Chapter 69 An Astounding Bet

Yun Bai's gaze turned sharp once again.

Through the detection of Xiao Liu, he could see through the fluctuations of spiritual energy on Wang Er with extreme clarity—Innate First Realm, Late Stage.

At the same time, Yun Bai also clearly saw his own trump card—Xiao Liu's charge was still at 16.9%.

That's right, this was his greatest reliance for daring to accept Wang Er's challenge, and even for raising the stakes.

Ever since he opened a "micro black hole" in the State Religion trial grounds to counter-kill the Short-snouted Magic Boar and break through to the Innate Realm, he had never used this trump card again.

Even when Squad Yi-34 was hunting the Fate-Fallen Demon Monster, Yun Bai had not been forced to use this trump card.

Because using the "black hole" would consume a massive amount of "Xiao Liu's" energy, and the subsequent recharging would require a long time.

Even after he cultivated the Gouchen Technique and Xiao Liu told him that the accumulation time for the "Black Hole Evolution" energy pool had been greatly reduced, it would still take three months to reach the maximum capacity.

In just over a month, Yun Bai's "Black Hole Evolution" energy pool had only accumulated to 16.9%.

Even with just this amount of energy, the horror of the black hole was not something that a mere First Realm Cultivator like Wang Er could resist.

Yun Bai knew the horror of the black hole very well.

His only worry was whether such a terrifying ultimate move would be suspected by the Enforcement Elder who was constantly monitoring the battle.

"Two hundred thousand Spirit Stones, do you dare to accept?" Yun Bai asked again, seeing the hesitation on Wang Er's face.

Inside the Martial Arts Hall, the crowd that had come upon hearing the news was even more packed than during the last assessment. A Middle Stage First Realm challenging an expert who had just broken through to the Late Stage, combined with a shocking bet of two hundred thousand Spirit Stones, was enough to ignite everyone's curiosity.

Yun Bai's words, "two hundred thousand Spirit Stones," had stunned even Jiang Shuanger.

Two hundred thousand? Even for her, that was a huge number, yet Yun Bai had just blurted it out so lightly?

She had been in a fit of anger just now, her head filled with blood, and hadn't had time to think it through. Now that she had calmed down, she finally had time to observe Yun Bai carefully.

Jiang Shuanger's eyes flickered with spiritual light. It was only then that she discovered Yun Bai's blood and Qi were weak, and his spiritual energy was dried up; this condition was even worse than when they first met at the entrance of the State Religion!

Back then, Yun Bai only had some internal injuries, and his spiritual energy Foundation was still stable; but at this moment, not only were Yun Bai's internal injuries severe, but even his cultivation Foundation had been shaken!

How could it be like this? Could he defeat Wang Er? How could he still dare to increase the bet?

Jiang Shuanger was extremely puzzled, and her confusion quickly turned into worry.

In Yun Bai's current condition, would he be beaten to death by Wang Er on stage?

Jiang Shuanger panicked instantly; she wanted to cancel the bet and stop this fight. She looked at Yun Bai's resolute face and firm expression, then turned her head to look at the flushed face of Wang Er, not knowing what to do.

Wang Er was truly caught in a dilemma at this moment.

Two hundred thousand... it was simply too much for him! After his father heroically sacrificed his life for the country, he inherited all the family property. That was his greatest reliance on his path of cultivation and the Foundation of his livelihood! How could he easily throw such a huge amount of Spirit Stones into this battle of pride?

Just as he was struggling internally, a thick, large hand with steady strength patted him on the shoulder.

"Kid, what are you afraid of! It's fine, let's fight him! Uncle Yuan supports you!"

Wang Er turned his head abruptly, and what came into view was actually the highly prestigious captain of Squad A in the Huben Army—Chen Yuan!

Chen Yuan was an old friend of his father who had shared life and death with him, and he had always taken good care of him in the army, so Wang Er had always respectfully addressed him as Uncle Yuan.

Chen Yuan's appearance was like a shot of adrenaline; Wang Er instantly felt he had found his backbone.

He took a deep breath, straightened his back, and replied in a loud voice: "Fine! Yun Bai, I accept this bet! Let's go, let's go to the State Religion Martial Arts Hall for a fight!"

Within the territory of the State Religion, except for the Martial Arts Hall in the core area, other places had strict laws and did not easily allow private fights.

Back then, Wang Er had been severely punished by the State Religion because he had a conflict with Yun Bai near the Thousand Machine Attraction Formation. He was also unwilling to participate in the State Religion assessment again, so he turned to join the army through General Yang Cang's recruitment. The Martial Arts Hall was the legal place to resolve disputes.

"Thank you for your help just now, Miss Jiang. Let's go too." Yun Bai turned his head to look at Jiang Shuanger, who was still feeling uneasy.

