Seeing Nie Li's expression, Yang Xin understood something.
There seemed to be some conflict between Nie Li and Shen Fei.
Nie Li had called her over with a clear purpose: to stand against the Divine Sacred Family.
Although she knew this would offend the Divine Sacred Family, Yang Xin did not hesitate to support Nie Li; it was a choice she made easily.
“Hmph.” Shen Fei snorted coldly, ignoring Nie Li.
He thought to himself, just let you be arrogant for a while.
When the genius battle begins, I’ll play you to death!
“Haha, Young Master Shen is really friendly!” Nie Li said with a hearty laugh. “Ning’er often talks about you, saying Young Master Shen is a generous person!”
The mention of Xiao Ning’er made Shen Fei almost explode with anger.
Nie Li really knew how to hit a nerve.
He felt like a green hat was placed atop his head.
Seeing Shen Fei's face turn as red as liver, Nie Li seemed oblivious and continued, “Ning’er’s cultivation has been progressing rapidly; she’s about to break through to Silver rank. After I helped her with a massage, her cold illness has nearly healed. Young Master Shen should thank me!”
Massage…
As he heard Nie Li's words, certain lewd images popped into Shen Fei’s mind, nearly causing him to spit out blood.
Up until now, Xiao Ning’er hadn’t even let him hold her hand!
“Nie, you’re driving me mad! I want to kill you!” Shen Fei could no longer hold back.
His eyes widened with rage.
As a direct descendant of the Divine Sacred Family, he had never suffered such humiliation.
Shen Fei charged forward, throwing a punch at Nie Li.
At this moment, Yang Xin raised an eyebrow and stepped between the two, fully aware that Nie Li was intentionally provoking Shen Fei.
Despite inwardly laughing at the situation, she could not just stand by while Shen Fei was looking for trouble with Nie Li.
Seeing Nie Li intentionally incite Shen Fei and let Yang Xin defend him, Shen Ming’s expression also darkened slightly, and he quietly restrained Shen Fei.
“Young Master Shen, don’t be impulsive!” Shen Ming said with a smile. “The genius battle is about to begin. I’m sure the Nie family will send someone to compete as well. Wouldn’t it be better to settle it during the battle? No need to ruin the atmosphere here!”
Shen Fei’s chest heaved with anger as he forced himself to calm down.
He shot a fierce glare at Nie Li.
It was clear to him that Nie Li had protection from the Alchemist Association, which made him bold.
Here, he couldn’t do anything to Nie Li; he would just have to wait until the genius battle started to teach him a severe lesson.
If Nie Li didn't come down to the arena, then he would just beat their Heavenly Mark Family’s participants to half to death and see if Nie Li would dare to jump in!
Shen Fei took a deep breath and halted.
At this moment, Nie Li spoke nonchalantly, “The genius battle wouldn’t be interesting without some stakes! If we’re not playing for a bet, I won’t step down.”
“Oh?” Shen Ming looked at Nie Li with a faintly narrowed gaze. “What sort of bet does this young brother want?”
“It would be better if I act as the dealer for this genius battle. I’ll accept any bets the Divine Sacred Family wants to place. If the bet is too low, then I won’t play!” Nie Li appeared quite casual.
“Acting as the dealer? Do you have that much money?” Shen Ming raised an eyebrow.
Once the betting began, both sides must put up the same amount of money, which the winner would take all. “I worry the Heavenly Mark Family might not afford it!”
“With Sister Yang here, is the Divine Sacred Family worried I can’t afford to play?” Nie Li smiled.
At this point, Yang Xin had figured out Nie Li’s intentions.
The reason Nie Li was provoking Shen Fei and challenging the Divine Sacred Family was clearly to pull them into his bet.
It seemed Nie Li was confident he could win against Shen Fei.
“If Brother Nie Li can’t afford the money, I’ll be willing to cover for him!” Yang Xin said with a sweet smile.
