Chapter 266: Opening the Bet

"Why is this Brother Huang so hard in every match? Isn't he at Refined Qi eighth tier?"

"Watch your words; it's not Brother Huang, it's senior brother."

"But isn't he a newly inducted disciple?"

"That person is from Accumulation Device Peak; the peak master of Accumulation Device Peak is a peer of the sect leader. Accumulation Device Peak has only one late‑stage Elder, Nan Gongping, and then there's him, a Refined Qi eighth tier, a generation senior to us."

"Ah? But there should be a first‑come‑first‑served order..."

"In the cultivation world, the accomplished go first; when you see someone stronger than you, you call them senior brother, and those far stronger you call elder; that's always right."

Regardless, Yan Buji's duel rounds don't seem to be going smoothly.

During that time, after Yan Buji heard his disciples' evaluations for several days and asked Hu Bing to find out his odds, he immediately had him open a bet.

Hu Bing was also quite surprised: "You know we're opening a bet?"

"Just a little inquiry made it clear," Yan Buji laughed.

"Looks like you really have confidence. But let me say this first: you have to bet on yourself; if you lose, we won't refund."

"It's fine."

When Hu Bing opened the bet, Yan Buji asked how many people had placed wagers; many disciples who heard of this new bet actually brought in a fair amount of betting funds.

Yan Buji calculated that the current odds are 1:2.1, meaning a loss yields a 1‑fold return, a win yields a 2‑fold return, neither too high nor too low.

And based on those funds, Yan Buji wagered two thousand Spiritual Stones on his own victory.

Hu Bing looked puzzled: "You… have calculated exactly how much betting capital is on the board?"

"Roughly," Yan Buji chuckled.

Hu Bing nodded: "That's impressive."

Hu Bing also did the math; betting on Yan Buji's win wasn't much at all, most were just for fun, wagering a few dozen Spiritual Stones.

The total betting pool was about thirty thousand Spiritual Stones, meaning that as the house, they actually hoped Yan Buji would win, because when he wins they only gain six or seven thousand Spiritual Stones, yet they collect over twenty thousand, so they don't lose at all.

But if he loses, this bet would suffer a huge loss.

In short, gambling itself is a bad thing; if you take wins and losses too seriously, you'll inevitably suffer backlash.

But it's still early, not even the top eight yet; there are still over fifty contestants, and it will take a day or two of fighting to see how things stand.

Yet Yan Buji knows that since they dared to open the bet, the two of them are unlikely to run a loss‑making business.

He estimates they'll soon close the bet, then use their authority to pit the popular contestants against each other, fighting to the death.

In that case, the bets they opened earlier can immediately recoup costs, because each of their bets is a single wager on who will claim victory.

Naturally, those who bet on the losers will lose their capital entirely.

"Oh, by the way, Senior Brother Hu, a couple of days ago Zhao Guoping came to me, asking me to gauge Liu Ruhua's true strength; I wonder…" Yan Buji asked.

Hu Bing looked at Yan with puzzlement: "Zhao Guoping came to you?"

"Yes, that Liu Ruhua is indeed formidable, proficient in various techniques, and at the pinnacle of Refined Qi cultivation; I truly don't know her background."

Hu Bing hesitated, looking at Yan Buji: "Liu Ruhua… although she entered as a new disciple like you, she actually comes from the Hehe Sect."

"Hehe Sect? Three Evil Dao Sects?!" Yan Buji was stunned; how could he hear that name here!

"Since you know the Three Evil Dao Sects, that's easy to explain. As for Liu Ruhua, don't worry about her; it's arranged by the sect leader and the Elders. Regarding Zhao Guoping, due to personal reasons he harbors great hatred toward Evil Dao cultivators and may have sensed something," Hu Bing said.

Yan Buji nodded: "I see. But Senior Brother, I've only heard of the Three Evil Dao Sects; I still don't know what their situation actually is."

Hu Bing laughed: "Indeed, most cultivators have only heard of them. Though these three sects reside in the Nan Ting Mountain Region, they have no permanent sect headquarters, roaming the Eight Dao realms and mingling among mortals. The Hehe Sect is their representative; it essentially controls the entire mortal realm's fireworks districts."

"Is that so?" Yan Buji asked, his expression odd.

Although murky cultivators indeed need to practice among the mundane world, he hadn't realized the Hehe Sect's operations were so vast.

"As for Zhao Guoping, he was wounded by Evil Dao cultivators in his youth, and his family perished at their hands, so after becoming a cultivator he harbors deep hatred toward Evil Dao practitioners. Moreover, he tolerates no sand in his eyes; even fellow sect members who err are severely punished, caring not about anyone's face or status. You'll have to be careful with him; he's actually a benchmark in the Law Enforcement Hall—hard to move him," Hu Bing sneered.

"Understood, junior brother, noted."

Given that, Zhao Guoping's targeting of Liu Ruhua is now clear.

But Qingshan Gate actually has ties with the Hehe Sect, which is hard to understand.

Logically, although Qingshan Gate's operations are extensive, it shouldn't associate with the ill‑reputed Evil Dao sects, right?

Unless there's something they must cooperate on, Liu Ruhua's arrival might be to demonstrate a collaborative exchange between the two houses.

Thus, Liu Ruhua can't be easily acted against, yet she has no real stake with Yan Buji; at most she's a competitor in the Refined Qi tournament, not a mortal enemy.

Moreover, Liu Ruhua must feel speechless—she did nothing yet Zhao Guoping has singled her out.

At present, Yan Buji has no enemies within Qingshan Gate; instead, he has two Foundation Establishment senior brothers supporting him, and his days are gradually improving.

As for Accumulation Device Peak, a sect order to inform Nan Gongping later will suffice; he doesn't seem to mind these matters.

Just as Yan Buji was about to leave and return to his quarters to rest, a graceful figure suddenly approached.

With no one around, Yan Buji raised an eyebrow.

"Waiting here on purpose for me?"

Liu Ruhua smiled, gave a graceful bow, and said, "Greetings, Brother Huang."

"Sister Liu truly overwhelms this old man; your cultivation is higher than mine, so I should address you as senior sister," Yan Buji quickly bowed.

"Then I won't be modest either, Junior Brother Huang, why did Zhao Guoping target me?"

"How would I know? He did come to me, hoping I could luckily force out senior sister's true strength."

Liu Ruhua frowned, deep in thought.

Yan Buji also found it odd; so many people didn't approach anyone else but me—what does she mean?

After a while, Liu Ruhua suddenly smiled: "Oh right, I recall Junior Brother Huang is a cultivator from the Kan Dao, right?"

Yan Buji raised an eyebrow and asked, "Sister, what does that mean?"

"Coincidentally, I have a few friends in the Kan Dao who seem to have heard stories about Junior Brother."

"So what of it?"

Liu Ruhua waved a hand: "Junior martial brother, don't be so angry; Blue Mountain Sect doesn't care what your previous status was. What I mean is, I happen to have a deal here— I don't know if you'd like to hear about it?"