Chapter Sixteen: The Gambling Match

  "Huh?"

  Wang Gan felt a thread of anger in his heart. According to his temperament, before he became powerful, the secrets on him must not be exposed. Even during this period when he came to Qingyun Mountain, he was extremely low-key. Apart from doing tasks for the sect, he also went out to travel for a while. The rest were spent alone, silently and bitterly cultivating. If it weren't for that Wei Ran having some connection with him, he wouldn't have paid attention at all, and would have directly chased everyone outside the door away.

  Now Zhang Hu, because of his conflict with Wei Ran, actually broke in without his permission, and was arrogant to the extreme.

  "You entered our yard without our master's permission, Zhang Hu, you're too arrogant!"

  Wang Qian looked at Zhang Hu and his group with a calm gaze, as if narrating the most ordinary thing, without any anger.

  A flash of cold light flickered across the bottom of his eyes, but few people saw it.

  "Kid, this is between me and Wei Ran. Get out of here before I make you a useless person!"

  Zhang Hu's face turned gloomy, he let out a loud roar, and strode out with large steps, like a ferocious dragon, his entire body emitting a frenzied aura.

  Wei Ran's face also looked a bit unsightly, filled with apology as he gazed at Wang Qian.

  "Wang Qian, I'm really sorry about this. I have a conflict with Zhang Hu. During the last sect mission, we had a dispute over a Snow Spirit Grass and in the end, I got it. Recently, he's been relentless. How about I settle this score with him at the Fighting Arena first, then come find you?"

  Wang Gan was nonchalant, but he had heard of the Snow Spirit Grass before. For cultivators in the Innate Realm, it didn't have much effect, but for those in the Acquired Realm, consuming it could directly raise their cultivation by a small realm, showing just how precious it was to outer sect disciples.

  "Don't bother, you're no match for him!"

  He slightly shook his head. With Wang Qian's soul realm, he could see at a glance that although Wei Ran had made progress in her cultivation recently, she still had a huge gap compared to Zhang Hu. Zhang Hu's cultivation had already reached the Later Heaven Great Perfection realm, only one step away from breaking through to the Pre-Heaven realm, as long as he gained a hint of understanding of the Heavenly Dao.

  "Zhang Hu, I don't care about your grudges with Wei Ran, but you can't just be so arrogant here today and get away with it. How about this? You've been wanting to go to the Douzhan Platform, haven't you? I'll grant your wish, let's go!"

  Wang Gan had a really bad feeling about Zhang Hu, and this guy was arrogant. He disliked arrogant people the most, especially those who were arrogant without any real ability, which made them mentally abnormal!

  So he didn't bother talking nonsense with him and directly wanted to force him onto the fighting stage.

  Zhang Hu was stunned, and the group of people who followed him were also stunned. They looked at Wang Qian's eyes, full of ridicule, as if they were looking at a fool.

  Wei Ran secretly rejoiced in his heart, knowing he was no match for Zhang Hu. He had come to Wang Qian's place this time also because of a certain relationship with Zhang Hu, but he hadn't expected that Zhang Hu would be so arrogant even in front of Wang Qian. Others might not know how terrifying Wang Qian was, but how could he not understand? Thinking back to the scene when the Yu Jian Sect people were like ants in front of Wang Qian, instantly blown up into a pile of flesh and blood, his heart felt a chill.

  "Haha, did I hear that right? You, a nobody, want to get on the fighting stage with me? But what are you, anyway? Do you think just because you say so, I'll go up there? Where would my face be then?"

  Zhang Hu looked at Wang Qian with a disdainful expression, basically not putting him in his eyes.

  Wang Qian's eyes turned cold, and a faint blue aura flashed across his seemingly slender body.

  "Get out!"

  With a single word, Wang Gan disregarded everything and strode forward, without even giving Zhang Hu a glance, and slapped out with his palm.

  A burst of crackling sounds, followed by a figure shooting up into the air, clearing the not-so-high wall and landing heavily among a group of Outer Sect disciples who were watching.