“Since Director Yang has said that, then let’s play a little! I bet on Young Master Shen to win in the duel against Young Master Nie Li and will wager fifty million demon spirit coins. Do you dare to accept?” Shen Ming’s eyes narrowed as he glanced at Nie Li.
Shen Fei glared at Nie Li with fierce intent.
"Fifty million demon spirit coins?" Nie Li's eyes widened in shock.
"What? Are you scared?" Shen Fei chuckled mockingly.
Wagering fifty million demon spirit coins should be enough to shock him!
“Seriously, fifty million demon spirit coins? You have the gall to bet this little?” Nie Li looked confused as he turned to Yang Xin. “Sister Yang, is the Divine Sacred Family really so poor? Fifty million demon spirit coins is barely enough for kids to buy candy!”
Seeing Nie Li's expression, Yang Xin couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.
Nie Li was clearly trying to lure the Divine Sacred Family into a trap.
She shook her head and said solemnly, “Brother Nie Li, fifty million demon spirit coins is already a significant amount for these families.”
“No way! Is it really that pathetic? What’s the point of it?” Nie Li pulled out a stack of demon spirit crystals, at least thirty of them, and tossed them into the stands, causing quite a stir among the spectators.
He nonchalantly tossed away hundreds of thousands of demon spirit coins, displaying a very arrogant demeanor. “Since the Divine Sacred Family is so poor, I might as well play along. If I win fifty million, I will just share it with the audience in the stands. After all, it wouldn’t be fun otherwise; it’s like tossing away a bit of pocket money.”
At Nie Li’s words, Shen Ming and Shen Fei turned pale with rage.
Nie Li was too outrageous! Fifty million demon spirit coins was no small number.
Most prominent families couldn’t even afford that much.
Only peak families like the Divine Sacred Family could scrape together such a sum.
Of course, compared to the Alchemist Association, who were now richer than the City Lord’s Mansion, they were nothing.
“Fifty million, and you dare to say that?” Nie Li scoffed disdainfully.
Shen Ming took a deep breath.
He remained quite calm.
Nie Li was provoking Shen Fei for a reason, and he must have some assurance.
Betting fifty million first wasn’t a bad thing; after all, there would be plenty of opportunities to wager again.
It was sensible to wait and see Nie Li’s strength first!
“Let’s start with a fifty million wager! After that, we’ll see if the young master is willing to continue playing,” Shen Ming said with a faint smile.
Even if Nie Li was confident he could win against Shen Fei, the Divine Sacred Family still had two more people participating, making it clearly more reliable to bet on those two instead.
“Alright! As long as the Divine Sacred Family wants to play, I will accompany you all the way. I will act as the dealer, and no matter how much the Divine Sacred Family bets, I will match it!” Nie Li said proudly.
Seeing Nie Li's arrogant confidence, Shen Ming sneered but replied with flattery, “Young Master from the Heavenly Mark Family really is straightforward. May I ask who will serve as the referee for this bet?” Shen Ming glanced at Yang Xin and remarked, “Director Yang probably wouldn’t be suitable!”
“This wager will be witnessed by all the families present!” Nie Li declared.
“Good!” Shen Ming said, agreeing readily.
Under the intentions of both the Divine Sacred Family and the Heavenly Mark Family to create some excitement, the betting quickly spread throughout the entire martial arts arena, stirring up a frenzy among the spectators.
All the heads of the families were invited to serve as witnesses for this battle.
“What’s going on with the Heavenly Mark Family? They’re actually betting against the Divine Sacred Family?”
“Don’t you know? The Heavenly Mark Family is currently under the protection of the Alchemist Association and has plenty of money. They seem to have a real bone to pick with the Divine Sacred Family.”
“Could this be a struggle between the Divine Sacred Family and the Alchemist Association, the two powerful entities?”
“Who knows?” The family heads whispered among themselves.
(End of Chapter)