Chapter One Hundred Eleven: An Qing

Tang Luoxiang saw Yi Feng, Yi Kuang, and Yi Hong all staring at her sisters, which only fueled her anger.

"Let’s have each side send three fighters for a best-of-three series," she announced. "But a competition without a stake is meaningless. Let us each put up one Origin Crystal as a wager; the winner takes all!"

As soon as Tang Luoxiang finished speaking, the expressions of Yi Feng and his companions shifted, for her words had placed them in a difficult position. They did not have a single Origin Crystal left among them. Yet, if they refused to put up a wager, they would be humiliated once again—a prospect they found utterly intolerable.

"I wonder if this would suffice as a stake?" Yi Tian stepped forward.

From his storage ring, he produced a crystal the size of a fist. It appeared to be a fragment of a Ten-Thousand-Year Wind Spirit Wood Heart, radiating a formidable vitality and wood-attribute energy.

"A Ten-Thousand-Year Wind Spirit Wood Heart!" the elegant and ethereal woman exclaimed, her eyes lighting up.

"A Ten-Thousand-Year Wind Spirit Wood Heart?" Tang Luoxiang was stunned. She took her first real look at Yi Tian and the crystal in his hand. "Sister An Qing, are you certain that is what it is?"

She found it hard to believe. The value of a full Ten-Thousand-Year Wind Spirit Wood Heart was at least several thousand Origin Crystals. Even the estate of the Marquis of Zhenshan possessed only one, gifted to her father by the Great Emperor of Tianfeng. Even the imperial treasury of the Tianfeng Kingdom held very few.

"That is merely a small fraction of a Ten-Thousand-Year Wind Spirit Wood Heart," An Qing replied, "but its value still exceeds a hundred Origin Crystals."

The woman accompanying Tang Luoxiang and An Qing gasped in shock. She never imagined that the fist-sized crystal was worth over a hundred Origin Crystals—a fortune that likely exceeded the entire wealth of her own family.

"Agreed," An Qing said to Yi Tian. "Since you have brought out such a treasure, we will not be stingy. This Moon Glory Pearl shall be our stake."

With that, An Qing produced a pearl the size of a dragon’s eye, which shimmered with radiant, ethereal moonlight.

Tang Luoxiang was visibly alarmed. "Sister An Qing, that is a treasure condensed by a millennium-old clam after absorbing the power of the moon. It is vital for your cultivation! How could you wager it?"

Princess Zhaixing was also startled. If An Qing lost the Moon Glory Pearl here, she would surely face reprimand upon returning. "Sister An Qing, there is no need to use the Moon Glory Pearl as a stake!" she urged.

Princess Zhaixing was a renowned figure in the Tianfeng Kingdom. At twenty-one, she had already entered the Yuan Gang realm, achieving the Human Tier, and was celebrated as one of the Seven Stars of Tianfeng. Her status within the imperial family was high, and she was surrounded by noble ladies who, despite their own backgrounds, showed immense deference toward An Qing.

Outside the circle of women, a dozen young men from various noble houses and factions looked on with shifting expressions. They had expected to act as protectors, but they realized they were dealing with formidable opponents. The mere fact that their rivals could produce a fragment of a Ten-Thousand-Year Wind Spirit Wood Heart, and that An Qing—who was rumored to be from the Invitation Moon Sect—could offer a treasure like the Moon Glory Pearl, caused their previous arrogance to vanish instantly.

"Very well," An Qing said. "The Moon Glory Pearl is the stake. However, blades are blind; no weapons are allowed. We shall rely only on combat techniques, and no one is to intentionally inflict grave injury or take a life."

"No problem," Yi Tian agreed to these reasonable terms.

In the first match, Yi Shan stepped down. His opponent was a quiet, unassuming woman whose aura was completely hidden. Yet, once the battle began on the arena stage, Yi Tian and his companions realized that this woman, who seemed like a gentle older sister, was actually a master of the Yuan Gang realm. She was Luo Hong, known as the "Hidden Star," one of the two women among the Seven Stars of Tianfeng.

Tang Luoxiang had brought two of the Seven Stars to show off, along with the mysterious An Qing, whose strength was so great that even Yi Tian sensed a hint of danger.

Yi Shan and Luo Hong engaged in a fierce struggle. Both released their Yuan Gang energy, colliding with such force that the black-iron arena was etched with deep cracks. The battle dragged on for a long time, to the astonishment of Tang Luoxiang’s side; Yi Shan’s strength was proving to be a match for the "Hidden Star." Even when Luo Hong utilized her combat techniques to multiply her power, Yi Shan remained as steady as a mountain, his *Wilderness Heavenly Arts* granting him ferocious and overwhelming combat capability. Luo Hong had been immersed in the Yuan Gang realm for years and was nearly at its peak, yet she could not suppress him.

Ultimately, the match ended in a draw.

In the second match, Yi Feng faced Princess Zhaixing. In the final moments, Yi Feng unleashed his "Divine Shift" technique, narrowly defeating the princess.

"Damn it!" Tang Luoxiang was frustrated by the loss, yet she felt no panic. Standing beside An Qing, she knew her greatest trump card remained.

"Haha, there is still time to forfeit!" Yi Kuang stepped up for the third match, already envisioning his victory. Unlike Yi Shan, he hadn't even used his full strength in previous bouts, refusing to employ the Divine Shift technique and relying purely on brute force. Had he used it, his combat effectiveness would have surged, making it easy to suppress even the likes of Luo Hong. The Divine Shift was a top-tier Human Tier technique; those who mastered it could crush opponents in the Yuan Gang realm and even evade masters of the Yuan Fa realm with ease.

The final match pitted Yi Kuang against An Qing. Yi Kuang was brimming with confidence, but as soon as the battle commenced, he realized An Qing’s strength was vast. Despite his best efforts, he found that her power was ten times his own, even though she was also at the Yuan Gang level. Even his use of the Divine Shift could only delay his defeat. Eventually, An Qing unleashed a wide-range attack that swept across the stage, catching Yi Kuang off guard and blasting him out of bounds.

With one draw, one loss, and one win, the two sides had tied.

The result surprised everyone. While Tang Luoxiang was disappointed, she now recognized the formidable strength of Yi Tian and his companions.

"I look forward to sparring with you," An Qing said to Yi Tian before she and the others departed.

Yi Tian was momentarily stunned before replying, "I look forward to it as well!"

The duel concluded, and word of Yi Tian’s team’s performance spread throughout the imperial capital. Major factions took note of their existence, and some even began to approach them with recruitment offers. The constant attention became an annoyance, eventually leading Yi Tian and his companions to seal their manor, blocking all outsiders and their solicitations.