Chapter 37: A Gamble Beyond the Clouds

## Chapter 37: The Outer Gamble of the Wind Cloud Platform

The night passed without a word, and in the blink of an eye, dawn arrived.

The very next day, as the sky was just brightening, shocking news spread throughout the Outer Gate of the Heng Yue Sect.

"Have you heard? Ye Chen wants to challenge Qi Hao of Ren Yang Peak!"

"Is that true?"

"Qi Hao is a genuine Second Level Human Yuan cultivator!"

"Is Ye Chen tired of living?"

As soon as the news circulated, it caused a massive stir.

The disciples of the Three Major Peaks, who had just ceased their fervent clashes on the Wind Cloud Platform, and had recently seen the platform calm, once again made it a hub of activity. What was significant was that one of the contenders was Ye Chen, who had already caused quite a commotion.

To the extent that some idle disciples, suffering from boredom, had already rushed to the Wind Cloud Platform in advance to secure their spots.

"He despises my Ren Yang Peak; a little punishment is well deserved." High upon a stone platform, the peak lord of Ren Yang Peak, True Master Qing Yang, spoke with full confidence in Qi Hao.

"I shall fulfill the mission." Below him, Qi Hao, with a flourish of his robe, exuded elegance and divine presence, his lips curled in a playful sneer.

"Let's go too." Su Xinyue and a group of disciples also quickly followed suit.

Meanwhile, below the Wind Cloud Platform, the Heng Yue disciples who had come to watch the spectacle had already tacitly cleared a path. Ye Chen, carrying his Heavenly Gate Heavy Sword, slowly walked in.

"He consecutively defeated disciples from two peaks before, I wonder if he can defeat Qi Hao this time."

"Can Wei Yang and Zhao Long be compared to Qi Hao?"

"The Condensing Qi realm and the Human Yuan realm are fundamentally not on the same level."

Amidst the surrounding discussions, as Ye Chen was about to step onto the battle platform, a figure suddenly darted out from the side and pulled him back.

Subconsciously looking over, Ye Chen's mouth twitched involuntarily.

The person who had pulled him was none other than Xiong Er, whose appearance was particularly pathetic. His originally plump face was swollen high on one side, his nose was bruised, and his face was swollen. It seemed this fellow had gone back and been severely beaten by his old man.

"Tell me, brother, how much chance of winning do you have?"

"Ten percent."

"Good!" This fellow Xiong Er came fast and left even faster, leaving Ye Chen a bit bewildered.

Retracting his gaze, Ye Chen lifted his foot and stepped onto the Wind Cloud battle platform.

"Come, come, come, place your bets! The more you bet, the more you win! Once this village is gone, there might not be another shop like it."

As soon as Ye Chen stepped onto the battle platform, such a voice rang out from below.

Looking closely, it was indeed Xiong Er.

That fellow didn't know where he had dragged a table from. On the table hung two signs. One sign bore Ye Chen's name, and the other bore Qi Hao's name.

The Outer Gamble.

Ye Chen saw through what Xiong Er wanted to do with a single glance.

Normally, those who fought on the Wind Cloud Platform would all stake something in a gamble.

As for those disciples below the platform who weren't focused on cultivation, they wouldn't be idle either. They would bring spirit stones to place their bets; this was the outer gamble. If luck was good, they might become rich overnight. If luck was bad, they might lose everything.

"Come, come, come, bet on Ye Chen, one pays ten! Bet on Qi Hao, ten pays one! Bet little, win little! Bet much, win much!"

Truly, it must be said that with Xiong Er's shouting, the surrounding disciples swarmed over.

"Bet on Qi Hao."

"I'll also bet on Qi Hao."

"Qi Hao will win."

The distribution of bets was easily predictable; without exception, everyone favored Qi Hao. To the extent that the pile of spirit stones on the side betting on Qi Hao winning was stacked high, while the side betting on Ye Chen winning was empty.

