Yang Kai gazed at Elder Zhou with a smile. "What if I refuse?"
Elder Zhou was perfectly composed. "There's no need for you to refuse, nephew. Fighting to the death in the Asura Arena can indeed accelerate one's growth, but if it's a one-sided slaughter, there's little point in it. The Jade Rakshasa couldn't last ten breaths against you. In this entire vast universe, there are precious few below the Open Heaven Realm who are qualified to fight you. So even if you re-enter the Asura Arena, you won't find a suitable opponent. In that case, why would you waste your time at the Asura Arena?"
"Furthermore, even if you did re-enter, we at the Asura Arena could simply adjust the odds. We don't need to make a profit—just keeping losses to a minimum would be achievable. So I really don't see why you need to refuse. What do you think?"
Yang Kai considered it seriously for a moment, then nodded. "Elder Zhou makes a fair point."
Elder Zhou gave him a playful wink. "Then we have a deal—gentleman's word?"
Yang Kai chuckled. "Never setting foot in the Asura Arena again isn't entirely out of the question. But I'd also ask Elder Zhou to keep Junior Sister Jade in check. I'm afraid after today's fight, she might still not be convinced..."
Elder Zhou replied, "You can rest assured on that front. Little Jade can be single-minded at times, but that doesn't mean she's truly foolish. She wouldn't knowingly invite humiliation by fighting someone she can't beat. I'll make sure she stays put."
"There's also the matter of the compensation..."
Elder Zhou raised an eyebrow. "You think it's too little?"
Yang Kai rubbed his fingers together and said in a sly voice, "Who could ever have too many Open Heaven Pills?"
Elder Zhou pondered for a moment, then came to a decision. "I'll make the call—an additional fifty million. How does that sound, nephew?"
Yang Kai said with a straight face, "Fifty million doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. Why not round it up to a nice number?"
Elder Zhou's expression stiffened. "Nephew, don't be too greedy. This is already the absolute limit of my authority. Any more and I'd be digging into my own pocket. If you agree, not only will you receive a handsome sum of Open Heaven Pills, but you'll also earn the friendship of Asura Heaven. That's quite the bargain." He paused, his gaze flickering with something unreadable as he fixed Yang Kai with a serious look. "Speaking of which, what a coincidence—I recently heard a name that happens to be the same as yours, nephew."
Yang Kai laughed softly. "The Three Thousand Worlds are vast, the universe boundless, and there are countless billions of living beings. It's only natural that someone would share my name."
Elder Zhou nodded slowly. "True, sharing a name isn't remarkable. What's remarkable is that this person's cultivation is also about the same as yours. Isn't that curious, nephew?"
A flicker of sharp light passed through Yang Kai's eyes. "What else has Elder Zhou heard?"
Elder Zhou said in a leisurely drawl, "I also heard that fellow was swept into the Grand Ancient Ruins, where he made a massive fortune. Not only that, he condensed a High-rank force—ambitious enough to aim for a High-rank Open Heaven. Tell me, nephew, isn't that the very definition of reckless audacity?"
Yang Kai said gravely, "For we martial artists, the pursuit of the pinnacle of power is pure instinct. How could that be called reckless?"
"A vagrant with no background and no backing trying to achieve High-rank directly? It's impossible, impossible, impossible. I foresee a great tribulation in that fellow's future. If he can't survive it, he'll perish—body and soul."
"And if he can?" Yang Kai asked, watching him.
Elder Zhou looked him up and down and let out a soft laugh. "If he can weather that storm, I'll chop off my own head and give it to him to kick around like a ball."
Yang Kai snorted coldly. "Elder Zhou shouldn't speak too carelessly. Once words leave your mouth, they can't be taken back."
Elder Zhou shook his head. "Fate is fate. I say he won't make it through, and he won't make it through. Trying to force it will only result in the obliteration of his soul. I'd rather he come to his senses soon and take a step back—the view is much wider that way. Otherwise, when the great tribulation arrives, it'll be too late to turn back."
Yang Kai's expression turned ashen.
Elder Zhou suddenly changed the subject. "Enough of this. It's meaningless talk. Nephew, what have you decided?"
Yang Kai simply extended his hand. "Hand it over."
Elder Zhou smiled and produced another space ring, placing it in Yang Kai's palm. Inside, as expected, were another fifty million Open Heaven Pills. He said meaningfully, "Nephew, I'll offer you a piece of advice: a true man knows when to bend and when to stand tall."
Yang Kai muttered, "Thank you for the lesson, Elder Zhou. This junior will remember it well."
Elder Zhou studied him carefully for a moment, as if sensing the iron resolve in his eyes. He couldn't help but sigh, shook his head, and turned to leave.
At his side, Pei Buwan bowed to see the elder off. Only after Elder Zhou had departed did he gaze at the two space rings in Yang Kai's hand with undisguised envy—that was a full 1.25 billion Open Heaven Pills, more than he could ever hope to earn in a lifetime.
Then he suddenly startled. "Brother Yang, why does your face look so awful?"
Yang Kai casually lied, "The Jade Rakshasa injured me."
Pei Buwan was first taken aback, then came to understand. He thought to himself that the fight earlier must not have been as effortless as it looked on the surface. Yang Kai had indeed finished off the Jade Rakshasa within ten breaths, but he'd probably paid a considerable price—simply hiding it well.