77: Chapter 77 Betting

At the Heshun Chamber of Commerce headquarters, Martial Artists from all over the Great Qi Dynasty gathered, and the place was bustling with noise.

Everyone's face bore an unmaskable fervor. They gathered in small groups, their conversations filled with talk of the Heavenly Pride Competition, analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of various prodigies with great expertise.

Even more people held Spirit Stones, picking the prodigies they favored and preparing to place their bets, hoping to gamble for a fortune.

As Lin Qing and his group stepped into the hall, they were met with a unique atmosphere—a mix of the faint fragrance of Medicinal Pills and the clamor of voices. Everyone's gaze was instinctively drawn to a giant bulletin board hanging in the very center of the hall.

The bulletin board was several zhang high, its surface covered in dense text. It clearly listed the names, affiliations, and corresponding betting odds for all the Disciples participating in this Heavenly Pride Competition.

With a quick scan, there were about five hundred geniuses participating in this competition. Everyone's eyes began moving down from the very top of the bulletin board.

In the first row was the Third Prince, Third Prince Duan Chengyu. The corresponding odds were clearly marked beside him: 1.25 for top five, 1.1 for top ten, and 1.01 for top twenty.

From the odds, it was clear that the Heshun Chamber of Commerce considered the Third Prince the strongest person in this Heavenly Pride Competition. Although the odds were very low, the stability was high, so countless Cultivators in the hall were betting on him.

Ranked in the third row was Sun Shaoping. As a peerless Prodigy rarely seen in Great Qi for a hundred years, despite his young age, his odds were still shockingly low: 1.5 for top five, 1.2 for top ten, and 1.08 for top twenty.

Being in the third row was enough to show the Heshun Chamber of Commerce's recognition and high expectations for this youth.

Looking further down, past the experts from the top powers, they finally saw Lin Qing's name around the tenth row: 5.0 for top five, 3.0 for top ten, and 1.9 for top twenty.

These odds weren't particularly high, showing that below the top-tier prodigies, Lin Qing belonged to the group with the most potential.

In fact, among the group from Luoxia Valley, Lin Qing's odds weren't the highest. For instance, Yuan Chong's odds for the top twenty were as high as 18. But even with such high odds, few were willing to bet on him, including Yuan Chong himself.

With a cultivation at the Early Stage of the Fourth Rank, it was indeed extremely difficult for Yuan Chong to enter the top twenty.

After scanning the bulletin board, the eyes of the four people landed on Lin Qing simultaneously, their gazes burning.

Having spent every moment together lately, Lin Qing had long since considered them his own. Feeling their gazes, he didn't hesitate and spoke directly with certainty:

"Bet on me, top five."

These four short words seemed to possess a unique magic, smoothing over the hesitation and anxiety in their hearts.

Their spirits lifted, and without further delay, they all headed toward the betting counters on the side.

Xing Mian walked toward the nearby trading area. To purchase that Heaven-Grade Whip Technique earlier, she had emptied her assets and was even in debt. Now, she could only sell some items to place a bet, but she believed in Lin Qing and was prepared to go all-in.

After the others left, Lin Qing also quietly walked toward the depths of the hall.

The back of the hall was completely different from the noisy public area in front. It was much quieter here, with a secluded corridor extending inward, lined with individual private booths on both sides.

This was a high-stakes betting area specifically set up by the Heshun Chamber of Commerce, mainly for the Elders of major Sects or high-ranking members of noble families. The starting betting amount was five hundred Spirit Stones.

Wooden plaques hung on the booth doors. Lin Qing walked slowly along the corridor and stopped in front of a booth with "Vacant" written on its plaque. Without hesitation, he pushed open the wooden door and stepped inside.

The interior of the booth was elegantly and simply decorated, isolated from the noise outside. A beautiful woman with a slender figure was sitting behind a desk.

Lin Qing didn't intend to exchange pleasantries either. He directly pulled handfuls of Spirit Stones from his robe and stacked them neatly on the desk.

Soon, a pile of Spirit Stones shimmering with dense Spiritual Qi took shape. Lin Qing looked up at the woman and spoke in a flat tone:

"Three thousand Spirit Stones on Luoxia Valley's Lin Qing, top five."

The woman in white was slightly surprised. This amount was already quite significant here, not to mention how young the other party was.

However, her professional conduct was high. She skillfully collected the Spirit Stones on the table and quickly verified the count. Then, she took out a specially made Gold-leafed Receipt, neatly filled in the betting information, stamped it with the chamber's exclusive seal, and handed it to Lin Qing with both hands.

Lin Qing took the Gold-leafed Receipt, carefully tucked it into his robe, gave the woman a slight nod, and then turned to walk out of the booth.

Just as he stepped out of the booth and into the corridor, he saw a figure that was unexpected yet also within reason, walking toward him.

The newcomer was about twenty years old, dressed in white, with a tall stature and a handsome face.

After entering the corridor, the person noticed Lin Qing. His gaze locked onto Lin Qing, and the more he looked, the deeper his brow furrowed. Finally, he took a step across, blocking Lin Qing's path, tilting his head to look Lin Qing's face up and down with an extremely strange expression.

If anyone else had behaved so rudely toward Lin Qing, he would have slapped them already. But who could blame him when the person in front of him was Sun Shaoping?

Seeing Sun Shaoping leaning closer and closer, Lin Qing spoke helplessly:

"Stop staring, it's me."

Sun Shaoping's furrowed brow suddenly relaxed, and the confusion on his face vanished, replaced by profound shock and disbelief.

He pointed a finger at Lin Qing, his mouth agape, stammering for a long time:

"I... I-I, you... you-you..."

After a long while, Sun Shaoping finally calmed the stormy waves in his heart. He took a deep breath and gave Lin Qing a thumbs-up:

"Incredible!"

Others might not know Lin Qing's real age, but how could Sun Shaoping not? He clearly remembered how green Lin Qing had been just over a year ago.

In just over a year, that once-green youth had actually walked out of the Hundred Thousand Mountains and appeared before him.

At this moment, Sun Shaoping had long since forgotten about placing his bet. He grabbed Lin Qing's wrist and, ignoring any objections, pulled him toward the exit of the hall.

As they walked, he asked:

"By the way, I don't think I know your name yet."

"My name is Lin Qing," Lin Qing answered frankly.

"Lin Qing..."

Sun Shaoping muttered the name to himself, then suddenly looked up toward the bulletin board in the center of the hall. He pointed to a name on it, his pupils shrinking slightly:

"That Lin Qing?"

Meeting his gaze, Lin Qing nodded slightly.