  Wang Qian didn't make a move, but once he did, it was earth-shattering. With one slap of his palm, Zhang Hu, despite being a master of the Later Heaven's Great Perfection, couldn't compare to Wang Qian's Nine Turns Body Tempering Technique's ferocious and massive power. There was no need for any fancy moves; with just one move, he could take down ten people. In the blink of an eye, Zhang Hu was beaten until his chest bone was shattered, and he spat out blood nonstop.

  The scene was in an uproar, and everyone was shocked by Wang Qian's ferocity. With a flick of his wrist, Zhang Hu, who had always been arrogant and domineering among the outer sect disciples, was slammed to the ground like a dead dog, his face pale, his breathing weak, and blood spewing from his mouth in great gulps. His body was soft and limp, as if he had no bones.

  In an instant, Wang Qiang struck with great force, and Zhang Hu was left with an unknown number of broken bones.

  Although Wei Ran knew about Wang Qian's cruelty, he was also frightened this time, let alone the other outer sect disciples who didn't know much about Wang Qian. They all looked at him with a mixture of fear and mockery in their eyes, and some even showed a hint of pity and compassion.

  Everyone has their own way of doing things, and Wang Gan sees it all, but he is a master of his craft and has no worries at all.

  "You, you're too arrogant! Do you know that Zhang Hu's older brother is an inner sect disciple and a powerful innate realm cultivator? You've injured Zhang Hu now, it's simply courting death!"

  "Hum, this man is ignorant, let's go, hurry up and report to Elder Zhang Long!"

  In the blink of an eye, Wang Qian's courtyard was completely cleaned up, and Zhang Hu, who was seriously injured, was also carried away, leaving only Wei Ran still standing beside Wang Qian.

  "Alas, Wang Qian, this is troublesome. Although this Zhang Hu is nothing to worry about, his older brother Zhang Long is a genius in cultivation and has already reached the mid-stage of Xiantian. Among the inner sect disciples, he is also extremely powerful. If he were to investigate this matter, it would be difficult to explain!"

  Wei Ran's face was gloomy and sorrowful, and when mentioning Zhang Long, a hint of fear flashed across his face.

  "Alright, Wei Shidi, I'll take care of these matters, don't worry about it. So, what brings you here this time?"

  Wang Qian waved his hand casually and changed the subject.

  Wei Ran saw this and had no other choice, but secretly decided in her heart that when the time came, even if there were any consequences, she would also bear them together with Wang Qian. She thought that Zhang Hu wouldn't dare to be too excessive either.

  Two people sat down at the stone table in Wang Qian's small courtyard, a pot of clear tea, wafting fragrance, with a unique and elegant atmosphere, ethereal and comfortable.

  Wang Gan also understood the purpose of Wei Ran's visit this time, and it wasn't anything important. It was just that last time Wang Gan had saved their lives, and for some time now, he had been wanting to find Wang Gan to thank him in person. Unfortunately, Wang Gan had long since gone out traveling and had only just returned recently. As soon as Wei Ran received the news, he rushed over, but unexpectedly ran into Zhang Hu's trouble.

  "Haha, Wei Shidi, you don't have to keep dwelling on what happened last time. After all, we share a bond as fellow disciples. Since I've encountered you, how could I not lend a hand? I see that your cultivation has made some breakthroughs recently, probably thanks to the Snow Spirit Grass?"

  Although Wang Gan said so with his mouth, but in his heart, his impression of Wei Ran became more friendly. This person knows how to be grateful and is not a ruthless person, can be considered as someone worth befriending.

  "Senior brother is absolutely right, this Snow Spirit Grass may not have any effect on those innate realm inner disciples, but for us outer disciples, it's a treasure of the highest order. Otherwise, Zhang Hu wouldn't be so jealous of me."

  Wei Ran sighed and spoke with a tone of regret, his words full of sighs and lamentations about the difficulties of cultivating the Tao.

  Two people sipped tea and chatted, the atmosphere was calm and leisurely. As the sky grew darker, Wei Ran had already left, leaving only Wang Qian sitting alone.

  ……

  Time flies, and another year has passed. Although Wang Qian still hasn't broken through the second turn of the Nine Turns Body Tempering Technique, his cultivation has become even more refined. He clearly feels the benefits of Easy Marrow Changing Blood, his wild strength growing stronger, to the point where he can't even calculate it himself. It feels like he could shatter a mountain in front of him with a single blow.

