Chapter 212: Chapter 211: Where’s the Person?

This duel caused quite a stir in the Celestial Pattern Pavilion. All the disciples who were free rushed over, and even the stewards turned their gazes this way. It was the first time they had ever seen anyone compete with Spiritual Power here, let alone a new disciple like Yi Tianyun who had just joined.

’My god, Boss is actually competing against Jia Ping in Spiritual Power? What is he thinking?’ Yang Yu, watching from the outside, couldn’t help but smile wryly.

If Yi Tianyun lost, he would truly be at another’s beck and call for a year. Knowing Jia Ping’s personality, he would undoubtedly be treated like a dog, or even worse.

"This Yi Tianyun is too hot-headed, agreeing to this duel after a little provocation. He’s still too young; he won’t even know what hit him."

"That’s right. He just joined and is already pulling stunts like this without establishing himself first. He’ll get himself killed sooner or later."

"Heh heh, if he loses, Jia Ping will be the one to ruin him. No need to wait for ’sooner or later’."

The people in the crowd all shook their heads. ’Young people with a bit of talent are always arrogant. One day they’ll end up dead in a ditch and not even know why.’

"Place your bets, place your bets!" someone in the crowd shouted at that moment. "Bets for Jia Ping to win over here, bets for Yi Tianyun over here! The payout for a Yi Tianyun win is three to one!"

"Oh? Isn’t this just free money? I’m betting on Jia Ping!"

"Me too! I’ll bet one thousand taels!"

"I’ll bet five hundred taels!"

They all rushed to put down their money, every one of them betting on Jia Ping. Very few people bet on Yi Tianyun, and those who did only wagered about ten taels of silver, just for fun.

"Can’t you guys bet on this side?" the disciple acting as the bookie grimaced. "He’s the one who cleared the Maze Array in record time, aren’t you even going to consider that?" He had thought he could make a killing, but if things kept going like this, he was going to lose his shirt.

"Clearing the Maze Array shows some skill, but maybe he’d just encountered a similar one before, which is why he was so fast. Anyone who bets on him is an idiot, and I’m no idiot!"

"That’s right! Maybe he’s seen this Maze Array before and just exploited a loophole!"

They all roared with laughter, certain that the bookie was doomed to take a huge loss this time.

"I’ll bet three thousand taels on him!" A roar came from the crowd. Yang Yu strode forward and slammed three thousand taels down in Yi Tianyun’s betting area. "I’m betting three thousand taels on him!"

"Yang Yu, that’s a nice way to win his favor," a fellow disciple beside him jeered. "But he’s gambling with his own freedom. If he loses, what will be left for you to win over?"

"I do what I want. Got a problem with it?" Yang Yu shot him a glare, completely ignoring everyone else’s stares.

The others rolled their eyes at him. ’If he wants to be an idiot, then he can’t blame us for not warning him.’

While an uproar brewed outside, the competition continued inside. Both Yi Tianyun and Jia Ping were sitting cross-legged in meditation. Of course, Yi Tianyun was actually continuing his observation of the Divine Rune. His Eye of Investigation had already burned a portion of the rune into his mind. If he kept this up, he would be able to claim the entire Divine Rune as his own.

Time passed quickly. Half a day went by, and neither of them had shown any signs of faltering.

Soon, a full day had passed. Yi Tianyun still hadn’t lost; both of them were holding on.

On the second day, Jia Ping’s face had grown a little pale. At his level, he couldn’t hold out for very long. Yi Tianyun’s complexion, however, was normal, showing no change at all.

The third day passed, and Jia Ping’s face looked even worse. When he cracked open his eyes to peek, he saw that Yi Tianyun’s expression was unchanged; he seemed perfectly fine. In fact, he had even opened his eyes to look around. If it weren’t for the fluctuations of energy around his body, one might have thought he hadn’t even started.

The crowd of spectators outside was shocked. They thought it would have been impressive if Yi Tianyun could last a day, or maybe two, but they never expected him to make it to the third day!

On the fourth day, Jia Ping stood up, his face deathly pale. The Protective Talisman in his hand had lost its glow. It wasn’t that the talisman had broken; his time was up. He had only registered for four days, which was his absolute limit.

Four days had passed. Yi Tianyun was still motionless, while Jia Ping swayed as he walked. The hearts of those who had bet on him sank. ’Are we going to lose?’

"Give me another five days!" Jia Ping said to Steward Huang.

"Young man, don’t act on impulse. You can barely hold on as it is. Continuing like this is just a waste," Steward Huang kindly advised.

"It’s fine. This junior knows his own limits!"

After speaking, he snatched a new Protective Talisman and quickly returned to the fifth floor, sitting down again to meditate. However, he didn’t last long. On the fifth day, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. His body swayed for a moment before he collapsed to the side, unconscious.

Meanwhile, Yi Tianyun remained exactly as he was, not even twitching an eyelid. He continued his observation as if everything had nothing to do with him.

After spitting blood and collapsing, Jia Ping was instantly teleported by the Protective Talisman to the recovery room. The room was isolated; he would either have to walk out on his own after waking up, or Steward Huang would have to go in and retrieve him.

Regardless, the result was obvious. Yi Tianyun had won. Jia Ping had lost completely, defeated by a total rookie!

Watching Jia Ping vanish, everyone was stunned. They stared dumbfounded at the spot where he had collapsed, completely floored. They had bet their fortunes on Jia Ping, and now that he had lost, it meant they had lost everything they wagered!

"Th-this is impossible, right? Jia Ping, ranked twenty-fourth, lost?"

"Heavens, I bet my entire savings on him!"

"That kid actually won? This is unbelievable! And I only bet ten taels of silver!"

...

Many people began to wail. Most had bet on Jia Ping to win, and as a result, they had lost all their betting money. While it wasn’t a huge amount for some, at the very least, the silver taels they had for buying Elixir Pills were completely gone.

"Boss won?" Yang Yu let out a sigh of relief, then burst into laughter. "I knew Boss was a sure win! I bet three thousand taels of silver on him, now pay up!"

Yang Yu held out his hand to the bookie for his winnings. The bookie, grinning from ear to ear, handed nine thousand taels to Yang Yu. "Here’s your nine thousand taels," he said with a wide smile. "Bet a little more next time!"

This shocking upset had allowed the bookie to make a killing. He had gone from thinking he’d lose his shirt to raking in so much profit he couldn’t stop grinning.

With this, Jia Ping’s popularity plummeted to rock bottom, while Yi Tianyun’s skyrocketed to the heavens! Someone ranked eighty-first had defeated Jia Ping in a contest of Spiritual Power. It was simply unbelievable!

"He really won..." Yang Xixue covered her mouth in astonishment, completely dumbfounded by the situation.

Many people hadn’t been optimistic about Yi Tianyun, yet now he had won. Moreover, even after Jia Ping was out, he was still inside cultivating! Although it didn’t look like he was cultivating, the fluctuations around him proved that he was still in the process, continuously absorbing the power in his surroundings.

"Hmm? Where did he go?" Yi Tianyun turned his head, looked at the empty spot beside him, and asked in confusion.

"..."

Everyone was speechless.