Chapter 131: Battle of the Shackled Realm

Upon hearing Bai Feiyu’s explanation, Qian Shuang was clearly skeptical. After all, she knew that others who had entered the Toba Ruins had never possessed such wealth. Why was Bai Feiyu the exception?

Lowering his voice, Bai Feiyu replied, "When I broke away from them, I was lucky enough to secure a compass, which allowed me to bypass the restraints of the magical formation. Plus, I happened to run into a miser..."

Hearing this, Qian Shuang was finally convinced; it seemed Bai Feiyu was simply blessed with extraordinary luck. Even she couldn't help but be impressed, forced to admit that this man seemed to have an innate, explosive stroke of good fortune.

Soon after, Bai Feiyu proceeded to his second battle against a Ninth-Stage Haoqi Realm opponent. A group of Guixu Sect disciples began to place bets on him, knowing that at this level, betting on Bai Feiyu was a guaranteed way to make money. They seized the chance to cash in before too many outsiders caught on to this business opportunity. As these disciples bet with all their might, other sects who had caught wind of the situation also began to wager on Bai Feiyu, and everyone made a profit.

When Bai Feiyu returned, he immediately noticed the change in how people looked at him. Even acquaintances he hadn't been particularly close to were now beaming at him, as if he were the God of Wealth himself. It didn't take long for him to realize what was going on.

He then set off for his third match. It was standard practice for those at the Ninth-Stage Haoqi Realm—and indeed, all practitioners of the same level—to continue fighting after their initial victories until a final ranking was established. The top-ranked competitor would then earn the right to challenge those in the next realm up.

Bai Feiyu won every match regardless of his opponent, leaving those he defeated feeling utterly demoralized. The Guixu Sect disciples even specifically instructed him to drag out his fights, fearing that if he simply slapped his opponents away in an instant, the odds would skew, and they wouldn't be able to make as much profit. They wanted him to make it look like a struggle so that the other sect members wouldn't catch on and bet against him.

Bai Feiyu was rendered speechless by this request; the members of the Guixu Sect had clearly pegged him as a cash cow, intending to milk him for spirit stones. Meanwhile, the audience members betting against him grew to loathe him. Every time, he appeared to be on his last legs, only to fight his way to the top of the Ninth-Stage Haoqi Realm rankings. They felt he was swindling their spirit stones through sheer deception. He was absolutely detestable.

Bai Feiyu, however, cared little for their plight. He would likely never see these spectators again; if he didn't fleece them, who would?

Soon, the battles for the Shackle Realm began. The first to represent them was Yang Fan, who was immediately pitted against an opponent from the Chixiao Sect. Bai Feiyu watched with bated breath, terrified that Yang Fan would be eliminated in the first round. By contrast, he was less concerned about Shi Yuan, who was up next. Having been an assassin for the Dark Gate, Shi Yuan possessed his own unique methods, and Bai Feiyu felt no need to worry about him. Yang Fan, on the other hand, was seemingly the weakest of the Guixu Sect’s Shackle Realm experts, and no one in the sect knew exactly where he ranked.

However, Bai Feiyu soon realized he had been overly anxious. Yang Fan was clearly prepared, and he defeated his opponent shortly after the match began, much to Bai Feiyu’s surprise. It was evident that Yang Fan’s cultivation had improved rapidly over the recent period; he could now be considered a formidable expert among the Shackle Realm fighters.

Of course, such sect tournaments were inherently difficult; the further one progressed, the harder the matches became. After Yang Fan’s victory, it was Shi Yuan’s turn. These two were the prized gems of the Bai Alliance, and Bai Feiyu held them in high regard. A positive aspect of this tournament was that members of the same sect were never arranged to fight each other unless they were competing for the top two spots. This meant they only had to worry about outsiders.

Shi Yuan did not disappoint, returning victorious. This brought Bai Feiyu great joy. Since not everyone from the Guixu Sect’s First-Stage Shackle Realm had won their initial matches, having two victors was a significant morale booster. When they returned, they could proudly proclaim that the alliance had two disciples capable of conquering the Shackle Realm. Of course, their success was partly due to luck—neither faced the most difficult opponents in their tier. While those who lost weren't necessarily weaker than Yang Fan or Shi Yuan, the average disciple wouldn't care for such nuances.

"Boss, we aren't certain we can keep winning from here on out, so you shouldn't bet on us anymore," Yang Fan and Shi Yuan told him. "We will do our best, but everything else depends on you."

Bai Feiyu nodded. It was almost time for his own match. He noticed many Guixu Sect disciples borrowing money from their elders, and even from the elders of other sects. The Guixu Sect elders not only permitted this but personally stepped in to guarantee the loans, ensuring the money would be repaid. This left the other sects baffled. Was there some extraordinary, hidden talent in the Guixu Sect this time? Why were they going to such lengths, even borrowing money to place bets?

The other sects never suspected it was Bai Feiyu. Since the Guixu Sect had four disciples competing, they didn't believe a Ninth-Stage Haoqi Realm fighter could possibly win. Many were already prepared to bet against Bai Feiyu, viewing it as a safe, guaranteed way to recover their previous losses. They felt that even a small profit would soothe their wounded pride.

What they didn't know was that they were about to lose everything down to their very last coin. For many, the name "Bai Feiyu" would forever be a source of trauma.