Phoenix Destiny
chapter-266

At the heart of Volt Wing City, there was a plaza. Wooden signs were placed here to show that this was where the ranking match would be held.

There was a vast crowd in the restaurant located beside the plaza.

"It's gonna be interesting this year! There are so many who signed up!"

"Yeah! It's filled with elites! Look, the Hidden Dragon Clan's Di Jun, Golden Wind Platform's Fu Lin… these people rarely come out!"

At a table by the side of the road sat two men; a bulky man whose face was as red as a tomato and a Daoist with thin, almond-shaped eyes.

Hearing the discussion of the other customers, the bulky man clapped. "Brother He, it's time for you to get rich again!"

The Daoist laughed. "Haha, don't say that. I'm no match for the elites."

"Don't be humble, man, it's me! You won Old Man Xiang's flying sword last year, I'm even drooling."

This made the Daoist proud of himself.

His cultivation was not fantastic and his ability was average, but he was certainly vicious enough!

Every year, he would be here for the ranking matches without fail. He would look around for a suitable target and gamble with them to get big rewards.

There was no need for him to go hunting or do bitter work. With this method, he could live a good life without worries.

"Look, aren't those Old Man Xiang's disciples?" The bulky man pointed over to a guy and girl.

The Daoist squinted his eyes to have a better look. The pair of teenagers who were walking over was indeed Old Man Xiang's disciples.

"Brother He, look at the sword he's carrying!"

There was no need for the bulky man to say it. How could the vicious, almond-eyed Daoist not see it?

The sheath was a dull silver colour, but the spiritual energy that it was emitting could enchant anyone!

Didn't they say that, after Old Man Xiang died, his disciples were in dire straits? Did they hit the jackpot recently?

The Daoist chugged his wine and walked toward the two teenagers slowly.

Xiang Zichen felt a pat on his back and looked. Seeing the Daoist, his face turned black. "Daoist He, what do you need?"

Daoist He clicked his tongue and plastered a smile on his face. "Junior Nephew Xiang, it's been a long time since we met, and this old man is just here to greet you. Is that so weird?"

"Stop it!" Xiang Zichen flicked his hand away. "I still have to take revenge for my master!"

"Aiyo, Junior Nephew Xiang, what's this about? Since when do we have such a feud? I'm upset about Brother Xiang passing away too!"

"Get lost! If you didn't trick my master into gambling with you, why would he lose his flying sword? Because of that, he was injured and bed-ridden and…"

Seeing Xiang Zichen's eyes welling with tears, Daoist He panicked and immediately patted his back. "Hey, Junior Nephew Xiang, he had to admit defeat since he was willing to bet! I talked to him about it properly. Look, there's evidence that I didn't cheat him!"

"But my master…"

"Haish!" Daoist sighed and pouted. "I'm upset about Brother Xiang's death too! If I had known this would happen, I would've returned the sword that day!"

"You're willing to return it?" Xiang Zichen's eyes lit up.

Daoist He's face turned black. "You see… there are rules and regulations to gambling. I can't possibly return everything I won."

This made Xiang Zichen blow his top. "You think it's funny joking around with me, huh?!"

"No, no, no." Daoist He shook his head frantically. "This old man just meant that everything has its rules and regulations. Even thieves don't want to go home empty-handed! If I return everything just like that, my luck would…"

"So, what are you saying?"

"Why don't we do this? Let's bet on a match. If you win, I'll give you the flying sword. Brother Xiang would be happy to see that too, right?" Daoist He smiled widely at him

"No! Who would want to gamble with you?" Xiang Zichen yelled. "Before my master died, he instructed me to never gamble again!"

"Junior Nephew Xiang," Daoist He coaxed. "This can't be called gambling, it's just a formality. You're going to participate in the ranking match, right?"

Xiang Zichen nodded.

Daoist He caressed his beard and flashed Xiang Zichen a bright smile. "Then I'll gamble with you: for all rounds, if you can win one fight, I'll return the sword to you."

"Just one fight?"

"Yes! Just one!" Daoist He grabbed him and pulled him to a table. "If Junior Nephew doesn't trust me, then let's write a gambling contract right now. But there's a rule to follow; Junior Nephew must bet something valuable too."

...

After a while, Daoist He went back to his table, whistling and grinning from ear to ear.

The bulky man moved over to him. "Brother He, you're really returning the sword to him?"

Daoist He smirked and sipped some wine. "How could that be possible? Not only will he not get it back, but he will also lose the sword in his hands too!"

"That kid may not be very good, but he has a chance of winning at least one fight."

Daoist He winked and laughed out loud. He placed the betting contract in front of the bulky man. "See for yourself."

The bulky man moved closer to take a look. On the paper was written, "Win a fight for all rounds."

The bulky man looked up in shock. "You mean…?"

"' Win one fight' and 'win one fight for all rounds' have different meanings."

...

"Idiot!" Ling Wuxia stood up, clutching the gambling contract in her hand. "So this is how your master lost, huh?"

"No!" Xiang Zichen hurriedly shook his head, afraid that his master was being dragged down like an idiot too. "Master was just provoked by him!"

"Conmen depend on others to serve food right to them." Zhou Ruying looked at her hand in thought. She was experienced, so what had she not encountered before?

Win one fight for the whole ranking match would mean that, as long as Xiang Zichen won a single fight, he would win the bet. However, win one fight for each round meant that, no matter who the opponent was, he would have to win at least one fight every round.

If Xiang Zichen was that good, the Tranquil Void Monastery would not be in its current state.

"Senior," Xiang Zichen whispered. "Is it too hard for you?"

"What's hard about it?" Lu Mingshu replied coldly. "Only three total wins for the three rounds? I can do that by myself."

"Hey, don't belittle me." Zhou Ruying stood up. "I may not be as famous as you guys, but I hardly lose when it comes to fighting."

She was trained in killing and assassination, so she was accurate and fast. People like Zhou Ruying might not be famous, but they were never weak.

"I've never lost in my life." Ling Wuxia smiled proudly.

Seeing Ling Wuxia, Lu Mingshu smiled thinly. "What a coincidence, I always get first place in competitions."

First for the Heavenly Door competition and first for the Qilin Festival.

"Then let's get it done." Ling Wuxia smiled at Xiang Zichen. "Have you registered for us?"

"Yes." Xiang Zichen nodded.

Xiang Zimei ran in.

"All done?" Zhou Ruying asked her.

"Yes. As soon as the ranking match starts, me and Senior Brother will go and bet." Xiang Zimei tried to catch her breath.

Thinking of what was waiting for her, Xiang Zimei felt extremely excited.

"Let's go practice now," Lu Mingshu said. "We can help you once, but not forever. After this, you're on your own."