Immortal Sword Master

Chapter 78: Chapter 78: Hundredfold Odds, the Gathering Opens

As the fifteenth of January approached, the atmosphere throughout Luoyang City grew increasingly fervent.

The Annual Gathering—this was Luoyang City’s grandest yearly event.

Every year, the Annual Gathering would attract the entire younger generation of Luoyang City. Even the older generation and the various major powers would turn their attention to it.

Countless young people hoped to make a name for themselves in a single battle at the Annual Gathering and capture the public’s eye.

And every year, ten individuals would stand at the pinnacle of the younger generation, basking in limitless glory and commanding the attention of all.

These ten were known as the Ten Heroes.

The title of Ten Heroes drove the entire younger generation of Luoyang City into a frenzy, with countless people hoping to become one of them.

It was this very desire that caused incredibly fierce battles to erupt at the Annual Gathering each year.

Amidst this increasingly fervent atmosphere, a gambling house named Yanyue on Changle Street reopened its doors.

The Yanyue Gambling House opened only once a year, and only for the Annual Gathering.

The bets inside the gambling house were simple. One was to bet on the candidates for the Ten Heroes.

The house would list several popular candidates who had the potential to become one of the Ten Heroes.

For instance, popular figures like Zhang Yao and Gao Jin were on the list. If one placed a bet on them and won, they would receive a corresponding amount of Primordial Stones based on the payout odds.

For Gao Jin, the gambling house offered a payout of three to one. If you bet ten thousand Primordial Stones on him and he became one of the Ten Heroes, you would receive thirty thousand Primordial Stones.

Additionally, one could bet on the rankings of the Ten Heroes: who would take first place, who would come in second or third. The odds for each were different.

But in the betting for the Ten Heroes’ rankings, the house listed one candidate that stunned the countless gamblers who had come.

The house was the banker, staking on Ning Jiang for first place with a payout of one hundred to one!

”Has the Yanyue Gambling House gone mad?”

People were shocked. This meant the Yanyue Gambling House was incredibly confident in Ning Jiang, believing he was certain to take first place, to offer such outrageous odds.

Otherwise, for a casual bet of just ten thousand Primordial Stones, as long as Ning Jiang didn’t take first, the Yanyue Gambling House would have to pay out a million Primordial Stones.

These odds were unprecedented, and they caused a sensation throughout all of Luoyang.

”I heard that woman is behind the Yanyue Gambling House. With her intelligence, how could she do something so inconceivable?”

”Heh, White-haired Ghost Ning Jiang... perhaps he should be called the White Head Sword Sect now. His Sword Technique might be powerful, but he’s only in the Postnatal Realm. With that level of Cultivation, it’s completely impossible for him to take first place.”

”That’s right. The gap between the Postnatal Realm and the Innate Realm is enormous. His chances of taking first are less than one in ten thousand.”

”I think the Yanyue Gambling House is just giving away free money. I’m not going to miss a golden opportunity like a hundred-to-one payout.”

Instantly, countless Martial Artists flocked to place their bets, all of them wagering that Ning Jiang would not take first place.

Even many who had no interest in gambling couldn’t resist and came in droves.

Some people even borrowed Primordial Stones from all over just to place a bet. A simple two-fold return was enough to make many take a risk, let alone a return of a hundred-fold!

Such odds were already driving people into a frenzy.

In a short period, the total wagers placed had already exceeded several million Primordial Stones.

”Several million Primordial Stones... With a hundred-fold payout, the Yanyue Gambling House would go bankrupt and still not be able to cover it, right?”

”Heh, it doesn’t matter if they can’t pay. They can just have that woman repay it with her body. I’d die happy if I could have a night of passion with her.”

Just as the Yanyue Gambling House’s hundred-to-one odds were rocking Luoyang, another piece of sensational news broke out the very next day.

A power named ”Kunlun” had also offered a hundred-to-one payout, backing Ning Jiang for first place.

”What kind of power is Kunlun? Why have I never heard of them? What gives them the right to act as the house for a bet?”

”That just shows how uninformed you are. I heard this Kunlun is a brand-new power formed by the union of eight Alchemy Masters.”

”What? Eight Alchemy Masters joining forces? How is that possible?”

”Hehe, no one knows the inside story yet. But to be able to unite eight Alchemy Masters... I wonder what kind of peerless figure is behind all this?”

”The balance of power in Luoyang City is about to shift. The moment Kunlun was established, it instantly became a Top Level power in the city. I wonder what changes it will bring in the future?”

Kunlun, formed by eight Alchemy Masters, was a behemoth. When it surfaced, it was like a massive bomb detonating in Luoyang, instantly causing a tremendous uproar.

Countless Martial Artists speculated about who the master behind Kunlun could be. Who possessed such Heaven-Reaching means?

And the reputation of the eight Alchemy Masters immediately drew countless people to place their bets.

If an ordinary person had been the house, the Martial Artists would have worried about them skipping town. But the reputation of eight Alchemy Masters was a golden guarantee of credibility.

”Both the Yanyue Gambling House and this suddenly appeared Kunlun are offering hundred-to-one odds. Why do I feel like something is off here?”

”If you’re worried, just bet a little less. Even if you only bet a thousand Primordial Stones, you’ll win a hundred thousand if you’re right. For Innate Realm Martial Artists like us, a thousand Primordial Stones is nothing anyway.”

