“Huh?”
The female warrior’s eyes were wide and her mouth gaped open. She looked incredibly cute with that expression.
He wasn’t betting on Li Tianfu?
So what did he mean then? He was going to bet on himself?
“It’s 5000 Spiritual Stones, Mr. Jing Yan!” she thought incredulously. “Are you out of your mind?”
“What’s your name?” Jing Yan narrowed his gaze.
“Zhong Yuxiu.” The female warrior blushed a little.
She actually knew of Jing Yan. He had once been lauded as the most brilliant of geniuses, back when Jing Yan was at his peak in Dong Lin City all those years ago. There were even many who claimed that he would be able to break through the Precelestial rank and step into the terrifying Enlightenment rank.
If that had happened, Jing Yan’s fame would have shot to the heavens and everyone in the world would have known his name. All young female warriors in Dong Lin City would have fallen for Jing Yan. However, despite everyone’s expectations, the brilliant figure had suddenly plummeted from grace. His rank fell off so severely that his powers were reduced to those of a mere Third Heaven martial artist.
As time passed, not many people were willing to show any sign of admiration for Jing Yan when his name was brought up.
But then again, there were a few whose longing for him remained, even though his rank had suffered so severely.
In truth, Zhong Yuxiu had always liked Jing Yan, and she had actually gone up in response to Jing Yan’s call of her own volition.
“You misunderstood me, Zhong Yuxiu. I know how the rules of the Combat Association work, of course.”
“Here are the 5000 Spiritual Stones. Please bet them all on me. Yes, you heard right. While I’m unable to bet them on Li Tianfu, I can still bet them on myself,” Jing Yan said in a serious tone. Zhong Yuxiu still looked stunned.
“I’m not out of my mind.” Jing Yan grinned and continued, “Zhong Yuxiu, you work here. How much do you people get paid?”
Zhong Yuxiu was a Third Heaven warrior.
“Five Spiritual Stones…” Zhong Yuxiu hung her head low.
“Yeah. I’m now offering you a chance, and don’t tell anyone about this. You may wonder why I’m putting such a large bet on myself. You and everyone else may think that I’ll definitely lose in this fight, but the results might not be what everyone expects. Zhong Yuxiu, if you were to bet on me, I’m sure the returns would be very lucrative,” Jing Yan said with a gentle smile.
What?
Bet on you?
Returns? The returns were definitely high, as the odds were 15 to one at the moment. Betting ten Spiritual Stones would yield a return of 150 Spiritual Stones.
“But then, would I be able to get that much in the first place?” Zhong Yuxiu wondered, blinking.
“Whether you believe me or not, that is up to you. What I can tell you is that my chances of winning are high. While I can’t guarantee that I’ll win, the odds of me winning definitely exceed 50 percent. You won’t get another chance like this in the future.”
Jing Yan wasn’t giving the girl this tip because he had taken a liking to her. Rather, he was telling her this because Zhong Yuxiu’s face reminded him of someone. As such, he saw fit to give her a chance at least. It was up to her whether or not she decided to take it.
“Mr… Mr. Jing Yan, I’ll help you place your bets then.” Zhong Yuxiu looked rather uneasy. She took all 5000 Spiritual Stones and left the room as if she was running away from something.
“Should I… should I place a bet on him?”
“Bet? Or no bet?”
“I don’t have much to spare to begin with. I only have 50 Spiritual Stones in total. If I were to bet on him, how much should I bet then?”
“Alright! I’m going all out! Fifty Spiritual Stones it is then! I’m counting on you, Mr. Jing Yan.”
Zhong Yuxiu gritted her bright, white teeth and made a tough decision. Fifty Spiritual Stones were the sum of all of her property. If she lost…
Ran Qi stood at the center of a brightly-lit, spacious room, and she locked her gaze on a purple crystal.
It was a small piece of crystal that had a similar function to the huge crystal wall in the hall. The odds for the match between both Jing Yan and Li Tianfu were displayed across it.
At that moment, the numbers changed considerably all of a sudden.
The odds against Jing Yan had risen to 16 to one originally, but at that moment, the numbers dropped to ten to one.
“Huh?” Ran Qi’s eyes flickered and an alluring curve crossed her lips. “Jing Yan actually placed that huge bet on himself. What is he after? He actually brought that many Spiritual Stones to bet on himself? Does he even have any chance of winning at all?”
Ran Qi shook her head, revealing the flush that was rising up her fair neck.
The changes in the odds happened in an extremely short period of time. Many gamblers in the hall noticed the sudden change in the odds.
There were many gamblers present who frequented the Extreme Combat Association, and they all knew what it meant. There was only one possible explanation of what had just happened—someone placed a bet on Jing Yan, and it was a hefty one to boot.
Judging from how many bets had already been placed, that hefty bet must have been thousands of Spiritual Stones. Jing Yan’s odds wouldn’t have been reduced so considerably in such a short period of time if the bet hadn’t been at least in the thousands.
“This is crazy!”
“Who has so many Spiritual Stones on their hands to pour down the drain?”
“What kind of stupid oaf would do that? If they have so much to spare, they should have just given them to me instead.”
The gamblers began to chatter amongst themselves. Many wanted to know who had placed such a hefty bet on Jing Yan, but there was apparently no way for them to find out.
Who indeed!
No one would have expected that the person who placed such a hefty bet on Jing Yan, was none other than Jing Yan himself.
“Li Tianfu’s odds have risen, eh? Hahaha, alright, I’ll just keep betting on Li Tianfu then!” one of the gamblers shouted excitedly.
There were apparently many bettors who shared similar thoughts. The flow of bets had begun to slow before, but now they began to rush in once again.
A few minutes passed.
Then half an hour.
Then a whole hour was gone.
The allotted time for placing bets, which was an hour, eventually expired. By that time, Jing Yan’s odds rose to nearly 20 to one, while those of Li Tianfu was at 25 to one.
A young warrior dressed in a golden robe suddenly appeared in the hall. He held a paper fan, and he looked rather dashing. However, his face was pale and his eyes seemed a little gloomy.
When the occupants of the hall noticed the young warrior, they greeted him in a very respectful manner.
“Greetings, Young Master Zhao!”
“Good day, Young Master Zhao.”
“It has been a few days since you’ve last been seen here, Young Master Zhao.” The gamblers all went up and greeted the young golden-robed warrior with sheepish, shoe-shining smiles.
Young Master Zhao didn’t respond to any of the gamblers around him. He gazed around the room with a contented grin, before uttering a single word.
“Reward.”