Placing a Bet
"This is the area of the North City Demon-Slaying Bureau Division." After a moment, the disciple stopped again.
Lu Feng and Su Ying each chose two adjacent cave dwellings.
The disciple respectfully presented the key, bowed, and turned to leave.
The moment the disciple disappeared at the end of the corridor, Su Ying's aloof expression vanished.
"I'm exhausted."
She rubbed her face, then resumed her carefree demeanor.
Lu Feng was momentarily speechless, both amused and exasperated. "Senior Sister, what's wrong with you...?"
You don't understand.
Su Ying waved her hand, her tone carrying a hint of helplessness from someone who had been through it all.
"These people, if you give them even a little kindness, they'll stick to you like glue. You won't be able to escape them."
As he spoke, he pushed open the door of his cave dwelling and waved to Lu Feng:
"Come in and sit for a while. I'll take you to a fun place in a bit."
The furnishings inside the cave were extremely simple.
A living room, and a secret room used for cultivation.
The living room contained only a stone table and a few stone stools; the walls were bare and devoid of any decorations.
Lu Feng sat down on the stone bench, and Su Ying poured him a cup of tea.
The two chatted casually while waiting for Xiao Tianqi to return.
An hour later, Xiao Tianqi still hadn't returned.
Su Ying couldn't sit still any longer, so she pulled Lu Feng out of the cave.
The moment she stepped out of the cave, her expression instantly switched back to its icy demeanor, transforming her into a stunningly beautiful, aloof woman.
The two walked through several cobblestone paths and arrived at the central square of the headquarters.
The square was several times larger than the Jinguan City branch, and the ground was paved with whole slabs of bluestone, enough to accommodate tens of thousands of people.
The square was teeming with people, including not only contestants from various cities but also local demon-slaying guards and envoys from the headquarters.
Several disciples dressed in uniform were moving through the crowd, distributing flyers with information about the competition.
A large crowd gathered on the east side of the square.
A fat man with a large head and big ears sat in the center of the crowd, with a huge long table in front of him. The table was piled with Origin Crystal, gold, silver notes, and several thick account books.
On either side, a tall, thin disciple was writing something down rapidly with a pen in hand. Shouts and commotion continued to rise from the crowd.
"Zhao Changgeng will definitely be the champion of this Grandmaster competition! I'm betting ten taels of gold!"
"I'm also betting on Zhao Changgeng! Two Origin Crystal!"
"Zhao Changgeng, Zhao Changgeng!"
"Shen Qingwu also has a chance, I'm betting on her! The odds are 1:3.2, if she wins, it's three times the bet!"
"Su Ying's odds are pretty good too..."
Upon hearing her name called, Su Ying paused slightly, a smile playing on her lips, and walked towards the crowd. Lu Feng followed closely behind.
Only when you get closer can you see that there is a huge stone wall behind the fat man.
The wall is divided into two columns. The left column is filled with the names of the participants, their divisions, cultivation levels, and signature skills.
The right column features a list of Grandmaster- tier champions, with Zhao Changgeng's name prominently displayed at the top, followed by a striking message: odds 1:1.1.
Lu Feng's gaze followed the list downwards.
The second name is Shen Qingwu, with odds of 1:3.2.
The third name is Su Ying. Odds: 1:3.5.
Lu Feng was slightly surprised. He thought that Su Ying, having only recently broken through to the Mid-Stage Grandmaster, wasn't the strongest among the participating Grandmaster -level contestants, but he hadn't expected to rank him as the third favorite to win the championship. Moreover, his odds were almost the same as Shen Qingwu's.
He continued reading the following description.
Su Ying, North City Demon-Slaying Bureau. Mid-Stage Grandmaster. Cultivates three Dao Arts: Lightning Control Formula, Lightning Summoning Technique, and Purple Lightning Body Protection. Note: These Dao Arts are unique to the Sacred Hall, possessing boundless power far surpassing ordinary techniques.
"The Sacred Hall?" Lu Feng's heart stirred slightly.
This was the first time he had heard of this name, but judging from the tone of the note, it seemed to be an extremely remarkable place.
He temporarily suppressed his questions and continued reading.
Below the champion leaderboard are the betting areas for the top three teams.
Zhao Changgeng is ranked first, with odds of 1:1.01.
Shen Qingwu second, with a score of 1:1.1.
Su Ying ranked third, with a score of 1:1.12.
Judging from the odds, the bookmakers clearly believe that Zhao Changgeng is far ahead in strength, Shen Qingwu and Su Ying are in the same tier, and the others are a step behind.
Lu Feng's gaze swept over the list of Hua Jin Realm experts on the left side of the stone wall.
Lu Shuang was ranked first, followed by Jiang Han, Lin Jingfeng, and others.
The introduction was similar to what Su Ying and Qin Shuang had said before, mainly about cultivation level, preferred techniques, and past achievements.
The records about Lu Shuang are: Hua Jin Perfection, a sword cultivator, suspected of mastering Sword Force, and once single-handedly killed a fourth-tier demon beast.
The words "Sword Force" were highlighted in vermilion, clearly indicating that even headquarters placed great importance on them.
There are a total of sixteen participants at the Hua Jin level.
When Lu Feng found his name, he raised an eyebrow slightly.
Eighth, a position that's neither high nor low. The following description is only a few words long.
Lu Feng, from the North City Demon-Slaying Bureau, has reached the Hua Jin Perfection and mastered one of his cultivation techniques.
The technique was perfected. Apart from that, there was no mention of any other movement techniques, Saber Force, or sword skills.
It's unclear who compiled this information, or perhaps his earlier performance simply wasn't particularly noteworthy.
To the right of the stone wall is the popular ranking list for those at the Hua Jin level.
The top three remain Lu Shuang, Jiang Han, and Lin Jingfeng, exactly as Qin Shuang said.
The odds for the three were similar to those for the Grandmaster- level Shen Qingwu and Su Ying. However, Lu Feng saw his own name in the top three bet column, with odds of 1:10.
Just then, a cold voice cut through the noisy crowd and landed steadily in everyone's ears.
"I'm betting on Lu Feng to be in the top three. 50,000 Low-Grade Origin Crystal."
A moment of silence fell over the surroundings.
Fifty thousand pieces!
This number sent chills down many people's spines.
Lu Feng turned his head and glanced at the person speaking; it was Su Ying.
Her expression was icy cold. She held a storage bag in her hand and gently placed it on the table in front of the fat man.
The fat man raised his head, his squinting eyes lingering on Su Ying's face for a moment before quickly looking away.
He clearly recognized her, but wisely kept quiet.
His disciple counted the Origin Crystal, took notes, and then handed a betting slip to Su Ying with both hands.
"Who is Lu Feng? I've never heard of him."
"Judging from the list, they're from the North City Demon-Slaying Bureau. They've perfected one cultivation technique, so they're just average."
"Betting 50,000 Origin Crystal someone ranked eighth to get into the top three? Are you crazy?"
"Maybe there's something fishy going on? Should we place a bet too?"
"Don't be silly. Lu Shuang, Jiang Han, and Lin Jingfeng— which one of them looks like they'd fall out of the top three? The odds are 1:10, which means even the bookmakers themselves don't have high hopes for them."
The crowd was buzzing with discussion, but very few people actually followed suit.
Only a few people hesitated for a long time before each betting a few dozen taels of gold as a token gesture.