The hundred-to-one odds pushed the atmosphere for the yet-to-begin Annual Gathering to its absolute peak.

One could say that more people were paying attention to the Annual Gathering this time than ever before, and the number of bettors had also reached an unprecedented high.

Slowly, the time came to the fourteenth of January.

「That night.」

「The Zhou Family Estate.」

A young man emerged from a room of secluded cultivation. He wore a green robe, with a tall and slender figure and a face as handsome as jade. His aura surged around him, powerful and oppressive.

”Congratulations, Young Master, on your breakthrough before the gathering.” A group of people who had been waiting for him offered their congratulations.

”In this gathering, a spot in the top three is guaranteed to be mine.” A confident smile appeared on the young man’s face.

This person was none other than one of the Ten Heroes, Zhou Wenhao!

”Young Master, there is a matter I must report to you. It’s about that Ning Jiang, the one you have a life-and-death duel with,” a respectful elder stepped forward and said.

”Him? Just a petty clown.” A disdainful look crossed Zhou Wenhao’s face. ”Honestly, killing him at the Annual Gathering would be an embarrassment for me. What’s there to report?”

”Young Master has been in seclusion for too long and is unaware.” The elder gave a bitter smile, then said, ”This Ning Jiang is now the Young Sword Sect...”

As the elder slowly recounted the recent events, the disdain on Zhou Wenhao’s face was gradually replaced by shock.

’A sixteen-year-old Young Sword Sect?’

He simply couldn’t believe it.

He even felt a sense of fear rising from the depths of his heart.

”What’s his Cultivation level now?”

Zhou Wenhao’s face was ashen as he asked. He didn’t even notice that his own voice was trembling slightly.

”Postnatal Middle Stage.”

”Postnatal Middle Stage?” Hearing this, Zhou Wenhao’s tightly clenched fist slowly relaxed, and a sharp light glinted in his eyes. ”A Cultivation at that level is nothing to be afraid of. Even if he’s a Sword Sect, I can still crush him with my own Cultivation. Hahahaha! A Young Sword Sect... that just makes killing him more interesting.”

”On January fifteenth, I will use the blood of a Sword Sect to proclaim my might!”

...

Amidst the tension and anticipation of the entire younger generation of Luoyang City, January fifteenth finally... arrived!

The sky was not yet bright; the sun in the east was still far from rising.

「Star Moon Lake.」

A sea of people!

This was one of Luoyang City’s famous scenic spots.

The emerald lake was exceptionally clear, its surface as smooth as a mirror. Through the water, one could distinctly see fish swimming freely. Looking deeper, one could even see the aquatic plants and strangely shaped stones at the bottom of the lake.

Along the shore of the lake were green mountains, arranged in a crescent shape that enveloped the water.

Before sunrise, a thin mist drifted over the lake’s surface. With its green mountains and emerald waters, the scenery was breathtakingly beautiful. To come here was like stepping into a painting.

Countless Martial Artists stood on the lakeshore, and even the nearby green mountains were covered with numerous figures.

The Annual Gathering hadn’t even started, yet it had already drawn a massive crowd.

One could only imagine what a grand spectacle it would be once night fell and the gathering truly began.

Most of the people here now had arrived early to secure a good spot, the majority of them from the younger generation.

This was an event for the younger generation, but for over ninety percent of the youths present, their strength dictated that they were not destined to be the main characters of tonight’s gathering.

The only thing they could do was watch the entire event from start to finish, silently motivating themselves in their hearts and hoping that next year, they might be qualified to take the stage and fight.

Slowly, the dawn broke in the east.

Sunlight spilled down, and the thin mist over the lake gradually dispersed. The clear water reflected the blue sky and white clouds, and the sunlight scattering across its surface was like a layer of glistening, crushed silver.

But no one was admiring this beautiful scenery.

Countless gazes lifted from time to time, looking at the sun above the Nine Heavens, wishing for it to set quickly.

The people were so restless.

In this atmosphere of restless anticipation, the sun moved from east to west, sinking little by little, until—

It disappeared completely!

Night had finally fallen.

The stars in the sky grew brilliant, and a bright moon, like a silver disc, hung high in the night sky.

The clear lake reflected the vast starry sky. At a glance, the stars and moon seemed to be within arm’s reach, as if they could be scooped right out of the water.

This was how Star Moon Lake had gotten its name.

”They’re here!”

At last, a single voice ignited the crowd’s atmosphere. All the restless feelings turned into exhilaration. The place erupted like a volcano, a deafening roar soaring into the sky.

Ten figures appeared in everyone’s line of sight.

They walked together, faintly exuding an aura of command that could stir the wind and clouds, fascinating the countless onlookers.

These were the Luoyang Ten Heroes!

They used their Lightweight Skill to land on a high platform that had been erected on the lakeshore. There, ten chairs awaited them.

As they took their seats, the atmosphere of the place completely exploded.

The Annual Gathering had officially begun!

「Meanwhile.」

Far away, seventy li from Luoyang City, beneath a cave residence within the Demon Fog.

Suddenly, a pair of eyes that had been closed for five long days snapped open. A flash like lightning shot through the room, illuminating it entirely.

Following that, a voice that looked down on all creation slowly rang out.

”After today, the younger generation of Luoyang shall revere me as supreme!”