Lin Yueru's Wagered Battle

"Yueru, what are you doing here? Get back at once!" Lin Tiannan's mustache bristled with fury the moment he saw her. Lin Yueru was the apple of his eye, cherished beyond measure, and she was currently betrothed; a place like the Snake Demon's lair was no place for her. The mere thought of the damage to her reputation should word get out gave him a splitting headache.

"If not for me, Father would still be playing hide-and-seek with those Nine-Headed Snakes out there! Hmph, why didn't you tell me to go back then?" Lin Yueru was not one to be swayed by Lin Tiannan's bluster, and with a pout, she choked him into silence with a single sentence.

As Gao Xu had surmised, Lin Tiannan's ability to escape so quickly was entirely thanks to Lin Yueru, who should never have been there in the first place.

However, why Lin Yueru had abandoned her escort team to double back was beyond Gao Xu's ability to fathom.

"May I ask what advice Miss Lin has for me?" Unsure of her intentions in this unexpected turn of events, Gao Xu had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask.

"Advice? Hardly!" Lin Yueru drew her longsword and pointed it at the Snake Demon. "The Demon Locking Tower is a place of extreme peril. In his current state, sending him in would be a death sentence. I wish to make a wager with you: if you can defeat me, Father will wait until his injuries are fully healed before sending him into the tower. How about it?"

"What kind of wager?" Gao Xu narrowed his eyes. While the Snake Demon appeared extremely weak, that was merely a side effect of the Berserk Demon Art; he would recover in another quarter-hour, so he wasn't worried about the safety of the Snake Demon and the Fox Demon.

With their combined strength, the Snake Demon and Fox Demon were not exactly masters, but they were no pushovers. If things went as expected, Li Xiaoyao would topple the Demon Locking Tower within a year, and by then, taking Su Mei along would complete the mission perfectly.

The Demon Locking Tower was one of the most famous plot dungeons, known for its high-quality loot. In his previous life, as a cultivator-class reincarnator, Gao Xu had entered it several times and even participated in Li Xiaoyao's "Tower-Toppling" battle (ahem, toppling the tower...), which was why he had made that suggestion to Lin Tiannan.

"It's simple: a duel!" Lin Yueru arched her willow-leaf brows, her phoenix eyes widening. "Mei has praised you highly, claiming you grasped the flaws in her sword dance after a single viewing. I want to see for myself if you are truly that formidable!"

Triggered B-rank side quest: Lin Yueru's Wager. Accepting this quest will initiate a one-on-one duel mode with plot character Lin Yueru. You cannot return to the space until the battle concludes. Victory will significantly increase Lin Yueru's favorability and grant 2,500 points. Defeat will reduce Lin Yueru's favorability to 0, with no point penalty. Declining this quest will permanently close your reputation with Lin Family Fort and lock all future quests related to Lin Yueru. Please choose carefully.

"So that's how it is..." Gao Xu gave a bitter smile. He finally understood where the problem lay. No wonder Lin Yueru had been polite to him, yet his emblem had never signaled an increase in favorability; the proud and haughty young mistress of the Lin family had been unconvinced all along, waiting for an opportunity to challenge him!

The little maid Dongmei must have praised Gao Xu too highly, sparking Lin Yueru's competitive spirit and causing the exact opposite of the intended effect.

Now that the side quest was triggered, Gao Xu was in a position where he had to accept. Even if he lost, he would only lose the influence Dongmei had over Lin Yueru, which could be salvaged later. But to be too afraid to even accept the challenge would mean total disgrace, and the gates of Lin Family Fort would be closed to him forever.

"A B-rank quest with a 2,500-point reward... heh, she really thinks highly of me!" Gao Xu glanced at his pathetic stats and empty skill bar, sighing inwardly. Quests that significantly boosted the favorability of major plot characters were extremely rare; it would be a shame to miss this.

Since they were to duel, the group left the cramped stone chamber and returned to the site of the previous battle. Lin Yueru and Gao Xu stepped to the center, bowed, and drew their swords.

