Because the strength Lin Xuan had just displayed had already surpassed theirs. Though they were all at the peak of the Condensing Whirl Realm, far ahead of Lin Xuan in cultivation level, they were already middle-aged, their potential exhausted, and inferior even to Li Quan at the eighth layer of the Condensing Whirl Realm. And Li Quan had been nearly crushed and defeated by Lin Xuan in an instant. Naturally, they couldn’t be Lin Xuan’s opponents either. While utterly stunned, they were also filled with awe. Several stewards sighed inwardly. They hadn’t expected that Lin Xuan, having only been an inner disciple for less than two months, would already surpass them—stewards who had trained for decades. Truly worthy of being the sect’s top genius; this martial talent was just too monstrous, wasn’t it? He had once again shattered the sect’s records!
On the arena. Lin Xuan looked at the void before him, nodding slightly at the surge of energy points in his attribute panel. Not bad, he’d earned quite a few energy points again. Plus thirty thousand contribution points. Next, he might still be able to rake in more at this betting arena. Then, Lin Xuan turned to the side of the arena, wanting the referee to announce the result. But his expression froze. On the arena, only he remained now—where was the referee?
In the square, the referee gave an awkward smile. Just now, when Lin Xuan and Li Quan clashed head-on, the shockwave of the aftermath nearly injured him internally. Terrified, he felt a surge of fear. So he jumped off the arena to avoid being caught in the blast. Who would have thought that Lin Xuan would then casually toss Li Quan off the arena, with Li Quan completely unable to resist? Seeing Lin Xuan’s gaze sweep over, the referee quickly climbed back onto the arena and announced loudly: “This betting match, Lin Xuan wins!” His voice rolled like waves, spreading throughout the entire arena. Only then did everyone truly snap back to reality, erupting into another uproar of sighs and exclamations. They were awed by Lin Xuan’s displayed strength and talent. Lin Xuan also gained quite a few energy points from this.
After the announcement, the referee looked at Lin Xuan again: “Lin Xuan, do you want to defend the arena?” “No need.” Lin Xuan shook his head and tossed his identity token to the steward beside the arena. Seeing this, Li Quan walked over and handed his identity token to the steward. He let the steward transfer thirty thousand contribution points to Lin Xuan. Though it stung a bit, it was sect rules. Not to mention he was just an inner elite disciple—even a true disciple couldn’t renege. Besides, he didn’t want to offend Lin Xuan, whose potential was boundless, over these contribution points. So he handed over the bet without hesitation. Then, the steward tossed the identity token with the transferred bet back to Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan caught it and jumped off the arena.
Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Lin Xuan. Many had already voluntarily cleared a path in the direction he was heading. They thought Lin Xuan was about to leave. But unexpectedly, Lin Xuan turned and walked toward another arena—Arena Four—where no betting match was ongoing, but an inner elite disciple was defending. He leaped up and cupped his hands: “Inner ordinary disciple Lin Xuan wishes to issue a challenge. Would Senior Brother Zhou accept?” In truth, this was just a polite formality. Since he chose to defend, he had to accept. Otherwise, he’d have to give up defending before the next challenge.
Seeing this, everyone was stunned, then quickly realized, their expressions turning strange. What was Lin Xuan doing? This Zhou Feiyang was also at the eighth layer of the Condensing Whirl Realm, but weaker than Li Quan. Even Li Quan had been nearly crushed by Lin Xuan. Why was Lin Xuan challenging Zhou Feiyang? This was a sure win. Was Lin Xuan just looking for trouble? Everyone was puzzled.
Soon, some inner disciples understood. Lin Xuan must have his eye on the bet Zhou Feiyang had set for defending. Though Lin Xuan had extraordinary talent, seemingly the top in Flowing Cloud Sect, his cultivation level was still low, and he was just an ordinary inner disciple. The sect’s allocated cultivation resources were limited. And the higher one’s talent and strength, the more resources they needed. With Lin Xuan’s unmatched talent in the entire Flowing Cloud Sect, his resource demands were immense. Far beyond his peers, possibly several times more. The sect’s allocation was far from enough. So Lin Xuan had to find his own way. In Flowing Cloud Sect, with strong strength, there were many ways to earn cultivation resources. But the simplest and easiest seemed to be this betting arena. Just challenge on the arena or defend and wait for others to challenge—win and you get it. Of course, provided you were strong enough not to lose.
Thinking this, many inner disciples showed looks of realization. No wonder Lin Xuan came to the betting arena just days after entering the inner sect, actively provoking, sparking multiple challenges, and even taking on inner elite disciples. If it was to earn cultivation resources, everything made sense. Lin Xuan’s current actions were understandable too.
And since even the inner disciples on the scene could figure it out, Zhou Feiyang, the inner elite defending the arena, quickly understood as well. He couldn’t help but smile bitterly. He never thought he’d become a tool for someone else to earn cultivation resources. But as the arena defender, he couldn’t refuse. He had to steel himself and say: “Senior Brother Lin’s strength is formidable. I know I’m no match and concede!” With that, he tossed his identity token to the steward beside him. Conceding meant handing over the bet. That was the rule of the betting arena.
Hearing Zhou Feiyang’s words, everyone was stunned. Then they turned incredulous. An inner elite disciple, challenged by an inner ordinary disciple, voluntarily conceding? This was unprecedented in the entire inner sect. They could hardly believe it, unable to accept it for a long time. But Zhou Feiyang, after saying it, let out a long breath, feeling much lighter. Even Li Quan had been nearly crushed by Lin Xuan, and he was no match for Li Quan. If he really took the challenge, he’d probably lose in one move, right? It would be complete self-humiliation. Better to concede directly and save face. As for an inner elite conceding to an inner ordinary disciple—since Li Quan had already lost, this was nothing. He believed others would understand once they realized. Lin Xuan issued the challenge, wanting contribution points and cultivation resources, didn’t he? Then give them to him. It could also show goodwill and build rapport. For a monstrous genius like Lin Xuan, he naturally wanted to curry favor. So he conceded immediately without any psychological burden.
On the other side, Lin Xuan was also stunned. Then he quickly understood, showing a faint smile and nodding. He turned and tossed his identity token to a steward beside the arena. Subduing the enemy without fighting. This was the best outcome. He got what he wanted. Naturally, he had no reason to object or say anything more.