Chapter 75

Chapter 73: Vying for Favor

Those who had set up betting quickly spread the word that Tuoba Ye had placed a bet of 20,000 Force Pills on himself.

Since the participant had such confidence in himself, many people followed suit.

By the time betting closed, the total amount wagered on Tuoba Ye winning the championship had reached 100,000 Force Pills.

"Not bad, these 100,000 Force Pills are basically ours."

Once the final bets were placed, a lottery would be held immediately to determine the opponents for the elimination matches.

Once the opponents were determined, bets could still be placed on individual matches as long as the match had not started.

Many veteran outer disciples knew this and had prepared a large number of Force Pills specifically for gambling, hoping to make a huge profit.

Of course, the odds for individual matches were much lower, and many matches with obvious outcomes would not even be opened for betting.

Tuoba Ye also wanted to place a bet, but he had no Force Pills left, so he had to give up.

As long as he could win the championship, the Divine Demon Squad would receive over a million Force Pills, a significant portion of which belonged to Lei Ting, who had bet 2,550 Force Pills, which was not a small amount.

The appearance of the little demoness soon became known to the top ten squads and the Six Paths Squad. Jue Wuxing and Bi Yuntian did not dare to be negligent and came out personally to welcome her.

When they came out, the outer disciples made way for them.

"Miss Lei Ting, you have arrived! We have already reserved a place for you, please come this way!" Jue Wuxing said.

Bi Yuntian, who was a step behind, was extremely frustrated but did not give up. "Miss Lei Ting, why don't you come to our side? We have better seats."

Although Tuoba Ye did not know Bi Yuntian and Jue Wuxing, he could tell from their aura and the respectful looks of those around them that they were not ordinary.

Their respectful treatment of Lei Ting indicated that her identity was even more extraordinary.

Lei Ting was somewhat displeased by their grand reception.

Tuoba Ye quickly whispered, "Lei Ting, since we don't have seats, we'll rely on you."

"Alright!" Lei Ting could not refuse, as she was a member of the Divine Demon Squad.

"Captain Jue Wuxing, Captain Bi Yuntian, we have over a hundred people here. Whose place can accommodate us?" Lei Ting asked.

"Me!"

"Our Ten Absolute Squad!"

Jue Wuxing and Bi Yuntian both vied to say.

Many who did not know Lei Ting were stunned.

Jue Wuxing and Bi Yuntian were the two most powerful outer disciples, not only in strength but also in the power of their backing.

The fact that they were fawning over the little girl in front of them was naturally shocking.

Of course, those who knew Lei Ting were not surprised at all. They all wanted to curry favor with her, but with Jue Wuxing and Bi Yuntian present, they did not dare to approach.

Yang Bin and the others were equally shocked. Although they knew Lei Ting was not ordinary, they did not expect her to be so powerful.

"Captain, what is Miss Lei Ting's identity?" Yang Bin whispered.

Tuoba Ye smiled bitterly. "You ask me, but who should I ask? I don't know her identity either. We'll ask her later."

Lei Ting was also in a difficult position. The Ten Absolute Squad and the Six Paths Squad were both very strong, with deep roots in the Pill Cauldron Sect, making them the two strongest factions.

"Let's do this: the competition will last for some time, so we'll take turns visiting your territories." Lei Ting, being very shrewd, quickly came up with a compromise.

Jue Wuxing and Bi Yuntian exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.

They were old rivals, and the Ten Absolute Squad and the Six Paths Squad were the strongest competitors, both vying to be the strongest faction in the Pill Cauldron Sect.

They were well aware that if they could win Lei Ting's favor, the situation would change.

However, since Lei Ting had spoken, they naturally would not offend her.

"Miss Lei Ting, why don't you come to our Six Paths Squad's place today?" Bi Yuntian said.

"Alright!" Lei Ting did not say much more.

Bi Yuntian personally led the way, and Tuoba Ye, Lei Ting, and the others followed closely behind, quickly reaching the area closest to the competition stage.

The competition stage was elevated from the ground, with a total of ten stages, each separated by protective barriers. The stages were also protected by barriers to prevent the aftermath of the matches from harming the audience.

As for the stands, the front row was the lowest and closest to the stage, with the rows behind gradually rising to ensure that all spectators could clearly see the matches.

Of course, the outermost rows were farther away and would not provide as clear a view unless special tools were used.

Tuoba Ye and the others benefited from Lei Ting's presence and reached the front row, where they had the best view.

Their appearance made the members of the Six Paths Squad very unhappy, but they did not dare to say anything, as no one dared to offend Lei Ting.

Lei Ting's initial reason for joining the Divine Demon Squad was known to Bi Yuntian and the others, but they did not know what she truly intended.

Since Lei Ting was helping the Divine Demon Squad, Bi Yuntian and the others naturally had to give her face.

"Miss Lei Ting, the competition is about to start. If you want to place a bet, just let me know," Bi Yuntian said.

"Isn't there someone collecting bets during the matches?" Lei Ting said calmly.

Bi Yuntian was momentarily embarrassed but, with a thick skin, smiled and said, "I almost forgot that. However, their process is slower, and our people can handle it more quickly."

