Chapter 30: I'll Let You Have Three Moves

"I'll bet you!" Wan Yuan's entrance carried an immense momentum, pressing down on Tang Yu until he could barely breathe.

"Fine!" Tang Yu didn't hesitate and accepted directly.

"Since we're betting, let's make it big!" Wan Yuan sneered at Tang Yu, giving the impression that his scheme had succeeded.

"How?" Tang Yu gritted his teeth.

"A thousand pills! Supreme Vitality Pills! What do you say, scared?" Wan Yuan felt increasingly pleased seeing Tang Yu's expression.

Tang Yu seemed startled by the number, a troubled look appearing on his face.

"Ye Yuan might be lousy, but his father Ye Hang is a highly respected Grand Alchemist. Surely he can't be unable to produce even this many Vitality Pills?" Wan Yuan grew even more smug at Tang Yu's expression.

"Fine! A thousand it is! Do you think I'm afraid of you?" Tang Yu ground his teeth.

"Hahaha, bold enough! You all heard that. If anyone tries to welch, we'll all go to the Fragrant Herb Pavilion to find Ye Hang." Wan Yuan said loudly.

Many people, seeing Tang Yu's expression, gained a bit more confidence.

"I'll bet too, a hundred high-grade Vitality Pills!"

"Me too."

"Count me in!"

……

Hearing Ye Hang's name, everyone stopped worrying about Ye Yuan defaulting and joined the betting one after another.

They found a witness, and all participants signed and affixed their seals, sealing the deal.

Watching these people sign their names, Tang Yu was overjoyed inside.

"Junior Brother Ye is truly formidable, these suckers. From now on, I won't lack Vitality Pills for cultivation—as many as I want!" Tang Yu thought to himself.

Others didn't know, but Tang Yu had personally seen Ye Yuan, at the third level of Vitality, kill an assassin at the seventh level. How could he possibly lose to a small fry like Fei Qingping?

Not everyone had the guts to join this high-stakes gamble; in the end, only a little over two hundred people signed. Even so, it was a massive amount of Vitality Pills.

If Ye Yuan really lost, it would be a huge blow to the Fragrant Herb Pavilion.

But… they probably wouldn't get that chance.

Especially Wan Yuan—this time he was bound to lose both his wife and his soldiers.

……

After all this commotion, it was getting late. Fei Qingping slowly entered the arena.

"Hey, Fei Qingping is already at the fifth level of Vitality!"

"Really! Now Ye Yuan is definitely dead!"

"Haha, betting a hundred high-grade Vitality Pills just now was a great deal!"

In the same environment, a single realm gap decided everything, which was why no one favored Ye Yuan.

If these students had held any faint hope for Ye Yuan before, seeing Fei Qingping at the fifth level of Vitality shattered even that last shred.

Hearing the one-sided opinion, Fei Qingping was also very pleased, casting aside the last trace of worry he had.

Fei Qingping had always followed Wan Yuan around; he never imagined that one day he would become the center of everyone's attention.

After today, he might even receive love letters from many girls, he thought.

Over these three days, Fei Qingping dared not slack off at all.

First, he spent a day breaking through his bottleneck; the effect of the Gathering Yuan Pill was surprisingly good, allowing him to smoothly advance to the fifth level of Vitality. Then he went into seclusion to practice the Small Capturing Hand. Though time was tight, under Wan Yuan's guidance, he achieved some success.

Under these circumstances, Fei Qingping couldn't see any possibility of losing.

"It's so late, why hasn't Ye Yuan come yet?"

"Probably too scared to come, ran away, right? Hahaha…"

"Better to lose face than lose your life. Even if he comes, he'll die. Going back to seek his father's protection might at least save his skin."

It was already late, and everyone was getting impatient. Under these circumstances, they all thought Ye Yuan was too afraid to show up.

……

In a hidden viewing stand in the arena, two youths of seventeen or eighteen stood with their hands behind their backs.

One was domineering and lofty, the other cynical and carefree.

"I never thought the number one on the Martial Rankings would stoop to watch such a petty duel," said the cynical one, showing surprise at the newcomer.

Number one on the Martial Rankings—this domineering figure was none other than the legendary top student of the Danwu Academy, Long Tang.

Long Tang ignored the teasing; he knew the person before him, though seemingly frivolous, was an extremely troublesome opponent.

