Chapter 1977: Gambling (Part 2)

“This…”

The two, who had been smiling, suddenly fell silent. They exchanged glances, unable to speak.

How did he win? He was clearly on the verge of defeat; how did he manage to win?

“The man in green clearly knew his understanding of swordplay was inferior to his opponent’s, so he deliberately retreated with every move to lull him into a false sense of security, then struck decisively!”

“Indeed, every sword duel is a life-or-death struggle. A single misstep can lead to complete defeat!”

Whispers and discussions arose from the surrounding crowd. As disciples of the Sword Pavilion, observing others’ duels was also a learning process.

The man in green’s understanding of swordplay was clearly inferior to that of his opponent in white. Yet, he was the one who laughed last, proving that mindset can sometimes be crucial. Otherwise, if superior swordplay always guaranteed victory, then bets would lose all meaning.

“That guy, what a stroke of luck…” Quickly understanding what had happened, the gray-robed youth’s mouth twitched a few times.

This unfamiliar fellow truly had good luck. He won on his very first bet! It was laughable; he had thought the other person was a fool… In the end, he was the fool!

“Alright, cash me out!” While still feeling frustrated, he saw the other person approach and hand over the chips.

At a rate of 1:1.5, he gave the other person thirty Sword Pavilion coins. No sooner had he finished the transaction than he saw someone else step onto the stage.

“Do you want to keep betting?” The gray-robed youth’s eyes gleamed as he scoffed.

In gambling, winning once or twice means nothing. As long as you keep betting, all the money is bound to end up with the house.

“Sounds good!” Zhang Xuan nodded. He had only been there for less than a minute and, without even stepping onto the stage, had earned ten Sword Pavilion coins. With such a fast way to make money, he naturally wanted to continue.

“Very well, this time it’ll just be the two of us betting. I won’t be the house, to make it fairer! I bet… the man in green will win!” The gray-robed youth glanced at the stage, then smiled faintly and said.

“Alright then, I’ll bet on the man in white to win, thirty Sword Pavilion coins!” Zhang Xuan put all the money he had just won into the bet.

“Fine, I’ll match your thirty!” The gray-robed youth sneered.

Since he often ran these betting games, he knew the strength and true identities of the combatants on stage very well. The two who had just ascended the stage were Senior Brother Zhou from the inner sect, in black, and Senior Brother Wang, in white.

These two had met before and even sparred. Senior Brother Zhou had a greater chance of winning, while Senior Brother Wang had more losses than victories.

With the bets placed, the match on stage began. Senior Brother Zhou, just as the gray-robed youth had predicted, struck with incredible sharpness from the outset. Each attack exuded immense pressure. Senior Brother Wang, on the other hand, was forced to retreat repeatedly, appearing to have no room to retaliate.

“Heh heh, just wait to lose!” The gray-robed youth breathed a sigh of relief. He had just lost ten Sword Pavilion coins, but it looked like he would make them back with this one…

After retreating seven or eight steps consecutively, Senior Brother Wang, in white, seeing that further retreat might cause him to fall off the platform, suddenly swayed, moving as nimbly as a leopard, and darted to one side.

Senior Brother Zhou, in black, struck empty air with his sword. Just as he was about to turn around, he saw his opponent’s long sword diagonally thrusting towards him, resting against his neck. The man in black lost!

“My apologies!” Zhang Xuan smiled faintly.

Having lost two consecutive matches, the gray-robed youth’s face twitched. Though unwilling, he gritted his teeth and handed over thirty Sword Pavilion coins.

“Do you dare to continue?” Inside the Sword Pavilion, those eager to spar were endless; there were matches almost constantly. No sooner had one match ended than someone else rushed onto the stage. After a brief pause, the gray-robed youth looked back at Zhang Xuan.

Running betting games here, he had always made a good profit. This was the first time he had lost so badly.

“Of course. This time, it’s my turn to choose first, isn’t it?” Zhang Xuan smiled faintly.

“Please!” The gray-robed youth nodded.

“This time, I’ll still choose the man in white to win! I’ll bet sixty Sword Pavilion coins!” Zhang Xuan pointed.

The gray-robed youth looked at the stage, then nodded again a moment later. “Alright! I’ll bet on the man in black!”

Of the two who had just come onto the stage, he only recognized one: Senior Brother Du, in black. He wasn’t sure who the man in white was. However, Senior Brother Du’s strength was formidable. There were no more than ten people in the entire inner sect who could defeat him with just swordplay. Since he didn’t recognize the opponent, he likely wasn’t one of those ten. Therefore, Senior Brother Du’s victory wouldn’t be difficult!

The duel began. It didn’t last long before it ended. Just as Zhang Xuan had predicted, the man in white won, and Senior Brother Du lost!

“This… impossible…” Having lost three times in a row, the gray-robed youth began to get nervous.

Over the past few years, he had quietly gambled and made a considerable profit. But he couldn’t afford to lose like this!

“Do you want to continue?” Seeing his current state, Zhang Xuan pressed on.

“This…” He glanced at the two new people who had just appeared on stage. Sweat immediately beaded on the gray-robed youth’s forehead.

Losing three consecutive bets and 100 Sword Pavilion coins, even he was starting to get scared. However, if he didn’t bet, those 100 Sword Pavilion coins would be completely gone. He gritted his teeth, made up his mind, and said, “Bet it is… this time it’s my turn to choose first!”

