Chapter 466: 465. Chapter 460: Rising Fame

465. Chapter 460: Rising Fame

Under Wan Jinjiang's guidance, Ding Huan arrived at the Ban Ting Gambling Den.

As for who established the Ban Ting Gambling Den, Wan Jinjiang did not know. He only knew that after Ban Ting Xiancheng was founded, the Ban Ting Gambling Den appeared.

Moreover, the city lord of Ban Ting Xiancheng, Qian Zhen Ting, was one of the shareholders of the Ban Ting Gambling Den.

This is why people dare to place bets at the Ban Ting Gambling Den—you may not know its true owner, but you at least know a very important person is involved.

Otherwise, who would dare to bet casually?

There were many people at the Ban Ting Gambling Den; in this Xian Sect ranking tournament, every slightly popular match had odds posted.

Here, there were not only single-match odds for Xian Sects, but also rankings odds, elimination round odds, individual ranking odds, and more.

"Sixth Brother, here you can bet on yourself winning. For example, if you bet on yourself winning your next match, it's allowed."

After taking Ding Huan around the gambling den, Wan Jinjiang noticed Ding Huan had not placed any bet and worried he didn't understand the rules, so he offered an explanation.

"Alright." Ding Huan went to the individual ranking odds window.

"May I ask what the odds are for betting on first place in the individual category?" Ding Huan asked.

Hearing this, Wan Jinjiang's heart skipped a beat—he hadn't thought of betting on Sixth Brother winning the combat tournament!

With Sixth Brother's strength, only Zuo Liang had a chance to defeat him—wasn't that still a fifty percent chance?

"Which Xian Sect, which contestant, and which competition are you betting on for first place?" asked the cultivator at the window.

"The odds for Dafanxian Sect contestant No. 3211, Sixth Brother, winning first place in the combat tournament," Ding Huan said.

"One to five," came the cold voice from the window.

So low? Ding Huan frowned. It seemed his displayed abilities had drawn the gambling den's attention.

"Then what are the odds for betting on Dafanxian Sect contestant No. 122, Sixth Brother, winning first place in the formation competition?"

"And what are the odds for betting on Dafanxian Sect winning first place in the Xian Sect ranking tournament?"

"The odds for Dafanxian Sect contestant No. 122 winning first place in the formation competition are one to ten; the odds for Dafanxian Sect winning first place in the Xian Sect ranking tournament are one to one hundred."

Hearing these odds, Ding Huan understood at once.

It seemed the gambling den had investigated thoroughly—his participation in one round of the formation competition had lowered his odds.

Otherwise, his odds for winning first place in the formation competition would surely have been one to one hundred.

As for talisman crafting, he could now forge fourth-grade Xian talismans but had no confidence in winning first place, so he decided not to ask.

"Buy me one million superior-grade Xian crystals on Dafanxian Sect winning first place in this Xian Sect tournament."

Ding Huan tossed a storage bag into the window.

Had he not feared the gambling den might not be able to pay and cheat, he would have bet one hundred million superior-grade Xian crystals outright.

One-time bets of one million were not unheard of—they were always placed on favorites, like betting on Jiukunxian Sect, an eight-star Xian Sect, to win first place, or on Zuo Liang to win the combat tournament.

But someone betting one million superior-grade Xian crystals on a five-star Xian Sect winning first place in the Xian Sect tournament? That was unprecedented.

But it didn't matter—the gambling den opened to do business.

Betting on a five-star Xian Sect winning first place in the Xian Sect tournament—who the hell was this guy thinking?

The Xian Sect tournament had been held for so long; the top-ranked Xian Sect had always been seven-star or higher—never an exception.

So for the gambling den, the more Ding Huan bet, the better.

"I'll bet ten million superior-grade Xian crystals too—on Dafanxian Sect winning first place in this Xian Sect ranking tournament."

Seeing Ding Huan bet one million superior-grade Xian crystals on Dafanxian Sect winning first place in the Xian Sect tournament,

Wan Jinjiang immediately pulled out ten million superior-grade Xian crystals and placed the same bet as Ding Huan.

"Good. Sharp eye, Old Wan," Ding Huan slapped Wan Jinjiang on the shoulder, feeling this guy had some charm—he even softened his tone of address.

Wan Jinjiang was overjoyed—he never believed Dafanxian Sect could win first place in the Xian Sect ranking tournament.

He placed this bet because Ding Huan had just done so; by betting the same way, he naturally hoped to earn Ding Huan's favor.

Before, ten million superior-grade Xian crystals would have cost him dearly.

These past few days, he'd won a pile of crystals—he could part with ten million without blinking.

Ding Huan returned to the combat arena; the fifth round had just ended.

He saw Yan Sha, grievously wounded, and Master Elder Ming Mu was also there. Both stood at Arena No. 2—presumably waiting for him.

Yan Sha had lost one arm, his face as pale as paper, his temples streaked with gray.

In the combat arena, it was no surprise to see disciples like Yan Sha severely injured—many had even lost their lives.

Thus, Yan Sha's condition drew no attention from others.

"Sixth Brother," Yan Sha tried to step forward upon seeing Ding Huan.

"Yan Sha, what happened?" Ding Huan frowned.

Yan Sha was always humble; Ding Huan had watched his match—he never struck brutally, and never severely injured his opponents even after winning.

