Chapter 274: One Punch to Crush Victory

Amidst the gaze of countless onlookers, the Foundation Establishment finals of the Jiuzhou Grand Competition officially began.

Before the betting pool was finally closed, Lin Mo's odds had dropped to 1: . .

Unfortunately, it fell below Chu Wange's tenfold expectation.

And had the pool not been closed so early, Lin Mo's odds might have dropped further.

The key issue was that someone had leaked the news of his upcoming match against Zhu Zishun.

That was why his odds had fallen so rapidly.

Ye Anyang nodded, watching An Niu's calm demeanor; unconsciously, his tension eased, and he thought: under these circumstances, his elder brother could still keep a clear head and remain unmoved—Truly a man destined for great things. He felt even greater admiration for An Niu.

Feng Qian and the others knew this was the Crimson Flame Beasts from the Yanhuang Grand Canyon—these were their targets for hunting.

"You're dressed so lightly and still taking off more." He furrowed his brows, removed his suit jacket, and handed it to Su Nuan. "Here. Don't worry—I'm not cold." To prevent her from refusing, he emphasized it again.

Xu Mao had bathed early and lay in bed, his mind filled with the image of the old scholar leaping into the river—Had I made a mistake?

Zi Ling coiled around Feng Qian's arm, while Yuan Yuan bounced happily along the way; they felt no boredom at all.

"Very well, I'll have Jiu Tong arrange it. Senior Jiu, Senior Huang, please stay for a few drinks?" Luo Chuan nodded and turned to the two Tianzun experts.

Thus, they blamed their crushing defeat on the Yang clan—hadn't they been backing her from behind? Without their support, Yu Yajing could never have mustered such strength to ambush the Huashan Trading House.

One reason was to make it easier for Jin Chanzi to manage this unruly monkey; the other was to prevent the monkey from flying into a rage and smashing Jin Chanzi to death with a single blow.

Ye Qiong and Wu Feng both frowned; killing intent shifted, engulfing the entire sky above the Jinglian Demon Saint, their hands forming blades that pointed in unison at the man.

After all, the Lingtian Academy disciple whom Xia Xun had driven back was still weaker than the young man in the white robe.

As the three swords neared Fang Yi, their faces twisted with malice—but then, their expressions changed visibly, first into confusion, then into stunned disbelief.

Arranging prisoners, tallying spoils, purchasing grain and iron ingots, and organizing the northward transport of grain and population—this massive pile of tasks left everyone exhausted. Fortunately, Wen Huanzhang was skilled in civil affairs, and Jiang Jing handled finances with ease; no major chaos ensued.

Looking again, the crowd had surrounded the Taowu Beast in the center, but there was none of the bloody, life-or-death battle they had expected—this puzzled them greatly.

Bian Tianci kicked out, striking the muscular man square in the chest—at the very spot where the man had shoved him. The sudden kick sent the nearly six-foot-tall giant crashing into the wall.

"What? A new power?" Hong Chengchou's face darkened with bitterness; the Crown Prince beside him also looked incredulous. "Did they just appear out of nowhere?" All faces turned grim.

Urding said nothing, but stared at Li Yi before counting. "Strange—you lost ten thousand men? Are the enemies in Korea particularly formidable? Or did you encounter trouble crossing the sea?" he asked, puzzled—this route should have been safe.

Many were terrified at this moment, except for Bian Tianci and Xi Meng's table—they remained as if nothing had happened, calmly eating their food.

Ji Ran decided she wouldn't go anywhere today; she would rest fully in her dormitory, recover her strength, and absolutely not exhaust her body prematurely.

After all, Engineer Black Rat wasn't a professional blacksmith; repairing and enhancing the Cangtian Sword was already impressive—expecting him to preserve its special effects was asking too much.

As Ji Ran sat on her bed lost in thought, a voice from outside suddenly called out.