of that resentment, he was naturally pleased.

"Useless trash!"

Seeing the gravely injured Shi Rui, General Wang first berated him, then smiled at Ben Zhen.

"Abbot, do not be in such a hurry. Your temple has indeed won this match, but is there not still the next one? Isn't it a little too early to celebrate?"

"Wolf cub, come out and show these eminent monks of Treasure Pearl Temple the martial arts you have learned over these past few years."

General Wang turned with a smile and spoke to a youth behind him whose body was covered in thick hair, whose face was crazed, and whose eyes brimmed with bloodlust like those of a mad wolf in the mountains.

"Awoo! G-good, good... g-good, foster... foster father!"

A voice that sounded neither human nor beast, unbearably awkward to hear, came from the youth's mouth. In the next instant, he walked out carrying a long saber.