The Sen Yue Army had been bustling with excitement recently.

The source of the excitement was the Grand Tournament of the entire army and the champion titles for each tier.

There’s no clear first in scholarship, but there’s no second in combat.

Not to mention, the Grand Tournament was a major event for the entire Changkong Clan, an activity heavily promoted by the ’Monarch’ Sen Yue himself.

In a way, if the five champions who emerged from the Grand Tournament could all continue to grow smoothly, they would have a genuine shot at a Dao Seed position.

Even the Saints, who had long remained aloof from worldly affairs, might cast their gazes upon them, choosing to invest in the family disciples who performed exceptionally well.

Just thinking about it revealed how high the stakes were for the champion’s title!

As for who would claim the five champion titles, the major betting houses offered different odds.

Sen Feng Gambling House was rumored to be backed by a certain influential figure with the surname Sen.

It was the largest gambling house in the Sen Yue Army, with an impeccable reputation.

Inside the gambling house, the bets on who among Qing Mang, Lin Tianxue, Fang Yang, and others would win the Tier One championship were clear at a glance.

The payout for Qing Mang was three to one, for Lin Tianxue it was ten to one, and for Fang Yang, it was twenty to one!

"Twenty to one... they’re underestimating Ah Yang." Second Uncle Fang took some time to make a trip to the Sen Feng Gambling House.

"Ridiculous. How could Qing Mang and Lin Tianxue possibly defeat the Venerable One?" Lu Yao sneered with contempt as she slowly walked out of the Sen Feng Gambling House.

"Brother, have you gone mad? You’re actually selling off all your assets to bet everything on Fang Yang!" Zhang Le was stunned, unable to believe the person before him was his cousin. Zhang Ye, however, just smiled meaningfully.

’Lin Tianxue? Too timid. How can a snowflake hope to overwhelm a Flying Eagle?’

’Qing Mang is even worse—a witless brute. How could he possibly be a match for Fang Yang with nothing but reckless passion?’

It wasn’t just Zhang Ye who had come to this conclusion; so had Hong Qishang!

And Hong Qishang was even more extreme than Zhang Ye. Not only did he sell off all his assets, but he also borrowed money from everyone, even from Chen Yuan, with whom he didn’t get along.

Hong Qishang planned to use this single bet to win back all the cultivation resources he needed for Tier Four, and even Tier Five!

Spurred on by Hong Qishang, Wei Rubao and Chen Yuan also placed small bets on Fang Yang.

This unusual activity was quickly noticed by the bookmakers.

Because aside from Qing Mang, who was still far in the lead, the amount of money bet on Fang Yang and Lin Tianxue had surprisingly reached a near-balance.

This was unbelievable!

It could only be said that profit moves the hearts of men.

Zhang Ye and Hong Qishang had even more faith in Fang Yang’s strength than Second Uncle Fang and Seventh Uncle Fang did!

But there was no such thing as an ever-victorious general in this world. These guys were just planning to make a quick buck and run.

However, the house often preys on precisely this kind of mentality.

Winning once doesn’t mean you’ll win twice, or three times...

A single loss, and you would be plunged into an endless abyss!

Gambling was an absolute path to ruin!

...

’If nothing unexpected happens, after I fight Li Yang, I’ll have to fight Lin Tianxue.’

’After Lin Tianxue, it’ll be Qing Mang... I’ll be fighting him for the champion’s title.’

As he waited for the match to begin on the tournament stage, Fang Yang mentally reviewed the list of his opponents.

He had actually gathered intelligence on all of them.

Because of this, he didn’t feel any pressure.

However, simulations and real combat could sometimes differ, so he remained vigilant, ready to strike with all his might like a hawk hunting its prey.

CLANG—

Another gong sounded.

This time, the White Feathered Eagle beat its wings and took the offensive, covering Fang Yang’s advance and preventing Li Yang’s Pet Beast, a four-winged wolf, from interfering.

Fang Yang’s opponent, Li Yang, focused his mind, tightly gripping the Wolf Fang Club in his hands as he waited for Fang Yang to make a move.

Fang Yang strode forward. The air around him exploded with a thunderous roar as orbs of blazing flame bloomed one after another.

The war spear in his hand swept down like a volcanic eruption, smashing toward Li Yang with immense force.

Such a display of power was produced from a perfectly natural movement, forcing Li Yang to retreat again and again.

VMMM—

A brilliant light flared as a great gust of wind surged.

Li Yang found he had no more room to retreat and was smashed to his knees by Fang Yang.

