Destiny Roulette

The moment the round table took shape, Tang Hao sensed that something was wrong.

His feet pressed against the ground formed from purple mist. He poured Soul Power downward, trying to force his way out of the restraints.

All nine Soul Rings lit up. The Soul Power of a level-ninety-five Titled Douluo slammed into the ground. The purple mist churned once, then settled.

It was useless.

It was like throwing a stone into water. Once it sank, it was gone, barely even raising a splash.

A muscle twitched in Tang Hao's face.

He looked down at his feet, then up at Qin Chuan across from him. The revolver in Qin Chuan's hand was still pointed at his own temple, its muzzle pressed against his skin, his posture utterly casual.

"The rules are simple," Qin Chuan began. His voice was quiet, but those outside the round table could hear him too.

"This thing is called a revolver. You can think of it as a special kind of Soul Tool."

"Six chambers, with only one rule-bound bullet. We take turns shooting ourselves.

"If you fire an empty chamber, your Soul Power temporarily increases by twenty percent. If you get shot, all your Soul Power is stripped away, you lose the ability to fight, and you're forcibly removed from the battlefield."

Qin Chuan paused after finishing.

"I'll go first."

Outside the round table, Bibi Dong stood behind the railing of the papal dais, her brows drawing together.

This was yet another new Soul Skill.

It was unlike his earlier Destiny Coin, Rock-Paper-Scissors, or Truth-Telling. With those skills, although the target was forced to participate, they at least had a choice. With this one, even that choice was gone.

One gun, six chambers, taking turns.

Chrysanthemum Douluo asked quietly, "Your Holiness, should we intervene and stop Tang Hao?"

Bibi Dong did not answer immediately. She watched Qin Chuan inside the round table for two breaths.

"No need. He knows what he's doing."

In the stands, some spectators who had not been caught up in the disturbance began clamoring.

"What kind of Soul Tool is that? Has anyone seen one before?"

"Is he gambling with his life against a Titled Douluo?"

Hu Liena stood outside the round table with Yan holding her back. The purple mist blocked her path. She struck it twice, but could not budge it.

"Qin Chuan!" she called.

Qin Chuan smiled inside without turning around.

Inside the round table, Tang Hao stared at the revolver in Qin Chuan's hand.

He had lived most of his life already. What ordeal had he not faced? He had broken through the Spirit Hall's encirclements and survived endless slaughter in Slaughter City. He had seen every kind of desperate situation.

But he had never seen anyone fight like this.

A mere level-fifty-one support soul master held a gun to his own temple and demanded that Tang Hao follow suit.

Tang Hao roared, activating all nine Soul Rings and pouring Soul Power into the rule-bound space. The purple mist churned violently for several breaths, then returned to stillness.

Inside this round table, his Soul Power could change nothing.

"Boy, you think a trick like this can trap me?" Tang Hao said through gritted teeth.

Qin Chuan did not answer.

He pulled the trigger.

Click.

An empty chamber.

A wisp of white smoke rose from the muzzle, and Qin Chuan's Soul Power surged. All five Soul Rings flashed at once, their light noticeably stronger than before.

A wave of startled cries erupted from the stands.

"Empty! The first shot was empty!"

"His Soul Power increased! Look at the light around him!"

[Clown Dwarf] poked his head out from Qin Chuan's shoulder, grinned, and waved at Tang Hao.

The revolver floated out of Qin Chuan's hand, spun once, and landed neatly in Tang Hao's right hand.

Tang Hao's right hand was no longer under his control.

His five fingers curled around the grip one by one and tightened. He tried to fling it away, but his fingers would not move an inch. He tried to pry them loose with his left hand, but that hand had also been locked in place by the rules.

His arm rose on its own.

The muzzle pressed against his temple.

Tang Hao's hand was shaking.

A level-ninety-five Titled Douluo could barely hold it steady.

The stands fell silent for a moment, then erupted again.

