Book One, Chapter 25: The Rules

Kang Youwei nodded and tossed all of our coins in with a clatter, decisively betting all his points on the "Even" box.

He and I stood there with bated breath, eyes wide, staring intensely at the blinking lights of the slot machine as they cycled between "Odd" and "Even."

"Even! Even! Even!"

You might laugh at me, but I was genuinely chanting out loud as I watched those flickering patterns, as if the machine could actually hear me and respond.

Then, the flickering began to slow down, gradually coming to a halt.

"Click... click... click..."

Finally, the slot machine’s glowing lights settled on... the "Odd" pattern!

I was stunned.

That...

"The Great Martial Tournament begins, wind and rain gather in Jingzhou!" roared the marshal known as the 'Iron Tiger,' his voice booming like thunder. Holding a massive blade, he looked down at the countless warriors below the arena.

The muffled roar echoed, scattering dust into the air. A dark shadow was sent flying backward—it was the 'Peak Master of the Holy Sect.' Trailing a spray of crimson blood, he tumbled through the air. In this clash, he had ultimately been defeated.

From her mother's tone, Jialan realized that her mother also consented to this matter. Feeling as if she were being abandoned, tears welled up in her eyes, and she cried as she spoke.

This stone beam couldn't have been made of obsidian, or else it would have been shattered by the mast long ago. We scrambled down along it in a pathetic state, practically tumbling and crawling our way to the bottom.

At that moment, the battle on the stage intensified. Two figures descended from mid-air onto the platform; the crossing of sparks and the collision of sword energy served as a testament to their extraordinary, genius-level talent.

"With your current cultivation, holding onto this is a disaster, and you have no use for it anyway," Qingshui said, rubbing his forehead to explain as he saw the anticipation on Shao Xin's face.

"Lia isn't helping me; she is helping her father and her second brother, Zixun," Shuangshuang corrected him.

Watching the Shaolin temple players charge forward, Wang Yitian’s expression shifted, revealing a hint of grimness. He stared at the incoming players and ordered Dandan Ziyun to lead a group to intercept them; he needed to observe this formation first to determine what it was and assess its true power.

Renault was already familiar with the process, as if he had tried it millions of times, entering that ethereal state in a mere heartbeat.

"So, you guessed right. Even if that goshawk lost its life, Ge Tianyuan would take it with her, and she... she will not let you go!" Cao Xianye turned to look at Lu Zhao, his gaze as sharp and piercing as a blade.

"You—are you insane? Do you know what you are doing?" The Demon God looked at the remnant soul of the Demon God, which had retreated far away, his eyes filled with bewilderment.

But in this life, she would only ever be an ordinary villager, a lowly peasant who didn't even rank as a level fifteen commoner.

Seeing Shen Yitong’s attitude, he became even more convinced that even if Zhou Yao’s family had some means, it probably wasn't much; otherwise, why would she be so nervous?

Chu Nanxun sighed helplessly. He had hoped to get some rest after his long journey back, but he hadn't expected Cao Tianque to send him out on patrol.

Given Xinle's current influence in Macau, it would be difficult for an ordinary person to gather all the information in one night. But for Mr. He, a single, casual word was enough to have all the relevant files laid out before him.

A burly youth with explosive muscles and half-exposed armor walked over. His momentum was like a rainbow, and in the depths of his gaze, there was a trace of arrogance.

Big Belly Chen coughed twice. Kneeling on the ground, bare-skinned, he gasped for air, nearly fainting on the spot.

After a while, Murong Chun and the other three descended the stone stairs. Murong Chun’s face was flushed red, and he said nothing.

But when he saw Zhou Yao’s face so close to his own, he was so terrified that the color drained from his face, and he immediately dropped to his knees.

"And what if there isn't?" Wen Chuyan retorted, clearly thinking that Jiang Xingmian was acting too recklessly without considering the consequences.

But what did it matter if there were one more Lie Tao? They were all just mortal men. Never mind them—even the heavenly soldiers and generals of the Nine Heavens could do nothing to her.

He had not forgotten that there were always mysteries about her that could not be explained by conventional logic.

Even the Demon Lord had to show the proper respect to Li Jinxing, let alone a divine beast like the Silver Moon Wolf King, who had only recently stepped into the path of Harmony.

In truth, how could Cai Zhengting not know? At the end of the day, it was just a tactic used by those people to force him into submission. Yet, even knowing it was a trap, he had no choice but to go along with it for the sake of his livelihood.

Seeing that Shi Ling did not care, she, who had been brought along, felt there was no reason to care either. Thus, she lowered her head and followed him into the inner hall.

Di Lin truly did not understand why True Person Fu Ci insisted that he personally take action against Yu Li. Logically, he had no connection to him. If it were to satisfy her twisted desire to torture others, wouldn't it be more satisfying to force Mu Xi to do it?

With one stroke of the pole, the largest and reddest dozen dates fell from the jujube branch. Following the sound, some fell into the water, while others landed on the wooden planks.

It was just a pity that it had provoked Old Xiao and Qi Jingzhi, meeting a disastrous end in an instant—dead and dissipated, leaving only a pile of copper coins and a slip of green stone on the ground.

Hearing this, Li Lanyue, who had been on the verge of cursing, held her breath. She was terrified that Zhao Han would seize upon this matter and target the Sixth Prince at every turn.

At this point, Yun Chuxiu would never let them leave, no matter what was said. The only plan now was to stall for time.

But that was not what surprised Chen Yuan; what truly baffled him was that Ji Sifei’s soul power contained a trace of Mysterious Yin energy.

At this moment, Li Qian knew clearly that her future self would be a brand new person, no longer a walking corpse. She loved him, she needed him, and she was willing to give herself to him without reservation.

Behind every member of the Holy Spirit race, there grew at least six pairs of wings. Eight-winged, ten-winged, and other powerful winged beings were common, and among them were even powerful entities with forty-eight wings.