The two stood proudly, facing each other from a distance, their gazes as sharp as sword blades as they sized each other up. A clash between experts was like a decisive battle between great armies; one had to know oneself and the enemy to be victorious. Thus, every slight movement of the opponent had to be observed with meticulous care, missing nothing.

Though Lin Yueru had expressed much doubt about Gao Xu's strength, she treated the actual duel as if facing a formidable enemy, focusing with absolute intensity and not a hint of arrogance.

"Even if the chance of victory is slim, I must give it my all!" Gao Xu clenched his fists and took out the temporary skill point he had obtained from Tang Mei'er's treasure chest. Gritting his teeth, he applied it to his Insight skill. The skill flickered, and its attributes saw a significant boost.

Insight: B-rank passive skill, low tier. In combat, there is a 30% chance to perceive an enemy's skill weakness. If the timing is seized to launch an immediate counterattack, the skill effect will be nullified, and the attacker will suffer backlash damage equal to 40% of the original skill's power. Only effective against B-rank skills and below. This skill can be upgraded. Status: Active.

The upgrade in skill grade could not change the fact that his stats were completely inferior to Lin Yueru's. Knowing that attacking first would likely lead to disaster, Gao Xu planted his feet in a wide stance, braced himself, and said, "Miss Lin, please!"

Lin Yueru was accustomed to seizing the initiative. Hearing this, she didn't stand on ceremony and, without a word, slashed her sword directly at him.

The precious sword in Lin Yueru's hand was named "Yuenü." Its blade was thin, its surface as cold and white as frost, and its sharpness was peerless. The sword light was as desolate and cold as the moon, perfectly suited for the Yuenü Sword Art.

Gao Xu maintained an air of calm, holding his Flying Rainbow Sword horizontally across his chest. The three-foot blade shimmered with a faint, colorful light like autumn water. Only when the strike was nearly upon him did he parry the force with a sharp clang.

The immense power surging through the blade made Gao Xu grunt, his left foot sliding back half a step to dissipate the force. Seeing this, Lin Yueru's phoenix eyes brightened. She twisted her blade, and with the grace of dancing snowflakes and the howling of a northern wind, her attacks became increasingly swift.

After just one probing strike, Lin Yueru had identified Gao Xu's weakness in arm strength and immediately launched a fierce, head-on assault. Within a few breaths, Gao Xu's hand was trembling violently, his arm going numb, and he began to curse his luck inwardly.

The sword art Gao Xu was currently using was the Soft Cloud Sword Art of the Heavenly Profound Sect. In his previous life, he had learned the Five Heavenly Blaze Swords properly, climbing step by step from a novice to eventually mastering the ultimate sword techniques. The hardships he endured were beyond words, but the rewards were immense, and the wide variety of sword arts was one of them.

The Soft Cloud Sword Art was dense and rigorous, excelling in defense. It emphasized "remaining still until the enemy moves," yet it evolved from the shifting clouds, making its movements unpredictable. It could often unleash a lethal strike from the most unexpected angle, deciding the outcome of a battle in a single move.

Gao Xu had adopted this defensive style, assuming Lin Yueru lacked combat experience and hoping to tire her out. Who would have thought that the young mistress of the Lin family was truly extraordinary? She had identified the weakness of the Soft Cloud Sword Art immediately and, relying on her superior stats, launched a relentless onslaught.

The Flying Rainbow Sword parried and blocked left and right. While his high-level sword mastery allowed Gao Xu to maintain a 100% parry rate, the force behind her strikes caused his HP to slowly tick downward. At this rate, he would be forced to drop his sword and concede within a minute.

Outside the ring, Lin Tiannan's brow had smoothed out, his eyes filled with pride. He was extremely satisfied with this apple of his eye; had she been a man, she would have been more than capable of inheriting his mantle as the Martial Arts Alliance Leader.

Alas, Lin Yueru would eventually marry, and finding a suitable husband for this little ancestor had caused Lin Tiannan no end of worry.

Just as Lin Tiannan's thoughts drifted to the martial arts tournament for a suitor months away, a new change occurred in the duel.

Gao Xu began his counterattack.