"Aren't you here too, number two on the Martial Rankings?" Long Tang said indifferently.

This cynical person was none other than Zuo Bugui, ranked second on the Martial Rankings!

If any other students were here, they would be astonished. The first and second on the Martial Rankings simultaneously showing up to watch a duel between rookies was utterly unbelievable.

"Haha, I won't hold this second place for long. Junior Sister Feng is hot on my heels; next time the Martial Rankings are contested, this second spot might change hands," Zuo Bugui said with a helpless look.

Long Tang made no comment; he knew Zuo Bugui's strength was not to be underestimated. Even he had to be cautious when facing him.

"We're not the only ones. Su Yishan, Xu Qingfeng, and those guys are also here, on the opposite stand. After all, it's been two years since the last life-or-death duel. Even if it's just two rookies, it's not strange that it draws people, right? Weren't we rookies back then?" Long Tang said calmly.

"Heh, that's true. Everyone starts as a rookie. But Su Yishan is in cahoots with Wan Yuan; he's here to watch the show, right? After all, the Su family and the Fragrant Herb Pavilion have never gotten along. Seeing Ye Hang's son killed would definitely make him gloat," Zuo Bugui said, apparently very familiar with the capital's dynamics.

"None of my business," Long Tang said flatly.

"Tch, I know you! I know you came today to see if the 'Stacked Waves Heart Palm,' which even you couldn't master, might be mastered by a rookie, right?" Zuo Bugui seemed to know Long Tang well, directly stating his purpose.

Long Tang didn't deny it, nodding. "Although the 'Stacked Waves Heart Palm' is an incomplete martial art, it's recognized as the hardest to learn and the most powerful in the academy. Almost no one has dared to touch it in recent years. I wanted to see if this Ye Yuan is here to make a fool of himself or if he really has the confidence to master it."

Zuo Bugui curled his lip. "I think you're overthinking it. Even a freak like you took a month to master the first layer. How could a bottom-feeder like Ye Yuan possibly master it? Even if he did, what use is a single wave? He's two whole realms behind Fei Qingping!"

"Maybe," Long Tang replied indifferently, not bothering to argue.

"Hey, hey, what's with that attitude? Do you have to act all cool all the time?"

"……"

"I think you won't get to see it. That kid Ye Yuan has probably run off. It's this late and he still hasn't shown up," Zuo Bugui rambled, but Long Tang ignored him.

……

"Make way, make way!" Just then, Ye Yuan shouted at the top of his lungs, blocked outside and unable to get in.

"It's Ye Yuan, he's here!"

"He actually dared to come!"

"Hurry and make way for him, don't delay my collection of Vitality Pills!"

Amid a burst of laughter, the crowd parted to let Ye Yuan through.

But Ye Yuan didn't enter the arena directly. Instead, he went to Tang Yu and asked furtively, "All taken care of?"

Tang Yu smiled. "Rest assured, Junior Brother Ye. I didn't disappoint."

"Haha, good, good." Then Ye Yuan raised his arms high, cupped them in the air, and said, "Thank you, senior brothers and sisters, for the Vitality Pills. I gratefully accept."

Everyone exchanged bewildered looks, not knowing what Ye Yuan was playing at. Had he gone crazy from training?

Ignoring everyone's astonished gazes, Ye Yuan said to Tang Yu, "Senior Brother Tang, don't lose the list. After the duel, I'll go door to door to collect."

With that, Ye Yuan strode into the arena.

Fei Qingping watched Ye Yuan's antics with a cold sneer. "You're about to lose your life, and you still dare to ask for Vitality Pills?"

Ye Yuan laughed. "Fei Qingping, did you place a bet? Since I'm about to die anyway, why not bet a bit more?"

"Don't worry, I already bet on your death! Now, I'll send you to the afterlife!" Fei Qingping unleashed the full force of his fifth-level Vitality aura, trying to seize the initiative from the start.

"Oho, not bad momentum. Hey, you're already at the fifth level of Vitality!" Ye Yuan showed surprise.

Seeing Ye Yuan's expression change, Fei Qingping felt smug. "Hmph! Since we're fellow disciples, I'll let you have three moves. Make your move!"

Ye Yuan's face lit up with joy. "Senior Brother Fei, are you serious?"

"Of course I'm serious!"

"That's great!" Ye Yuan laughed and said to the crowd, "You all heard him! He said he'd let me have three moves!"