Zhao Xidong stared at Xu Xiaoshou as the lad rubbed his hands together while walking to take his seat. Zhao Xidong felt puzzled.

It is impossible!

How could the boy get to touch her hand, and he could not even get to first base? Zhao Xidong had countless girlfriends over the years. Why could he not impress this girl?

What could it be?

Could it be that Xu Xiaoshou was more handsome than he was?

Xu Xiaoshou felt the warmth on his hand, but his mind was not as lewd as those two had pictured.

Unlike Momo's peculiar right hand, he felt nothing special when he touched Yu Zhiwen's hand. So, her strength did not lie in her hands.

Hmm?

He wondered if he could poke at her eyes at their first meeting. However, it sounded so wrong.

It was simply too inappropriate!

Xu Xiaoshou was in a bit of a dilemma.

"What?" Xu Xiaoshou turned to ask Zhao Xidong when he felt the latter's intense stare.

"Nothing."

Zhao Xidong tried to get a hold of himself. Although he had many questions, he did not wish to speak with the boy—not even a single word.

It was still okay that he did not get to shake the girl's hand. But if he started a conversation with Xu Xiaoshou, Zhao Xidong knew he would get so provoked that he'd feel sick.

Zhao Xidong could not help looking over to the opposite side of the room. He suddenly felt very relaxed and started leaning on the back of his seat comfortably.

The corner of his lips curled up. All he needed at that moment was a bag of chips to watch the unfolding drama in the room.

An interesting thing was brewing on the opposite side.

Chen Xingchu was infuriated, and fumes of anger seemed to rise from his head.

He was a straightforward person. So, he just could not contain his emotions.

And when he saw Xu Xiaoshou enjoying the handshake so much, he almost exploded on the spot.

Initially, Chen Xingchu did not have much regard for this beginner Court rank boy. However, things quickly changed.

He swore he would make sure that Xu Xiaoshou never walked out of the council hall alive!

Jiang Bianyan was slightly disappointed with Chen Xingchu's behavior. But it pleased him that Yu Zhiwen was respectful to Xu Xiaoshou.

At the very least, they intended to take away the Fourth Sword's scabbard later. So they should establish a good relationship with its present owner.

He was perplexed. Why was Chen Xingchu so piqued?

He had already lost his composure even before they began their duel.

But it did not matter, anyway. Fortunately, Xu Xiaoshou was only a beginner Court rank disciple.

Jiang Bianyan felt very confident about the bet. Still, he wanted to go the extra mile to secure the win.

"Hallmaster Ye, Xu Xiaoshou is barely a beginner at Innate Stage. Is it not too difficult for him and Chen Xingchu to...?" He did not complete the sentence, but he had conveyed his message.

"It is okay."

Ye Xiaotian was aware of Jiang Bianyan's shrewd tactics. Frankly, he was more afraid that they would not be willing to accept the challenge with Xu Xiaoshou because of his low Innate cultivation rank.

If that were the case, then it would not be ideal!

It was easy to invite them over, but difficult to send them away. Hence, Xu Xiaoshou was their last strategy!

Ye Xiaotian pointed at the young man who had just sat down and said, "You cannot simply judge Xu Xiaoshou's battle capability by his cultivation ranking. He is quite skilled."

"Oh?"

Jiang Bianyan raised his eyebrows and wondered if Xu Xiaoshou might have some hidden resources.

However, if his cultivation rank was not up to par, there was no way he could harm Chen Xingchu, two levels higher than him. There were two ranks above Innate—the Occupied Void and Upper Spirit. Xu Xiaoshou would not overcome those gaps easily!

Xu Xiaoshou was not the only one with resources. So it would not be so easy to deal with Chen Xingchu either!

"It still feels wrong. This duel could be too dangerous for the young man. It would be troublesome if he gets seriously hurt," Jiang Bianyan added softly.

"Eh, it's fine."

Ye Xiaotian raised his hand and sounded very confident in his reply.

"How about this? If Hallmaster Jiang is genuinely worried, why do we not let Xu Xiaoshou decide the format of the match?"

When Ye Xiaotian suggested it, Zhao Xidong got a surprise. He stared at the Dean in disbelief.

What on earth did the Dean say? Was he plotting for some commotion?

People might die!

Zhao Xidong wanted to get up immediately, but two fingers were pressing on his clothes.

He turned to look.

Qiao Qianzhi shook his head and signaled at him to stay calm.

"These old dudes..."

"Can we really do this? It is a person's life! Chen Xingchu is too naïve for Xu Xiaoshou!"

Zhao Xidong looked over to the other side and stared at Xu Xiaoshou, who looked a little lost. He felt bad.

"Has it already started?"

He leaned back in his seat, feeling powerless. Zhao Xidong had mixed feelings when he looked at the young man sitting opposite, still in high spirits.