"Am I that bad?" On the platform, Ye Chen glanced down and couldn't help but feel a little astonished.

However, a smile twitched at the corner of his mouth.

"Once you buy, you can't pull out! Once you buy, you can't pull out! Generally, there are no refunds."

Xiong Er's shouting voice echoed through the Wind Cloud Platform. This fellow truly had a business mind. While busy in front of the gambling table, he didn't forget to wink at Ye Chen on the platform.

"Money to be made." Ye Chen seemed to see piles of sparkling spirit stones.

He was just worried about lacking money to buy profound steel and profound iron. With Xiong Er doing this, he was destined to make a profit as well.

Soon, the pile of spirit stones on the gambling table was higher than a person; a rough estimate would put it at fifty to sixty thousand.

The disciples who had placed their bets had also returned to their seats, rubbing their hands together, just waiting to collect their money.

"Qi Hao is coming." Soon, sharp-eyed disciples called out.

The disciples below the platform looked towards one direction in unison. Qi Hao, wearing white clothes and holding a white fan, was striding over. Behind him followed a large group of Ren Yang Peak disciples; it seemed they had all come to cheer him on.

Under the gaze of ten thousand eyes, Qi Hao's lips were playful, and he elegantly stepped onto the Wind Cloud battle platform.

"Wow, he's so handsome!" Immediately, screams from female disciples filled the air.

Qi Hao seemed to enjoy this feeling immensely, lightly fanning himself, a posture of gentle elegance.

"Senior Brother Qi, flatten him!" The disciples of Ren Yang Peak were already high-spirited, cheering for Qi Hao even before the battle began.

"Too much killing intent; you will ultimately find it difficult to achieve true cultivation," In the crowd, Su Xinyue glanced at Ye Chen with disdain.

On the platform, Qi Hao looked at Ye Chen opposite him with great interest, and with a teasing tone, said, "Ye Chen, who gave you the courage to challenge me?"

"You think too highly of yourself." Ye Chen sneered.

"Hey, that one, the one called Qi Hao, do you want to bet? If you don't bet, I might close up shop."

"Bet, of course I'll bet." Lightly closing his folding fan, Qi Hao casually tossed down a storage bag, "I bet on myself winning, ten thousand spirit stones."

Wow!

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd below instantly erupted.

Especially the female disciples screamed incessantly, secretly saying that Qi Hao not only had a good background, high cultivation, and was handsome, but also made such a bold move, perfectly fitting the image of the white horse prince in their hearts.

"I'm not as rich as Senior Brother Qi, I'll just bet a hundred."

Ye Chen also made his move, throwing a hundred spirit stones onto the gambling table to represent his win. His hundred spirit stones were just that, a hundred spirit stones.

"Closing the bets!"

Along with Xiong Er's shout, he struck the gambling table with a hammer.

"There's an outer gamble below, aren't you and I going to gamble something?" Qi Hao looked at Ye Chen with a laugh, his chin held so high it couldn't go any higher. If it went any higher, this fellow might ascend to heaven.

"I have no money, I won't gamble with you."

"Not afraid?"

"Not afraid." Ye Chen dug his ears. "When I knock you out later, all the valuable things on your body will be mine."

"Such arrogance." Qi Hao's eyes turned cold, and he immediately moved. Tipping his foot on the ground, he flashed several times, appearing before Ye Chen. His movement technique was ghostly and unpredictable, leaving continuous afterimages behind him.

"Such speed!"

"This movement technique is truly profound!" Even his opponent, Ye Chen, couldn't help but exclaim in his heart.

As he spoke, Qi Hao had already closed in, raising his hand and striking with a palm print.

Seeing this, Ye Chen immediately swung his Heavenly Gate.

Bang!

Ye Chen was sent staggering back by the palm strike. He hadn't used his full strength, nor would he use his full strength. Showing weakness in one move was just to probe Qi Hao's strength.