Chapter 56

Tang Yan's smile deepened at the corner of his mouth. This was exactly the kind of psychological suggestion he needed, which could effectively weaken the opponent's momentum and gain a slight advantage: "If I really can't hold on, I'll call it off. I hope Senior Dong will show mercy."

"Alright." Dong Leiming's expression was cold.

"By the way, I have another suggestion. Since the Third Prince has come to our Giant Elephant City and there are so many old friends here, why don't we add a little stake? It could be a way to welcome the Third Prince and liven up the atmosphere."

"What kind of stake?"

"A stake between us, and the friends here can also place bets. A little bet can be fun."

"This idea is not bad. Whether to bet money or items, everyone can decide for themselves." The Third Prince found this young man interesting and subtly encouraged the situation.

Tang Yan stood up and stretched his body: "If you can make me surrender within ten minutes, you can ask for anything from me, even the family's Flame Technique!"

"Tang Yan! Nonsense!" Tang Qian's face changed. The Flame Technique was the Jia Family's signature martial art and couldn't be used as a bet so easily.

"Big brother, don't worry. Big stakes bring big surprises. If I can bully Li Shoujian, I can certainly hold on for ten minutes against Senior Dong, right?"

Li Shoujian's face turned ashen with anger, suddenly feeling that coming here today was a mistake!

Tang Yan continued: "If I can really hold on for ten minutes, I can ask for anything from Senior Dong, even the Golden Elephant Technique!"

"You want the Golden Elephant Technique?" Dong Leiming's brows furrowed.

"What? Afraid? I'm willing to bet the Flame Technique, are you afraid to bet the Golden Elephant Technique?" Tang Yan smiled at Dong Leiming, deliberately pointing to the crowd and the prince, implying that so many people were watching, so dare or not?

"One-on-one?" Dong Leiming was always a battle enthusiast, but that didn't mean he was foolish.

"Of course! No special weapons or armor, just you and me. The scene can be chosen, supervised by the Third Prince, and witnessed by everyone here, fair and square."

"I accept!! Ten minutes!!"

"Where? The college's arena?"

"No need, right here in the Quanjude first-floor hall."

"Alright, please!" Tang Yan extended his hand in invitation and smiled at Yang Ruyan: "Let's make a bet. If I can hold on, we'll go to the Drunken Village Tower to celebrate."

Drunken Village Tower? A brothel? How daring! Many young ladies from noble families began to admire Tang Yan, this guy was not just bold.

A spacious area was quickly cleared on the first floor, surrounded by the prince's guard to prevent onlookers from accidentally entering.

Tang Yan handed the puppy to Du Yang and took the ancient war saber. The sound of a heavy strike echoed, the stone floor cracked, and the war saber was deeply embedded, drawing surprised glances.

"Senior Dong, ten minutes. You must control yourself, don't get carried away and forget the time, or you might kill me." Tang Yan's smile was clear, despite his bad reputation, he was still a rather handsome young man.

"Three minutes is enough." Dong Leiming suddenly felt a bit awkward. He, the pride of the young generation of Giant Elephant City, was actually going to duel with a dissolute young master, which was not a very glorious thing.

He had to end it quickly and decisively, forcing him to kneel and beg for mercy.

"I will be the witness, you can start with peace of mind." The Third Prince sat at the head of the table and smiled: "Everyone, a small bet? I'll put in a thousand gold coins, five hundred on Tang Yan, and five hundred on Dong Leiming, as the base bet."

"Since the Third Prince is so generous, I'll put in three hundred, betting on Tang Yan to lose!" Li Shoujian grunted.

"I'll put in a hundred, betting on Senior Dong to win." Yang Ruyan then expressed her stance. Although she was a Yang family lady, she hadn't saved much money over the years, and a hundred gold coins were all her savings.

"I'll put in fifty, betting on Tang Yan to lose."

"I'll put in eighty, betting on Senior Dong to win."

"I'll put in twenty, betting on Tang Yan to fall in five minutes."

...

With the Third Prince leading the way, everyone placed their bets. For this seemingly one-sided battle, they didn't hesitate to put up most of their savings, ranging from a dozen gold coins to several hundred.

Tang Qian was very reluctant but had to put up fifty gold coins on Tang Yan to win, using the gold to buy the family's face.

"Du Yang, how many gold coins do we have left?" Tang Yan asked Du Yang.

"Seventy-six."

"Put it all on me to win."

"I'll put in thirty gold coins, betting on myself to win." Dong Leiming didn't have much money and had never gambled before, but since everyone else had placed bets, he had to do the same to ensure his own safety.

