He did as he fancied.
He was arrogant.
He was used to having his way, because he was rich.
Young Master Zhao flicked the white paper fan on his hand lightly.
“The young master said it. Reward!”
An elder with a gray beard beside him announced it loudly again, repeating what Young Master Zhao had said.
The young man then fished out a good number of white Spiritual Stones from a pocket and tossed them out to the crowd that had formed around him.
There were dozens of stones being given out.
That man was a spendthrift, without a doubt. And furthermore, he was a spendthrift from a very rich family.
“Thank you, Young Master Zhao.”
“You are indeed generous, Young Master Zhao.”
The gamblers around him thanked him as they fought each other for the Spiritual Stones being dropped to the floor.
“Hahahaha…”
Young Master Zhao fanned himself with the white paper fan and headed further inside. He soon came to a private room.
There were three major clans in Dong Lin City—the Zhao Clan, the Lin Clan, and the Jing Clan. The most powerful among the three was none other than the Zhao Clan.
The Zhao Clan had far more influence than either the Lin Clan or the Jing Clan. The Zhao Clan was said to be so good with their ventures that even the city lord of Dong Lin City had to curry their favor time and again.
The Young Master Zhao who had shown up in the Extreme Combat Association was a member of that powerful clan. Furthermore, his status was anything but ordinary, for he was the youngest son of the current Patriarch of the Zhao Clan.
There were no warriors in Dong Lin City who didn’t know of the man called Zhao Dengtian. There were many who called him the “number one spendthrift of Dong Lin City” behind his back. There were also some who called him the “number one good-for-nothing of Dong Lin City.”
He hadn’t become so notorious without good reason.
For instance, if Zhao Dengtian saw a beautiful woman on the streets that he took a liking to, he would tell his men to take her back to his place on the spot. When he was done having his way with her, he would then shove the woman out of the Zhao Clan’s residence and deny having had anything to do with her.
As such, many in Dong Lin City came to hate him to the bone, but no one was able to do anything about it. The man was a son of the Patriarch of the Zhao Clan after all, and no one would dare to cause trouble with that clan. If anyone started a fight with the clan, their neighbors would assume that they had some sort of death wish.
“So you’re free today, Young Master Zhao?”
An administrator of the association came personally to the private room after Zhao Dengtian went inside. The administrator was all smiles and behaved very respectfully.
Zhao Dengtian’s status and the extent of his wealth made it easy for him to get a private room in the Extreme Combat Association. In truth, this association wasn’t the only one in which a private room was reserved for him. He also had such rooms reserved for him in many trade organizations throughout Dong Lin City.
“I was feeling rather bored, so I came to have some fun. Any interesting battles happening today, Administrator Li?” Zhao Dengtian asked, shooting a glance at the administrator as he took a seat.
“You’re just in time for something interesting, Young Master Zhao. There is indeed an interesting battle that is about to begin. Please have a look, Young Master Zhao.” The administrator then handed him a file on the upcoming battles.
“Hmm? What is this?”
Zhao Dengtian had read about Li Tianfu before. He flipped with interest to the page that described Li Tianfu’s upcoming battle, but when he saw the man’s opponent, his eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets.
“Administrator Li, this Jing Yan that the schedule mentions, is that the Jing Yan from the Jing Clan?”
There was no way the number one spendthrift in Dong Lin City wouldn’t have known about that number one genius all those years ago.
“Yes, this is indeed Jing Yan from the Jing Yan,” the administrator replied with a smile.
“Something doesn’t add up. Didn’t Jing Yan’s rank fall to the Third Heaven? Take a look. Why is it saying here that he is a Seventh Heaven warrior?” Zhao Dengtian frowned and shot a look at the administrator.
“Young Master Zhao, Jing Yan’s cultivation is really at the Seventh Heaven. The manager verified his prowess personally, so there couldn’t have been a mistake with the evaluation.” The administrator had felt that something must be off as well, but since Ran Qi confirmed Jing Yan’s rank, he knew that the information must be correct.
