Chapter 941: Proud and Unyielding
Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Chang Jiyun’s laughter drew the attention of people from the surrounding courtyards. They saw the challenge letter in Chang Jiyun’s hand and Chen Fei standing in front of the courtyard, both showing a hint of surprise.

Chen Fei’s appearance was now well-known throughout the Sky Sea Branch.

Given the current situation, it seemed that Chen Fei intended to challenge someone of a higher rank.

“Please, do not hold back!” Chen Fei said with a cupped fist gesture toward Chang Jiyun.

“You have great talent, but if you intend to use me as a stepping stone, don’t blame me for being ruthless later!”

Chang Jiyun replied, his smile fading as he narrowed his eyes at Chen Fei.

While Chen Fei’s talent was unquestionable, he was only at the initial stage of the Sun Moon Realm, whereas Chang Jiyun was at the mid-stage and ranked 30th in this realm at the Sky Sea Branch.

Challenging a higher rank was easier said than done, and no one in this session of the Qiankun Mansion had achieved it yet. Although Chen Fei appeared promising, it remained to be seen if he could succeed.

Chang Jiyun sneered, then turned and walked back into the courtyard.

There was no use in discussing it further now; the results would be clear in three days at the martial arts arena.

By daring to challenge him and making him the target, Chang Jiyun intended to make others understand the severe consequences of such actions.

Chang Jiyun closed the courtyard gate and lightly crushed the challenge letter in his right hand, turning it to dust that slipped through his fingers.

Looking ahead, others thought Chang Jiyun’s strength was ranked 30th in the mid-stage of the Sun Moon Realm at the Sky Sea Branch.

This was true four months ago.

However, only Chang Jiyun knew how much he had improved recently within the Qiankun Mansion.

In some ways, Chang Jiyun was similar to Chen Fei—not in personality, but in background.

It wasn’t about personality or anything like that, but rather their backgrounds.

Chen Fei came from a lower realm and had no background in Sky Sea City.

Though Chang Jiyun was a native of Sky Sea City, his family’s strongest members were only at the peak of the Mountain Sea Realm, while Chang Jiyun was the only one to break through to the Sun Moon Realm.

Moreover, through his own perseverance, he had progressed to the mid-stage of the Sun Moon Realm.

Chang Jiyun’s approach to cultivation was extremely harsh.

This ruthlessness was not only directed at his enemies but also at himself.

Any method that could enhance his strength, no matter how difficult, Chang Jiyun would try. As a result, his hands had become stained with much blood.

Alone and with a proud spirit, Chang Jiyun had reached where he was today.

The opening of the Qiankun Mansion was a tremendous opportunity for all human cultivators in the Sun Moon Realm, and Chang Jiyun was no exception.

Previously, he had no decent resources and had to fight for everything himself.

But in the Qiankun Mansion, diligence truly brought rewards.

After four months of cultivation and a period of rest during which he received additional merit points, Chang Jiyun’s strength had significantly improved.

He was confident that if he were to challenge the 10th-ranked cultivator in the mid-stage of the Sun Moon Realm in the branch, he would have a good chance of success.

Now that Chen Fei had chosen him as a challenge target, Chang Jiyun was determined to make Chen Fei understand that such actions came with a cost.

In less than an hour, news of Chen Fei’s challenge to Chang Jiyun had spread throughout the Qiankun Mansion.

Challenging higher ranks wasn’t exactly news, as it had been done before.

However, with Chen Fei involved, the excitement immediately surged.

While other challengers were also top talents with great strength, they were not unbeatable.

Chen Fei was different—having defeated the top three in the branch’s same realm and beating them decisively, the impact of that scene was still vivid in people’s minds.

Thus, Chen Fei’s chances of success in a higher rank challenge were high.

However, some people thought that Chen Fei’s decision seemed a bit hasty.

It wasn’t that a higher rank challenge was impossible, but it could have waited a little longer.

Chen Fei had recently earned a large number of merit points, with some calculating that he gained over 5,000 merit points from his last challenge.

Although no one knew exactly what Chen Fei had exchanged those points for, it undoubtedly contributed to a significant boost in his strength.

But given that only a little over a month had passed, it seemed a bit rushed for such a large amount of merit points to be fully converted into strength.

Waiting an additional three or four months to solidify his position before challenging would have significantly increased Chen Fei’s chances of success.

Otherwise, if he failed this challenge, not only would it affect his reputation, but it would also have a huge impact on his morale.

Ambition is a curious thing.

Many cultivation techniques also involve accumulating power. Failure could risk nullifying previous efforts.

Whether Chen Fei practiced such techniques was unknown, but repeated failures were never beneficial.

The next morning, Hua Zhichun sent someone to inform Chen Fei that he, along with other branch leaders, had set up a betting pool for the challenge.

When Chen Fei arrived at Hua Zhichun’s courtyard, many people were already there.

“Hua, the odds for this betting pool are too low. Whether you bet on a win or loss, the returns are minimal,” someone complained after reviewing the odds.