"Are you both ready?" The Third Prince smiled, looking at the two with great interest.

"Please!" Tang Yan adjusted his state, his expression returning to seriousness. The psychological groundwork was done, and now he had to give it his all. Dong Leiming was not like Li Shoujian; he was a true battle maniac, and there was a level difference between them.

This would be a tough battle.

"You go first, I'll let you have three moves!!" Dong Leiming felt more and more awkward, so he decided to be generous!

"No need to be polite!! First move!!" Tang Yan gripped the ancient war saber, a deep growl escaping his lips, veins bulging on his arms as he swung the heavy saber and charged forward.

Dong Leiming's eyes were sharp, his right fist slowly clenching, a faint golden glow surrounding it.

"Ha!" Tang Yan rushed forward, his body suddenly flipping, both hands gripping the saber, and he delivered a powerful slash.

"Too slow." Dong Leiming sidestepped to avoid it.

"Second move!" Tang Yan charged diagonally, delivering another wild slash.

"Still not good enough." Dong Leiming retreated again, narrowly avoiding the blade.

The crowd's lips curled into cold smiles. The saber was too heavy and not suitable for Tang Yan to use.

"Third move!!" Tang Yan landed and charged forward again, his feet moving rapidly, his body swinging the heavy saber with great force, but such a move did not pose much of a threat to Dong Leiming, nor did it impress the third-stage martial spirits like Tang Qian.

"Three moves over, my turn!" Dong Leiming dodged, his hands glowing with golden light, ready to attack. However...

"What?!"

"How is this possible?!"

In that instant, the hall was filled with exclamations of surprise. Because... at the end of the third move, Tang Yan suddenly appeared five steps away, leaving three afterimages in his wake.

Swift! Agile! Completely different from the wild and clumsy moves earlier!

The sudden change caught everyone off guard.

"Flame Technique, Double Strike!!" Tang Yan's eyes flashed with determination, his spiritual energy surging, and he delivered two powerful slashes. Due to the weight of the saber, he couldn't complete the two strikes within two seconds, so the double strike didn't succeed.

However, the weight of the saber increased the impact force.

The ancient war saber struck Dong Leiming's back shoulder, blood splattering, green fire adhering, causing intense pain. Dong Leiming let out a scream, almost falling to the ground.

"Senior Dong, let's start for real!!" Tang Yan discarded the ancient war saber, closing in on Dong Leiming, using his waist strength and nimble steps to deliver a barrage of Eight Extremes Fist, not giving Dong Leiming a chance to recover.

"That's... Shadow Step?" Yang Xingwei stared at the scene, the image of the afterimages and the leap lingering in his mind. Wasn't this the Shadow Step technique from the first volume of the 'Phantom Spirit True Art'? Was he mistaken, or... no, that was Shadow Step, and as the Jia Family's eldest son, he was very familiar with it!

Yang Ruyan was also dazed, suddenly remembering that when she was molested by Tang Yan in the Enchanted Forest, her bag seemed to have been taken, which contained the wooden plaque with the Shadow Step technique! She had planned to re-study it after the baptism, but it ended up in Tang Yan's hands.

She never expected that Tang Yan would master it and use it so boldly in front of so many people!

"Tang Yan knows Shadow Step? Your two families..." Many young nobles looked at Yang Ruyan with strange expressions. Everyone in Giant Elephant City knew that the Shadow Step technique was the Yang Family's signature martial art, never shared outside, especially not with competitors, unless the two families intended to form an alliance!

Even the Third Prince glanced at the Yang family, Tang Yan's performance leaving no room for outsiders to 'speculate'.

"Golden Elephant Technique, First Form, Golden Burst Fist!!" Dong Leiming roared, his black hair standing on end like a hedgehog, his eyes sharp as swords. A massive golden fist, filled with explosive power, charged at Tang Yan.

"Tang Yan, dodge!!" Ailinda cried out in alarm, this punch was undoubtedly a full-force attack from Dong Leiming.

"Seal Technique, Tiger Seal!!" Tang Yan's expression was solemn, advancing instead of retreating, a clear tiger shadow charging at the Golden Burst Fist.

Boom! Golden light surged and swirled, the entire Quanjude shook, the shockwave forcing the guards back several steps, and many wooden chairs and tables shattered.

Everyone was stunned, watching the scene in disbelief.

Li Shoujian's eyes burned with intensity. It was this technique, the same technique that turned the tide that night.

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