“Here they come, here they come!”

Near the “Invincible Martial Arts Hall,” in a small tavern. A table on the second floor next to the window provided a perfect view of the hall.

Chong Xuansheng had rented the entire tavern for a pittance. He sat upstairs with Jiang Wang, drinking wine, with the window cracked open a sliver, peering downwards with a furtive air.

As for the minor tasks of maintaining order at the martial arts hall and collecting entrance fees, those were naturally handled by his subordinates.

“Who’s coming?” Jiang Wang asked casually.

“Ha! The first one is Jiang Wuyong! That kid’s interesting.”

“The Fourteenth Prince?” Jiang Wang frowned. “Why is he here?”

“Who cares?” Chong Xuansheng said nonchalantly. “Is it bad that he’s giving you Dao Yuan Stones?”

Jiang Wuyong was a weak prince with almost no chance of ascending the throne, and Chong Xuansheng had never paid him much attention. He’d stepped on him once back in Nan Yao City, but now he couldn’t even be bothered, as there was nothing to be gained.

“How many people do you think will come to watch?” Jiang Wang asked.

His original intention was simply to have a public duel with Lei Zhangan to wear down his sharpness. A few witnesses would have been enough. But somehow, Chong Xuansheng had turned it into a grand spectacle…

“You just want to know how many Dao Yuan Stones you’ll get, right?” Chong Xuansheng glanced back at him.

Busted, Jiang Wang rubbed his nose and smiled without a word.

He had said that no matter how many resources the Lingxiao Pavilion invested in nurturing Jiang Anan, he would repay them. Naturally, he couldn’t be short on cash when he went to visit Anan.

“Don’t worry.” Chong Xuansheng said smugly. “All the people coming to watch have assigned seating, and the tickets sold out yesterday!”

“Sixteen thousand Dao Yuan Stones!” Jiang Wang quickly calculated the result, astonished.

The Invincible Martial Arts Hall had eight hundred seats, and each seat cost twenty Dao Yuan Stones. How could they have sold out…?

The people of Linzi must be too rich!

“No, no, you miscalculated.” Chong Xuansheng said triumphantly. “I divided the tickets into three tiers, corresponding to first-class, second-class, and third-class areas. The first-class area only had one hundred seats, and each seat sold for one hundred Dao Yuan Stones! The second-class area had two hundred seats, selling for fifty Dao Yuan Stones. The third-class area had five hundred seats, only selling for twenty Dao Yuan Stones. So, in total, it’s thirty thousand Dao Yuan Stones!”

One standard Dao Yuan Stone contained one hundred units of Dao Yuan. A standard Wan Yuan Stone contained ten thousand units of Dao Yuan.

Therefore, the value of one Wan Yuan Stone was equivalent to one hundred Dao Yuan Stones.

Thirty thousand Dao Yuan Stones were equal to three hundred Wan Yuan Stones, equivalent to the market price of three Grade A Opening Meridian Pills!

Just this one duel would pay for Anan’s Opening Meridian Pills.

“This money is too easy to make…” Jiang Wang murmured.

He even wondered if he should arrange a few more duels before leaving. Who else in Linzi was a famous Inner Palace Realm expert?

Chong Xuansheng was oblivious to Jiang Wang’s thoughts and continued to explain. “You don’t know how famous Lei Zhangan is! He’s hailed as a once-in-a-millennium genius of the Lei family, the undisputed future head of the Lei clan. Because of his support, many believe Jiang Wuqi is more likely to win the future succession battle.”

He changed the subject. “But more people are curious about you. Many know you defeated Wang Yiwu with the same cultivation level, but they don’t know who you are, nor have they witnessed your battles. Today is a good opportunity to learn about you!”

It was actually because of Wang Yiwu.

The more deeply rooted Wang Yiwu’s reputation as invincible in the same realm was, the more dazzling Jiang Wang, who defeated him, became.

Although Lei Zhangan was also quite famous and had a higher cultivation level earlier, Wang Yiwu was a more widely known figure.

Many believed that Wang Yiwu would become a top expert in Qi.

In a way, he was the pride of the people of Qi. Because he left the milestone of the Tongtian Realm limit in Qi.

Therefore, after defeating him, Jiang Wang’s public duel today attracted so many spectators.

