Chapter 214: Betting all one’s wealth
The rookie Earth ranking competition was the first battle for this batch of rookies in the Tai Ah Divine City.
People treated this, as it was their first public display in the Tai Ah Divine City, very seriously. All of them wanted to stand out!
All these proud children of Heaven came from all over the Kingdom. Many of them were arrogant; although many faced setbacks when they first entered the Tai Ah Divine City, they quickly regained their confidence.
Especially in the past few months of training, these rookies had all improved, and they wanted to showcase their abilities!
At this time, the rookie registration had begun. This batch of rookies were declaring who they wanted to compete with in their first battle. After they succeeded, they would receive a corresponding nameplate token.
When Yi Yun’s nameplate appeared, many people were trying to grab it.
But at this time, the advantage of a society could be seen. As the biggest society amongst the rookies, the Hongdao Association easily received Yi Yun’s nameplate.
“Who’s sick of living? To dare snatch it away from me!”
The Four Bully Lords’ tall guy stepped on a stool with one foot and, with a shiny dagger in hand, faced the crowd.
“Pa!”
A nameplate fell into the tall guy’s hand. This was Yi Yun’s challenge nameplate.
It was not easy for others to compete for it when in front of a society.
“You bunch of people, don’t gather here to waste your opportunity. Do you know how much that kid Yi Yun is worth? How many of you can take out 500 dragon scale runes? You dare to bet with that amount?” A Chief of the Hongdao Association said loudly. To the rookies, 500 dragon scale runes was a huge sum.
Indeed, many of them could not afford it.
But for Yi Yun, with his wealth amounting to tens of thousands dragon scale runes, a few hundred dragon scale runes was nothing to him.
As people were in a heated verbal exchange, someone suddenly said, “Hey, isn’t that kid Yi Yun…?”
These words immediately attracted the attention of many. Everyone looked over and saw that at the entrance to the hall, a youth in linen clothes was leaning on a wooden railing, looking at the ongoings with interest.
This youth had bright eyes and distinct facial features. His face had a tinge of childishness. Who else was it but Yi Yun!
“It’s really that kid!”
The people from the Hongdao Association naturally recognized Yi Yun.
“The rookie competition is beginning soon and we are all waiting for this kid! Looking at him, he doesn’t seem worried at all.”
Many began discussing. Yi Yun stood upright and greeted the Hongdao Association’s people with a smile.
Seeing this scene, many turned speechless. Did Yi Yun not know the vendetta the Hongdao Association had with him? Seeing how he even greeted them, they wondered if this kid knew what the Hongdao Association was going to do? It was as if all that was happening in front of him had nothing to do with him.
“Everyone, have you amassed your betting amounts?”
Yi Yun looked towards the Hongdao Association’s Four Bully Lords and the Chiefs, and asked, “Betting amounts? Hehe!” Someone laughed saying, “Of course we have prepared the betting amounts. For you, we have amassed a large amount of dragon scale runes to gamble with in the fights with you. It’s at least 800 dragon scale runes a round. This amount might stun others, making us feel bad announcing it.”
When the person from the Hongdao Association said this, many people gasped. 800 dragon scale runes a match! Many rookies had to work hard to earn 800 dragon scale runes for more than a month. But now, that amount would be over in one match!
They realized that many amongst them did not have the right to fight with Yi Yun as they could not afford it.
Besides, Yi Yun was not a pushover. Many of them had gathered here, but in reality, they did not have much confidence in facing Yi Yun. Betting 800 was too much.
When faced with the number 800, Yi Yun clearly lacked interest. He shook his head saying, “800 dragon scale runes a match? To think you have the nerve to say that. You guys are so poor. I even saw quite a number of you going to the bank to pawn items, but why do you only have these small amounts of dragon scale runes?”
Yi Yun said sarcastically. Zhou Kui and Song Zijun who were behind him became dumbfounded upon hearing this. They only accompanied Yi Yun to watch. They thought Yi Yun was simply here to check out the competition, so that he wouldn’t lose too badly when he really fought in the arena.
But they never expected that Yi Yun would immediately slap the Hongdao Association in the face. Not only did he ridicule them as being poor, he even mentioned that these young masters had gone to the bank to pawn items!
To these “respected” young masters from family clans, pawning items was definitely not something to be proud of. The shamefulness was just slightly better than borrowing from an usury.
Did Yi Yun feel like he wasn’t hated enough? He was practically asking to be hit.
As expected, the members of the Hongdao Association became enraged. If it was not for this being in public, they would have immediately attacked.
“Kid, don’t boast so much. Did you not go to the bank to borrow from the usury!?”
Yi Yun said nonchalantly, “That’s right. I just borrowed a tiny bit. It was just a small amount of 5000. I thought I would not have enough dragon scale runes, but now I realized that I was over worried. I have about 40,000 dragon scale runes, but you guys are betting 800 a match. When can you exhaust it all?”