With the exception of the president, no one else in the Extreme Combat Association had the authority to question Ran Qi’s judgment. There was not a single person in the building who would dare to do so.
“Does this guy have a death wish? So what if he is at the Seventh Heaven? He plans on fighting Li Tianfu, eh? Has he gotten tired of living?” Zhao Dengtian snorted derisively.
“Where is Jing Yan? I want to see him,” Zhao Dengtian said in a cold tone, something dark glimmering in his eyes as he rose.
Jing Yan was sitting in the preparation room, circulating the Vital Qi in his body. With the battle with Li Tianfu being just around the corner, he had to make sure that he was at the top of his game. He couldn’t afford to lose this battle. More than half of those 5,000 Spiritual Stones had been lent to him by Jing Tianying, the Fourth Elder. If he lost this fight, he would have no way of repaying the elder.
The door of the room was pushed open at that moment.
Jing Yan had initially thought it was a staff member who had come to prompt him to get on stage, but as soon as Jing Yan got to his feet, he saw that it was Zhao Dengtian. The rich young man sauntered in like he owned the place.
“Zhao Dengtian?” Jing Yan frowned.
“Haha, Jing Yan, didn’t expect to see me, I take it?” Zhao Dengtian glared as he scanned Jing Yan from top to toe. An unpleasant smile crossed his features.
“You piece of sh*t!” Jing Yan narrowed his gaze.
Jing Yan and Zhao Dengtian had been on bad terms for some time.
Three years ago, Jing Yan had happened to walk by while Zhao Dengtian was taking a woman by force on the streets. Jing Yan stepped in and taught Zhao Dengtian a lesson he would never forget. However, because of Zhao Dengtian’s privileged status, Jing Yan hadn’t gone far enough to cause notable injuries to the young man. He didn’t want to cause trouble for his clan.
However, that was reason enough for Zhao Dengtian to develop enmity for Jing Yan. On many occasions, Zhao Dengtian declared that he would make Jing Yan pay dearly for what had happened. But then again, Jing Yan had been too powerful at the time for Zhao Dengtian to actually do anything about him. Furthermore, given that Zhao Dengtian’s old man was the Patriarch of the Zhao Clan, there was no way for him to start trouble with Jing Yan over such a petty matter.
Once Jing Yan’s rank dropped, Zhao Dengtian thought that his chance for revenge had finally come. However, after Jing Yan returned to Dong Lin City from the Wind God Institute, he spent almost all of his time in the compound of the Jing Clan. Zhao Dengtian had no choice but to wait.
He never expected to see Jing Yan on that day in the Extreme Combat Association.
It would have been entirely out of character for Zhao Dengtian to let the chance of provoking Jing Yan slip through his fingers.
When Jing Yan insulted him to his face, Zhao Dengtian was instantly enraged. However, he didn’t dare make a move where he was. Despite the power of his clan, his family was insignificant compared to the Extreme Combat Association, which was a monolithic force equal to the three major institutes of the Lan Qu Province. If he acted carelessly in such a place, there could be dire consequences. His father might even be forced to discipline him personally.
“So you have a death wish then, Jing Yan? Hehe, you think you are still the number one genius of this city? Let me tell you something. Right now, you’re nothing more than a dog before me. I can do whatever I like with you, and not even the Jing Clan would be able to do anything to cover for you.” Zhao Dengtian’s gaze was filled with malice, and he had taken on a threatening tone.
“I’m in no mood to talk to a piece of sh*t like you, Zhao Dengtian. Get lost right now. And by the way, don’t ever let me see you outside, or I’ll beat the hell out of you again.” Jing Yan waved dismissively at Zhao Dengtian.
Pure fury washed through Zhao Dengtian.
From his perspective, if it came to a fight, he definitely should have had an advantage over Jing Yan. As such, he was feeling puzzled. He had to wonder what made Jing Yan so confident… So much so that he actually dared to be so provocative.