Jiang Wang couldn’t help but squeeze over and look at the martial arts hall through the crack in the window. As time passed, more and more people entered the hall, and a line formed at the entrance, where they were verifying tickets one by one.

“Speaking of which,” Jiang Wang said, “our dilapidated hall doesn’t even have a roof. You can clearly see what’s happening on the martial arts stage from here in the tavern. Isn’t it much more comfortable sitting here than inside? And you don’t have to spend so many Dao Yuan Stones.”

Chong Xuansheng rolled his eyes subtly. “Otherwise, why do you think I rented the entire tavern, locked the doors, and closed the windows?”

Around the entire “Invincible Martial Arts Hall,” only this small tavern offered a high vantage point to see the situation inside the martial arts hall. And Chong Xuansheng had booked it a few days ago.

“You’re so thoughtful…”

Jiang Wang lightly tapped his forehead.

Why did his brain seem to be especially slow when he was with this fatty?

“Let’s go.” Chong Xuansheng stood up. “Yan Fu is here. It wouldn’t be right if we didn’t greet him.”

Jiang Wang was surprised. “Yan Fu bought a ticket too?”

“I gave it to him!” Chong Xuansheng said angrily. “Why are you so obsessed with money? My Lord Jiang, don’t we need to have some friends?”

Jiang Wang was ashamed and silent.

But after thinking about it, he felt something was off.

How did this conversation turn into the fatty being a generous gentleman? Wasn’t he the one who wanted to make money in the first place?!

He reached out and patted Chong Xuansheng’s shoulder. “Otherwise, when you advance to the Inner Palace Realm, let’s have a public duel too, shall we? That way, our martial arts hall will have another chance to open!”

“I also invited Gao Zhe and Li Longchuan, but they don’t get along very well, so they probably won’t come together.”

Chong Xuansheng seemed to not hear what Jiang Wang said at all, quickening his pace. “Sigh, so busy, I’m so busy today.”

The people who came to the “Invincible Martial Arts Hall” today were more significant than Jiang Wang had imagined.

Aside from acquaintances like Yan Fu, Li Longchuan, and Gao Zhe.

There were also notable figures, such as Bao Boshao and Bao Zhongqing of the Bao clan, who arrived together. Compared to his pockmarked younger brother, Bao Boshao was handsome. The two brothers chatted and laughed, seeming to have a good relationship. But according to Chong Xuansheng, they were secretly at each other’s throats.

In addition, there was the Fourteenth Prince Jiang Wuyong, First-Class Deacon of the Four Seas Commerce League Fu Mu, and others…

Fu Mu was now extremely popular. Qing Xi had recently relied on him greatly, letting him represent him in matters big and small, subtly hinting at cultivating him as the next alliance master.

“Let him take over the Four Seas Commerce League?” Jiang Wang couldn’t understand.

Chong Xuansheng had relied on military might to personally cut off one of Fu Mu’s ears. He knew about this.

Fu Mu’s abilities were questionable.

How could Qing Xi choose to hand the Four Seas Commerce League over to him?

“I heard Qing Xi’s lifespan is nearing its end, and he has to arrange a successor in advance. There’s not much talent in the Four Seas Commerce League right now, so he’s just picking the tallest among the short ones!” Chong Xuansheng kept his voice low, speaking only into Jiang Wang’s ear so that no one else could hear.

Jiang Wang then remembered Qing Xi’s inexplicably attentive attitude before he went to the Seven Stars Secret Realm… If Qing Xi was nearing the end of his life, then it would make sense. With the wealth of the Four Seas Commerce League, Qing Xi must have used all the life-extending treasures available on the market. No wonder he was so eager for novel life-extending treasures.

“Fang Chong should be stronger than Fu Mu, right?” Jiang Wang replied in the same manner.

Of course, on the surface, he was sitting cross-legged on a prayer mat, preparing for battle with a solemn expression—since a seat here was worth at least twenty Dao Yuan Stones, he had to make do with a prayer mat.

“For the Four Seas Commerce League, perhaps ability is more important. But for Qing Xi now, obedience is more important.”

Chong Xuansheng, on the other hand, had a smile plastered on his face. While secretly chatting with Jiang Wang and introducing him to various people of Linzi, he was also stationed near the entrance, ready to greet honored guests at any time.

He was courteous to everyone, as if they were long-lost brothers!