Winning the Bet

The battle between the two sides lasted for a while. Although it was impossible to determine a winner yet, Tang Yu was mostly on the defensive, as his opponent's flag-shaped Law Artifact was causing him great discomfort.

"Kid, is that all you've got? You're a disgrace. I suggest you get out of here now, so you don't waste my time."

The burly man, as large as a black bear, unleashed another gust of wind, a smug smile playing on his lips. "Do you know why I jumped out at the last minute? It's because he loves seeing your despair. Victory was just one step away, but you just couldn't get past it. That feeling... tsk tsk, just thinking about it makes you furious."

Tang Yu faced the wind blades hidden in the gale with a dark expression, but his eyes remained calm and undisturbed.

He wasn't angered by the man's provocative words, and didn't even take them to heart.

After dealing with the wind blades, Tang Yu slowly exhaled, then quickly formed hand seals and said in a cold, deep voice, "Go!"

The burly man's eyes narrowed as he saw the sword light about to strike him. He quickly raised the flag to protect himself behind him.

"Bang~"

Um?

Why was the explosion so quiet? And why didn't I feel any impact?

Not good!

It's a smokescreen!

The burly man sensed something was wrong and retreated quickly, but it was too late.

As soon as he left the spot he had just been standing, vines sprouted from the ground and began to lash out wildly. Although he wasn't in the exact center, he was still whipped several times by the outer vines.

The intense pain made his already somewhat ugly face even more grotesque.

Although he only had a few breaths between realizing something was wrong and reacting, that was more than enough time for the enemy.

The burly man spat, the burning pain in his back making his eyes turn fierce. "Kid, you tried to pull this on me, huh? Very well, you've successfully angered me. I was planning to slowly corner you, but now I've changed my mind."

I'm going to pin you to the ground and ravage you in the fastest and cruelest way possible!

No sooner had he finished speaking than the burly man, wielding the flag, charged towards Tang Yu instead of retreating.

Huang Tao smiled slightly and said, "It seems the battle is about to be decided."

Shen Ge glanced at the girl in the corner and nodded, "Yes, the competition is about to end."

Sure enough, a moment later, after Tang Yu dodged a wind blade, a victorious smile appeared on his lips.

A mysterious force suddenly enveloped the entire arena, and the burly man was pinned to the ground, unable to move, as if he had been crushed by a mountain.

Inside the attic, Mu Wan frowned and asked, "An array? When did he set it up?"

She then turned to look at Shen Ge, seemingly seeking an explanation.

Shen Ge smiled slightly. He had originally intended to keep Mu Wan in suspense, but seeing her somewhat unfriendly gaze, he explained, "He didn't set it up; he guided that burly man to set it up."

"Remember that fireball from before? It dissipated immediately after Tang Yu dodged it. Most people probably thought it dissipated on its own, but that's not the case. The fireball was absorbed by a kind of array pattern. Of course, this array pattern is very well hidden, and ordinary people can hardly find it. It should have been set when his flying sword attacked or when he was knocked away."

"Afterwards, guided by Tang Yu, these array patterns absorbed the spiritual energy unleashed by the burly man, and the array was not fully formed until after that wind blade."

"Then why didn't Tang Yu actively inject spiritual energy to activate the formation?" Mu Wan asked, somewhat puzzled.

"That won't work. This formation requires a lot of spiritual energy and time to form, which makes him easy to lose in battle. Moreover, once he injects his own spiritual energy, it won't have the concealment effect anymore. It's hard to say whether the opponent will be trapped by this formation then," Huang Tao explained.

"Brother Huang is indeed insightful." After offering a compliment, Shen Ge explained to Mu Wan, "Actually, it's not your fault. Most people wouldn't think that the places where the flying sword touched or grazed would turn into array patterns and eventually converge into a formation. Even I hadn't considered this possibility before. I only understood the layout after that wind blade disappeared just now."

"Unfortunately, it's too late now. Once the formation is complete, there's probably no chance of escape."

Shen Ge sighed and said, "Indeed, you can't underestimate any cultivator, or you won't even know when you're going to die."

"However, there are ways to avoid this." Shen Ge turned to look at the somewhat silent Mu Wan and said, "That is, to learn more about array formations. It doesn't have to be that you can set up an array yourself, but at least you should be able to recognize the array patterns."

"We won... it's over..."

A soft murmur caught the attention of the three. They turned to look at the woman in the corner. Just as Shen Ge was about to speak, the woman turned and walked downstairs.

Huang Tao withdrew his gaze, smiled dismissively, and then took out the Star Stone and handed it to Shen Ge: "Brother Shen, you won. This Star Stone is yours."

Shen Ge casually accepted the Star Stone and put it away. Then he took out a few medicine bottles and a high-grade defensive magic Law Artifact, saying, "Brother Huang, you've gone to so much trouble. I have a few Foundation Establishment Pill here that I don't need, so I'll give them to you."

Huang Tao didn't refuse. After putting away the items, he clasped his hands in a respectful bow and said, "Brother Shen, we had a very pleasant chat today. However, I've been away for some time now and must return to my sect. Brother Shen remember to contact me if you need anything in the future."

Shen Ge smiled and said, "Brother Huang, it's the same. Let's keep in touch. If you have any more good stuff like this next time, remember to save some for me. Forget about gambling, I'll pay with Spirit Stone."

After seeing Huang Tao downstairs, Shen Ge looked at Mu Wan, who was staring at him, and said with a serious expression, "Let's go find Uncle-Master Feng Qing. We might be being watched."

The two quickly left and disappeared into the street.

In a restaurant room a street away from the attic, a figure stood with a face so gloomy it seemed as if water could drip from it.

"Damn it, Huang Tao, the Extreme Shadow Sect, you all deserve to die! Just wait, once I break through to the Golden Core, I will definitely be the first to destroy your Extreme Shadow Sect!"

About three incense sticks later, Shen Ge and his companion rejoined the main force of the Spirit Moon Sect, where Uncle-Master Feng Qing was also present.

With Martial Uncle Feng Qing, a Golden Core Stage cultivator, by his side, Shen Ge finally felt relieved.

Inside the room, Mu Wan frowned and looked at Shen Ge uncertainly, saying, "Huang Tao gave this to you almost as a gift because he was being targeted when he acquired it, and the person targeting him might be someone their Extreme Shadow Sect couldn't handle, so he sold it off in this way?"

Shen Ge nodded and said, "That's the main reason. Perhaps he was already choosing a partner at the Wan Household's marriage contest. He observed us for a while, and only appeared in front of us when he was sure we could handle this item. It seems he didn't want this item to fall into the hands of that person in the shadows, and his character is quite decent, at least he doesn't have any intention of harming anyone, otherwise he could have easily gotten rid of it from anyone."

"Furthermore, judging from the exchange of Sound Transmission Jade Slip, there might also be an intention to make friends."