This was precisely a gambler’s mentality. The more one loses, the more one desires to win it back, like being caught in quicksand: the more you struggle, the deeper you sink!

“Please!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

“This time, I choose the man in white…” The gray-robed youth paused, then said.

Of the two on stage, just like before, he only recognized one: Junior Brother Luo, in white. This junior brother was a heaven-sent genius. He had been in the sect for less than two years, yet he had already made quite a name for himself in the inner sect. Even the gray-robed youth himself, when facing him, would have to concede defeat. If anyone were to say who among these two had the highest chance of winning, it was undoubtedly him.

“Since you’ve chosen the man in white, then I…” Zhang Xuan paused. “Can I choose a draw?”

“A draw?” The gray-robed youth was stunned.

Duels conducted through the Divine Jade Token were not like real-world matches where, to avoid casualties, a draw might be declared if the combatants’ strengths were almost equal. Here, if one didn’t concede, matches usually ended with one participant being ‘killed’. Draws… were exceedingly rare. This guy actually wanted to choose a draw… Was there something wrong with his mind?

His eyes lit up. Suppressing his wild joy, he asked, “Are you sure?”

“Positive, but… draws are rare, so shouldn’t the odds be higher?” Zhang Xuan nodded.

“Indeed, normally, a draw pays out five times!” The gray-robed youth nodded.

“Alright then, I’ll bet 120 Divine Coins!” Zhang Xuan once again placed all the Divine Coins he had on the bet.

“Fine!” Chuckling inwardly, the gray-robed youth quickly nodded in agreement, afraid Zhang Xuan might change his mind. This guy betting on a draw basically meant that the money he had just won from the gray-robed youth was now coming back!

As soon as the bets were placed, the match on stage had already begun.

Both combatants were masters, their sword qi crisscrossing, neither willing to yield. Each exquisite sword move they unleashed drew cheers from the crowd below.

Although Junior Brother Luo, in white, was powerful and his moves fierce, his opponent was clearly not weak either. Though appearing disheveled with each move, he managed to block everything.

More than three hundred consecutive moves passed without a clear victor.

“Junior Brother Luo, keep going…” Sweat increasingly beaded on the gray-robed youth’s forehead, and he grew nervous. A match lasting this long was something one might not see even once a month. He never expected to encounter one.

The two fought for over a hundred more moves, their strength almost completely depleted.

Junior Brother Luo, in white, leaped backward and said, “Friend, your swordplay is extraordinary; I am impressed. However, if we continue fighting, even if one of us were to win by sheer luck, it would be a miserable victory. Why don’t we call it quits and end with a draw? We can arrange another sparring session another day!”

“Agreed!” The opponent in green nodded in assent.

The gray-robed youth’s vision went black, and he nearly fainted on the spot. A draw, something he might not encounter even once in several months, had actually occurred… and he had placed a bet against it!

“My apologies, I won…” Zhang Xuan looked over.

The reason he was able to win was not just his sharp eyesight, which allowed him to discern the strengths and weaknesses of the combatants’ swordplay. More importantly, his Library of Heaven’s Path could easily perceive the identities of both combatants, the sword arts and martial techniques they had comprehended, and their states of mind. At the same cultivation level, with identical true qi and strength, the more formidable the comprehended sword arts and martial techniques, and the higher the state of mind, the greater the chance of victory! Thus, he had easily succeeded in his consecutive bets.

“I bet on a draw, at five times the payout, which means… you owe me six hundred Sword Pavilion coins!” Zhang Xuan looked at him calmly and said.

“Six hundred?” The gray-robed youth’s body stiffened; he was on the verge of madness. This guy must be cheating! How could he predict a draw…

How could he possibly gamble like this? He had always made money by being the house in gambling games, but he never dreamed he would lose everything in just a few rounds. He was going crazy. He had been an inner sect disciple for nearly ten years. Through various trials, he had secretly come here to place bets… accumulating less than a thousand coins in total. He never expected to lose almost all of it in one go!

“I don’t have that many Sword Pavilion coins…” His face darkened, and he gritted his teeth.

“You don’t? A bet’s a bet; are you planning to default?” Zhang Xuan smiled.

“Indeed, what if I do default?” The gray-robed youth scoffed. “Do you know my identity? Do you know who I am?”

Because the Soaring Cloud Sword Pavilion did not allow gambling, he would change his Divine Jade Token every few bets and re-enter with a new identity. Apart from a few people who regularly participated in his betting games and knew his identity, no one else had any way of knowing.

“Heh heh…” With a soft chuckle, Zhang Xuan suddenly kicked out.

“What, you want to attack me?” Seeing Zhang Xuan suddenly kick out, the gray-robed youth swayed, dodging the attack. A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. “Remember, this is the Divine Hall. Even if you ‘kill’ me, it’s just losing a jade token… What can you do to me?”

“Of course, I can’t do anything to you…” Zhang Xuan stopped, revealing a benevolent, harmless smile. “However, what if I go to White Cloud Peak, find Elder Han, and tell him that an inner sect disciple under his jurisdiction is actually using inner sect disciples’ sword duels as bets and running gambling dens everywhere… making huge profits! Do you think he’d investigate thoroughly to find out who’s doing this? And would he directly expel this person from the sect? What do you say, Senior Brother Zhu Yanzhi?”

“You…” His pupils contracted. The gray-robed youth, Zhu Yanzhi, stumbled back a few steps. Cold sweat immediately drenched his back, and he nearly fainted on the spot. “You, how do you know who I am?”