Without waiting for Ning Xuan to respond, Li Liang generously spoke up, "Five hundred thousand! I’m willing to pay five hundred thousand!"

Of course, Ning Xuan wouldn’t agree and refused outright.

"One million! That’s truly all my savings. Please, just help me out," Li Liang pleaded, almost in tears.

Ning Xuan seemed to deliberate for a long time before finally saying, "Alright, two million will do. However, you must agree to my condition."

"What... what condition?" Li Liang immediately asked, hearing a potential turning point.

"It’s simple. Later, if anyone asks, just say I paid you twenty million. You can’t be the only one to take a fall and lose a fortune. You need someone to join the spectacle, don’t you?"

As soon as Ning Xuan said this, Li Liang’s eyes lit up, but then he faltered again. Two million was by no means a small sum.

Li Liang said in a fawning tone, "How about this... could I say you paid me thirty million, and in return, you charge me a little less? I really don’t have that many Divine Crystals."

"Since you’re so quick on the uptake, you can just give me three million."

Li Liang’s face broke into a wide smile. "Great! Thank you so much—"

He suddenly realized something, and his expression was about to change when a low shout rang out.

"Are you two going to fight or not?"

Li Liang glanced over and his neck shrank back. The speaker was none other than Lu Feng, one of the Ten Elders. Losing a few million was a small matter, but angering one of the Ten Elders was a major one. He didn’t dare to delay for even a second and immediately nodded. Then, with a loud roar, he lunged at Ning Xuan!

He immediately unleashed his ultimate killing technique! Despite the cautionary tale of Chen Tao, he was a Law Enforcement Officer! He had his pride, and he refused to believe Ning Xuan could defeat him.

The result? Not only did his strike miss, but Ning Xuan’s voice also rang in his ear, pointing out the very flaw in his technique and even offering a way to improve it!

Li Liang was utterly shocked. He had never met Ning Xuan before, and Ning Xuan had never demonstrated his strength in the Realm Capital. It was impossible for him to know his techniques! Yet now, Ning Xuan had identified the flaw and offered a solution in such a short amount of time. His strength was terrifyingly profound!

Li Liang knew at once that he and Ning Xuan were not on the same level.

He changed his approach for his second move, but the result was the same.

Beyond his shock, Li Liang felt fortunate. Those three million Divine Crystals were well spent! Ning Xuan’s two pointers alone were worth far more than that!

When Ning Xuan reminded him that four moves had passed, Li Liang couldn’t help but feel immense regret. He wanted to continue fighting Ning Xuan. He was willing to pay any amount of Divine Crystals!

Unfortunately, Ning Xuan was simply too fast. Before Li Liang could even speak—THUD!—Ning Xuan had already struck him.

BANG!

Li Liang was slammed against the rock wall. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but his expression was incredibly excited. And despite his inner regret, he still remembered Ning Xuan’s condition.

"Damn, that guy Li Liang must’ve made a huge profit!"

"Of course! Look at that smug grin on his face!"

Similar remarks echoed among the other Law Enforcement Officers.

Several of them decided to ask Li Liang how much he had made the moment he came over. And he didn’t disappoint Ning Xuan’s expectations.

"What?!"

When one of the Law Enforcement Officers heard the number Li Liang gave, he was completely stunned. Thirty million Divine Crystals? That guy Ning Xuan is ridiculously rich!

This figure quickly spread through the area like a hurricane. In an instant, Ning Xuan once again became the target of public animosity. Even the duels in the arena suddenly seemed less interesting, as many people began to cast frequent, sidelong glances at him.

Ning Xuan remained expressionless, looking thoroughly displeased. The crowd, for their part, found this understandable. However, what they didn’t know was that Ning Xuan’s annoyance was directed at the Realm Lord, who was taking advantage of the situation to demand a piece of the pie.

"Ning Xuan, I know it was him paying you, not the other way around. You must give half of your earnings to this Lord." The Dali Realm Lord’s voice transmission was blunt.

Before Ning Xuan could even reply, he continued, "You’ve set a precedent, so others will surely follow suit. You’ve seen it yourself—both Lu Feng and Yan Qiang among the Ten Elders are very displeased with you. They will certainly propose to have your spot revoked. And I possess the power of veto. You’re a smart man. You should understand what that means, right?"

"Sharing the Divine Crystals isn’t a problem, but the Realm Lord must do me another small favor."

The Dali Realm Lord was not so easily fooled. He replied directly, "If it’s truly a small favor, that’s fine. But if you think I can persuade Lu Feng and Yan Qiang to change their minds, that is something I cannot do."

After a moment’s hesitation, the Dali Realm Lord added, "If you want them to leave you alone, you must place in the top ten. If you can manage that, you can enter the Domain Lord’s Mansion. You might even secure a position among the Ten Elders in the future."

Ning Xuan nodded. "Understood."

He had little interest in becoming one of the Ten Elders, but the protection of the Domain Lord’s Mansion would save him a great deal of trouble. Then, even though the Lu Family and Ding Heyan hated him, they wouldn’t dare to move against him rashly. He could provoke them from time to time to sharpen his own skills, then retreat to the safety of the Domain Lord’s Mansion if things went south. The plan was almost too perfect.

Ning Xuan decided to strive for a spot in the top ten.

The Dali Realm Lord was pleased to see Ning Xuan’s interest. This was a plan that would kill multiple birds with one stone!

On the dueling ground, the matches continued. Soon, the phenomenon of match-throwing appeared, and it was rather conspicuous. Just as the Dali Realm Lord had predicted, some participants began making deals with their opponents to secure a spot.

Without a second thought, Lu Feng slammed his palm down, intending to kill both contestants. However, the Dali Realm Lord made his move, blocking the attack.

"Realm Lord, they are cheating brazenly! This shows no respect for us, or for you! Furthermore, this is extremely irresponsible toward the spectators who paid good money to watch!" Lu Feng immediately snapped.

His words were extremely reasonable, and quite a few people couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

The Dali Realm Lord smiled. "Do you all agree with his statement? Rest assured, I am quite democratic. Please, feel free to speak your minds."

Encouraged by this, people really did begin to speak up.

"I strongly agree! This is a selection tournament! Anyone who cheats so openly should be disqualified immediately!"

"Right! That’s too arrogant! They must be punished!"

"I propose starting with Ning Xuan! After all, he’s the one who started it!"

"I agree!"

"I agree as well!"

The chorus of agreement grew louder.

As more and more people spoke out, Ning Xuan watched on, committing everything to memory. When he saw that a full seven of the Ten Elders were in agreement, he realized the gravity of the situation.

Damn it! This Dali Realm Lord’s intentions aren’t good at all.

Nevertheless, Ning Xuan still decided to fulfill his promise. With so many people siding with Lu Feng, he needed to fly the Realm Lord’s banner now more than ever.

Heh, just you wait and see. It’s not yet clear who is using whom, Ning Xuan thought, a thrill of excitement running through him. The joy of struggling against others is truly endless!

At that very moment, the Dali Realm Lord, who had been observing Ning Xuan all this time, finally spoke in a slow, deliberate voice.

"I disagree!"

Instantly, all eyes turned to him. Prompted by a signal from Lu Feng, one person even dared to speak up.