Ye Chen accepted the bet. This was beyond everyone's expectations. Almost everyone thought Ye Chen would not agree. After all, he was no longer the peerless genius who had broken through to the Xiantian realm at thirteen. With his dantian crippled, where did he get the confidence to dare accept Xia Mang's wager?
What was even more unexpected was that Vivian did not stop Ye Chen from taking the bet, seemingly having considerable confidence in him.
Hua Shaoyang's expression was quite strange as he said to Xia Mang, "Xia Shao, you'd better be careful. This person is odd."
But Xia Mang was completely unconcerned, sneering coldly, "He's just a waste. What's there to worry about? I'm looking forward to seeing this trash kneel and apologize to me later. Thinking about how to humiliate him is the most pleasurable."
If you knew his identity, you wouldn't dare humiliate him even with ten times the courage, Hua Shaoyang thought silently. He sighed in the end, and ultimately did not reveal the fact that Ye Chen had a good relationship with Alchemist Heart Palace's Master Li Yun.
Moreover, he also wanted to know where Ye Chen's confidence came from, daring to accept Xia Mang's challenge. Had he truly recovered his former cultivation, or was he just putting on a show to intimidate Xia Mang?
This point was also worth waiting to see.
The woman in red also watched Ye Chen with great interest, quite looking forward to it.
"Ye Chen, since you've agreed, why aren't you coming forward to test? Let us see if you, this waste, have recovered your cultivation or not," Xia Mang mercilessly mocked, reopening old wounds.
At this moment, everyone was expecting Ye Chen to step forward for the test. But just then, he suddenly shook his head and said, "Sorry, I don't want to bet now."
These words immediately caused everyone's eyes to widen in disbelief. He had just agreed, and now he was backing out immediately. Wasn't this reneging a bit too fast?
Xia Mang, Li Hu, and a few others' expressions changed. Was this toying with them? Especially Xia Mang, whose face immediately darkened as he shouted, "Kid, what do you mean by this? Are you playing with me?"
One of the elite students close to Xia Mang sneered, "Ye Chen, if you can't afford to play, then don't. Just kneel down and apologize to Xia Shao properly, and we'll let this matter go. How about it? Consider it giving you face."
"Noisy!" Ye Chen swept a glance at this person and lightly rebuked, causing the other's face to change drastically. Ye Chen then said, "It's not that I don't dare to bet. I just suddenly realized that a hundred thousand gold coins is too little. I have absolutely no interest in it."
This casual, indifferent sentence stunned everyone. Xia Mang was especially furious. This kid clearly didn't dare to bet, but he also had a hunch that this kid simply had no confidence, hence throwing out a baseless reason to break the agreement.
Thinking of this, Xia Mang suddenly felt enlightened and sneered coldly, "Fine. Since you think it's too little, then I'll bet two hundred thousand gold coins. How about that?"
The people around gasped in admiration. Truly an elite student of the Heaven-tier Academy, a distinguished young master from a noble family of the royal capital. His moves were extravagant, raising the stakes by over a hundred thousand gold coins at once, leaving others far behind.
But Ye Chen still shook his head. "Still too little."
"Three hundred thousand gold coins!" Xia Mang raised the stakes again. This time, even Li Hu and the others couldn't help but speak up, "Xia Shao!"
"No need to worry. This kid is just a paper tiger. He doesn't have what it takes. I'm bound to win this round," Xia Mang remained completely unconcerned.
But Ye Chen still shook his head. After having his raised stakes rejected again and again, Xia Mang finally couldn't hold back and roared, "Then just how much do you want?"
In response, Ye Chen extended five fingers.
"Five hundred thousand gold coins!?" Seeing this, not just Xia Mang, but everyone else couldn't help but suck in a cold breath. Wasn't this a bit too much of a lion's mouth?
Five hundred thousand gold coins—what an enormous sum of wealth. Forget just being a wealthy young master; even many high-ranking officials and nobles in the royal capital might not have that much total assets.
Now Ye Chen was demanding such a sum for the bet. His tone was too big.
"Kid, you—"
Even Xia Mang couldn't help but change color. This bet was too large. He simply didn't have that much. Ye Chen just said indifferently, "If you can't come up with it, then we won't bet."
"Fine! I agree to it all!"
Xia Mang almost said through gritted teeth. The people around him also changed expressions.
But Ye Chen, having gained the upper hand, pressed further, "First, take out the five hundred thousand principal. If you lose and don't admit it, wouldn't I be wasting my effort?"