"No need to thank me, helping each other among friends is only natural. But you, right now... your body... will it be okay?" Jiang Shuanger looked at him with great worry, her words laced with hesitation, not knowing how to express that heavy concern.

"Since we are friends, we naturally must trust each other. Let's go." Yun Bai pulled the corners of his mouth into a feigned relaxed arc; he knew Jiang Shuanger had the Qi-observing technique, and his terrible condition was probably laid bare in her eyes.

"Then... alright." Seeing him so persistent, Jiang Shuanger's expression softened slightly, and suppressing the unease in her heart, she quickly followed Yun Bai's footsteps.

State Religion Martial Arts Space, inside the Martial Arts Hall.

The huge arched dome towered into the clouds, and its scale was so magnificent that it exceeded the imagination of any Mortal.

The main body of the hall was composed of an unknown silver-grey metal structure, cold, hard, and sturdy. On the dome and the towering walls were embedded countless crystals emitting a constant light, illuminating the entire space like midsummer noon, as bright as day, revealing every detail. The air was permeated with a cold, metallic Aura and a faint lingering trace of energy.

In the central area of the hall was the martial arts arena, polished from a single huge piece of Qinggang Stone, incomparably hard and capable of withstanding the impact of Innate Realm experts. The arena was surrounded by a nearly transparent pale white light screen, which was a powerful isolation Formation, ensuring that the aftermath of the intense battle inside would not affect anyone watching outside.

On a high platform next to the arena, an old man dressed in the attire of a State Religion Enforcement Elder sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, his Aura deep and profound, obviously monitoring the duel process and maintaining order. Renting such an arena was naturally expensive, and the fee had already been paid by both parties when they entered the hall.

The martial arts arena was rarely this lively, one could say it was bustling with noise.

In the arena, Wang Er held a heavy mountain-opening blade, its blade shimmering with cold light, his Aura heavy and majestic. He grinned at Yun Bai: "Yun Bai, I let you take advantage of me last time, this time, I will make you pay it back with interest!"

Yun Bai's expression was solemn as he gripped the sword in his hand tightly.

Regardless of anything else, the gap in cultivation was real, and he had to be extremely focused.

"During the martial arts competition, except for special circumstances, you are not allowed to use high-power Talismans, prohibited Medicinal Pills, etc. Violators will be severely punished. You must already know rules like these, right?" the deacon acting as the referee asked routinely.

"We know!"

"We are both aware."

Wang Er and Yun Bai responded.

The arena duel was to stop at the point of contact; one could not kill. But it was common for both sides to accidentally injure each other during the fight, and in such cases, the high-cultivation Enforcement Elder would intervene.

The combatants could use weapons, Spells, secret techniques, and all other combat means, but they could not use high-power Talismans, Spirit Cannons, etc., nor could they use Medicinal Pills that allowed one to explode with powerful spiritual energy in a short time.

Weapons like Spirit Guns could be used; for Innate Cultivators, in the narrow space of the arena, exquisite footwork could completely dodge a Spirit Gun. Even if they couldn't dodge, reasonable use of shields and other defensive equipment could block it.

The limit for things like Spirit Guns was just the Late Stage of the First Realm. If the power went any higher, it would be a cannon.

Wang Er initiated the attack! Having broken through to the Late Stage, his speed and strength had surged significantly! He charged over like a wild bull, the heavy mountain-opening blade carrying a sharp whistle that tore through the air, slashing down from above! The blade momentum was fierce, wide and open, full of a sense of power.

Yun Bai did not meet it head-on; his footwork moved rapidly, his body like a willow catkin in the wind, narrowly dodging to the side. The sword light flashed, like a poisonous snake flicking its tongue, stabbing directly at the gap under Wang Er's ribs.

Wang Er reacted extremely quickly, swinging the hilt of his blade horizontally, precisely knocking away the short sword. Metal clashed, sparks flew everywhere!

In the first few rounds of exchanges, neither side used Spells. Yun Bai hadn't yet mastered the Five Elements Spells, and as for why Wang Er didn't, he wasn't clear.

In short, the two were tacitly engaging in a close-quarters cold weapon probe.

Wang Er not only had greater strength, but his footwork had also become more agile and flexible, and his blade technique was well-trained, integrating offense and defense with almost no flaws.

Yun Bai, on the other hand, maneuvered by relying on his exquisite footwork and powerful predictive ability, like a flexible fish.

Off the field, Jiang Shuanger bit her red lips tightly, her hands unconsciously twisted together, her beautiful eyes filled with worry.

Wang Er's strength had increased so much after breaking through to the Late Stage that Yun Bai was completely suppressed.

And outside the arena, several of Wang Er's brothers were cheering loudly on the sidelines:

"Brother Wang is mighty! Cut him down!"

"Middle Stage fighting Late Stage? Seeking your own humiliation!"

"Two hundred thousand Spirit Stones! Brother Wang is going to get rich!"