Chapter 26 – Odds 1 The first one hundred sixty battles of the Flower Picking Festival will occur on four raised stages, each stage with four battles arranged; to be completed in ten days. These rules are especially made for the first round of the competition as there’s likely to be a large difference in strength and the time taken for each battle not long. If a match went overtime, it would then be judged as a tie and both people will move on together.

The next round didn’t have any such rules. The time for each match can be indefinitely extended until a clear winner is established or someone admits defeat.

After drawing lots, the young cultivators were given one day to prepare themselves.

On this day, the entirety of Ye City boiled over with excitement.

The teahouses were seated to full capacity, and applause roared like thunder from within each one. The marketplace streets were abuzz with discussions about the competitors of the day; each argument logical and convincing, as if they’ve seen the battles in person.

The brave people rushed towards ZhongMing Mountain and built some thatched huts at the foot of the mountain. They were still extremely far from the arenas; but hearing the sounds and seeing the lights, it was still enough for them to make them excited.

Of course, the main characters of the gathering weren’t the citizens of Ye City.

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On the north side of the city were the Bao Pu Zong disciples beside XinShui Bridge; in the west, the Lian Jian Zong disciples within the XingHua Forest; in the east, the Buddhist Cultivators near the TongAn canal; various other disciples of small sects in the inns in the center of the city; and the Cang Ya disciples on the shores Lake Qiu; each had different reactions to the results of the lot drawing.2

They collected information, analysed the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents, mulling over what moves and techniques to use the next day. After they were done worrying over themselves, they couldn’t help but worry over their sect-mates.

The relationship between Bao Pu Zong and Cang Ya is Not Good; this is a fact everyone knows.

Within the first round, aside from the three of Yin Biyue’s party, only Ruan Xiaolian drew the number of a Bao Pu Zong disciple.

But the most worrying one was not Ruan Xiaolian.

“The other three matchups are at least similar in their cultivation realms, but what about Yin-shixiong?” the disciple who spoke showed a sorrowful expression, “……Yin-shixiong reached the Soul Condensing stage within three years of entering the sect; which is indeed very fast- but I heard…… Bao Pu Zong’s He Lai, half a year ago, had already advanced to the Breakthrough stage!”

Although Duan Chongxuan turned up his nose at six of the “Seven Sons of Bao Pu”, the reputation of the “Seven Sons of Bao Pu” still resounded loud and clear.

No sooner were the words said, did someone retort, “So what if there’s a gap in their cultivation realms! Yin-shixiong is a disciple of the Sword Saint! Think about when Jun Yu-shixiong was still Lesser Vessel stage and he was victorious over a Greater Vessel Elder!”

The disciple who said this admired Jun Yu ever since he entered the sect. When he was at his most fanatic, he even painstakingly imitated the way Jun Yu dressed and held his sword.

But not everyone saw the situation through the haze of emotion, and someone calmly stated, “But to overcome cultivation realms and obtain victory; that’s something that only one in every hundred can do.”

“But I believe that Yin-shixiong will win!” A crisp feminine voice sounded, He Yanyun’s expression resolute.

Other people were also infected by her confidence:

“I also believe Yin-shixiong will win!”

“Yin-shixiong will win for sure!”

Ye City’s gambling den had opened for business. Contrary to the blistering confidence of the Cang Ya disciples, for the people who bet on Yin Biyue had five to one odds, while those that bet on He Lai’s victory had a payout of two to one.

Because who knows when, this type of rumour quietly arose:

The Sword Saint’s disciple, Yin Biyue, had a qi deviation while training his sword, leading to a great loss in his cultivation. His black hair turned white is the proof.

This rumour ended up being described in such a vivid manner that many sects’ disciples were convinced of its authenticity.

Ye City was prosperous, and the gambling area was also very large, but the number of visiting cultivators who went to gamble far outstrips the numbers for residents of the city. This is because if the people of Ye City wanted to gamble, then they must provide evidence of their existing properties before placing a bet so that they can prove that they wouldn’t be reduced to ruin and go into massive debt if their bets were to go south. Besides these conditions, there were also many other rules and restrictions. Over time, fewer and fewer people gambled.