“You can’t predict it precisely, so we had to set the odds this way. If you check elsewhere, the odds are similar,” Hua Zhichun explained with a smile.

This explanation was directed at the individual as well as everyone present in the courtyard.

Seeing Chen Fei arrive, Hua Zhichun nodded in acknowledgment. Chen Fei returned the gesture with a smile and approached the betting pool.

Chen Fei understood why some people were dissatisfied with the betting odds. Betting on a win had only an 80% return rate.

In other words, if someone bet ten merit points and won, they would only earn eight merit points. A loss would result in an even greater setback.

Betting on Chen Fei losing had a 70% return rate, which was only marginally less than betting on a win.

From the odds, it was clear that Hua Zhichun and the other peak Sun Moon Realm experts leaned towards Chang Jiyun, even though Chen Fei was the one challenging.

Alternatively, it might reflect that Hua Zhichun and the others had a high regard for Chen Fei’s talent.

Had it been anyone else challenging higher ranks, the perceived success rate wouldn’t have been so high.

People in the courtyard watched Chen Fei, eager to see how many merit points he would wager on himself.

It was obvious that Chen Fei would bet on his own victory.

If he were to bet on his loss, it would immediately raise suspicions of match-fixing, and others would likely bet against him.

“I don’t have many merit points on me. Can I buy them on credit?” Chen Fei asked.

Although the odds weren’t high, free merit points were still desirable.

“Credit?”

Hua Zhichun frowned. He would normally refuse anyone else without hesitation.

When Chen Fei had previously asked about credit, Hua Zhichun had refused, even though Chen Fei was the top in the initial stage of the Sun Moon Realm at Sky Sea Branch. In Hua Zhichun’s eyes, he didn’t warrant special privileges.

But now, Chen Fei’s value had changed, and Hua Zhichun was willing to befriend him.

Despite Chen Fei still being in the initial stage of the Sun Moon Realm and Hua Zhichun having reached the peak, the gap between their realms was significant.

“How much credit do you need?” Hua Zhichun asked after some thought.

“How much can you offer?” Chen Fei’s eyes lit up slightly upon hearing Hua Zhichun’s lack of immediate refusal.

“Five hundred,” Hua Zhichun replied after calculating.

Five hundred merit points were not insignificant, especially given their prior lack of close ties.

In the early stage of the Sun Moon Realm, it takes more than half a year of classes to accumulate 500 merit points, assuming one isn’t eliminated along the way.

“Alright, then I’ll bet 500 merit points plus these I have on myself winning,” Chen Fei said, taking out his jade token and handing it to Hua Zhichun.

Hua Zhichun took the jade token, expecting it to contain at least a thousand merit points, but was surprised to find only a few dozen.

He looked at Chen Fei in astonishment. How had Chen Fei, with over 5,000 merit points a month ago, spent so many in such a short time?

What had Chen Fei exchanged in the treasury?

The fifth-stage legacy of the Emperor was surely among the exchanges, but it shouldn’t have cost that many merit points.

Hua Zhichun didn’t inquire further, as their relationship wasn’t close enough for such questions. He lent the 500 merit points to Chen Fei, recording it in the simple contract they drafted.

Chen Fei reviewed the contract, which stipulated that he must repay Hua Zhichun promptly once he accumulated extra merit points.

“Thank you!” Chen Fei said, cupping his fists in gratitude. He signed the contract and then turned to leave the courtyard.

“Brother Hua, it’s unfair that Chen Fei can get credit but we can’t,” someone nearby joked.

“Show me who can earn 5,000 merit points a day, and I’d be happy to lend you 500,” Hua Zhichun replied with a slight smile.

Favoritism is a common human trait, and Hua Zhichun was no exception.

As the excitement around the higher-rank challenge continued to build, Chen Fei went about his usual routine of training and attending classes.

During class, someone mentioned that Chang Jiyun had visited the treasury several times and his aura had shown some fluctuations.

For a cultivator in the Sun Moon Realm, noticeable fluctuations in aura suggested a recent and significant increase in cultivation level.

Clearly, Chang Jiyun was preparing to face Chen Fei with his strongest form.

“You may be a genius, Chen Fei, but you’re still in the early stage of the Sun Moon Realm. Stay there until you reach the mid-stage before challenging someone in that stage!”

After finishing his classes, Chen Fei returned to his courtyard to find two individuals waiting for him.

Pan Qingwu and Nie Shengyun, the two cultivators in the mid-stage of the Sun Moon Realm who had previously gone to the Boundless Sea to collect plane origins.

Both Pan Qingwu and Nie Shengyun greeted Chen Fei with smiles.

Half an hour later, Chen Fei saw them off and was left with an unclaimed jade token containing 1,500 merit points.

These 1,500 merit points could be used by whoever held the token.

They clarified the misunderstanding and expressed their support for Chen Fei’s challenge the next day. The 1,500 merit points were their way of showing support.