Novel Full Chapter 1066 - 1066: Chose your Rank!
The duels ended, leaving 25 members for the competition. One fellow is going to become the Golden Heir from these 25 members.
The once-confident names who were paraded as heart-favorites for the Golden Heir Tournament—men and women whose clans threw fortunes behind them—had been cut down one by one. Some by brutal force, some by reckless arrogance, some simply because fate decided to mock them.
And still, the crowd’s chatter was louder than the roars of the Phoenix Range’s winds.
“Shui Lan… Shui Lan will crush them all! He hasn’t even drawn serious breath yet!” shouted one old gambler, half-drunk, half-sure of his prophecy.
“No, you blind ox! You saw what happened earlier? Kent King didn’t swing his sword once! He defended, toyed, and still walked away without a scratch! That isn’t trickery, that’s dominance!” another countered, waving his hands so wildly he almost spilled his rice wine.
Speculation split the mountainside.
Some dismissed Kent entirely.
“He’s lucky. That Huang Tian was all pomp and show with his space laws. Kent only won because he knows the same tricks. He’s no different from Harish—using brute force in narrow domains. When a true powerhouse comes, he’ll crumble.”
Others whispered with awe.
“Didn’t you feel it? That invisible weight pressing from him? He’s not revealing his full aura. He’s waiting, waiting like a predator. If he unleashes… gods help us, even Shui Lan may not stand.”
The arguments grew into heated brawls among gamblers, until even the soldiers had to intervene, pulling apart groups before blood spilled outside the arena.
Meanwhile, inside the Golden Rat Gambling House, silence suffocated the once-bustling den. Fatty Ben, who had basked in his smugness only rounds ago, now sat in the central hall like a lord robbed of his kingdom. His plump cheeks drooped, and his usually mischievous eyes dimmed.
“Not a single coin,” he muttered, glaring at the empty betting counters. “Not one man dares to put their wealth against Kent. Cowards, all of them!”
The pit bosses, men who once boasted of fixing odds and swelling fortunes, stood like statues. Their ledgers were blank. Reality had struck hard—house after house lost wealth, temples of gambling reduced to shells.
One boss spoke carefully, “Young master Ben… perhaps we… should stop forcing bets against him. The crowd is no longer—”
“Silence!” Fatty Ben barked, slamming his palm on the table, rattling gold cups. “Do you fools not understand? The more they fear Kent, the more profit I will make when the time is right. He must rise, and when he does, the bigger opponent will come. Let him grow, let him shine—One a stronger opponent appearance than we will burn people with odds so heavy even heaven won’t balance the scales!”
His words carried a smug confidence, but deep down even Ben knew the truth: Kent was no longer an easy gamble. He was becoming a storm.
–
The mountain night stretched, but the hearts of disciples and spectators alike refused rest. Lanterns burned across inns, valleys echoed with speculation, while within chambers, the remaining twenty-five disciples wrestled with a new kind of fear—the unknown.
Suddenly, above the Phoenix Range, an elder’s figure rose into the sky, cloaked in divine authority. His voice thundered like rolling drums, amplified by spiritual force.
“Hear this! By dawn tomorrow, the twenty-five victors will gather in the Sky Fair Arena. There shall be ten ranking lights. Each disciple will step forward and declare the rank they seek!
Should all desire the throne of number one, the heavens will decide a trial of chaos. But if you know your worth, claim your rightful ranking and fight those who challenge you for it!
The light will judge, the arena will decide, and only truth shall remain!”
His proclamation rang across mountains and rivers, entering every ear. The crowd erupted instantly.
“So it won’t be simple duels anymore?!”
“Ten ranking lights… does that mean even number ten has prestige?”
“Aye, but who will dare choose rank one, with Shui Lan alive? Hahaha!”
“No, you fool, what about Kent King? Didn’t you see him crush Huang Tian? If he walks to the first light… the mountain will shake tomorrow!”
Excitement and fear tangled together, drawing sleepless energy across the range.
The elder vanished after his words, leaving only burning anticipation in his wake.
At the edge of the mountain, inns emptied. Gambling houses shut their doors. By midnight, no soul cared for wine or dice—all hearts awaited the moment when twenty-five warriors would stake their claims.
But within Kent’s chamber, calm reigned.
He sat cross-legged by the faint glow of a spiritual lamp, Heavenly Sword leaning against his shoulder like a silent sentinel. His eyes, however, were closed. His breathing steady. The chaos outside seemed a thousand miles away.
A soft knock broke the silence.
The door slid open, and Amelia stepped in, her emerald robes carrying the faint scent of medicinal herbs. She hesitated, watching him. Even now, in stillness, he exuded a predator’s aura—sharp, unreadable.
“Kent…” her voice was cautious, almost reverent. “Do you know what they’re saying outside?”
He opened his eyes slowly, gaze like a blade slicing through fog. “They’re shouting the names of Shui Lan. Or mine.”
She blinked, stunned he could state it so plainly. “You… you know tomorrow isn’t like the duels. The ten lights aren’t just positions. They’re choices. Choices of destiny. If you step to the wrong light, you’ll invite every enemy, every dagger, every hidden clan weapon to your back.”
For a moment, silence stretched between them. The world outside buzzed with speculation, but inside, the air thickened with unspoken tension.
“Where will you stand?” she asked at last, her voice dropping to a whisper. “If I know you, you’ve already decided. But Kent… tell me honestly, are you going to risk it? Will you fight for the first light?”
His lips curled into the faintest of smirks, not arrogance, not recklessness—just certainty. He rose slowly, lifting the Heavenly Sword and resting it across his shoulder as though it weighed nothing. His eyes met hers, and she felt her heart tremble.
“I didn’t come here to choose ranks,” he said, voice steady, unshakable. “I came to win the tournament.”
The words hung in the chamber like thunder sealed in silence. Amelia’s lips parted, but no sound came. Outside, the mountains roared with speculation, but inside this room, only one truth existed.
Kent had declared his path.
–
Tq guys!