Near the gambling table, Duan Muguang shouted excitedly. His face was as pink as a peach.

　　“Come one, come all! The bet is about to start! The new disciple with a three-match winning streak named Shi Mu against the elder disciple Ling Feng who ranked second among all disciples. The odds are one to three! This opportunity is rare so make sure you place your bets!”

　　Zhao Ji and Long Zhanye’s battle ended in a draw, so the conditions stipulated in the gambling contract were that either side won. The draw meant that the dealer took all the earnings, which benefited him the most.

　　This was the first such case in the current grand championship. Although many disciples had lost much of their assets, some made a fortune out of others’ misgivings.

　　For now, the gambling table was still crowded. Before a win could be determined, everyone was trying to bet in order to regain the loss they had previously suffered.

　　“I’m betting on brother Ling Feng to win!” No matter what anyone says, he’s an elder disciple who attained Xiantian level!”

　　“Long Zhanye was on top of the list as well but look at him now, he was tied in battle with a new disciple like Zhao Ji. Those new disciples who were shortlisted this year are not easy opponents. I’m betting on Shi Mu!”

　　“Yeah! Shi Mu seemed to have not fully exerted his strength yet. I’m sure he has something up his sleeves.”

　　“You’re right, brother! Victory till the end!”

　　Many discussed among themselves and occasionally turned their attention to Ma Long. Since she had made large bets on Shi Mu for previous battles, it was obvious that such actions would attract the people’s attention.

　　Ma Long looked at the direction of the platform and did not seem to have the means to place her bets.

　　…

　　On the ring, Ling Feng stood on the opposite side of Shi Mu. His blue gown was fetching, and a smile was still on that beautiful elegant face of his.

　　“I mustered the courage to challenge brother Ling Feng. Please enlighten me,” Shi Mu bowed with his hands and said.

　　“To improve, one needs to be tempered in constant battles. I’m afraid this match will be slightly boring for my taste. So please do your best and show me everything you have,” Ling Feng said indifferently with a sense of self-confidence.

　　“If that’s the case, I won’t back down.”

　　Ling Feng smiled slightly. With one hand out, he made a gesture of asking his opponent to make the first move as his Xiantian-level qi flowed out of his body.

　　Shi Mu did not speak any further, and a bright red light immediately emanated from his entire body. Two flame wings stretched out from his back.

　　With his mouth wide open, he spat out the Wishful Steel Staff and assumed an attack stance with the weapon in hand.

　　Ling Feng saw this and placed his right hand along with his fingers tightly together. He stood still and a faint blue aura began to emit from his hand as he silently muttered a charm spell.

　　Along with the sound of the spell, a blue moonlight shadow appeared slowly behind him.

　　“The martial arts of the Full Moon Sorcerer!” Shi Mu thought to himself.

　　Ling Feng drew a circle rune in front of him with his right hand. When he passed, he left a blue afterimage. After the shadow solidified, a blue barrier appeared in front of him.

　　“Brother Shi Mu, be careful!”

　　After giving him a warning, Ling Feng’s eyes flashed with intense blue light and his handsign changed as he muttered the words “Art Of A Thousand Daggers”!

　　Countless swords and daggers covered in blue light rushed out toward Shi Mu.

　　Woosh!

　　Looking closely, the handle of the light sword seemed to be covered with a layer of blue light which exuded bursts of mana fluctuations. It seemed to be a technique blessed with another formidable charm spell.

　　Ling Feng was able to exert the technique on every light sword that was shot as well. The move stunned the surrounding disciples up to their feet.

　　Innumerable scabbards were brought together like a long blue serpent. The momentum was like a rainbow of force rushing toward Shi Mu. Wherever it passes, the defensive qi of the dagger would cut the ground below into ruins.

　　Shi Mu’s eyes were slightly shocked as golden light blazed all around his body. The golden scales had completely wrapped around his body. At the same time, his arms danced. With the Wishful Steel Staff in his hand, dense white air began to appear everywhere.

　　“Art of the Tiger Paw!”

　　He let out a low sigh and the staff fell to the ground in front of him. The surrounding white air around him suddenly rushed out like a beast, welcoming the blue light daggers.

　　An ear-piercing buzz echoed in everyone’s ears as an imposing phantom of a white tiger and rhinoceros appeared. Under the impact of the blue light sword, it was vulnerable and collapsed as it mourned in agony.

　　For a time, white air bursts in the air, and the blue light sword grew like broken bamboo as it continued rushing towards Shi Mu.

　　Shi Mu realized that he was caught in a bad situation. With the flaming wings at his back fluttered, he flew into the air.

　　However, the blue sword light seemed to have a sharp eye of its own. It reversed upwards and caught up to Shi Mu like a shadow.

　　The qi within Shi Mu’s body increased at great speed as his arms flew up and down. Then, like a dance, the black staff enlarged and covered the blue light daggers.

　　“Spirit Snake Trench!”

　　“Azure Falcon Technique!”

　　“Art of The Serpent Waves!”

　　“Art of a Thousand Blows!”

　　“Hidden Dragon Tornado!”

　　In one breath, all five techniques were used in a single combination. The large black staff staggered and crisscrossed in the sky. It formed a huge black net as it slammed downward.

　　Crick crick!

　　The blue sword light dragon slammed into the giant black net, making it difficult for it to move forward. Rays of black and blue airflow swept through in all directions.

　　A loud roar echoed in the sky!