"I understand!" Lei Ting did not want to engage with Bi Yuntian.

Bi Yuntian, being perceptive, did not say more and waited for the competition to start.

As for Tuoba Ye and the others, they did not say anything either, to avoid offending the Six Paths Squad.

The atmosphere was somewhat tense, but fortunately, the competition was about to begin.

"Quiet! The competition is about to start. The rules are simple, and everyone knows them. However, I will emphasize that no injuries or deaths are allowed on the stage. Anyone who intentionally kills will be severely punished." The inner disciple elder, with great authority, continued, "Now, we will start the lottery to determine the opponents. All those who have registered for the competition, please step forward. The lottery will begin."

In the Divine Demon Squad, only Tuoba Ye was participating in the competition, and he was the only one qualified along with Lei Ting.

"Captain, good luck!"

"Captain, I wish you good fortune!" Lei Ting had a playful smile, and it was unclear what she was thinking.

Tuoba Ye did not have the heart to worry about it and walked up to the competition stage to draw his lot.

Being close to the stage, he was one of the first to draw.

On the stage, there were many jade slips with numbers and personal information, which would remind the holder when to go on stage, serving as a simple magical tool.

As soon as Tuoba Ye stepped onto the stage, a jade slip flew into his hand.

He did not look at it, took the jade slip, and turned to leave the stage.

"Captain, what number did you draw?" Yang Bin asked.

"Take a look yourself," Tuoba Ye was indifferent to the number.

"Number twelve! Captain, you drew number twelve!" Yang Bin exclaimed.

"This number is not a ranking, so why are you so excited?" a strong member of the Six Paths Squad said coldly.

Tuoba Ye replied calmly, "If this number were a ranking, I would be dissatisfied."

Yang Bin did not dare to speak, but Tuoba Ye, as the captain of the Divine Demon Squad, had to stand up for himself.

"Captain is going for the championship, what's number twelve?" Yang Bin, seeing that Tuoba Ye had spoken, felt more confident.

"Championship! What a joke, with him, thinking of winning the championship..." The strong members of the Six Paths Squad burst into laughter.

In the Six Paths Squad, there were over a hundred Nine Star Innate Martial Gods, and four or five had a good chance of making it to the top ten. Bi Yuntian was the most popular candidate for the championship.

They had the capital to be proud, and seeing the members of the Divine Demon Squad being so arrogant, they naturally felt disdain.

Bi Yuntian, who already looked down on Tuoba Ye, was even more annoyed by his close relationship with Lei Ting. Seeing his subordinates belittling the Divine Demon Squad, he did not stop them, adopting a look of amusement.

Tuoba Ye did not speak, as he did not want to argue. He knew that everything had to be proven by strength, and wasting words was unnecessary.

As for Lei Ting, who had intended to watch the show, she was a bit disappointed when Tuoba Ye did not respond.

The lottery proceeded quickly, and the thousands of outer disciples participating in the competition soon received their jade slips.

"The lottery is over, and the competition will begin immediately. Pay attention to your jade slips, as they will have prompts. If you do not appear on stage within ten minutes, it will be considered a forfeit. Now, I declare the annual outer disciples' competition officially open. Those who have received prompts, please step onto the stage!"

As the inner disciple elder announced the start of the competition, twenty outer disciples received prompts and entered the competition stages, beginning the elimination matches.

Among the thousands of strong participants, only the top hundred would receive rewards, and selecting the top hundred was not an easy task.

"Today, there are so many strong participants, almost twice as many as in previous years," a veteran outer disciple sighed.

"Yes, getting into the top hundred is going to be even more difficult."

...

Many people began to discuss, and it was not until the twenty strong participants entered the competition stages that the crowd quieted down.

Ten competition stages were in use simultaneously, and at this rate, the first round of elimination matches would not end quickly.

Tuoba Ye scanned the twenty strong participants, who were not weak, with two of them being Nine Star Innate Martial Gods.

"The cultivation sects are truly powerful. Just the outer disciples are enough to sweep through the powerful nations of the mortal world," Tuoba Ye thought to himself.

In a small country like Warring States, Nine Star Innate Martial Gods were few and far between, far from the strength of the powerful members of the Immortal Cloud Valley.

Moreover, these strong members of the Immortal Cloud Valley were not old, with the oldest not exceeding forty years old. Their potential was enormous, far surpassing the strong members of Warring States. Any one of these outer disciples would be a world-class genius in the mortal world.

The cultivation sects had a rule that if one did not become a Qi Cultivation Realm expert by the age of forty, they would be expelled from the sect, not even remaining as an outer disciple.

Tuoba Ye was still interested in the martial arts of the Divine Martial Continent, although they could not compare to the martial arts of the Galactic World, there were still things worth learning.

Moreover, Tuoba Ye could not always use the martial arts he brought from the Galactic World, as that would easily draw attention.

If he could learn some of the martial arts of the Divine Martial Continent, he could hide some of his strength and avoid frequently using top-tier martial arts like the Tyrant God Fist.