The wager was set.
Xuan Yun and the other two said nothing more and departed directly.
Regarding the wager between them, the surrounding crowd buzzed with discussion. Almost everyone believed that Gu Qingfeng, this Nouveau Riche, was bound to lose. The reason was simple: the Tower of Stolen Gold involved too much luck, too many variables, and too much uncertainty. If it weren't so, Flower Butterfly Immortal, who had previously reached the nineteenth layer, wouldn't have been eliminated on the third layer. Looking across the entire Dual-Pole Celestial Domain, there was probably no one who dared claim they could definitely reach the twenty-seventh layer of the Tower of Stolen Gold.
If it were the ninth layer, there might still be hope of winning. After all, the odds for the ninth layer were only one in ten; betting on it wasn't without a chance of victory.
But the twenty-seventh layer would generate a full ten thousand formations, with only one formation leading to the next layer—odds of one in ten thousand. Even if your comprehension was heaven-defying and your divine sense incredibly powerful, you couldn't deduce which of the ten thousand formations led to the next layer within a few breaths.
Some said that this Nouveau Riche must have thought that challenging the Tower of Stolen Gold was like playing dice in the gambling city, where a single bet decided victory or defeat, after winning one billion eight hundred million there.
However, in the view of most people, anyone with a normal brain knew the Tower of Stolen Gold wasn't that simple. Therefore, this Nouveau Riche likely had mental issues after losing all his cultivation. Otherwise, why would he say something as outrageous as 'reaching the twenty-seventh layer is as easy as playing around'? And he certainly wouldn't have made such a sure-to-lose wager with Xuan Yun and the other two.
Among the crowd, Bai Yufei, Liu Feng, and Xuan Yun stood at the front, waiting for the Tower of Stolen Gold to officially open.
Bai Yufei and Liu Feng looked to be in quite a good mood.
Ever since Gu Qingfeng stole their spotlight at Eight Treasures Manor, they had been looking for a good opportunity to teach this reckless Nouveau Riche a lesson.
Unfortunately, because Flower Butterfly Immortal and Mu Lingyao had been with Gu Qingfeng the whole time, they hadn't dared to do anything. That wasn't the main issue; the important thing was they didn't know Gu Qingfeng's depths and didn't dare act rashly, especially since Gu Qingfeng had once scared four Taibai Golden Immortals to death, which made them particularly wary.
Neither of them had expected Xuan Yun to come up with such a brilliant plan. Bai Yufei praised, "I must say, Brother Xuan Yun, your plan is truly excellent. First, use flattering words to make that Nouveau Riche swell with pride and forget himself, then use provocation to put him on the spot. That way, if he didn't dare to play, he'd have to admit cowardice in front of us. But who would have thought he'd agree without hesitation? Hahaha! He's really foolish enough."
Liu Feng chimed in, "Exactly. Brother Xuan Yun's move is nothing short of brilliant. I, your elder brother, am truly impressed to the point of prostration. This time, the three of us brothers can not only show off properly in front of everyone but also teach that reckless Nouveau Riche a harsh lesson."
Bai Yufei and Liu Feng were each happier than the last. Only Xuan Yun's face showed no trace of joy. Not only was there no joy, but he was deeply frowning, as if somewhat worried, somewhat doubtful, and even somewhat regretful.
Yes—worried, doubtful, regretful!
Gu Qingfeng had made him lose face in front of Qianling not just once, but three times in a row. Xuan Yun wanted to crush Gu Qingfeng underfoot even more than Bai Yufei and Liu Feng did. Yet, having personally witnessed Gu Qingfeng's mysterious and bizarre actions on the Floating Sky Island, he was extremely wary and didn't dare act rashly.
And because of what happened on the Floating Sky Island last time, his heart held particular envy and hatred toward Gu Qingfeng.
He envied and hated not only that Gu Qingfeng had stolen his spotlight in front of Qianling but also that Gu Qingfeng had stolen his spotlight in front of Flower Butterfly Immortal.
This made the proud and arrogant Xuan Yun very unwilling to accept it. Especially when the Nine-Headed Fire Cloud Crimson Flame Tiger carriage arrived here, seeing that Nouveau Riche sitting leisurely in his chair while Flower Butterfly Immortal, Mu Lingyao, and Qianling stood to the side, with Mu Lingyao even affectionately calling him 'Great Lord'—this made Xuan Yun burn with envy and hatred!
He believed he was a thousand, ten thousand times better than this Nouveau Riche. He believed it should be him bringing Flower Butterfly Immortal, Mu Lingyao, and Qianling to participate in the Tower of Stolen Gold challenge!
Therefore, in a moment of heated impulse, he wanted to use provocation to make Gu Qingfeng, this Nouveau Riche, lose face in front of everyone!
Just as Bai Yufei said, he first used flattering words to make that Nouveau Riche swell with pride and forget himself, then used provocation to put him on the spot. Knowing that Nouveau Riche was unfathomable, Xuan Yun deliberately proposed the Tower of Stolen Gold's twenty-seventh layer—a nearly impossible requirement. That way, if the Nouveau Riche didn't dare to play, he'd have to admit cowardice. As long as he admitted cowardice, Xuan Yun could make him lose face in front of everyone.
But what he never expected was that the Nouveau Riche not only didn't admit cowardice but even said something like 'reaching the twenty-seventh layer of the Tower of Stolen Gold is as easy as playing around'.
For Xuan Yun, this was an unexpected pleasant surprise. Therefore, he immediately proposed the bet. What made him even more pleasantly surprised was that this Nouveau Riche not only didn't refuse but agreed to the wager without hesitation.
The moment that Nouveau Riche agreed, he had already begun fantasizing about the outcome in his mind.
That Nouveau Riche would kneel before him, kowtowing and apologizing!
But Xuan Yun wouldn't let him kowtow. He wanted to display his elegant demeanor in front of Flower Butterfly Immortal, in front of Mu Lingyao, especially in front of Qianling, and particularly in front of everyone. He would help that Nouveau Riche up and publicly announce that it was all just a joke, something to entertain everyone.
In doing so, he, Xuan Yun, could not only show off properly in front of everyone, but soon after, news of Xuan Yun's elegant demeanor would spread throughout the entire Fengyue Small World, even throughout the entire Dual-Pole Celestial Domain. And Flower Butterfly Immortal and Qianling would also look at him with new respect.
He fantasized about this scene and looked forward to it.
But after the impulse passed, when he calmed down and thought carefully, the beautiful dream he had originally constructed began to waver and blur. His originally happy mood also seemed to plummet from heaven to hell.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt this matter had gone too smoothly—so smoothly it was abnormal. Especially when Bai Yufei proposed ten million kowtows, such an excessive demand, and that Nouveau Riche still didn't refuse. This wasn't just abnormal; it was somewhat sinister.
If it were just one kowtow, anyone could afford to lose, and Xuan Yun could too. If he lost, he'd just kowtow once, no big deal.
But now it was ten million kowtows, and that Nouveau Riche agreed without even thinking.
In Xuan Yun's view, anyone with a normal brain wouldn't agree to such an excessive wager, especially since it was a sure-to-lose bet.
So why did that Nouveau Riche agree without hesitation?
Was his brain not normal, or did he truly have confidence?