Chapter 53: The Wagered Battle to Suppress the Newcomer

Chapter 53: Chapter 53: The Wagered Battle to Suppress the Newcomer

"A gambling match?"

Yi Xiaoyao raised an eyebrow. He wanted to hear Jin Sanbao’s detailed explanation and see if it was something he could try.

Jin Sanbao nodded and began to explain.

"In the Seven Kills Star Hall, there are thousands of disciples. The powerful ones can get Star Points easily, so they don’t bother with gambling matches. But for the disciples at the bottom of the ladder, gambling matches are the only way to get a large number of Star Points."

At this, Jin Sanbao gave a wry smile. "But... even those low-level disciples are probably stronger than newcomers like us. Maybe we should just forget it?"

Hearing this, Yi Xiaoyao fell silent for a moment, lost in thought.

He began to roughly estimate his own strength. ’With my current Cultivation at the First Realm of Foundation Establishment, I could easily kill Qi Yue, who was at the Second Realm. I could even put up a fight against someone at the Third Realm.’

Thinking of this, Yi Xiaoyao smiled. "Let’s go take a look. We’ll see what level of Cultivation is considered ’low-level’ here in the Seven Kills Star Hall."

"Alright!"

Jin Sanbao agreed and started leading the way.

A short while later, the three of them arrived at the Seven Kills Star Hall’s training grounds.

The training grounds were massive. Many disciples were gathered there, and some were sparring in pairs.

Judging from the auras released by the sparring disciples, most of them were between the Second and Third Realms of Foundation Establishment. These were the so-called "low-level" disciples.

The arrival of Yi Xiaoyao and his friends immediately drew the attention of the other disciples.

"Those three... are they new faces?"

"I heard the Star Hall just recruited new disciples. They must be newcomers."

"Newcomers all have five hundred Star Points on them. How about we go score some?"

"Great idea! Most newcomers are soft targets still at the Qi Condensation Realm. It’d be a waste not to take advantage!"

"We can teach these rookies a lesson while we’re at it and establish our prestige in their minds."

Instantly, the gazes of the older disciples on Yi Xiaoyao turned fervent.

Yi Xiaoyao noticed these heated gazes and a slight smile played on his lips.

"Hey, newcomers! You actually dare to come here for gambling matches?"

The older disciples approached Yi Xiaoyao and sneered.

Yi Xiaoyao gave them a cool glance.

"Why wouldn’t we dare?"

At his words, the older disciples laughed even louder.

"Haha, you’ve got a big mouth!"

A disciple in red robes stepped forward, revealing his Cultivation at the Second Realm of Foundation Establishment. He stared at Yi Xiaoyao with a grin. "My name is Sun Bing. Since you want a gambling match, do you have the guts to fight me?"

Yi Xiaoyao looked at Sun Bing, and after sensing the Cultivation he was emitting, the smile on his lips widened.

Beside him, Jin Sanbao and Xuan Mo were snickering inwardly. ’This Sun Bing probably has no idea that Xiaoyao easily killed Qi Yue, who was also at the Second Realm of Foundation Establishment. He’s really picked the wrong person to mess with.’

However, Jin Sanbao deliberately feigned a worried expression. "Xiaoyao, maybe we should just go."

"What? You were talking so tough just now, and now you’re scared? Newcomers are all the same—no guts, no backbone." Sun Bing scoffed, looking at the three with contempt.

The other old disciples also jeered. The feeling of superiority over the newcomers and the sense of accomplishment from suppressing them filled them with a thrill.

"Who said I’m scared? If you want a gambling match, I’ll see it through to the end."

Yi Xiaoyao looked at Sun Bing and said calmly, "Name your price. How many Star Points are we betting?"

"Alright!" Seeing Yi Xiaoyao accept the challenge, Sun Bing’s face lit up. He chuckled sinisterly. "I know every newcomer gets five hundred Star Points. Kid, let’s bet all five hundred. I’m going to make you lose everything and go home crying."

The onlooking old disciples burst into laughter again. "Sun Bing, aren’t you being a little too harsh? What if you scare the newcomer away with such a big bet?"

"Kid, if you don’t dare, you can beg me. As long as you beg me, I’ll bet a little less," Sun Bing said with a malicious grin.

Yi Xiaoyao’s face was impassive as he said coldly, "No need. You’re not worthy of that."

Yi Xiaoyao actually thought five hundred Star Points was too little, not to mention there was no way he could lose.

