Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 968 - 868: Expert Advice Comes

Chapter 968: Chapter 868: Expert Advice Comes

The newcomer did a brief self-introduction, while mentioning they were from the fallen family, and that their purpose for seeking Gu Fan was to evaluate his abilities and determine whether to place their bets on him.

Gu Fan didn’t quite understand what they meant and asked them to clarify.

Mo Yun explained, "Gu Fan, they want to gauge your foundation and assess the strength of your Martial Arts to estimate your chances of winning."

Gu Fan shook his head, "Forget about it, you should just give up. I don’t stand a chance."

Those people, however, didn’t agree, "Kid, listen up. That Iron Arm Fist Gu Tong’s skills are just so-so, and he has many weaknesses. Although you’re even less capable, with our guidance, you’re not entirely without hope of winning."

Upon hearing this, Gu Fan’s fighting spirit was ignited, "You should’ve said so earlier, we’re on the same side, right? Are you about to impart some secret script of Martial Arts to me? Then don’t delay, I’m really anxious; time waits for no one. Let’s get started right away."

Those people were at a loss for words, thinking to themselves how quickly Gu Fan’s attitude had changed.

"Alright, we will tell you the weaknesses of the Iron Arm Fist and teach you some Martial Arts to increase your chances of winning," they said with utter confidence, seemingly sure they could train Gu Fan to a level where he could compete with First-rate Experts.

Thus, Gu Fan began training with them, and news of this spread quickly.

Within half a day, word had gotten around that Gu Fan was receiving guidance from a reputable fallen family, possibly allowing him to make significant progress in a short time. Maybe Gu Fan stood a chance of winning after all.

Lu Bei and Jin Yi also heard the news but didn’t believe that Gu Fan could transform from a third-rate expert into a First-rate Expert in such a short time. Martial Arts training was never a quick process but a matter of persistent and tireless practice, step by step.

However, rumors have their own magic, and they seemed so plausible that many started to hesitate, considering betting on Gu Fan.

Another day passed, and the Martial Arts Competition to claim the position of the martial arts leader officially began. The rules were simple: thirty-two experts who initially qualified for the contest each faced one of the thirty-two advancing from the Sub-level Martial Arts Competition.

The Female Sword Immortal was the first to take the stage, and her dashing performance garnered everyone’s praise as she dispatched her opponent with ease.

"Impressive?" Lord Xiong, watching from below, couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration. Although the Female Sword Immortal’s opponent was a second-rate master who had advanced from the sub-level competition, he was no match for her. It even seemed like she hadn’t gone all out before her opponent was unable to cope.

Before the competition, everyone felt that a woman’s Martial Arts could never be that impressive, especially since her opponent had cleanly and effortlessly defeated nine others in the sub-competition. So, most people were convinced the Female Sword Immortal was bound to lose, and they bet accordingly. As a result, they lost a significant amount.

The bookmakers made a killing, and one could imagine them grinning ear to ear.

Lord Xiong sighed, "If I’m not mistaken, before the contest began, the bookmakers sent people to mingle in the crowd, spread rumors, and misled everyone’s judgment, leading them to believe the Female Sword Immortal would lose."

"Really? Without real skill, it’s indeed not easy to be a bookmaker," Mo Yun furrowed her brow, glancing at the still busy crowd placing bets and mused, "Even if the bookmaker is somewhat capable, they can’t control the outcome of every match. There will always be times when they lose money."

"No problem. If the bookmaker won every time, everyone would start to suspect them, even hold grudges, so it’s appropriate to lose a few matches deliberately," Lord Xiong seemed to see through everything before whispering to Mo Yun, "What I’m worried about now is not just what the bookmakers are up to next. I’m worried that with such an important competition on hand, a few people alone couldn’t arrange everything."

"Lord Xiong, you mean someone is manipulating the outcomes of the competition so the bookmakers can maximize their profits?" The moment Mo Yun considered this possibility, her eyes widened. If things were as she suspected, then the battle for the leadership of Martial Arts involved more than just the competition itself.

In the following matches, most people placed their bets correctly, causing the bookmakers to lose a lot. The reason was simple: people usually bet on the experts who advanced directly, rather than on those like Gu Fan who progressed from the sub-competitions.

When it was Jin Yi’s turn to face a First-rate Expert, everyone, without exception, put their money on the latter. So far, those like Jin Yi, who climbed up from the sub-competition, had never won against a directly advancing expert.

Surprisingly, against all expectations, Jin Yi displayed extraordinary Martial Arts. His swordsmanship was superior even to the First-rate Expert, leading him to victory in the match and many to lose their bets.

As people around were disheartened, they also wondered about Jin Yi’s background and why his Martial Arts were so strong when no one had ever heard of him before.

From a towering building, the leader of Xuanjian Sect looked down. Watching Jin Yi leave the arena, he couldn’t help but smile, "That kid’s swordsmanship is somewhat similar to ours at Xuanjian Sect. It seems he is indeed the young master of the Jin Yuedao family, which means he’s Jian Shen’s envoy."

A person beside him nodded incessantly, "Yes, although his appearance has somewhat changed, I have an excellent memory, I’ve seen him once, and I’m certain it’s him."

"Jian Shen, you send Jin Yi to the contest, yet you don’t show up yourself. Do you really think just by sending Jin Yi to stir things up, you can prevent me from becoming the martial arts leader?" chuckled the leader of Xuanjian Sect before turning to a person dressed as a merchant and asked, "Head bookmaker, how did it go this time? How much did we earn?"

The head bookmaker’s face was brimming with joy, "How to put it? Quite ideal, I would say. We lost the first few matches, but we made up for everything this time. Who could have foreseen Jin Yi winning?"

The leader of Xuanjian Sect nodded, "That’s good to hear. So, what’s next? Keep the same act going, with some losses and wins, to avoid suspicion?"

The head bookmaker added, "For your match, sect leader, you’re bound to win, and many will bet on you, so we’ll deliberately incur huge losses. But it’s fine, as long as Gu Fan’s match turns out unexpectedly, we can not only recover our losses but also make a substantial profit."

"Correct, Gu Fan’s match is key. Even though we have set it up so that Gu Fan is sure to win, we still need to find a way to make his victory acceptable to others, without letting them think we’ve tampered with the results," the leader of Xuanjian Sect said, his smile revealing a trace of cunning.