“At my level, it’s pretty easy to earn dragon scale runes. It’s just a number after all.” Yi Yun said it lightly. Over the past few days, he had accumulated more than 40,000 dragon scale runes from picking herbs. But by saying it this way, even Song Zijun and Zhou Kui, let alone the Hongdao Association members felt that Yi Yun was asking to be beaten.
He was practically trying to stir their hate for him. He was just short of saying, “Come beat me up.”
Many of the Hongdao Association members were hot-blooded youths. It was easy for them to get upset, but now, with Yi Yun’s instigation, many wished that they could fight it out with Yi Yun right there and then!
The eldest among the Four Bully Lords reached out and took out his interspatial ring. He placed it on the table and bit his teeth, “I’ll bet a thousand dragon scale runes and this ring!”
“Interspatial ring!”
Someone blurted out but quickly corrected himself, “It’s the Gongsun family’s manufactured Earth-ranked interspatial ring. It’s not easy to purchase it!”
Many watched this with horror. An interspatial equipment was originally expensive, but it being produced the Gongsun family made its price even higher.
An interspatial ring was a luxurious item. But to many warriors, especially those who went out to hunt desolate beasts, this was a very valuable piece of equipment. It could store various battle necessities like weapons, arrows, supplements, protective charms, etc.
Expensive desolate beast material could also be stored within the interspatial ring.
In the Tai Ah Divine City’s Ten Thousand Pagoda, there were interspatial rings for sale. But even the interspatial ring with the smallest space was worth more than 2000 dragon scale runes. A better one would cost tens of thousands of dragon scale runes. There were those that cost more than 100,000 dragon scale runes.
But typical Tai Ah Divine City cultivators would seldom buy an interspatial ring from the Ten Thousand Pagoda as there were many uses for dragon scale runes. It was too wasteful to use it to buy a ring. Most of their interspatial rings were brought from their own families.
Those families who could equip their young with interspatial rings were powerful families. A large number of cultivators who came to the Tai Ah Divine City did not have interspatial rings. What’s more, the one taken out by the Four Bully Lords was a high quality interspatial ring.
Yi Yun scanned the ring and was satisfied.
These Four Bully Lords sure were nice. He was just lacking an interspatial ring, and they sent one over to him.
When Yi Yun previously said that dragon scale runes was just a number to him, he was deliberately exaggerating to anger the Hongdao Association. There was no worry over having too many dragon scale runes, no matter how many one had.
The Tai Ah Divine City had plenty of resources that needed a massive amount of dragon scale runes to purchase.
Just Yi Yun’s saber skills were crude and needed to be improved urgently.
If Yi Yun planned to train in the Desolate Heaven technique, those dragon scale runes would be spent just like flowing water.
Yi Yun’s 40,000 dragon scale runes were really nothing if he wanted to spend them.
“Any other larger bets?” Yi Yun was secretly satisfied with the Earth ranked interspatial ring, but he faked an expression as if the ring barely made his minimum requirements. This undoubtedly offended many again.
The Four Bully Lords always stood together. They quickly took off their interspatial rings and placed the rings on the table one by one.
This bet included 4 rings!
4 rings could be all worn together. As a result, the space would be greater. If not, Yi Yun could always exchange all of them for a better interspatial ring. This bet was pretty tempting!
Under Yi Yun’s provocation, the Hongdao Association members began to increase the stakes. As a result, this round of rookie competitions became more heated! This competition was destined to make great waves amongst the rookie circles!
…
Time passed, and the rookie ranking competition had finally begun!
To the rookies, this was a critical battle. This battle could largely decide a rookie’s future success in the Tai Ah Divine City!
Those who rose up high on the Earth rankings would often stay high. In the coming years, whether it was the Heaven or Earth ranking, they would often rank at the top, becoming a prominent person. Hence, every time there was a rookie ranking competition, large factions would pay attention to it. There was no exception this time.
The Tai Ah Divine City seldom allowed unauthorized people to enter. But some of the administrators in the Divine City had ties with the various large factions. In fact, some of them came from those large factions, so much of the news happening within the Tai Ah Divine City would be known first hand by the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom’s factions.
The various factions’ main focus was naturally Chu Xiaoran and Qiuniu.
These two people were the daughter of a Defending Duke and the top son of a reclusive family clan. It was even possible for them to enter the top 1000 of the Heaven or Earth rolls within one year!
This was an impressive achievement. Besides the two, Yi Yun was also paid attention by a number of factions out of convenience. The main reason was because Yi Yun had earned a large sum of dragon scale runes from picking herbs, that resulted in him being challenged by a large group of people.
This was an interesting matter in the holding of the rookie ranking competition. Of course, it was just an interesting matter. A youth with special talent at picking herbs was a talent, but it did not mean he was worth the effort to be recruited and nurtured by these large factions.