Hearing this, Sun Bing’s expression soured with anger.

But then he thought about the five hundred Star Points he was about to win, and he gloated inwardly.

"Kid, Star Points are hard to come by in the Seven Kills Star Hall. Since you don’t cherish them, don’t blame me for not giving you a chance!"

Sun Bing snorted coldly, and Spiritual Power surged from his body as he prepared to strike.

The crowd quickly backed away to form a circle, ready to enjoy the spectacle of an "old-timer teaching a newcomer a lesson."

A cold smile tugged at the corner of Yi Xiaoyao’s mouth. He drew his longsword, and his Spiritual Power flared as the aura of the First Realm of Foundation Establishment erupted from him.

A trace of surprise showed on Sun Bing’s face. He knew that any newcomer who had already reached the First Realm of Foundation Establishment was a top-tier genius.

"So, you’re a genius, huh? No wonder you’re so arrogant, daring to challenge me."

Sun Bing licked his teeth with a sinister laugh, drew the long saber from his waist, and dashed toward Yi Xiaoyao.

SWISH!

The saber flashed. The Spiritual Power coating its edge instantly split the air, creating a stunning sonic boom.

Seeing this display of power, Yi Xiaoyao raised an eyebrow.

’This Sun Bing must have been at the Second Realm of Foundation Establishment for a long time. Both the condensation of his Spiritual Power and the might of his strength are much greater than Qi Yue’s, who had just broken through to the Second Realm.’

Yi Xiaoyao wasn’t flustered. His opponent was strong, but he was stronger.

WHOOSH!

The Bloodthirsty Sword slashed out with a powerful swing of Yi Xiaoyao’s arm, its gleam also creating a whistling sound as it cut through the air.

Yi Xiaoyao didn’t want to reveal his full strength so early. He wanted to use the older disciples’ sense of superiority to earn a few more Star Points.

So, in the face of Sun Bing’s saber strike, he only used the Earth-Cutting Swordsmanship, which was known for its power.

The blood-red Sword Shadow chopped downward, instantly meeting the powerful saber strike. A shrill clang of metal against metal erupted. The two were actually evenly matched in strength.

"Hmph!"

Sun Bing snorted. His Cultivation was higher than Yi Xiaoyao’s, and this result made him lose face.

"Gold-Splitting Saber Technique!"

With a furious roar, Sun Bing finally began to unleash his true power. "You won’t get another chance! Lose!"

"Ridiculous."

Yi Xiaoyao scoffed. His wrist then moved with fluid grace, his blade transforming into a brilliant stream of light. It was the Flowing Light Swordsmanship, renowned for its speed.

The Flowing Light Swordsmanship was only a low-grade Yellow-rank Spiritual Skill because it focused on speed at the expense of power.

But now, in the hands of Yi Xiaoyao, whose talent in the Sword Dao was heaven-defying, the hidden potential of this swordsmanship was completely unlocked. Relying on the single principle of "speed," he entangled his opponent’s gold-splitting saber like an illusory stream of light.

As the saying goes, "only speed is unbreakable." Although the Flowing Light Swordsmanship lacked power, its hidden Destructive Sword Qi not only compensated for this but also allowed it to nimbly attack the opponent’s openings.

In Yi Xiaoyao’s hands, a low-grade Yellow-rank Swordsmanship was displaying power far beyond its class.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!...

The astonishingly fast Sword Shadow clashed with the long saber countless times in the span of a single breath, producing a continuous symphony of ringing steel.

Sun Bing’s once-confident face began to fill with horror with each successive clash.

When he saw the faint smile that suddenly appeared in Yi Xiaoyao’s eyes, his expression changed drastically.

Finally, as the momentum of his opponent’s Saber Technique began to wane, Yi Xiaoyao instantly switched from the Flowing Light Swordsmanship to the explosive Seven-layered Sword.

The entire transition took only an instant. In a seamless motion, Yi Xiaoyao even broke through the limits of the Seven-layered Sword, stacking it to a Ninth Layer.

Nine layers became one, erupting in an instant!

CLANG!

With the sound of a long saber hitting the ground, Sun Bing staggered and collapsed, sitting on the floor. He stared blankly at Yi Xiaoyao, his eyes filled with both shock and bewilderment.

In that instant, the crowd fell deathly silent.

After a moment, Sun Bing asked dazedly.

"I lost?"

"You lost."

Yi Xiaoyao sheathed his sword and stood, looking down at him calmly.

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