Chapter 17: Arena Betting

"Thank you, Senior Brother Xu, for your help." Zhu Liuqing took the spirit stones with both hands, with a grateful look on her face.

Zhu Liuqing turned around and handed the bag containing fifteen high-quality spirit stones to Chen Kang. Chen Kang reluctantly took the bag, opened it and looked at it, then put it away.

Chen Kang suddenly forced a fake smile on his face and said to Xu Yang: "May I ask which family this young master is from? He is so generous. I am here to show my respect." After saying that, he saluted with a fake fist.

"I don't deserve it. I am just an ordinary secular disciple who accidentally got some spirit stones. I am practicing in the Wood Spirit Academy with Junior Sister Zhu." Xu Yang said.

After hearing this, Chen Kang's original smile on his face disappeared immediately.

"I thought he was a young master from a noble family, but it turns out he is just a secular disciple. I originally wanted to ask this fellow Daoist Xu to guarantee the rest, but it seems that it won't work." Chen Kang's tone revealed a hint of arrogance.

"I really don't have the financial resources to guarantee Junior Sister Zhu at the moment." Xu Yang said neither servile nor arrogant.

"I don't think Miss Zhu will be able to find a guarantor for a while. How about this, I'll give you a chance. You two brothers and sisters can choose one of you to compete with me. If you win, the remaining high-grade spirit stones will be written off. If you lose, Miss Zhu will agree to practice dual cultivation with me. After you and I become a family, the debts will naturally be written off together. Otherwise, see you in the Law Enforcement Hall." After saying this, he unfolded the folding fan in his hand and fanned it twice lightly, with a proud look on his face, as if he was full of confidence.

"Mr. Chen, you are too smart. My brother and I are only at the second level of the Entering Spirit Realm. But I heard that Mr. Chen's cultivation had successfully advanced to the first level of the Transformation Realm three months ago. Isn't it bullying the weak when Mr. Chen starts to fight like this?" Zhu Liuqing revealed sarcasm in his words.

"Miss Zhu is really smart. Yes, I have reached the Void Transformation Realm. Since you two brothers and sisters don't dare to fight, then you can ask Brother Xu next to you to come out on your behalf. Do you dare to fight me?" After saying that, he folded the folding fan in his hand with a "swish" sound, revealing a fierce look on his face.

Chen Kang thought in his heart that this kid surnamed Xu was ignorant of the world and dared to interfere with my good things. If he dared to agree to compete with me, he would make a ruthless move to let this kid surnamed Xu know the consequences of provoking me, Chen Kang.

"My cultivation level is only the Entering Spirit Realm. Your Excellency, a cultivator of the Void Transformation Realm, specifically looking for opponents of cultivators in the Entering Spirit Realm. Aren't you afraid of being ridiculed?" Xu Yang also sneered.

"This Chen Kang's cultivation level is higher than any of the three of us. He is not only a disciple of the Law Enforcement Hall, but also the direct descendant of the Chen family. He is very powerful. Although I have the blood of the Lin clan, I have no chance of winning." Zhu Liuqing secretly thought in his heart.

"Since Master Chen has proposed a duel, my brother and I believe that our strength is far inferior to that of Master Chen. Can I ask a fellow Taoist with the same cultivation level as Master Chen to compete with Master Chen on my behalf?" Zhu Liuqing said after thinking for a moment.

After hearing this, Chen Kang glanced around Zhu Liuqing with his cunning eyes, but did not find any powerful helpers beside Zhu Liuqing. His eyes deliberately paused on Xu Yang's face and smiled contemptuously.

Chen Kang calculated in his heart that the boy surnamed Xu next to him only had the cultivation level of the second level of the Spiritual Realm, and he was also a mortal child, so he could not be his opponent. He was wearing the clothes of a disciple of the Law Enforcement Hall, and others would not interfere. Moreover, his cultivation level was not only the first level of the Void Transformation Realm, but he had reached the second level of the Void Transformation Realm with the help of the family elders' secret method.

Thinking of this, Chen Kang smiled strangely. He opened the black folding fan in his hand and shook it twice, saying, "Okay, I wonder who Miss Zhu will ask to fight for you."

"Mr. Chen, don't worry about this. Let's go to the competition arena in the gambling house now and see the result then." Zhu Liuqing answered decisively.

"Okay, I don't think you can run away. In this case, I will go first." After saying that, Chen Kang turned his head and got on the carriage. After he got into the carriage and sat down comfortably. The old man with the eagle nose driving the carriage shouted, and the carriage drove away.

"What can I do, sister?" Zhu Liunian asked, looking at the carriage disappearing in the distance.

"Let's go to the competition arena first." Zhu Liuqing did not answer directly, and there was some hesitation on her face.

The gambling houses in the Tiangui Sect are all concentrated on a street called "Jinbao Street".

"Jinbao Street" is one of the busiest streets in the sect market. There are many restaurants and gambling houses on both sides of the street. There is a small square not far from the gambling house. There are several arenas for competitions in the square, which are specially used for fighting.

The Tiangui Sect encourages disciples to fight with each other, and actual combat is also one of the important means to improve cultivation and break through bottlenecks.

