"Jiang Chen, drop the act. If you've got the guts, fight. If you don't, bow your head and admit defeat."
"Rong Zifeng, have you no shame?"
Rong Zifeng grinned maliciously. "Mu Gaoqi, I won't bully you. Come up here—if I can't finish you in one move, consider me, Rong Zifeng, incompetent."
"As for you, Jiang Chen—if you can withstand three of my moves, I'll count it as my loss!"
A tone dripping with provocation.
"And if you lose?" Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "Lips flapping back and forth—that kind of boring game doesn't interest me."
"Then what do you want?" Rong Zifeng's cold laughter came one after another.
"If you want to play, let's play big. Whoever loses gets the hell out of the Supreme Zone." Jiang Chen's words were direct and unambiguous.
The moment these words left his lips, everyone's hearts skipped a beat. This Jiang Chen was ruthless.
Don't be fooled by Rong Zifeng's aggressive posturing—forced to gamble this high, he actually didn't dare accept right away.
"What's the matter? You were loud enough just a second ago—was that all for show? When it comes to a real bet, you shrivel up?" Jiang Chen shot Rong Zifeng a mocking glance.
This time, even the refined and scholarly
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "Rong Zifeng, I know you can't afford to lose. How about this—tell me what you can afford to bet, and name it."
Enraged by Jiang Chen's goading, Rong Zifeng snapped, "Jiang Chen, don't think I'm afraid to bet with you. I'm just worried that after some people lose, they'll go crying to the Palace Master. Since you want to bet, then let's wager Origin Nurturing Pills and Origin Spirit Stones. Do you have the nerve?"
"Go ahead," Jiang Chen replied with an offhand smile. "How much can you afford?"
Rong Zifeng gritted his teeth. "Two hundred high-grade Origin Nurturing Pills, five hundred high-grade Origin Spirit Stones! Do you dare?"
This amount of wagering capital was considerable for Rong Zifeng—at least one or two years of his stipend.
"That's it?" Jiang Chen laughed dismissively. "Too little. Not interested."
Rong Zifeng's expression shifted, and he said coldly, "Jiang Chen, you're an outer disciple—how much wealth could you possibly have? And here you are blowing hot air."
"When I can't afford it, you'll have every right to mock me. Don't get it twisted—right now, I'm the one who's unimpressed with your stakes."
Rong Zifeng was about to retort when Shen Qinghong suddenly spoke up. "In that case, let's multiply it by five. Zifeng, if you can't cover it, I'll front the difference."
Jiang Chen laughed heartily and rose to his feet. "Wonderful, wonderful! As expected of Senior Brother Shen with his deep pockets—the top genius of the Supreme Zone is indeed generous with his purse."
Jiang Chen's words irked Shen Qinghong for reasons he couldn't quite place. He had the nagging feeling that Jiang Chen was mocking him—suggesting that his current cultivation was built on nothing but wealth.
"Men! Bring one thousand high-grade Origin Nurturing Pills and three thousand high-grade Origin Spirit Stones."
Shen Qinghong waved his hand, and attendants immediately went to prepare the wager.
Seeing Shen Qinghong backing him up—whether intentionally or not—Rong Zifeng felt greatly reassured and grinned savagely. "Jiang Chen, I'm borrowing from Senior Brother Shen for now. You were blowing your horn loud enough just a moment ago—don't tell me you can't produce the stakes?"
The reason Jiang Chen had been going back and forth all this time was actually to reach this moment. What he lacked most was Spirit Stones. The Nine Gates Burning Sky Formation required a massive quantity of spirit crystals.
What he had on hand could only cover about half the cost.
If he could win these three thousand high-grade Origin Spirit Stones, the shortfall would be mostly resolved. With another two or three thousand, it would be enough for roughly five years.
Soon, Shen Qinghong's attendants brought forth one thousand Origin Nurturing Pills and three thousand high-grade Origin Spirit Stones.
For the wealthy Shen Qinghong, this was no small expenditure, but compared to his total assets, it was a drop in the bucket.
"Junior Brother Jiang Chen, do you have enough Origin Nurturing Pills and Spirit Stones? If not, would you like me to advance some from my own reserves?"
Shen Qinghong asked with feigned courtesy.
Once Jiang Chen used his Spirit Stones and pills, slipping out of his control would become much more difficult.
"I appreciate Senior Brother Shen's concern. Though I may not match his deep pockets, I can still afford this much."
As he spoke, Jiang Chen produced one thousand high-grade Origin Nurturing Pills and three thousand spirit crystals of his own.
These crystals represented nearly two-thirds of his total reserves.
He set the wager lightly on the table, his gaze clear and steady, and looked at Rong Zifeng. "So—how do we settle this? Based on the three moves you were bragging about? Or do we negotiate different terms?"
"Three moves is somewhat inappropriate—it's not fair enough." Shen Qinghong shook his head. He clearly had no intention of letting Rong Zifeng lose.
Jun Mobai smiled. "A Heavenly Origin Realm cultivator against a Lesser Origin Realm one—surely you wouldn't settle a match at full strength based on that? Five moves, I'd suggest."
Three of the Four Heavenly Kings had spoken. The last,