The martial arts competition

Two weeks passed. During that time Hong Yue Xian paid a visit to Nie Li and asked his help in swindling the Sacred Family. Both of them would participate in the competition, both of them had a grudge with the Sacred Family and both were confident in beating their opponents. So both discussed at length how to play it all out and finally agreed on a plan. After that Hong Yue Xian made some other arrangements in preparation of the upcoming battle.

Soon the day of the martial arts competition arrived. Hong Yue Xian, his father and some elders, also arrived. Soon the Alchemist Association delegation led by Yang Xin appeared. Immediately, the Heavenly Marks Family and the Hong Yue Family went up to greet them.

Yang Xin was talking with Nie Li when she noticed Hong Yue Xian. As she remembered that night and his words, she blushed a little but right away her face returned to normal and greeted him. Hong Yue Xian was also thinking of that night, as he gave her a chaste hug making sure only she could hear his whisper. "You are mine." After that Yang Xin hurriedly turned to greet other people, as she felt her body getting hot.

Hong Yue Xian saw Shen Ming, the acting affairs elder of the Sacred Family approach and start to talk with Yang Xin. He exchanged glances with Nie Li, before greeting Shen Fei. After goading him on, Hong Yue Xian proposed to bet 50 million demon spirit coins that he will kick Shen Fei's ass. Shen Ming readily agreed.

Soon both Hong Yue Xian and Shen Fei were in the arena. Shen Fei rushed towards Hong Yue Xian without merging with his demon spirit. Hong Yue Xian chucked to himself as he remembered how Nie Li toyed with him in the novel, but he was not Nie Li.

Just like Shen Fei he did not bother to merge with his demon spirit, just sidestepping his attack and using Gold Rank strength to punch Shen Fei in the gut. The latter had tightened his abdominal muscles to withstand the blow but he underestimated Hong Yue Xian's physical strength. The force of the punch was so great it caused him to spit out his gastric juice and faint on the spot.

Silence pervaded the whole stadium, until shouts filled it again. Hong Yue Xian looked at the fainted Shen Fei and grinned victoriously while waving to the crowd. Hong Yue Family was cheering the loudest. Yang Xin was astonished by his strength as well. She realised that he may not be as weak as she thought. She remembered his strong arms embracing her and felt her heartbeat accelerating. She hurriedly shook her head to clear her mind and stay composed.

As for Shen Ming he was shocked silly. Out of all possible outcomes he would never have believed that Shen Fei would lose in one move. The humiliation. The 50 million. He also could not help but be fearful. To knock Shen Fei out with a single punch, what strength is that. Could his strength be Gold rank? He did not dare believe it. He turned to one of his attendants for the result of the betting, almost getting a heart attack. The Sacred Family lost up to 100 million.

The reason for that result was Hong Yue Xian's scheme. During the past two weeks he found a dozen desperate Demon Spiritualists from poor common families. He offered them a decent job with good pay in the name of the Immortal Wine Merchant House.

However, since he could not be fully assured of their trustworthiness, he used the soul shackle technique on them. Hong Yue Xian got it from a Black Gold member of the Dark Guild. Even though such treatment was despicable, the men were at the end of their rope so to speak so they readily agreed. If any of them show promise he considered giving them essence pellets to boost their cultivation.

As their first mission Hong Yue Xian gave each of them 6 million (the betting limit per person) and told them to bet on him to win in one move. The odds were 1:11 and so as not to attract too much attention he made only 5 bets, totalling 330 million. Hong Yue Xian knew he could only do this once so he went big.

As he was walking up to the stands, he saw Nie Li in opposition with the Sacred Family. Soon they agreed to the bet of 200 million, with Nie Li fighting the Gold rank expert. Shen Ming was trying to win back the lost money as planned. Hong Yue Xian secretly exchanged glances with Nie Li, before glancing into the crowd.

Soon he found an ordinarily dressed Demon Spiritualist who was occasionally glancing his way. As they made eye contact Hong Yue Xian signalled with a nod. The man immediately stood up and ran off. According to plan he notified his colleagues, who right away placed bets for Nie Li to win, 10 bets of 6 million with odds of 1:3. Once Nie Li wins, just Hong Yue Xian alone would earn 180 million. Even as the bookmaker, the Sacred Family will suffer a huge financial loss.

The end result did not disappoint. Nie Li easily beat up his Gold rank opponent, stunning the crowd. After the battle he went to find Ye Ziyun, while Hong Yue Xian went to talk with Yang Xin. Shen Ming had already long since escaped. Hong Yue Xian planned to approach Yang Xin but she swiftly left without saying a word. He could only smile bitterly at her lightning fast escape.

As there was nothing more to do, Hong Yue Xian met up with his family members and left the stadium. On the way he met the same ordinary looking Demon Spiritualist who passed him a storage ring with all the earnings from bets. Hong Yue Tian just smiled proudly, while the others were confused and decided to ask the patriarch later.