The rule set by the Tiangui Sect is that only cultivators below the Peiyuan Realm can fight in the gambling house. High-level cultivators above the Zhendan Realm are not allowed to fight privately. The battles of Zhendan Realm cultivators must be approved by the sect’s law enforcement hall and must be carried out on the designated "Battle Soul Arena".

Not only because the destructive power of cultivators above the Zhendan Realm is too huge, but also because cultivators above the Zhendan Realm are the core combat power of the sect and are not allowed to consume themselves at will.

In the arena area of ​​the gambling house, a arena about ten feet high stands on a small square.

When the three came to the competition arena, Chen Kang had already been waiting here.

Under the arena, Chen Kang and Zhu Liuqing signed and sealed at the arena law enforcement office.

"Chen Kang, I agree to today's bet. Come on stage." Zhu Liuqing's tone was full of determination.

"Miss Zhu, don't regret it. It's a deal." After saying that, Chen Kang couldn't wait to jump onto the stage.

Zhu Liuqing also performed the soaring skill and gracefully went up to the ring.

Seeing someone going up to the ring to fight, the crowd of spectators slowly gathered below the ring.

Zhu Liuqing stood on the ring, clasped her fists and said to the crowd below: "I am Zhu Liuqing, invited to fight with fellow Taoist Chen Kang beside me today. Unfortunately, my cultivation is low and I am only in the spirit realm. And this young man Chen who wants to fight with me is already in the virtual realm."

After saying that, she glanced at Chen Kang beside her.

"If you are not a genius, you have no chance of winning if you are in the spirit realm and challenge the virtual realm." Someone in the crowd below the stage said.

Chen Kang had his left hand behind his back, and the ink-colored folding fan in his right hand had been unfolded and slightly shaken, with a smug look on his face.

Zhu Liuqing hesitated for a moment and took out a small copper bell from the storage bag. She said loudly: "I beg the hero in the audience to compete with Mr. Chen on my behalf. My cultivation level is limited to the Void Transformation Realm. If he wins, I am willing to become a dual cultivation partner with him. The prerequisite is that he must be able to ring the "Soul Power Bell" in my hand."

The "Soul Power Bell" is a magical instrument for testing the soul power of cultivators. Without sufficient soul power, it cannot be ringed at all. The Soul Power Bell that Zhu Liuqing took out is a magical instrument specially used to test elite disciples. Ordinary disciples in the Void Transformation Realm are not able to ring this bell. Zhu Liuqing is calculating that the person who can ring this bell must have soul power at least three times that of herself, and should be able to defeat Chen Kang in front of him.

"This is great, isn't this a martial arts competition to recruit a husband? This girl named Zhu Liuqing is really pretty."

"That's right, that's right. The little girl is not only pretty, but also has a fierce personality, which is just what I like."

...

The discussion under the stage was one after another, and many people were eager to try.

Looking at Chen Kang again, his originally proud face turned green and blue, which was extremely ugly.

"I didn't expect that this little girl Zhu Liuqing would be so decisive. She would rather marry a stranger than practice dual cultivation with me. When I win the bet, I will definitely take this girl home and train her well. By then, the Zhu family's heirloom "Blood Jade Kylin" will be at my fingertips." Chen Kang cursed in his heart.

"Sister, why did you come up with such a bad idea?" Zhu Liunian on the side regretted it.

"Chen Kang has long coveted our family heirloom. Most of your gambling debts this time are due to his trap. Chen Kang actually had the nerve to come to the Zhu family to propose marriage, and I just want to stop his idea. What's more, the person who can really ring this soul power bell and dare to challenge Chen Kang should also be a hero. It's not a grievance for me, my sister, to marry him." Zhu Liuqing explained.

"Ah, it's all my fault that I'm incompetent."

Chen Kang swept his eyes over the restless crowd below the stage. He said loudly: "I am Chen Kang, a direct disciple of the Chen family, and I am currently working in the Law Enforcement Hall. If you are blind, feel free to come on stage, and don't blame me for being ruthless."

When everyone heard that Chen Kang was a direct disciple of the Chen family, several people who were originally going to go on stage backed out.

"This Chen Kang is the son of the Chen family, a cultivation family. The Chen family has many industries in the Tiangui Sect market, and its financial resources and power are very strong. Who dares to provoke them easily?"

"There are elders in the Chen family who are elders in the Law Enforcement Hall. If you beat Chen Kang, you will cause trouble."

"It's Chen Kang. I've heard of him. He is also a powerful figure among the young disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall. Who among the cultivators of the same level can be sure to beat him? If he loses, not only will he lose the beauty, but he will also offend the Chen family, and lose more than he gains.

Perhaps due to the power of the Chen family or the power of the Law Enforcement Hall, no one came up to fight for a while.

After half a quarter of an hour, no one came up to the stage.

Zhu Liuqing looked anxious and clenched her fists. She thought to herself: "If no one comes up to the stage, I will fight with Chen Kang and I will rather die than let Chen Kang succeed."

"Can I try?" At this moment, a loud voice came from the crowd under the ring.