Master Elder Ming Mu sighed: "Yan Sha didn't make it past the fifth round—he was grievously wounded."

Yan Sha took a deep breath and said:

"Sixth Brother, I can't accept this. I came to find you because I need to tell you: as soon as I clashed with him, I knew I couldn't win—I immediately surrendered, but his domain suppressed me and I couldn't break free.

I told him my brother was strong and begged him to spare me. But this bastard, for some reason, held a grudge and was determined to kill me.

I burned my lifespan desperately and, with the help of a substitution talisman, traded one arm for my life."

Hearing this, Ding Huan understood why Yan Sha had waited here for him.

Yan Sha couldn't swallow this humiliation—he wanted Ding Huan to avenge him.

"What's his name?" Ding Huan still held great fondness for Yan Sha—he accepted this grudge.

"Han Han Qiongsang of the eight-star Xian Sect Lingyao Xian Pavilion—he's one of the Ten Great Xuan Immortals of the Great Immortal Realm, ranked third." Yan Sha gritted his teeth.

Master Elder Ming Mu spat angrily: "That beast is too cruel—he cut off Yan Sha's arm, won the match, and then shattered the arm completely."

Ding Huan clapped Yan Sha's shoulder: "Yan Sha, younger brother, since you've accepted me as your senior, as long as he makes it to the arena match, I'll make sure you're satisfied."

"Good." Yan Sha clenched his fists; he believed Ding Huan could help him avenge himself.

Ding Huan's Lei Jie was so terrifying—how could his strength possibly be weak? Besides, Yan Sha had watched Ding Huan's recent fights; there was definitely a chance he could defeat Han Qiongsang.

"Enough, Elder Mu, take Yan Sha back to heal."

After Ming Mu left, the sixth round of combat was about to begin.

In this elimination-style combat, the later rounds proceed faster.

Ding Huan waited half an hour before it was his turn; his opponent in the sixth round was a disciple of Jueying Xian Sect.

In Ding Huan's eyes, the man merely had thick Xian energy—he reached the sixth round purely by outlasting his opponents with sheer energy endurance.

True to form, as soon as the fight began, he adopted a defense so impenetrable it left no opening.

Ding Huan shattered his defense with just his first Dahan Yi Dao. Since this was an arena match, naturally one must exchange blows, then finish him with a single slash.

Why let you defend for half the fight before I finally slash you down?

Seeing Ding Huan tear through his defense with one strike, the cultivator panicked and switched to all-out offense, launching relentless attacks against Ding Huan.

To his relief, the opponent's first slash had been startling, but his subsequent attacks were mediocre, matching Ding Huan blow for blow.

At least on the surface, the arena brimmed with Dao rhythms and whirled blade radiance.

After roughly twenty exchanges, Ding Huan finally kicked the man—who was preparing a grand technique—off the arena.

How did I lose? The Jueying Xian Sect disciple, fallen below the platform, remained dazed.

Ding Huan descended from the arena and waited less than half an hour before facing his seventh-round opponent.

Again, after twenty-odd rounds, he blasted his opponent off the platform.

Then came the eighth round; against Ding Huan, all opponents lasted roughly twenty exchanges before being knocked off.

Some cultivators had already noticed the pattern: anyone fighting the Dafanxian Sect's No. 3211 ended their match in roughly twenty strikes.

Whether strong or weak, all were thrown off the platform at roughly the same time.

Attentive cultivators also noticed that anyone who reached this stage had killed at least one, or even several, opponents.

Even those who hadn't killed their foes had severely injured them in at least a few matches.

Only No. 3211's "Sixth Brother" had left almost no one injured, let alone killed.

Except for Yu Sancheng, who had acted like a big shot before No. 3211 and had his facial bones shattered by Ding Huan's kick.

No. 3211's reputation gradually became known, soon spreading throughout the entire combat arena.

When everyone learned Yu Sancheng had also been defeated by No. 3211, the latter became a favorite in the betting houses.

After finishing the eighth round, Ding Huan didn't even leave the arena before his ninth-round opponent appeared.

This was the final round of elimination; after this, the arena match would begin.

"Hé Qí of Xianwu Palace greets Senior Brother Liu." The arriving cultivator spoke to Ding Huan with great courtesy—everyone knew Ding Huan's name now.

A warrior who had defeated the Ten Great Xuan Immortals.

Xianwu Palace? Ding Huan, seeing the man's Xianwu Palace robes, immediately thought of Chong Qingyun.

That Chong Qingyun, who schemed against Fu Yuxing, was also from Xianwu Palace.

Back when they competed for the True Spirit World in Genggu Xiandao City, he had clashed with Chong Qingyun.

But back then, their clash was an array battle.

Chong Qingyun had been outmaneuvered by him—Ding Huan didn't know if the fellow was still in Xianwu Palace.

Whether or not he was from Xianwu Palace, Ding Huan had no interest in wasting words. After this ninth round, he needed to prepare for the first round of the Dao-Character contest and the second round of the Array contest.

As for the arena match of the combat contest, the timing was far more flexible.

The arena match lasted one full day, with ten arenas open; you could challenge whenever you wished within that day.

So after the opponent finished speaking, Ding Huan cleanly slashed forward with his long blade.

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