chapter 19 Big gamble ===

The situation on the stage took a sudden turn. The Flaming eagle awakened its own attribute at a crucial moment. Intense flames enveloped the entire arena, and the beast tamers couldn't get close. The situation escalated. After the Unicorn boa released its attribute power once, it entered a weakened state. The terrifying flames instantly engulfed the approaching Unicorn boa, sizzling as it burned. The smell of the cooked mythical beast permeated the entire beast-fighting arena. The flames continued for ten minutes. The Flaming eagle, weakened, lay on the stage, barely surviving. Not far away, a charred Unicorn boa remained, reduced to a mere husk. It was dead beyond death, burnt alive. "This can't be!" Ferins Wan emitted a sharp scream. How could things turn out like this? Victory was already within reach. How could the Flaming eagle awaken its attribute? According to the information, the probability of the Flaming eagle awakening its attribute was less than one in a million. Leafaris Xue's face showed a trace of horror. Losing one match might be a coincidence, but losing two in a row was unusual. Each time, it was a last-minute comeback, too mysterious. Pinarius Wan stood up, glaring fiercely at the beast tamer, who helplessly made a face. He also didn't know why the Flaming eagle suddenly awakened its attribute. It was too coincidental. Everyone's gaze towards Verdantius Liu changed. There was now a hint of awe and confusion. "Brother, you're my true brother. Tell me what to bet on in the next round, and I'll follow you. The Wan family is so wealthy. Let's make a fortune from them this time." Ivydan Song grabbed Verdantius Liu's arm, leaning in as if they were true brothers. This earned Verdantius Liu a disdainful eye roll from Valerrie Xu. The head of the Song family, who had just sipped tea, suddenly sprayed it out. How did he raise such a lively one? Saying such things in front of the head of the Wan family was quite audacious. "Don't mind, Brother Pinarius. The child is just making a joke." The head of the Song family quickly defused the situation. Although they were not afraid of the Wan family, there was no need to break their faces. "Don't be embarrassed. Since we, the Wan family, have opened our doors for business, we are not afraid of losing our entire family fortune." Pinarius Wan said with a smile, but in just the time it took to burn an incense stick, the Wan family lost one hundred and five hundred thousand gold coins, causing him some pain. One million gold coins were truthfully presented to Verdantius Liu, along with a stack of cards containing detailed numbers. "Verdantius Liu, dare you to gamble one more time?" Ferins Wan looked a bit crazy, his appearance terrifying. With his hair disheveled and his robe fluttering, he might die from anger if he lost one more round. "What if I say no?" Verdantius Liu suddenly smiled, unexpectedly refusing after readily accepting the invitation to gamble earlier. This made Ferins Wan spew blood from anger. "You..." Falling backward, having lost one million and five hundred thousand gold coins, overwhelmed by anger, and provoked by Verdantius Liu's words, Ferins Wan fainted. "Wan brother, Wan brother..." Oakenhart Tian quickly stepped forward and pressed on Ferins Wan's acupoint, afraid he might really pass out. After about a minute or so, Ferins Wan slowly woke up. The terrifying killing intent spread like mercury, overwhelming everything. "Carry him down!" At this moment, a young and talented man suddenly walked up, handsome and dressed in white. Holding a fan, he arrived gracefully, standing in front of Ferins Wan. "Is... is it Althaeus Wan, the young master? He actually came." A wave of exclamation spread through the crowd. Ivydan Song shivered, not wanting to see this person. "Who is he?" Verdantius Liu asked. He didn't know many of the city's young elites. Seeing this person made Valerrie Xu's eyebrows slightly furrowed, showing a trace of worry. It wasn't for herself, but for Verdantius Liu. "Bro, don't you even know him?" Ivydan Song rolled his eyes: "He is Pinarius Wan's eldest son. He was admitted to the Imperial College last year and hasn't been in Canglan City. It's normal that you don't know him. I didn't expect him to be back. Be careful, you've won over one hundred and five hundred thousand gold coins from the Wan family. He definitely won't let it go easily." Joining the Imperial College signifies an extraordinary status and position. Although Valerrie Xu has not formally entered the academy, Leafaris Xue still gives her some face. It can be inferred that having the status of the Imperial College is exceptionally prestigious. Althaeus Wan's gaze, like two sharp blades, suddenly stabbed towards Verdantius Liu. The table emitted cracking sounds, unable to withstand the oppressive aura. He was in the late stages of the innate realm. Ivydan Song shrank his neck, not daring to speak. Valerrie Xu released her acquired spirit to resist, and everyone thought that Verdantius Liu would surely be embarrassed. He was notorious as a waste, and facing the overwhelming innate suppression, Valerrie Xu could only resist reluctantly. The next scene shocked countless people. A disdainful smile appeared on Verdantius Liu's lips. As the formidable innate force approached him, it vanished without a trace. He was an Immortal Emperor, and cultivation level couldn't represent everything. His soul moved quietly, and a more powerful counterforce suddenly emerged, causing Althaeus Wan's momentum to disappear into thin air. Others couldn't perceive it, but Althaeus Wan could sense it clearly. "I didn't expect Brother Liu to be so hidden. Today truly broadens my horizons. The beast fight continues, and why don't we make a bet between us? The same rules apply, winner takes all, but the stakes will be higher." Althaeus Wan sat