?

The sudden voice left everyone in a daze.

Had they heard wrongly? Purple Bamboo City? How could such an honored force have anything to do with Tang Yan?

Now two towering powers had placed wagers on Tang Yan at the same time. Everyone's hearts jolted. Could Tang Yan truly be a peerless expert?

But in the blink of an eye, they relaxed again.

Perhaps they were merely lending Tang Yan some face. After all, with the wealth of those two great forces, if they were certain Tang Yan would win, why not wager several hundred million taels of silver?

They simply could not tell what relationship those two powers had with Tang Yan.

With the two great forces placing their wagers, Tang Yan's name leapt straight to first place on the board.

Hearing that wager of fifty million taels of silver, Tang Yan's mind could not help but conjure Zi Yun's mature, graceful figure.

That woman truly did not hesitate when spending silver.

"So honored guests from Purple Bamboo City have come to my Fang City. What an honor. If my hospitality has been lacking, I hope you will forgive me. If you have leisure after the Grand Competition, please come to my manor for a gathering." Fang Wentian stood and cupped his hands toward the middle-aged man.

"City Lord Fang is too courteous," the square-faced man replied politely.

Lin Xiao's face twitched. Tang Yan had kept himself hidden for so many years, yet the connections that suddenly appeared around him were far too astonishing.

Ge Ming of Myriad Pill Pavilion was still in Yun City. Though Lin Xiao did not know why he had become involved with Tang Yan, the distance was close, so perhaps Old Master Tang had entrusted him with something.

But Purple Bamboo City was a transcendent force throughout the entire Tingxiang Kingdom, and it lay countless Li from Yun City. How had this brat formed a connection with them?

Even Lin Xiao, who believed he understood Tang Yan fairly well, was shocked beyond words, let alone everyone else.

Yao Qian also looked at Tang Yan with deep wariness. This brat had made Yu City lose so much face. He had originally wanted to find a chance to assassinate him, but with such a background, he truly had to weigh the consequences before acting.

"Grandfather..."

In the crowd, a youth with bright, pitch-black eyes tugged at the sleeve of the old man beside him.

"Hehe, these common fools actually cannot see Young Master Tang's great talent. Very well, this old man will also lend him some support." Shen Shan naturally understood Shen He's meaning and laughed aloud. "One hundred million taels of silver on Young Master Tang to win!"

The moment those words fell, the venue fell silent once more.

Immediately after, the crowd erupted into an uproar.

"Who is that man? What a grand hand!"

"To take out one hundred million taels of silver at once-his strength may not be inferior to Purple Bamboo City. Could he be someone from the imperial family?"

"..."

Everyone began guessing the old man's identity. Of course, a small number of people looked down on it as well. These great powers were truly fools with too much money. Once Tang Yan lost, would all that silver not fall into someone else's pocket?

"Grandfather, didn't you say that at our realm, silver is no longer important? Then why did you only wager one hundred million?" Shen He was somewhat dissatisfied.

Hearing his grandson's complaint, Shen Shan smiled bitterly. "One hundred million taels of silver is a grand sum not only in the Eastern Region, but in all of Tingxiang! Besides, why would we bring so much silver with us when we go out? One hundred million taels is already everything we have on hand."

Aside from shock, Lin Xiao also felt a little awkward. Had these people gone mad? Just before he could place his own wager, they had suddenly thrown out so much silver.

Originally, five hundred thousand taels had already been no small amount, but now it was not enough to look at.

Tang Yan followed the voice and looked over. When he saw that it was actually Shen Shan and his grandson, he was slightly surprised. These two had not left Yun City yet?

Shen Shan smiled kindly at Tang Yan, and Tang Yan cupped his hands in return.

At this moment, Mo Bin and the five city lords were all looking at Shen Shan with considerable apprehension.

They had seen no small number of experts, and their own strength was not weak, yet at this moment, they could not see through the old man's cultivation at all.

