At the exact same time.

Somewhere within the Yin Yang Divine Sect.

"..."

Spirit Void Fairy held the ancient jade in her hand, a blazing light flickering in her eyes. Just moments ago, this mysterious jade had emitted a sudden surge of warmth.

She sensed a mysterious summons from within.

She had a premonition.

If she responded to the summons, she would surely obtain an unimaginably great Fated Chance. Yet, Spirit Void Fairy still suppressed her pounding heart.

"No, it is not yet time."

Spirit Void Fairy tucked the ancient jade back into her robes, her expression returning to perfect calm.

"I must wait a little longer."

"Only by grasping this Fated Chance at the exact moment of breaking through will I push its potential to the absolute limit. I have already waited this long."

"I do not mind waiting a little longer."

After leaving his cave dwelling, Ning Fan immediately headed to where the betting pool had been established. This pool was set up at the Prosperous Pavilion, one of the most densely populated gathering hubs for Yin Yang Divine Sect disciples.

The Prosperous Pavilion was a daily meeting ground for the sect's disciples. Usually, it sold ordinary food and drink. However, if one was willing to part with enough Spirit Stones, they could purchase spirit meals crafted from heavenly materials, earthly treasures, and demon cores. Consuming these meals could elevate one's cultivation realm, though the efficiency paled in comparison to orthodox cultivation.

Only the highest-tier banquets would serve spirit meals to flaunt one's prestige.

As soon as Ning Fan arrived.

He immediately spotted several stalls set up outside the pavilion. Long queues stretched in front of them, and numerous disciples were shouting with fiery fervor.

The atmosphere was boiling.

Without even getting close, Ning Fan could hear snippets of conversation bearing his name. Clearly, this was the heart of the betting pool.

Using a fair bit of strength, Ning Fan finally squeezed his way to the front.

He raised his hand and heavily slapped a storage ring onto the table.

"I am placing a wager."

"I bet that I will master a Yellow-grade technique in the first trial. The wager is everything inside this ring-cultivation resources equivalent to one thousand, one hundred and fifty Spirit Stones."

Ning Fan declared.

In an instant.

Everyone cast their gazes over. Resources matching 1150 Spirit Stones were no small sum. A newly inducted disciple's monthly stipend hovered roughly around that number. Wagering so much on Ning Fan all at once was incredibly rare.

Furthermore, the speaker had bet on 'I'.

What in the heavens.

The man himself had actually shown up?!

"You are Ning Fan?"

The disciple managing the bets raised his eyes, looking at Ning Fan in sheer astonishment. So many people had laid down wagers because of him, and now the subject of the gamble was standing right here in the flesh.

It was inevitably a bizarre sight.

"That's right. Record the bet."

Ning Fan crossed his arms over his chest.

"Apologies, but I cannot accept your wager."

The wager-recording disciple slowly shook his head, rejecting Ning Fan outright.

"Why?"

Ning Fan stared, utterly baffled.

"Because you are the direct participant in this wager. Direct participants are forbidden from placing bets. Is this not common sense? If you bet on your own failure and then intentionally lose, wouldn't you guarantee yourself a risk-free profit?"

The disciple rolled his eyes.

"..."

Ning Fan choked on his words.

The steward's reasoning sounded sound, but it wasn't the whole truth. Ning Fan was betting on his own success.

Naturally.

Ning Fan already knew whether he would succeed, but that success would still be earned through his own capabilities. It could hardly be called underhanded scheming.

"I cannot even bet on my own victory?!"

Ning Fan asked.

"No. It is the rule."

The disciple stated firmly.

"Fine."

Ning Fan gritted his teeth, his eyes darting back and forth before an idea struck him.

"Let me ask you this. From the moment the pool opened until now, what is the total amount wagered?"

"It has to be at least tens of millions of Spirit Stones' worth of resources," a disciple standing beside Ning Fan answered.

