Jiu Hao was half-drunk, as she always was.
Little Stutterer looked miserable. He had fought hard to make it this far. In the previous round, he had faced Love Saint, one of the Five Elites of the Spirit Interpreter Research Association. Love Saint was a top expert on the Top 100 Battle Ranking, and Little Stutterer had barely managed to defeat him. He was certainly qualified to compete for a place among the Starry Sky Five Sons in the Shanhai Realm. His strength wasn't especially impressive, but it was enough to put him near the top of the Top 100 Battle Ranking.
He'd thought his good luck would continue, but then he'd run into Jiu Hao.
He glanced to the side and despaired. His opponent was in the Extreme Realm; there was no way they could work together. Come to think of it, how had someone in the Extreme Realm even made it here?
"Give up," Si Gui said briskly. He believed this was what it meant to be a man: to know when to hold on and when to let go.
Little Stutterer was speechless. "I-I-I—" Before he could finish, he was back at his original position on the First Layer. Jiu Hao, meanwhile, appeared beneath one of the Heavenly Ladders above. All she had to do was climb it to reach the summit and become one of the top ten.
There was no shame in surrendering to Jiu Hao.
Little Stutterer stared blankly. He hadn't meant to say he was giving up. Even though he was sure to lose, he didn't dare surrender—his master would beat him to death when he got back. What he'd wanted to say was, "Take this seriously!" Not "I surrender"!
Nearby, Ku Wei looked at Little Stutterer sympathetically. "Brother, that's rotten luck. You