"These Heaven and Earth-tier weapons must be perfectly intact. You can’t use defective products from the Hidden Sword Pavilion to deceive us."

"Rest assured, this old man is not that shameless." Sylra said coldly.

"If I lose, not a single weapon or a single pill will be missing!"

"Good!" Torin was instantly overjoyed.

"Since that is the case, then it’s a deal!"

"If Taryn Lark comes out of the trap, I will also lose five Heaven and Earth-tier weapons and ten Heaven and Earth-tier pills to you!"

"Junior Brothers, are you participating?"

Peak Master Blake, Peak Master Lorin, and Peak Master Nerin hesitated for a short moment. Then successively nodded to indicate their participation.

The four of them added together meant twenty Heaven and Earth-tier weapons and forty pills. They were bound to hollow out Sylra’s money and life savings entirely.

As fellow martial brothers, winning so ruthlessly made them feel somewhat unable to bear it. However, there was no helping it.

The bet was truly too tempting. Moreover, this could hardly even be called a gamble.

It was entirely taking things for free.

A First Level Body Tempering cultivator and a Ninth Level Body Tempering cultivator, together in the same deep pit.

Under circumstances where no schemes could be used, how could a First Level Body Tempering cultivator step on a Ninth Level Body Tempering cultivator to get out? It was fundamentally an idiot’s daydream.

Sylra snorted coldly, turned around with his hands behind his back and stared fixedly at the light curtain, too lazy to say another word.

To tell the truth, he had long stopped caring about worldly possessions like weapons and pills.

What Sylra hoped for the most was that Taryn could step on that Blair’s head and walk out of the pit safe and sound.

...

Meanwhile, the grand battle in the pit was raging intensely like a wildfire.

"Meow!" Pearl was smacked flying once again. Its entire body covered in dust and fresh blood. Bruised and battered from head to toe.

Alex had also been pierced by a sword, adding a hideous bloody hole to his abdomen.

Ever since taking over the position of the Hale family’s Saint Lord, this was probably the first time he had suffered such a heavy injury.

Even the Evergreat Sword Ancestor’s avatar, as well as the three Evil Buddhas of Greed, Anger, and Delusion left behind by the Ancient Phoenix King, had never harmed a single hair on his body.

If Blair knew Alex’s identity, he would probably be so happy he couldn’t sleep for three days and three nights, and would even enshrine this sword that injured Alex as a family heirloom.

Of course, Blair’s situation wasn’t very optimistic either.

Pearl’s crazy, life-disregarding attacks used its claws to scratch hideous bloody streaks across his face.

Alex, under circumstances where his entire body of cultivation methods and artifacts were unusable, relied purely on seasoned combat experience to actually stab Blair’s shoulder, nearly severing one of his arms.

Compared to his physical injuries, the humiliation in his heart made it even harder for Blair to accept.

He was publicly acknowledged as the dark horse most likely to seize the championship, and he himself also believed he was a favored child of heaven.

As a prodigy, specifically going through the trouble to dig a pit to scheme against a First Level Body Tempering cultivator was already incredibly dishonorable.

As a result, dealing with a piece of trash at the First Level and an infant kitten, he actually couldn’t secure a victory for a long time.

Not to mention delaying a massive amount of his time... he was actually beaten black and blue by this one man and one cat.

This was simply an extraordinary, humiliating disgrace.

"Brat, I’ve played with you long enough. It’s time to end this." Blair narrowed his eyes, a cold and fierce killing intent revealing itself in his gaze.

"Let me show you the difference between heaven and mud, between a favored child of heaven like me and a shameless scoundrel like you!"

"Thundering Sword!"

Blair raised his precious sword high, electric currents flickered across the blade, accompanied by the roaring sounds of thunder and lightning.

Alex narrowed his eyes slightly, a trace of solemnity revealing itself.

All of his cultivation methods and artifacts were basically at the Supreme or Saint level. Even the absolute worst ones required Mahayana Realm cultivation to use, relying on his current Body Tempering cultivation, he fundamentally couldn’t use them.

Facing this brat, for him and Pearl to hold out this long meant they had already exhausted all their strength.

Could it be that his lifetime of illustrious reputation was truly going to be ruined today at the hands of an ordinary Divine Blade Sect disciple?

Just as Alex’s heart grew heavy, Pearl in front of him suddenly let out a fierce, howling roar, taking a step forward, its entire body trembling non-stop, its eyes full of ferocious light as it stared fixedly at Blair.

"What, you little kitten dare to make an enemy out of this young master?" Blair raised his chin slightly, revealing a frivolous smile.

He casually waved the Thundering Sword, directly summoning a bolt of thunder that struck Pearl.

"Meow!" Pearl let out a shrill, miserable scream and was knocked flying to the side, and a patch of scorched black appearing on its pure white fur.

Alex picked Pearl up, his eyes full of heartache. "Pearl, why suffer like this..."

However, the next second, a look of astonishment revealed itself in his eyes. Because the scorch marks on Pearl’s body actually began to heal on their own at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The spiritual energy around its body became thick and substantial, its gaze became sharp, its petite body also visibly grew a size larger.

A dazzling white light flashed, Pearl was directly resurrected with full health.

With a leap, it stood protectively in front of Alex.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host. The Phantom Heaven Nine-Lives Cat has absorbed enough blood essence and has evolved to the Qi Gathering Realm.]

[Awakened Innate Divine Ability: Gigantification.] 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Alex focused his gaze and instantly revealed a look of wild, ecstatic joy.