Chapter 101: Tree Spirit

In the luxury private room, facing the circular building, there was no wall.

Only a massive floor-to-ceiling window, bright and transparent.

This place was at a very high elevation.

Standing before the window, looking down.

One could look down from above, overseeing the circular building below.

“Factions, rooted in the Divine Gift University, span the entire prefecture—they are an immense force.”

Gu Qi lounged lazily, sipping his coffee.

He leaned back against the comfortable sofa, the hem of his black robe hanging down, “The Divine Worship Faction is the largest faction in Linjiang Prefecture.”

The vast room held only Jiang Jian and Gu Qi.

Jiang Jian remained silent.

He had some understanding of factions.

Both Liu Tiezhu and Shan Ye had mentioned it.

They had all said it.

As long as one had the desire to cultivate,

by the second year, one must choose and join a faction.

Because cultivation special halls—these precious, scarce resources—

are accessible only to students who have joined a faction.

So Jiang Jian had no resistance to joining the Divine Worship Faction.

The Divine Worship Faction mostly accepts students specializing in “Techniques” or “Martial Arts.”

That was also why, back in Guangling City,

Gu Qi had shown Jiang Jian slight favoritism upon discovering he was a “Technique” user.

“Junior Jiang Jian, you seem uninterested in factions.”

Gu Qi sat upright and tapped his identity device.

Instantly, countless black lights spread across the floor-to-ceiling window.

The next moment,

two demons locked in mortal combat were clearly displayed.

The holographic projection was incredibly lifelike—the demons’ furious roars, the dust kicked up, the splattering blood and flesh—all seemed within arm’s reach.

“Before they arrive,”

“wanna place a couple bets?”

Gu Qi tossed him a screen.

Jiang Jian caught it.

Clear across its surface were five large characters: “Jiangcheng Combat Arena.”

“Match 130: White Wolf Demon, Hyena Spirit.”

“Betting Status: Betting Closed.”

“Your Bet: None.”

Seeing this,

Jiang Jian swiped the screen.

Immediately below, a list of upcoming matches appeared.

“Match 131: Hanging Ghost, Banyan Tree Spirit.”

“Betting Status: Betting Open.”

“Your Bet: None.”

On the sofa, Gu Qi said, “To bet, you must swipe your identity device—each match settles individually.”

He walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing down at the dense sea of seats.

“This is heaven in Five-Reign Jiangcheng.”

“Alliance coins here are just numbers.”

“Many become rich overnight.”

“More lose everything—their homes, their families, their wives and children.”

Jiang Jian paused, then asked, “Do the combatants have no profiles to reference?”

Gu Qi laughed. “Of course not.”

“The combatants here come from many places.”

“They all volunteer—each match earns them a massive sum of Alliance coins.”

“Betting here relies entirely on your own judgment.”

He walked beside Jiang Jian and tapped the Hanging Ghost.

Instantly, a holographic image of the ghost appeared, vivid and lifelike.

“Junior Jiang Jian, who do you think will win the next match?”

Jiang Jian did not answer immediately.

He swiped his finger and tapped the Banyan Tree Spirit.

A massive tree spirit’s image appeared in the hall, waving its vines.

“If you observe roughly,”

Jiang Jian said, “the Banyan Tree Spirit has the upper hand.”

Gu Qi’s eyes flickered. “Are you placing a bet?”

Jiang Jian smiled. “Yes—but I’m betting on the Hanging Ghost.”

“Why?”

Gu Qi asked. “You don’t think this is fixed, do you?”

“Jiangcheng Combat Arena strictly forbids fixed matches.”

“Countless bloodshot eyes are watching.”

“Any discovery results in immediate execution.”

“This is stipulated in the contract every combatant signs before stepping onto the stage.”

Jiang Jian shook his head. “Not that.”

He pointed at the Hanging Ghost’s nails.

“Actually, these holographic images contain plenty of data.”

“The Hanging Ghost has short nails and no marks on its neck—on the surface, its ghostly power seems weak.”

“But the broken ends of its nails are sharp as iron hooks, and they glow bluish-white.”

“This proves its ghostly power is far from weak.”

“As for the Banyan Tree Spirit,”

Jiang Jian turned his head to look.

“It looks fearsome, but is in fact hollow and weak.”

“Its vines are green with new sprouts—meaning it only recently became a spirit.”

“Its demonic power is certainly low.”

Gu Qi clapped his hands, smiling. “Junior Jiang Jian, sharp eyes.”

“So—who are you betting on?”

Hearing his question,

Jiang Jian smiled but did not answer.

Instead, he pulled out his identity device and swiped it across the screen.

A gentle female voice sounded.

“Bet placed successfully!”

“Your stake: 500,000 Alliance coins!”

Below the screen, Jiang Jian’s bet record appeared immediately.

At the same time,

the combat in the arena had already ended.

The White Wolf Demon transformed into its true form, leaping like a small mountain and tearing the Hyena Spirit apart with its jaws.