"That Soul Tool seems incredibly powerful. Even Tang Hao has to shoot himself!"

"His hand is shaking! A Titled Douluo's hand is shaking!"

"There are five chambers left and one bullet. He has a one-in-five chance of getting shot!"

Qin Chuan stood across from him, calculating inwardly.

With his fourth Soul Skill, Destiny Roulette, he could shift thirty percentage points of the chance of being shot onto his opponent. There was only one live round among the six, so normally each of them had a fifty-percent chance. He had pushed Tang Hao's chance of being shot to eighty percent, leaving his own at only twenty.

Those were odds he could accept.

Tang Hao pulled the trigger.

Click.

An empty chamber.

Tang Hao's Soul Power also rose, and the light of his nine Soul Rings grew brighter. He looked at Qin Chuan, his lips twisting into a savage smile.

"Boy, how long can your luck hold out?"

The revolver floated back into Qin Chuan's hand.

Qin Chuan pressed the muzzle against his temple again, his hand perfectly steady.

"Third shot."

Click.

An empty chamber. His Soul Power rose another twenty percent.

The revolver passed to Tang Hao.

Click.

An empty chamber.

All four shots had been empty.

With every click, the hearts of the hundred thousand spectators climbed another notch into their throats. Some covered their eyes and peeked through their fingers. Others clutched the arms of the people beside them, digging their nails into flesh.

Xiao Wu stood outside the round table, her hands clasped against her chest.

She did not know whom she was worried for. She hated Tang Hao, hated him so much her very bones ached.

But Qin Chuan was gambling with his life too. What if he got shot?

Hu Liena clutched the hem of her skirt, her fingers tearing several holes in the fabric. She wanted to call Qin Chuan's name, but her throat was so tight that no sound came out.

Zhu Zhuqing stood beside Xiao Wu, her cool eyes fixed unblinkingly on the round table.

Yan and Xie Yue stood behind them, both with their fists clenched. Flames flickered over Yan's fists, while Xie Yue's Moon Blades hummed in his palms.

The fifth shot was ready.

The revolver returned to Qin Chuan's hand.

Only two chambers remained. Fifty-fifty.

Qin Chuan pressed the muzzle to his temple. He glanced at Tang Hao and winked.

"I'll test your luck for you with this shot."

Tang Hao's pupils contracted.

Someone in the stands rose and shouted, "Don't shoot! Don't pull the trigger!"

The person beside him pulled him back down, their voice trembling. "He can't hear you..."

Inside the round table, Qin Chuan rested his index finger on the trigger.

He was perfectly calm.

He had already shifted the odds. From the very first shot, he had been pushing the live round among the six toward Tang Hao. Four consecutive empty shots were not good luck. He had spread his twenty-percent chance of being shot across those rounds, keeping himself as safe as possible.

Of the last two rounds, the chance that the live one would fall to Tang Hao had already become absurdly high.

He pulled the trigger.

Click.

An empty chamber.

Qin Chuan lowered his hand, his Soul Power rising another twenty percent. The light around him was far stronger than at the start. His five Soul Rings spun rapidly, even their colors shining brighter.

Tang Hao's face went white.

In the stands, a hundred thousand people stared at the revolver as it floated out of Qin Chuan's hand, slowly made half a turn, and landed in Tang Hao's right hand.

The final chamber.

The bullet was inside.

Tang Hao knew it. Qin Chuan knew it. All hundred thousand people present knew it.

The rules lifted Tang Hao's right hand. His arm rose inch by inch, and with every inch, another vein twitched in his face. He gritted his teeth, his cheeks bulging, sweat running from his forehead down through his stubble.

The muzzle pressed against his temple.

"I refuse to believe it!" Tang Hao roared. All his Soul Power erupted, and his nine Soul Rings blazed. The force sent the purple mist churning violently, but the round table beneath him merely trembled twice and remained completely intact.

The rules pressed his finger down, making it squeeze the trigger little by little.