Overlord of the Wilderness

Zhaang Ye, who had just emerged from the Land of Divine Abandonment, was like a country bumpkin visiting the big city for the first time—he knew nothing. Seeing Tu Feiyuan’s shocked expression, Zhaang Ye paused for a moment and said, ”What’s Lin Qinghe’s background? Tell me about him.”

Tu Feiyuan nodded and said, ”Lin Qinghe is from Star-picking City and the junior brother of Bizhi Orchid. He reached the Martial Arts Seventh Layer Heaven at age ten, the Martial Arts Eighth Layer at thirteen, and the Martial Arts Ninth Layer at fifteen. At only twenty years old, he has already entered the Half-step True Dao Realm, and his swordsmanship is incredible.

Lin Qinghe’s Cultivation is formidable and his combat record is outstanding. At least fifteen Half-step True Dao Strongmen have died at his hands. Although he isn’t a seeded contestant, his fighting ability is in no way inferior to theirs. Many people even predict he’ll make it into the top twenty...”

Zhaang Ye said impassively, ”Tell me about Life’s Dream.”

Tu Feiyuan said, ”I don’t know much about this Life’s Dream, either. I only know that he doesn’t belong to any sect or school. He’s a martial arts fanatic who spends all his time, even when eating and sleeping, on Cultivation. He once stayed alone in the great desert for three whole years. Ten years ago, he was a complete unknown. It’s only in the last few years that he has started to make a name for himself by challenging and defeating several young geniuses in a row.”

Zhaang Ye asked, ”Who do you think has a better chance of winning?”

Tu Feiyuan replied without a second thought, ”Lin Qinghe, of course! His combat record is far more impressive than Life’s Dream’s. In terms of Cultivation, Lin Qinghe’s is also a bit higher. He’s guaranteed to win this fight. What? Don’t tell me you think Life’s Dream will win?”

Zhaang Ye nodded. ”Exactly. Between the two, I feel Life’s Dream has a better chance of winning. I think you’re underestimating him. People who are that single-mindedly devoted to Cultivation are not so easy to deal with.”

After saying this, Zhaang Ye took out one hundred Essence Stones from his robes, placed them on the jade table, and declared, ”One hundred Low-grade Essence Stones. I’m betting on Life’s Dream to win.”

HISS!

Tu Feiyuan’s heart pounded in his chest. He said in shock, ”Brother, aren’t you being a bit too reckless? That’s a full one hundred Low-grade Essence Stones! You can buy a lot with that. If you lose, it’ll all be gone!”

Zhaang Ye waved his hand dismissively. ”I have confidence in Life’s Dream. Besides, I just won these hundred Essence Stones. It won’t hurt even if I lose them.”

Zhaang Ye’s voice had barely faded when a familiar voice sneered, ”Confidence? Zhaang Ye, your desire to get rich has driven you mad. Lin Qinghe is Bizhi Orchid’s junior brother, and I hear he already has thirty percent of her strength. No matter how skilled Life’s Dream is, there’s no way he can defeat Lin Qinghe. To bet on Life’s Dream winning... you must be blind!”

”Hmm?”

Zhaang Ye’s expression flickered. He turned to see that the speaker was none other than his old acquaintance, Shi Shuanglong. With two swords strapped to his back, Shi Shuanglong strode over arrogantly, his eyes landing on Zhaang Ye with a hint of disdain.

At the sight of Shi Shuanglong, a flicker of killing intent rose in Zhaang Ye’s heart, though he quickly suppressed it. He stared at Shi Shuanglong and said slowly, ”Shi Shuanglong, are you saying that Lin Qinghe is guaranteed to win this fight?”

Shi Shuanglong sneered. ”Of course Lin Qinghe will win. His Star Sword Technique has already reached the Great Success Realm. Furthermore, the Innate True Qi within his body has reached eighty-two percent. With such formidable combat strength, defeating Life’s Dream will be laughably easy.”

Zhaang Ye said slowly, ”Very good. You’re certain Lin Qinghe will win, and I’m certain Life’s Dream will win. Shi Shuanglong, do you dare to make a wager with me? Do you?”

Shi Shuanglong sneered, ”And why wouldn’t I dare?”

A smile touched Zhaang Ye’s lips. ”Excellent! We’ll each stake five hundred Low-grade Essence Stones. If Lin Qinghe wins, my five hundred Essence Stones go to you. Conversely, if Life’s Dream wins, your five hundred go to me. Do you dare to bet?”

Shi Shuanglong’s expression changed. Five hundred Low-grade Essence Stones was no small sum. Since becoming a disciple under the Fourth Elder, he had painstakingly completed dozens of Sect missions and had only managed to earn a few hundred Low-grade Essence Stones after all that hard work. Essence Stones were hard to come by; if he lost this bet, several years’ worth of his savings would be wiped out.

Seeing Shi Shuanglong’s hesitation, Zhaang Ye sneered, ”What’s the matter? You can’t even put up five hundred Low-grade Essence Stones?”

Shi Shuanglong snorted in anger, pulled a small pouch from his robes, and took out fifty Mid-grade Essence Stones. ”Fine, fine, fine! I’ll take your bet today. I don’t have any Low-grade Essence Stones, only Mid-grade ones, so I’ll use these fifty Mid-grade Essence Stones to wager against you! Zhaang Ye, those five hundred Low-grade Essence Stones of yours are as good as mine!”

Zhaang Ye sneered inwardly. Reaching into his robes, he retrieved fifty Mid-grade Essence Stones from his Small Space and placed them with Shi Shuanglong’s. ”Since you’re using Mid-grade Essence Stones, I’ll match you,” he said. ”Let’s have everyone here bear witness, so you don’t try to back out later.”

Seeing a spectacle unfolding, the people nearby immediately crowded around. Once they understood what was happening, they all shook their heads. Not a single one of them favored Zhaang Ye.