　　On the ground of the surrounding platform, there was a sudden cut under the impact of the dense airflow. Even the blue light curtains around it were flashing and unstable.

　　Without waiting for the shadow of the staff and the shining blue light dagger to completely dissipate, Ling Feng’s pace had changed and his figure had suddenly become erratic.

　　In just a wink, he appeared like a ghost at Shi Mu’s right, and the two-handed blue sword on the two fingers was swallowed as he brought it straight toward Shi Mu’s chest and abdomen.

　　Shi Mu slammed the long staff as a means of defense. With the force of the impact, he flew out from his stance.

　　Cold sweat ran behind him. It was unknown what kind of technique Ling Feng used, but his speed was several times faster than Qing Zhangtian and Dai Tuo.

　　As soon as Shi Mu landed on the ground on his feet, he held his fist and announced.

　　“I admit my defeat!”

　　As soon as his voice fell, Ling Feng’s blue sword that was nearing Shi Mu’s eyebrows abruptly stopped.

　　“Brother Ling Feng is highly skilled. There’s no need for me to fight to the end,” Shi Mu looked at Ling Feng with a grin.

　　“Hehe. For a new disciple like brother Shi Mu to achieve such a satisfactory record, you’re stronger and better than I was back then. I believe that with further cultivation, you’ll be able to succeed and place within the top ten,” Ling Feng said with a warm smile. While retracting his dagger.

　　“I’ll take your advice.”

　　However, the atmosphere onstage and offstage were entirely different.

　　Everyone in the audience initially thought that there would be an intense fight. However, what went down was a great disappointment and they could not help but rant.

　　Around the gambling table, those who had placed their bets on Shi Mu were furious.

　　“That scum, I can’t believe he forfeited! I was so optimistic about you. I even borrowed ten top-quality spirit stones just to win a prize from this bet!” 9ne of the men grumbled.

　　“Ah, my spirit stones…”

　　From time to time, there was mourning and screaming. Ma Long showed no signs of emotions but Cai however, could not sit still in frustration.

　　“Hey Shi Mu, how and why did you surrounder and admit defeat so quickly?”

　　“What’s wrong? Are you frustrated over it?” Shi Mu asked.

　　“Those who placed their bets on you are cursing at you. Obviously I am frustrated over it.”

　　“Well, let them be since I did not place any bets as well. I initially wanted to win this round with my own strength. However, it dawned on me that I have no chance of beating brother Ling Feng if I did not resort to the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Art.”

　　“Ah, I see. Then I shall them that you are not embarrassed with your choice.”

　　Shi Mu listened but said nothing.

　　When both Ling Feng and Shi Mu returned to their respective spots, the red-browed youth once again came out and asked if anyone was willing to challenge.

　　This time around, even after a long wait, no one came forward.

　　The red-browed youth asked for a few high-ranking sects who had stayed on the stage. He then turned around and announced that the yellow region that was now ten years old had officially come to a close. The championship was over and everything would be settled by dusk.

　　In the center of the square, the Qinglan Ranking had been released once again.

　　Compared with the pre-match, the top ten on the list remained the same, except for the ninth spot.

　　Zi Ling still ranked 19th and Shi Mu held 37th place.

　　In addition to these three, the temporary upper-class disciples who were originally introduced together became lower ranked disciples.

　　…

　　After the end of the grand championship, Shi Mu immediately returned to his cave residence.

　　Qi Feng and the other attendants seemed to have received news from the unknown channel in advance. All three hundred of them had gathered to wait for their master’s return. As soon as Shi Mu arrived at the gate, everyone bowed down to him respectfully.

　　“Congratulations young master for the promotion within the disciple ranking!”

　　It was natural that everyone was happy to know that Shi Mu had officially joined the ranks of the upper disciples. Their own status as his attendants would rise accordingly, as would the benefits.

　　“Well, this is nothing. Each of us will continue to take responsibility for our respective tasks in the future,” Shi Mu said faintly.

　　After a while, in the living room…

　　Qi Feng led Ma Long into the gate, then bowed at Shi Mu before retiring.

　　“Lady Ma Long, you’re here. Please take a seat.”

　　Shi Mu sat down in the middle of the room and made a request for a chair to be placed on his side so that Ma Long could sit next to him.

　　“Brother Shi, where is Cai?” Ma Long asked as soon as she sat down.

　　“That greedy brat went to the spirit fountain with a few attendants to collect some fire essence to fill his stomach. He hasn’t returned yet.”

　　“Oh, it seems that Cai really does enjoy eating spirit materials. Brother Shi Mu, these are your spirit stones. Please count them if you must.”

　　Ma Long removed a pouch of spirit stones from her storage ring and placed it before Shi Mu.

　　Shi Mu took the ring and counted it. After that, he took out a few hundreds of them and handed it back to Ma Long.

　　“This is for you as compensation for burdening you with this task for the past few days,” Shi Mu said.

　　“Brother Shi Mu, there’s no need to be so polite. I won’t hide the fact that when you ordered me to place your spirit stones as bets, i placed my own spirit stones as well. It was thanks to you that I was able to earn an adequate amount of spirit stones as well,” Ma Long said while declining with a gesture.

　　Shi Mu sensed that there was no changing her mind and did not pressure her anymore.

　　“Alright then. If you need something in the future, please don’t hesitate to tell me. If it’s within my power, I’ll definitely lend a helping hand.”

　　“Brother Shi Mu, are you being serious about this?” Ma Long said with surprise.

　　“Of course!” Shi Mu smiled and nodded.