A newly risen genius, choosing Changming Peak, and the Disciple Snatching trial-three massive sensations layered together. Coupled with the fact that the Yin Yang Divine Sect rarely saw such lively spectacles.

Almost every disciple had placed a bet. There was no shortage of sect higher-ups involved, perhaps even figures at the Elder level.

"If you refuse to let me place a bet today."

"Then do not blame me for overturning the board."

Ning Fan declared loudly.

Countless gazes instantly zeroed in on him, filled with a trace of hesitation at his bold words.

What did he mean by overturning the board?

"If I cannot place a bet, I will march straight up Yin Yang Peak right now. I will tell the Peak Master that I forfeit the trial and will directly join Yin Yang Peak."

Ning Fan proclaimed.

At first glance.

The crowd did not think there was an issue with this threat. However, as a lone voice rang out, everyone was instantly dumbfounded-

"If he forfeits the trial, does that count as a success, or a failure?"

The crowd: "..."

That was a serious problem.

"It definitely counts as a failure."

"No, no. Failure means the three-day limit expires without him breaking through two minor realms or learning the technique. Forfeiting means he willingly joins Yin Yang Peak without even undertaking the trial. How is that a failure?"

"It has to be a failure! Isn't giving up the same as failing?!"

"It absolutely does not count!"

"..."

In the blink of an eye, the debate over whether forfeiture equated to failure swept through the entire plaza outside the Prosperous Pavilion. Arguments erupted endlessly.

Normally speaking.

If Ning Fan forfeited, counting it as a failure would be reasonable. The problem was that before the betting pool opened, this exact scenario had never been clearly defined.

Without clear rules, there was room for fierce dispute.

Moreover, from the perspective of the first trial, treating a forfeit as a failure made ninety percent sense. But what about the second and third trials?

Failing the first trial naturally meant failing the latter two. But if he merely forfeited the first trial, ruling the second and third as failures was highly illogical.

The only fair solution would be to declare a voided draw.

But Ning Fan had just read the rules. The house managing this pool was not gambling their own wealth; they simply took a cut-the two betting sides would win each other's resources.

The house extracted a fractional cut from the total wagers.

If the pool was voided.

Then all bets would be refunded in full. This meant the house would completely lose their cut. How large was this fraction?

Taking a pool of ten million Spirit Stones as a baseline.

That cut would amount to five hundred thousand Spirit Stones.

Five hundred thousand.

If Ning Fan forfeited, it truly would be 'overturning the board'. No matter what happened, the betting pool would shatter into chaos.

Realizing this, the vast sea of disciples beneath the Prosperous Pavilion fell into a heated uproar.

The already bustling area descended into utter pandemonium. Several disciples with opposing views even showed signs of drawing their weapons.

For a moment.

All the disciples recording the bets broke out in cold sweats, completely at a loss. This was especially true for the disciple who had just rejected Ning Fan.

What were they supposed to do?!

Ning Fan truly possessed the power to sink the entire betting pool.

"Stay your hands. Who dares cause a disturbance here?"

Suddenly, a voice drifted over. Though not loud, it echoed clearly beside everyone's ears. The crowd instantly ceased their movements and turned toward the source of the sound.

They saw a man, slightly older than Ning Fan and Yun Qingyao, slowly walking toward them.

He was dressed like a noble young master, exuding a refined and scholarly aura.

"It's Young Master Zheng."

"The former Chief Disciple of Yin Yang Peak. It is said he left the main peak long ago to travel the outside world in the Sect's name."

"Young Master Zheng was a supreme genius of his time, a mighty figure who overshadowed several generations of disciples."

"..."

Hushed murmurs rippled through the crowd, revealing the refined man's identity.

Young Master Zheng paced forward unhurriedly, coming to a halt in front of Ning Fan. He looked him up and down, a spark of amusement kindling in his eyes.

"You are Ning Fan?"

"The Ning Fan who rejected my Yin Yang Peak?"

"..."