Chen Xingchu, why do you still look so proud? Do you know you are as good as dead already? Zhao Xidong thought to himself and shook his head.

...

"It sounds quite reasonable."

Jiang Bianyan sounded like he was mumbling, but he was secretly over the moon.

As long as they take down Xu Xiaoshou, then the quota would be theirs. Ye Xiaotian would not have any excuse.

Then Jiang Bianyan intended to ask Yu Zhiwen to get close to Xu Xiaoshou and capitalize on her beauty.

"Cough! Cough!" What an opportunity to get that scabbard!

"What do you think, Xingchu?" Jiang Bianyan asked.

"I am fine either way."

There was no way Chen Xingchu would reject the offer. All he was waiting for was the conversation to end and get down to the business of whacking the other young man.

"You set the rules. Do not hold back at all!" the arrogant Chen Xingchu declared.

Xu Xiaoshou looked at the high-spirited Chen Xingchu and he felt somewhat confused.

"Why are you staring at me? Did I say that I am dueling with you?"

Chen Xingchu staggered when he heard that. Even his stance wobbled a bit.

"Huh?"

Xu Xiaoshou looked at Ye Xiaotian with a questioning face.

He was not playing hard to get at all. What made them think he would fight? The Dean had summoned to see him. It looked like he got roped into a fight that did not concern him. What the hell was going on?

It would waste his energy and could risk revealing his resources. On top of it, there were no rewards.

With such conditions, what makes everyone think he would want to fight?

Everyone looked at the Ye Xiaotian in the first seat. Zhao Xidong once again felt the power of Xu Xiaoshou.

Not only did the lad dare to talk back to him, he even dared to do it to Dean Ye!

This Xu Xiaoshou was very precocious!

Ye Xiaotian was equally shocked. He had thought of every scenario but had not foreseen that Xu Xiaoshou would not be willing to fight.

It was a glorious opportunity to fight for the Spirit Palace!

Hm, wait a minute. It is not something Xu Xiaoshou would usually do.

Ye Xiaotian felt a slight headache. It is okay if others had defied him, he could punish them in a hundred ways.

But the boy had the backing of Elder Sang.

As he thought of Elder Sang, Ye Xiaotian came up with a trick on the spot. He sent a message to Xu Xiaoshou through telepathy. "How about this? If you can take down Chen Xingchu, then everything you picked up in Tianxuan Gate would be yours."

"Really?" Xu Xiaoshou screamed, and his eyes lit up.

His outburst left Ye Xiaotian speechless.

Phew!

The Dean told himself that he had to tolerate it!

Xu Xiaoshou did not know how to communicate with telepathy.

Jiang Bianyan felt secretly disturbed. They were communicating strategies already!

He looked over to the other side and thought that there was nothing much to advise, so Jiang Bianyan just remained still.

"If you can win Chen Xingchu, on top of the Black Scabbard, I can give you more rewards," Ye Xiaotian said through telepathy.

The gains from Tianxuan Gate had already belonged to Xu Xiaoshou, as it was the agreement between him and Elder Sang.

After all, there were many witnesses to the wager. Qiao Qianzhi was there as well. If Ye Xiaotian were to exploit that, it was inappropriate. So, he had to promise to give Xu Xiaoshou other rewards.

It made Ye Xiaotian feel his deal was more secure.

Xu Xiaoshou was a lot more excited.

The gains from Tianxuan Gate were more than just the Black Scabbard!

Since Ye Xiaotian had openly promised, then the Ring of Seal, the Spirit Mark of Life, and Jie did not have to remain hidden!

The rest was unimportant. But if Xu Xiaoshou could let Jie out to take a breather, it would be very beneficial for its growth.

He could also use it as his last option at critical moments. He had less to worry about when facing opponents.

As Xu Xiaoshou contemplated on the rewards, his purpose in fighting Chen Xingchu was pure greed.

Chen Xingchu was not merely a person. Instead, he was a seal to open the door to a vast array of treasures!

Take Chen Xingchu down, and everything would belong to him.

Openly and righteously!

"Come, fight!"

Xu Xiaoshou got up and became unusually excited. "So, how do you want to fight?"

Zhao Xidong held his forehead in one hand.

Oh no, Xu Xiaoshou seems very excited. Hopefully, he does not overdo it.

He was not the judge, though he had the heart for it. In his present frame of mind, Zhao Xidong was very prepared for anything.

Chen Xingchu, still unaware of his fate, stood up with hands behind his back and looked disdainful.

"I have said before. You set the rules!"

"Fine!"

Xu Xiaoshou roared in reply. He was excited and had assumed his stance, but he suddenly sat back in the chair.

Everyone looked confused.

: Suspected, passive points, +6.

"Duel!" yelled Chen Xingchu, looking provoked.

"What are we competing for?" asked Xu Xiaoshou, shrugging nonchalantly.

"I am giving you a chance. If we do not compete for cultivation, how else can you beat me?"