  However, Wang Qian was very clear that these were just illusions. He didn't have the kind of divine power to move mountains and fill seas yet. It's just that as he practiced Yi Mai Huan Xue, his body was gradually returning to its prenatal state, with strong bones and fresh blood. This was a manifestation of his physical cultivation reaching a certain level.

  On this day, Wang Gan had just finished his morning exercises and was feeling refreshed and invigorated. He was about to brew himself a cup of fragrant tea and indulge in some leisurely relaxation when the large gate of the courtyard suddenly burst open.

  A tall and majestic young man, dressed in green clothes, walked with a dragon's stride and a tiger's pace, striding across the threshold.

  At the same time, Wang Gan felt a strong murderous aura rushing towards him.

  Upon closer inspection, he discovered that this young man bore a striking resemblance to the tiger, with about 80% similarity in appearance.

  "Are you Zhang Long? What's up? Come to avenge that useless brother of yours? I've been waiting for this day for a long time, didn't expect your speed to be so slow!"

  Wang Qian's tone was calm and composed, his eyebrows raised slightly, his eyes shining brightly as he stared straight at Zhang Hu's face.

  "Hmph, Wang Qian, you're indeed arrogant. I, Zhang Long, will ruin your cultivation today and drive you out of Qingyun Mountain!"

  Zhang Hu's face was gloomy, with a burning rage in his heart. It wasn't that he was slow, but rather because he had been staying in his mundane family for some time. Who would have known that as soon as he came back, he heard about the miserable affair of his younger brother? How could he not be furious? He immediately went to find him.

  "Hmph, quite a big tone you have! I, Wang Qian, may only be an outer sect disciple, but I'm not someone who can be chased out of Qingyun Mountain with just one sentence from you. Your brother is a waste, and teaching him a lesson was well-deserved. Now that you're here seeking revenge, it's only natural. No need for idle chatter, if you have the guts, let's head to the dueling stage! However, I'm an outer sect disciple, while you're an inner sect disciple, which means you're inherently one level higher than me. That's not very fair. How about this: if you dare agree, we'll add some stakes. If I lose, everything will be over, and I'll accept whatever punishment you mete out, even signing a life-or-death contract that not even the law enforcement disciples would bother to intervene in. But if you lose... then it's 1,000 pieces of spiritual stone. What do you say?"

  Wang Gan's heart moved, thinking this was a good opportunity to establish his authority. He had also heard of Zhang Long, whose family, although ordinary, was actually a cultivator family with considerable wealth, but he himself was poor. Why not make a fortune from him? Moreover, such a heaven-spoiled child was extremely arrogant and self-centered, not putting others in his eyes, which became an opportunity for Wang Gan to scheme against him.

  Zhang Long was stunned, he had thought of countless scenarios when he came, but he never thought that Wang Qian would have a fearless look on his face, and directly want to settle the grudge with him on the fighting platform. The killing intent was so strong that it reached an extreme point, and as soon as he opened his mouth, he proposed a bet of one thousand low-grade spirit stones, making Zhang Long suspect that he had misheard.

  Although the Ling Stone was precious, a thousand pieces of low-grade Ling Stones were not a small amount for him. However, as long as he won, he could dispose of Wang Qian at will, and the Law Enforcement disciples would not bother with him, but instead watch the excitement from the side. That life-and-death situation was no joke.

  "Alright, alright, on the battlefield, I will definitely make you bleed profusely and kneel down to beg for mercy! That one thousand pieces of spirit stone is your ransom!"

  Roaring loudly, Zhang Long was filled with rage, and with one step on the ground, a deafening crash shook Wang Qian's entire courtyard.

  A cold glint flashed in Wang Qian's eyes, this tiger almost ruined his courtyard, really doesn't know life from death, he had already decided to give him a taste of bitter suffering.

  The two of them went to the Law Enforcement Hall together and signed a life-and-death contract, then headed towards the Fighting Stage. The remaining disciples in the Law Enforcement Hall were still in a state of shock, but soon became excited.

  The news of Wang Qian and Zhang Long's fight on the gambling stage quickly spread.