The next day, at dawn.
Tang Yan emerged from his cultivation trance.
Since arriving in Fang City, he’d thrown himself into training. With a steady supply of pills, his strength had climbed to the peak of third-rank Mysterious Stage.
After washing up, he headed to the city lord’s courtyard.
“Let’s go grab some food,” Lin Xiao greeted with a smile.
“Liu Zhi’s not coming today?” Tang Yan asked, noting only Lin Dongxue and Lin Xiao in the courtyard.
Lin Xiao’s eyes hardened. “I’ve learned about your encounter with Liu Jing on Cangyun Mountain. Liu Zhi’s gone where he belongs,” he said coldly.
Tang Yan’s heart tightened. *Liu Zhi’s probably off to meet his second uncle—in the afterlife!*
“Thank you, Lord City,” Tang Yan said, clasping his hands.
“The Liu family got what they deserved. No need to dwell on it,” Lin Xiao waved off. “Let me fill you in on today’s competition.”
Tang Yan nodded, listening as they walked while Lin Xiao explained the rules.
“Same as yesterday—lottery duels. With half the contestants eliminated, this morning’s round cuts twenty to ten, and the afternoon takes ten to five. The final top five will rank the day after tomorrow,” Lin Xiao summed up, then added, “Today, there’s also an unprecedented betting pool.”
“Betting?” Tang Yan perked up, grinning. “On what?”
“On who—besides the Four Young Masters—will make the top five. People can pick one of the remaining sixteen contestants to bet on. Odds are one-to-one for everyone.”
“Isn’t that a bit sloppy for odds?” Tang Yan asked, surprised.
“It’s been this way every year. Since Fang City backs the house, the credibility’s rock-solid, so plenty of folks take the plunge,” Lin Xiao explained patiently.
“You betting, Lord City?” Tang Yan teased.
“I’m putting fifty thousand taels each on you and Dongxue. Don’t let my years of savings go down the drain,” Lin Xiao quipped.
“Hmph! A few days ago, Tang Yan hit the Assassins’ Tower and we raked in a million taels. No need to dip into your stash!” Lin Dongxue piped up, mercilessly exposing him.
Lin Xiao’s face flushed. Feigning irritation, he barked, “What do kids know? Last time’s winnings are stashed away—this bet’s from my savings!”
Tang Yan chuckled. The city lord might loom large in public, but with Lin Dongxue, he was anything but stern.
The trio reached the plaza, already teeming with people.
Tang Yan and Lin Dongxue settled into Cloud City’s section.
The city lords took their places on the judges’ platform.
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*Ding—* A resonant bell tolled, and the crowd gradually hushed.
Fang City’s lord rose, his voice laced with true energy, booming outward. “Everyone, welcome to day two of the Eastern Domain Competition! The duel rules mirror yesterday’s—contestants draw lots to face off.
“Before we start, we’ve got a little entertainment: guessing who’ll crack the top five.”
“The Four Young Masters are excluded from bets. All other contestants sit at one-to-one odds. Minimum bet’s five taels, no upper limit. Every contestant’s name is on the board.” As Fang Wentian finished, a large sign was hoisted up.
It listed sixteen names, each followed by a “bets placed” tally—currently all at zero.
“As bets roll in, the numbers next to each name will update. You’ve got half an hour to place your wagers at the northwest corner of the plaza. Contestants, please step up to draw lots now.”
The plaza erupted in chatter as Fang Wentian’s words sank in.
“Wan Fei’s solid—took down a second-rank Mysterious Stage fighter in two moves last round.”
“Song City’s Song Qing’s got potential—third-rank Mysterious Stage.”
“I’m betting on Qing City’s Sun Long.”
“Cloud City’s Lin Dongxue is a dark horse.”
“Yeah, she’s got some juice.”
Practically everyone buzzed about who might break into the top five.
After Tang Yan and the others drew their lots, the betting station in the northwest corner was mobbed. Twenty registration points couldn’t keep up with the fervor.
“Qing City’s Sun Long—thirty taels!”
“Sun Long—fifty taels.”
“Song City’s Song Qing—one thousand taels.”
“Sun Long—a hundred taels.”
“Fang City’s Wan Fei—twenty taels.”
“Cloud City’s Lin Dongxue—fifteen taels.”
“Song Qing—five hundred thousand taels!”
As bets poured in, the numbers beside each name on the board ticked upward.
The sign, seemingly powered by an array, auto-ranked contestants by total wagers.
Heavy bets came mostly from each city’s families, backing their top talents—both to forge ties and chase payouts.
This left Tang Yan in a bind.
Cloud City had no families here to watch, and though he’d won yesterday, he’d only shown first-rank Mysterious Stage strength. No one believed he’d crack the top five, so small bets on him were scarce.
With a measly sixty-six taels, he held a firm lock—on dead last.
Lin Dongxue, having revealed third-rank strength yesterday, had garnered over three thousand taels halfway through the betting window. Still low in the rankings, but a far cry better than Tang Yan’s haul.
As time ticked by, the leaderboard stabilized.
Sun Long topped it with over forty-eight million taels wagered—closing in on fifty million!
Song Qing, in second, pulled forty-six million taels.
From sixth place down, the bets tapered off. Seventh-place Li Feng, for instance, had just ninety thousand taels—barely brushing a million.
“Ha! Sixty-six taels!” Someone pointed at Tang Yan’s rank, bursting into laughter.
The two-digit sum stood out more glaringly than Sun Long’s top spot.
“Heh…” Tang Yan rubbed his nose. “Pretty lucky number.”
“Hahaha!” Lin Dongxue couldn’t hold it in, tears streaming as she laughed. “Tang Yan, you’re in a league of your own down there!”
Glancing at her own tally—now at twenty thousand taels—it wasn’t much, but for a Cloud City native to earn that solo was no small feat.
“Alright, enough about that,” Tang Yan said, sobering up. “Look at the top six—they’re the ones we pegged as threats yesterday: Qing City’s Sun Long, Song City’s Song Qing, Song City’s He Fengzheng, Fang City’s Wan Fei, Fang City’s Ji Wang, and Qing City’s Du Qiong.”
He turned serious. “They’re all third-rank Mysterious Stage, and some might be hiding fourth-rank strength. Be on guard against them.”
“Got it,” Lin Dongxue nodded obediently.
“Haha, time’s almost up! Anyone else betting? What about you city lords—supporting your city’s stars?” Fang Wentian asked with a grin, his eyes sliding toward Lin Xiao.
Tang Yan at sixty-six taels—could Lin Xiao stomach that?
Sure enough, Lin Xiao straightened at Fang Wentian’s words.
But before he could wager, a voice cut through: “Tingxiang’s Miaodan Workshop bets ten million taels on Cloud City’s Young Master Tang!”
“What?!”
The crowd jolted at the announcement.
Miaodan Workshop—not prefixed with Cloud City or even the Eastern Domain, but *Tingxiang*!
What had Tang Yan done to earn such a colossal bet from them?
As a robed elder stepped from the crowd, Tang Yan recognized him instantly—Ge Ming.
Before he could greet Ge Ming, another commanding voice rang out:
“Zizhu City of Tingxiang bets fifty million taels on Cloud City’s Young Master Tang!”