Xia Mang snorted coldly and took out a Purple Pattern Gold Card. As an elite disciple of the Heaven-tier Academy, he also possessed a Purple Pattern Gold Card. Three stars shone on it, precisely representing three hundred thousand gold coins. He said, "This is all the money I have on me, only three hundred thousand gold coins. If you win, I will definitely deliver the remaining two hundred thousand to you within three days. I still have that much reputation."
"Sorry, your reputation is worthless in my eyes. You're still short two hundred thousand gold coins. If you can't come up with it, then don't bet. I don't gamble with poor people," Ye Chen remained as unforgiving as ever.
"You—" Xia Mang was so infuriated by this kid today that his heart burned with impatience. Too outrageous. When had he, the honorable Xia Mang, ever failed to repay a debt? But the more it was like this, the more he couldn't back down, because that would only prove Ye Chen had no confidence and was just bluffing.
"Li Hu, Hua Shao, Yang Shao, Wu Shao, lend me two hundred thousand gold coins together. There's no way I can lose this time. This kid is just bluffing up to now. If we back down, then we'll truly lose," Xia Mang said.
"Alright, Xia Shao, we all believe in you." Except for Hua Shaoyang, who hesitated slightly, the other three readily transferred fifty thousand gold coins each from their own gold cards to Xia Shao.
Finally, Hua Shaoyang sighed and also transferred his share. In the end, five golden stars shone brilliantly on Xia Mang's Purple Pattern Gold Card, dazzling and eye-catching.
Xia Mang sneered, "Ye Chen, now the five hundred thousand gold coins are right here. Let's see what excuse you have now for not daring to bet. If you lose, I won't take a single coin from you. But you have to kowtow to me and call me 'grandfather,' then strip naked and run naked through the academy."
By this point, everyone understood Xia Mang's malicious intent. He was convinced Ye Chen was just afraid of losing and had set the bet at five hundred thousand gold coins, but he didn't actually have the strength.
Was that really all there was to it?
Many people watched curiously, wanting to see if Ye Chen truly had that kind of confidence, or if he was really, as Xia Mang guessed, just bluffing—a paper tiger.
At this moment, the woman in red came to Vivian's side and asked curiously, "Vivian, aren't you worried Ye Chen will lose?"
Vivian smiled and shook her head, suddenly asking her a question, "Sister Hongrong, let me ask you something. Who do you think is more formidable: Xia Mang, or that Xiantian Giant Crocodile I brought back from my academy mission earlier?"
Although the woman in red didn't understand Vivian's meaning, she still said, "Naturally, that Xiantian Giant Crocodile. It was a variant crocodile beast, at least a terrifying demonic beast at the third stage of the Xiantian realm, with a strength that could even reach fifty thousand jin. Moreover, its skin was thick and rough. If Xia Mang faced that variant Xiantian Giant Crocodile, he'd only meet his death. Speaking of which, I'm not clear how you managed to hunt such a terrifying demonic beast back then."
"Sister, you jest. How could Vivian have the ability to kill such a Xiantian Giant Crocodile? Someone else took action," Vivian said.
"Who?" the woman in red asked in surprise. But at this moment, Vivian's gaze had already fallen on Ye Chen, her meaning clear without words.
Could it be him!?
The woman in red was filled with shock, still somewhat unable to believe it.
Li Hu coldly shouted, "Ye Chen, hurry up and go test. Let us see what qualifications you have to look down on Xia Shao's achievements."
At this moment, several people looked at Ye Chen with cold sneers. Except for Hua Shaoyang, they all believed Ye Chen was just bluffing. Now that the five hundred thousand gold bet was on the table, wouldn't he be even more panicked?
However, there was not a trace of the panic they had anticipated on Ye Chen's face. On the contrary, he smiled—a very bright smile. Originally, he was still short some principal for the auction event a few days later, wondering how to get it. But now that five hundred thousand gold coins were here, he naturally wouldn't let them go.
Under countless gazes, Ye Chen stepped forward to the Power Monument, facing this ten-zhang-tall pitch-black stone stele. Behind him came the mocking voices of Xia Mang and the others: "Ye Chen, don't drag it out. Hurry up."
"Heh heh, he's probably scared stiff now. How would he dare to strike? Probably thinking about how to escape."
These mocking words didn't enter his ears. Ye Chen smiled slightly and simply threw out a plain, ordinary punch. There wasn't even the slightest fluctuation of inner strength or True Yuan energy. Just as Xia Mang and the others were about to mock again, the scene before them completely stunned everyone.
Boom—
The Power Monument shook violently. Red, orange, yellow, and green radiances flashed into existence. Azure radiance blotted out the sky, then dissipated. Blue radiance appeared...