Qianwu Betting Platform

Betting Space:

The place was incredibly bustling. Li Xin had no idea how vast the entire venue was; all he knew was that Sector 6, where he had arrived, was a hundred times larger than Earth.

Humans of all sorts of races gathered here. Fifty percent were at the Star Level, and Universe Level experts were a common sight as well.

"Hello, I'd like to register as a gladiator on the Qianwu Betting Platform."

After arriving, Li Xin read through the rules and immediately went to register his details.

"Sir, please fill in your strength information and pay 1,000 Qianwu Coins."

The staff member spoke politely.

I'll exchange my money for Universe Coins first. They offer better value.

After registering, Li Xin found a dedicated exchange platform and exchanged 110 million Qianwu Coins for 30,000 Universe Coins.

The normal exchange rate from Universe Coins to Qianwu Coins was 1:3,300, but there was no official way to exchange Qianwu Coins for Universe Coins. Anyone who wanted to do so had to use unofficial platforms, which charged considerably higher rates.

My first Gambling Battle can only be against someone at the same stage. Once I win it, I can challenge higher-stage opponents within the Star Level.

Only after winning more than a hundred Gambling Battles against higher-stage Star Level opponents, with a win rate above ninety percent, can I cross the level boundary and challenge Universe Level opponents.

I'll set the stake for my first Gambling Battle at 10,000 Universe Coins. Any more, and I'm afraid no other fifth-stage Star Level fighter could afford it.

Ten thousand Universe Coins were equivalent to 33 million Qianwu Coins. Unless a Star Level fighter had some backing or had suddenly struck it rich, there was no way they could put up that much money just for a single Gambling Battle!

Li Xin then sent a Gambling Battle invitation to every fifth-stage Star Level fighter. There were at least several million of them in the Betting Space, yet a full three minutes passed before anyone accepted his invitation.

"Lonely Expert" has accepted your Gambling Battle invitation. Your opponent has requested a live broadcast and a prize pool. Do you accept?

Gambling Battles normally took place in enclosed spaces, but the participants could apply for a live broadcast so that others in the Betting Space could watch their fight.

Spectators could then place bets on either fighter, creating a prize pool. The winner would receive one percent of the money in that pool.

Of course, the fighters could also place bets, but only on themselves to win. This rule prevented the two sides from colluding to rig a Gambling Battle.

"Accept!"

With someone offering to hand him money, Li Xin had no intention of refusing.

In an instant, Li Xin was teleported into the Gambling Battle arena. The space was enormous, as large as Earth itself. A man with an indistinct face stood fifty kilometers away from him.

"Hahahaha! 'Dugu Qiubai'? That name's far too cocky. You should call yourself 'Here to Give Away Money.'"

Lonely Expert burst out laughing when he saw Li Xin.

"Since you came up with the name, you should get first dibs on using it."

Li Xin replied. At that moment, both he and Lonely Expert were surrounded by yellow barriers of light, indicating that the fight had yet to begin.

The prize pool was still growing as people continued to place bets. Betting would remain open for only five minutes, and the two fighters could begin their battle only after the pool closed.

"Lonely Expert has fought two hundred Gambling Battles, with a sixty-percent win rate. That Dugu Qiubai has zero matches under his belt. This is his first one, and he actually dared to stake 10,000 Universe Coins. He has no idea what he's doing!"

Li Xin's and Lonely Expert's records were publicly available, so many of the spectators who came to watch placed their bets on Lonely Expert.

Five minutes later, the payout odds for Li Xin and Lonely Expert had reached 1:80, while the prize pool had climbed to 1.08 million Universe Coins.

"Flying Heaven Form!"

The instant the barriers shattered, Lonely Expert's metal domain erupted. His telekinetic weapons formed a golden spear that shot toward Li Xin at the terrifying speed of nearly ten thousand times the speed of sound.

Mental power amplitude of thirty-six, second-stage metal domain. No wonder he dared to accept my Gambling Battle challenge. Unfortunately, he's still far too weak!

"Stars Surround the Moon!"

With a thought from Li Xin, 333 small golden swords formed a bright moon and slashed forward.

Although the third layer of the Star Annihilation Secret Art was a sword formation designed to trap enemies, Li Xin could now freely alter its shape, turning a trapping move into a pure attack. Rather than weakening, its power increased.

Shhk!!!

The bright moon streaked out. Despite the support of the metal domain, the golden spear was crushed head-on. Even Lonely Expert behind it was killed instantly by Li Xin.

My metal domain can break through anything, yet someone without a domain crushed it in a head-on clash. How is that possible?

In his last lingering trace of consciousness, Lonely Expert simply could not believe he had been killed in an instant!

"That so-called Lonely Expert is utterly useless! He got killed instantly! My Universe Coins!"

"Hahahaha! I won! I won my bet! Eighty times the stake! After betting on the underdog so many times, I finally hit the jackpot!"

In the spectator stands, some rejoiced while others despaired. Li Xin was undoubtedly among those celebrating.

"Continue. Challenge higher-stage Star Level fighters, from the sixth to the ninth stage."

Having earned 810,000 Universe Coins in one go, Li Xin naturally had no intention of stopping. He continued to stake 10,000 Universe Coins on each Gambling Battle.

With his strength, it would be difficult to find a worthy opponent among Star Level fighters in these Gambling Battles. He was not here to gamble at all—he was here to pick up free money.

Black Dragon Island:

While Li Xin was busy with his Gambling Battles, the fighters previously assigned to challenge him, Hong, and Thunder God reported their results to their superiors.

"What? You were killed instantly?"

When Molly told Ming Yu about her fight with Li Xin, he found it hard to believe.

After all, he had assigned Molly to test Li Xin based on the combat strength Li Xin had displayed in the Decisive Battle Space over the past month.

Normally, even if Molly could not win, she should at least have been able to probe Li Xin's strength. Yet this unexpected outcome had happened all the same.

Molly was an elite genius of their Virtual Universe Company, yet Li Xin had killed her instantly at the same stage!

What caliber of genius did that make Li Xin? Ming Yu had no way to judge.

So he took the recording of Molly's fight with Li Xin to his superior, the Immortal Level expert Man Luo.

"Oh? It looks like that young fellow won quite easily, too. Molly failed to reveal his true strength at all."

"By the way, can you contact him right now?"

A glimmer of delighted surprise appeared in Man Luo's eyes. Finding geniuses throughout the universe and recruiting them into the Virtual Universe Company was precisely his assignment in the Black Dragon Mountain Empire.

Every genius he found added to his merits. The stronger the genius, the more merits he earned. That was why he had the leisure to spend so much time at the Killing Field.

However, Man Luo did not have permission to view footage of Li Xin's fights against the opponents he configured in the Killing Space's training grounds. Otherwise, he would not have sent his subordinates to test Li Xin's strength.

"I searched the Killing Field and around Black Dragon Mountain, but I couldn't find him. He hasn't replied to my emails either. I did find two friends of his, though-Hong and Thunder God. They're also among the geniuses we're targeting for recruitment this time."

Ming Yu spoke with some embarrassment.

"Then recruit Hong and Thunder God first. Since they're his friends, ask them about him while you're at it."

Man Luo said.