down and nodded to Leafaris Xue. They were not strangers anymore. This invitation for Leafaris Xue to come was precisely orchestrated by Althaeus Wan, trying to cozy up to the influential Xue family. All eyes were on Verdantius Liu. Not agreeing would mean fear. Once agreed, he would have to face Althaeus Wan's furious wrath. He was an advanced acquired spirit and the future successor of the Wan family. Being a student of the Imperial College, he had various auras surrounding him, and it was said he had received the true teachings of beast-taming arts. Relying on beast-taming arts, he had tamed some mythical beasts for the wealthy and noble children in the Imperial College, gaining a lot of fame. Although Verdantius Liu had won two rounds, many did not favor him. Althaeus Wan's appearance changed the situation. "Let's hear the terms of the bet." Verdantius Liu crossed his arms, looking like a curious baby, wanting to know what the stakes were and whether it was worth the gamble. Ivydan Song nudged Verdantius Liu, urging him not to gamble anymore. Althaeus Wan was cunning and ruthless. He was extremely difficult to deal with, and the probability of losing to him was high. Luck couldn't always favor him. "In the next round, I'll bet ten million gold coins. If you win, they're all yours." Althaeus Wan said deliberately, ten million gold coins, a sum only the Wan family had the confidence to bet. However, the Xu family couldn't produce such an amount even if they sold everything. Verdantius Liu didn't interrupt him, waiting for him to continue. "I know your Xu family can't come up with ten million gold coins. If you lose, I won't take a single coin from you. I just want you to agree to a condition. That should be fair." This was Althaeus Wan's bet. If Verdantius Liu won, he would receive ten million gold coins, but if he lost, he had to agree to a condition. "Hiss..." There was a collective gasp from the crowd. Ten million gold coins! Many small families couldn't earn this much in ten years. The Wan family was unexpectedly so wealthy. Ten million was more than their net profit for over a year. It was a daring proposal. There was only one possibility: Althaeus Wan had absolute confidence in winning for him to propose such a large bet. In everyone's eyes, the probability of Verdantius Liu losing this round was very high. "What are the conditions?" Verdantius Liu, with a nonchalant demeanor, seemed indifferent. He showed calmness from beginning to end, facing the mockery from Ferins Wan and others, Leafaris Xue's coercion, and every time, he remained unperturbed. All eyes now focused on Althaeus Wan's face, eager to know the conditions. They wondered if it would be something like forcing Verdantius Liu to commit suicide if he lost. That would be too low. "If I win, I'll annul the engagement with you and Miss Xu and give you a sum of gold coins, and you must Leave Canglan City." This statement caused a shock. The condition was to annul the engagement. The engagement between them had already become well-known. Even though they were married, they had no marital relationship. On the night of their wedding, Verdantius Liu was driven out of the Xu family, and even the servants of the Xu family called him a waste. Verdantius Liu smiled, a somewhat sinister smile, emitting a fierce killing intent from his eyes. Valerrie Xu was angry. This was her private matter, and how could it be dragged into the gambling? "Althaeus Wan, please show some respect." "Miss Xu, a woman of such extraordinary talent, will surely become famous throughout the Yan Empire in the future. You shouldn't let an unrelated person affect your future path. My actions are just and unbiased, purely for Miss Xu's freedom." He spoke righteously, earning applause from many. Although these words struck a certain someone, they were sincere. "I heard that the Wan family proposed a marriage to the Xu family last year, but it was rejected by Mr. Silvianus Xu. A woman like Miss Xu, a peerless talent, can only be matched by Young Master Althaeus!" Some people joined in the cheering, supporting Althaeus Wan, pressuring Verdantius Liu to annul the engagement and leave Canglan City. "Get rid of this waste from Canglan City. He doesn't deserve to sit here." Many people on Wan's side shouted, making Verdantius Liu the clown, and if he didn't agree, he would fall into Althaeus Wan's trap. They believed that he was afraid and dared not gamble. Valerrie Xu's eyes looked at Verdantius Liu, coincidentally meeting his gaze. She saw calmness in his eyes, a hint of disdain. He saw a trace of pain in her beautiful eyes. This pain was partly caused by Verdantius Liu himself, hated for being useless. Part of it was provoked by Althaeus Wan. "Don't agree!" Valerrie Xu bit her lip, asking Verdantius Liu to give up. Dignity was more important than life. "Are you afraid of losing me?" Verdantius Liu showed a sly smile, a teasing tone in his words, causing Valerrie Xu to stomp on him again. At this moment, it hurt so much that he gritted his teeth. What was he doing at such a time, making such jokes? "Don't worry; I'll deal with this clown who jumped out." He gave her a reassuring look. Even if he really lost, he wouldn't have the face to stay in the Xu family. This grand gamble couldn't be refused for various reasons, and besides, he couldn't refuse it. "Verdantius Liu, how are you considering? Do you dare to bet?" Althaeus Wan asked with a smug smile as two mythical beasts had already appeared on the stage, waiting for Verdantius Liu's response. "Young master Wan has gone to great lengths to force me into this gamble. If I refuse, wouldn't it be a blow to your face?" Verdantius Liu suddenly mocked, infuriating Althaeus Wan, who turned pale. He wasn't afraid of losing but dreaded Verdantius Liu refusing to participate. "Don't you dare?" Althaeus Wan asked with a sneer.