The visiting cultivators didn’t need to heed these rules. In addition to winning some money, they also were showing their support their companions and raise their sect’s prestige.

Duan Chong Xuan fluttered his fan as he walked in; and he fluttered his as he walked out.

Before he entered, the difference between the odds for the match between Yin Biyue and He Lai were great. When he exited, he singlehandedly dragged the odds to become one to three.

The Bao Pu Zong disciples were baffled, “This is impossible! Where did this guy get this much money?!!”

But they refused to be shown up. Scraping together money from here and there, they found that it still wasn’t enough to repress the odds to what it was before.

Someone exclaimed, “Whatever! He-shixiong will definitely win anyway! Besides, even if you borrow some money, you’ll win it back when the time comes!”

The Bao Pu Zong disciples suddenly became increasingly carefree, went to Ye City’s bank to borrow a huge sum of money, and bet it all on He Lai.

Yin Biyue had no clue any of these things were occurring.

He was currently entrenched in practicing his sword within his mind’s sea of knowledge, having already meditated for three days and three nights. At this point in time, regardless of if the world does or does not have confidence in him; nothing would impact him in the slightest.

Because he was confident in himself.

Only on the day that Duan Chongxuan was to compete, did he awaken from his mind’s sea. He donned the sect robes of Cang Ya and carefully arranged his attire before a mirror.

He pushed open the door, and the morning breeze carried the soft scent of southern magnolia into his embrace.

Just as he raised his eyes, he met the gaze of Luo Mingchuan, waiting beneath the magnolia tree. At the same time, Duan Chongxuan also happened to exit his room.

The Duan Chongxuan of today didn’t appear to have even a trace of the tension before a battle. He was dressed even more glamorously and carefree; rich yet not appearing extravagant. He didn’t look at all like he was going to a fight, but instead a matchmaking session.

Yet Luo Mingchuan was looking at Yin Biyue, “Shidi, you……”

There was no cloak over his robes, no hood; thus his three thousand white hairs cascaded down over his shoulders.

Yin Biyue quickly deciphered what he meant, and said,

“I was afraid of scaring children while we were on the road; I was not ashamed of meeting anyone. Now that the Flower Picking Festival has begun, of course I will go openly and righteously.”

When Luo Mingchuan heard his words, a pang shot through his heart. If it weren’t for him, with shidi’s appearance as beautiful as the setting sun, from where would the need to cover his face come from? And how would he have been ridiculed for this by those bandits in the PangLong Mountains?

Quickly, he his thoughts calmed down, and his determination to win the thousand petaled lotus atop the ZhongMing Mountain grew.

The three of them walked out of the city together. In this endless stream of people, there are disciples of every sect, as well as some citizens rushing to watch the show, and within this crowd Yin Biyue’s hair colour was especially eye-catching.

But regardless of if the attention directed at him was innocent speculation, or a malicious gaze, he did not care even the slightest bit.

But Luo Mingchuan cared.

When so many people looked at shidi, he found that his heart became restless.

This was extremely abnormal, and he doesn’t know why he was like this. To the point that he doesn’t even know what to do.

Fortunately, the day’s competitors have stepped onto the stage, and everyone’s attentions were quickly averted.

1) Don’t gamble kids.

2) This is a series of names:

XinShui Bridge = New Waters Bridge XingHua Forest = Almond Blossom Forest Tong An Canal = Peaceful Passage Canal Lake Qiu = Autumn Lake If you noticed that we translated Lake Qiu as Autumn Waters Lake, Autumn Lake, ect, we will henceforth be changing naming conventions for unimportant/stupid sounding if translated locations to retaining the pinyin and giving the translated meanings in a footnote. Sword names will also be following this convention. Skills and techniques, however, will be fully translated.

For places that are more intuitive, or are important and should be remembered, we will be translating them (so long as they don’t sound incredibly stupid).

We will be going back and changing the names posthaste!