Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 262 - 262 0222 Thinking of a Possibility

Chapter 262: Chapter 0222: Thinking of a Possibility Chapter 262: Chapter 0222: Thinking of a Possibility Chapter 0222: An Occurring Possibility

An unexpected glance was drawn from Cui Ziqiao to Fang Junqiang as he asked, “You possess ten spirit stones?”

Clenching his teeth, Fang Junqiang nodded in affirmation. He stated, “I originally had one, but the day before yesterday, I borrowed a few more from Uncle Master Liu Qing.”

Cui Ziqiao shook his head while musing, “Fang Junqiang, Liu Qing is known in our Imperial Master Mansion as a notorious leech. The odds are against you when borrowing from him. He is infamous for his cunning tricks in lending. You had the audacity to borrow spirit stones from him—truly, your courage is boundless.”

Fang Junqiang, with a look of desperation etched in his eyes, stated, “In order to achieve a breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Stage as soon as possible, I am willing to try any method. Uncle, are you willing to accept my wager of these ten spirit stones or not?”

“Alright. You’re brave enough to wager so much for the sake of reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage. So, I’ll assist you. You want to bet on Qi Tian’s victory and the wager is ten spirit stones, with the odds being 1 to 1, right? I’ll accept the challenge.” Cui Ziqiao immediately agreed. Even though Fang Junqiang was the current number one Half-Step Foundation of the Imperial Master Mansion, he had no sympathy for him. As far as he was concerned, Fang Junqiang was neither his disciple nor his son. There were many who were at the Half-Step Foundation in Imperial Master Mansion. If they could not progress, they should not expect him to acknowledge them.

While Cui Ziqiao was betting with people like Fang Junqiang and Zhao Yanwei, Qi Tian and Zhang Guangyao had already made their way to the middle of the Martial Arts Arena. Both were standing opposite each other, appearing relaxed but were, in fact, very cautious.

Even though Qi Tian has the achievement of defeating Pan Yulin, his victory over Pan Yulin was somewhat unfair. Pan Yulin cherished his life and did not have the determination to fight Qi Tian till the end. Coupled with Marquis Jingguo’s son Zhang Xiankun repeatedly threatening Pan Yulin, Pan Yulin chose to forfeit and signed a Servant Pact. Zhang Guangyao was different. As he always boasted, he had systematically learned and trained in the Imperial Master Mansion. He was not a loose cultivator like Pan Yulin, and this real battle was related to Zhang Guangyao’s reputation. Some people would even stake their lives for the sake of their reputation.

Zhang Guangyao also appeared serious. Despite dismissing Qi Tian verbally, the fact that Qi Tian defeated Pan Yulin and successively blew away Zhao Yanwei and Han Tianyu spoke volumes. He had seen many cases where the older generation perished on the shores while the younger one took over. He had a feeling that this could be one of those decisive battles determining who would live and die. If he couldn’t handle it today, then he would just become an inconspicuous stumbling block on Qi Tian’s path. Having pride in his heart, Zhang Guangyao did not wish to merely be a fleeting presence in Qi Tian’s life.

From the stands, the referee Luo Xia rose to his feet after Cui Ziqiao had sorted out the betting stakes. He declared loudly: “Qi Tian, Zhang Guangyao, you both may begin now. Remember, this is an actual battle between sibling-disciples.”

Qi Tian and Zhang Guangyao bowed to each other at the same time as a matter of courtesy.

The hearts of the spectators Zhao Yanwei, Han Tianyu, and Fang Junqiang, who had staked spirit stones on Qi Tian, tightened. Their fists involuntarily tensed up.

Zhang Guangyao stated, “Junior Brother Qi Tian, since this is a real battle, I will not hold back. Besides refraining from using combat weapons, all other methods will be employed. Likewise, you shouldn’t hold back as well. Use whatever skills you’ve got.”

Qi Tian nodded in acknowledgment, replying, “Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother Zhang. I shall begin now.”

As Qi Tian spoke, he threw a punch towards Zhang Guangyao. Instead of moving from his spot, he used True Essence exteriorization to transform into a huge fist shadow. Surrounded by raging flames, it swiftly flew towards Zhang Guangyao.

Zhang Guangyao’s expression remained indifferent as he threw a palm towards Qi Tian. He too used True Essence exteriorization to form a fiery palm imprint in front him. It resembled a burning cloud as it collided with Qi Tian’s Eight Desolate Demon Tiger Fist.

In an instant, the palm and fist collided, causing a booming sound, resulting in both palm and fist disappearing.

Zhang Guangyao exclaimed in admiration, “Indeed, Junior Brother Qi Tian is exceptional, able to neutralize my Fire Cloud Palm which utilized seventy percent of my power. Now, taste my Fire Cloud Palm at eighty percent of my power.”

The previous punch thrown by Qi Tian helped him gauge Zhang Guangyao’s strength. He was indeed stronger than Pan Yulin. However, the strongest Pan Yulin had ever been was not when he had exerted the force of his third-level Foundation Establishment but when he had detonated a magic wand and drawn strength from its force. This was a force that Zhang Guangyao couldn’t match. Qi Tian initially wanted to see if Zhang Guangyao could unleash an extraordinary force, but he found that he might be disappointed. In terms of Pure Essence strength and level, Zhang Guangyao was indeed stronger than Pan Yulin, but only just.

Continuing to fight with Zhang Guangyao of this caliber seemed pointless and would only waste Qi Tian’s time. Qi Tian decided to quickly end this match. He planned to activate the Galloping Skill on the Wuhang Ring, but realized he had already used the skill in his fight with Pan Yulin thus, it couldn’t be activated again.

The outcome of a battle between masters often hung in the balance, to be decided in a split second. Due to Qi Tian’s delay, Zhang Guangyao had already launched his second attack. In his haste, Qi Tian had no time to dodge the incoming Fire Cloud Palm and was forced to block the attack with a hastily thrown punch. This time, he was not given the luxury to employ the True Essence exteriorization and had to physically hit the Fire Cloud Palm.