His body crumpled like a heap of mud, collapsing to the ground as blood flowed freely!

He won.

Just like that, Fang Yang had won.

Fang Yang’s continued effortless dominance left everyone dumbfounded.

"I... lost?" Li Yang gave a wretched smile.

He didn’t even get the chance to use the trump card he had prepared for so long. How pathetic.

Fang Yang slowly retracted his crimson war spear and, with the White Feathered Eagle following behind, turned and left the stage with supreme nonchalance.

The receding image of a figure in white robes and a white eagle was seared into Li Yang’s mind, filling him with deep despair.

’Fang Yang is already this incredible. Just how talented must Qing Mang and Sen Wei be?’

’Without a particularly powerful constitution, is it really impossible to stand among these prodigies?’

"Fang... Yang..." Outside the stage, Lin Tianxue watched his receding figure, feeling immense pressure.

"Ah Mang, you must be careful with Fang Yang. I suspect he still has a trump card he hasn’t shown," Le Shiyu said gravely to Qing Mang on the other side, causing him to narrow his eyes.

...

After Fang Yang’s easy victory over Li Yang, his next opponent was announced: Lin Tianxue.

Everything was proceeding just as Fang Yang had predicted, with almost no unexpected incidents.

Although this might seem a bit dull, Fang Yang didn’t find it boring at all.

He was eagerly anticipating the moment he would become champion and obtain the Tier Five opportunity.

Moreover, this Tier Five opportunity was highly likely to be expandable into a Tier Six opportunity in the future.

In other words, this would most likely be the foundation upon which he could advance to the realm of Saints!

Advancing to Tier Three adds two hundred years to one’s lifespan.

Advancing to Tier Six adds a thousand years.

After Tier Six, each heavenly tribulation one overcomes grants an additional number of years to their lifespan.

Vaguely, Fang Yang could see his path to longevity right before his eyes!

’Longevity, immortality, becoming an Immortal Ancestor!’

’Once I reach that realm, in this vast world, no one will be able to restrain me.’

’I could roam the world like a celestial eagle, carefree and unrestrained...’

Just as Fang Yang was lost in his reverie, Second Uncle Fang’s words pulled him back to reality.

"Ah Yang, your feeling is correct. The White Feathered Eagle has indeed grown a little stronger. Combat truly does help it grow faster," Second Uncle Fang said.

"We’re short on time. The White Feathered Eagle can’t beat Qing Mang’s Electro-Python yet. But I never planned on relying on it anyway. The champion’s title will still be mine," Fang Yang replied calmly.

With that exchange, Fang Yang refocused his mind.

Under his Second Uncle’s watch, Fang Yang began training alone, starting to study the Mystical Skill of [Wind and Fire Together].

This [Wind and Fire Together] was originally meant to counter Zhang Ye’s [Water and Fire in Harmony], but now it seemed Zhang Ye was having trouble keeping up with his pace.

Currently, his goal was to fuse a thread of this [Wind and Fire Together] Mystical Skill into his [Celestial Eagle Cross Spear].

If he could do that, he would undoubtedly seize the championship!

As long as Sen Wei didn’t appear, he was truly invincible.

「Elsewhere.」

It wasn’t just Fang Yang who felt the White Feathered Eagle couldn’t defeat the Electro-Python; the eagle itself felt an immense sense of threat from it.

The Electro-Python was a Tier Five variant species.

It was rumored that the Electro-Python even possessed a trace of the bloodline of a Tier Six Desolate Beast, the ’Thunder Flood-Dragon’, making it a true child of lightning and thunder.

Even though Qing Mang’s Electro-Python was still in its juvenile stage, it was already terrifying enough to defeat Fierce Beasts of a higher tier!

If the Electro-Python was of a Golden Clan bloodline, then the White Feathered Eagle was undoubtedly of a commoner bloodline. There was simply no comparison between the two.

SCREE, SCREE...

While Fang Yang took the initiative to train harder, the White Feathered Eagle wasn’t idle either.

The White Feathered Eagle proactively sought out Seventh Uncle Fang, begging him for help.

It didn’t want to drag Fang Yang down. Not even if it meant death!

Its character was a real eye-opener for Seventh Uncle Fang, making him grow even more fond of it.

Meanwhile, the Small Frost Horse, hiding in a corner, saw the White Feathered Eagle’s determination and began to admire its courageous heart even more.

Inspired by the White Feathered Eagle, the Small Frost Horse briefly left its corner.

But a moment later, it quickly scurried back to its corner to hide again.

It was as if to say: ’Never mind, never mind. I’m fine just the way I am...’