Amid thunderous cheers,

countless gamblers, eyes bloodshot, began placing bets.

The next match was about to begin.

“This place isn’t for lingering.”

Watching the fanatical gamblers, Gu Qi clicked his tongue. “Win once, win twice—fine.”

“But lose once, and your mindset changes instantly.”

“One misstep, and you’re ruined.”

As he spoke,

the Hanging Ghost and the Banyan Tree Spirit had both taken the stage.

Jiang Jian walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked down.

Standing inside the private booth.

As if one could hear it all.

The frantic roars of the gamblers in the surrounding seats.

“Win for me! I’ve bet everything!”

“I don’t believe it—how could I lose three times in a row?!”

“All in!”

“Kill it!”

“I must win!”

…

The duel began.

The Banyan Spirit’s face twisted grotesquely, its demonic energy surging; its heavy canopy burst into brilliant light, engulfing the Hangman entirely!

Instantly, cheers erupted deafeningly, shaking the heavens!

Crack!

The next moment, a sound of shattering echoed.

The Hangman’s sharp claws tore through the confinement, his body lunging forward at speed; his ten fingers elongated into blades, piercing straight into the Banyan Spirit’s skull!

A geyser of blood sprayed forth!

The Banyan Spirit, bulky and clumsy, swayed left and right, as if about to collapse at any moment.

In that instant.

The Hangman’s form suddenly froze unnaturally.

Even the blades on his ten fingers shattered piece by piece.

Seizing the opportunity,

the Banyan Spirit unleashed its ferocity, opening its bloodied maw and swallowing the Hangman whole!

Crunch!

The monster’s chewing sounds echoed throughout the arena.

Countless gamblers leapt to their feet, fists clenched tightly, eyes blazing crimson as blood!

Many others cheered wildly, frantically tapping their screens to collect their Alliance Coins.

“Jiang Jian, you seem to have bet on the wrong side.”

Gu Qi smiled lightly, “Five hundred thousand Alliance Coins—gone in an instant.”

Jiang Jian remained calm, opened his screen, and tapped the claim button.

Instantly, a mechanical voice filled the room.

“Based on real-time odds, you have received your bet refund and bonus: 1,350,000 Alliance Coins, transferred to your citizen account.”

Hearing the voice,

Gu Qi’s smile froze.

He stood up and stepped forward to take the screen from Jiang Jian’s hand.

The bet information displayed clearly.

“Duel #131: Hangman vs. Banyan Spirit.”

“Bet Status: Combined Bonus Refunded.”

“Your Bet: 500,000 Alliance Coins on Banyan Spirit to win.”

Gu Qi set down the screen and turned his head to look at Jiang Jian.

“Jiang Jian, you’re truly hiding your depths.”

As he spoke,

a notification chimed on his identity device.

“Your account has received a transfer: 1,350,000 Alliance Coins.”

“Your balance: 3,837,609 Alliance Coins.”

Hearing the notification,

Jiang Jian swiped it away.

His current balance now stood at 3.83 million Alliance Coins.

“Jiang Jian, let’s play another round.”

Gu Qi said.

Jiang Jian shook his head gently. “No more.”

Gu Qi raised an eyebrow. “What, afraid you’ll lose?”

Jiang Jian said, “If I play on, I will definitely lose.”

Gu Qi fell silent for a moment, then asked, “You just said the Hangman’s strength was greater.”

“That’s true.”

“Then why did you bet on the Banyan Spirit?”

Jiang Jian smiled. “Because I think this duel is fixed.”

Gu Qi’s gaze shifted slightly.

Jiang Jian walked to the window and pointed to the spectator seats below.

“Such a massive betting pool must involve fixed matches.”

Gu Qi said, “What makes you so certain?”

“Besides, many people are betting—including heirs from powerful clans.”

“Are they all fools, unable to see the fix?”

Jiang Jian shook his head. “No—they can see it.”

“Most people suspect a fix.”

“What they can’t guess is who the fixed winner is.”

“So,”

“they’re gambling too.”

“They’re betting that the fighter they chose is the predetermined victor.”

“It’s easy to understand.”

Jiang Jian tucked away his identity device and sat back on the sofa. “Win, and you still get Alliance Coins.”

Gu Qi’s eyes shone with admiration. “Not only do you stop after winning, but you’ve seen through the arena’s rules so clearly—Jiang Jian, you’re impressive.”

As he spoke,

people clad in faction robes began entering the room.

Most were third-year students from Linjiang Academy.

A few were second-years.

The only first-year was Jiang Jian himself.

“Jiang Jian, I’ve heard much about you.”

Someone stepped forward with a smile. “At 37% of the Divine Grant Realm, you’re almost catching up to us.”

Another pulled out his identity device and warmly greeted Jiang Jian, exchanging communication details.

In a short while,

Jiang Jian’s contact list had gained over a dozen new friends.

(End of Chapter)