The old man's strength was very likely far above theirs!

Arriving at this conclusion, their hearts trembled. Could he be a Heaven Rank expert?

Fang Wentian looked at the more than one hundred seventy million taels of silver placed on Tang Yan's name on the board, and his heart stirred slightly. As long as Tang Yan lost, all this silver would belong to Fang City!

Even as the lord of a city, before such an immense sum, he could not remain entirely calm.

After steadying himself, Fang Wentian said, "Since there are no further wagers..."

"Wait, Brother Fang. Lin has yet to place his wager." Even though he felt awkward, Lin Xiao still stood up. Sensing everyone's scrutinizing gazes, Lin Xiao hardened his heart and raised the stakes. "Yun City wagers one million taels of silver each on Lin Dongxue and Tang Yan!"

Though this was far below the three wagers just now, compared to the other four cities, Lin Xiao was still the city lord who had wagered the most.

"City Lord Lin has fine boldness." Fang Wentian smiled. Knowing there should be no more wealthy wagerers, he announced loudly, "I declare the second round of the Eastern Region Grand Competition officially begun! Talents holding number one, enter the arena!"

One person each walked out from Qing City and Song City's seats.

The number in Tang Yan's hand was eight, while Lin Dongxue's was six. Among the ten numbers, the two most auspicious had both fallen to Yun City, as if heaven had arranged it in the unseen.

Tang Yan straightened and watched the matches in the arena.

After the first round of eliminations, the duels in this round were clearly far more exciting.

As Tang Yan watched, he analyzed them for Lin Dongxue.

"In the first match, Qing City's Chen Qingzhi is quite strong. Not only is his strength at the peak of Third Rank, his use of martial skills is also very Proficient. If you fight him, it is best to close the distance quickly and not give him a chance to use his martial skills."

"In the second match, Wan Fei faces Yao Yuan. Yao Yuan is only Black Rank Second Grade, while Wan Fei is a battle-hardened Mercenary. Yao Yuan's defeat is certain. Your strength is about equal to Wan Fei's. If you happen to face her, what matters will be your state of mind."

"In the third match, Qing City's Sun Long faces Fang City's Fang Chen. Sun Long's aura has remained steady all this time. When he fights, he does so with ease, and his gaze has always been calm. He clearly has a hidden card, and his true strength should be concealed."

"In the fourth match..."

By the sixth match, it was Lin Dongxue's turn to enter the arena.

Everyone had an impression of this beautiful young woman. Her opponent was Qing City's Du Jing.

Du Jing was only at the peak of Second Rank. Whether in strength, speed, martial skills, or technique, Lin Dongxue held the advantage, and she soon won.

On the judges' platform, Mo Bin looked at Lin Dongxue with bright eyes and could not help nodding in praise.

He had originally thought that a place as small as the Eastern Region would not have many people worth his regard. But on this trip, quite a few contestants had surprised him, and some he could not even see through.

For example, Tang Yan, who was about to enter the arena.

After another duel ended, the red-robed elder announced loudly, "Talents holding number eight, enter the arena!"

When Tang Yan rose from his seat, gazes from every direction gathered on him.

Although many still doubted Tang Yan's strength, a man upon whose name more than one hundred million taels had been placed on the betting board was still difficult to look down upon.

"Song Qing!"

When they saw the person who stepped out from Song City's side, a cry of surprise rose from the crowd.

Although Song Qing was only ranked third on the list, he still had forty-six million taels of silver supporting him. Such high acclaim was enough to show that his strength was extraordinary.

In Fang City's seating area, a trace of interest appeared on Fang Xuan's face. "Tang Yan previously relied on Black Rank First Grade strength to defeat Su Wei, who was Black Rank Third Grade. Tell me, who will win this match?"

Cheng Gong did not answer in haste. He glanced at Wan Fei, who was seated beside him, and asked, "Miss Wan, I heard you know that surnamed Tang on the stage. Who do you think will win this match?"