Yang Junming smiled faintly and replied, "That's not necessarily true. Until the very last moment, who knows who will be the one to laugh victoriously in the end?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Hongguang immediately chuckled and asked, "Do you dare to bet like we did in previous years?"
"What are we betting this time?" Yang Junming inquired.
"Your recently acquired sword technique!" Zhang Hongguang answered.
Yang Junming was surprised. "You brat, you have quite the appetite. That's an S-grade sword technique. Besides, even if I gave it to you, you wouldn't be able to use it."
"I've taken a liking to it, so do you dare to bet or not?" Zhang Hongguang pressed.
"Oh, I see. This is for your daughter, isn't it? I noticed that lass eyeing my sword technique last time," Yang Junming guessed, quickly understanding the reason.
"Do you dare or not? Give me a straight answer!" Zhang Hongguang asked.
"Then you'll have to put up something of equivalent value," Yang Junming replied.
"How about this?" Zhang Hongguang presented a building.
Yang Junming's eyes lit up. He secretly sighed, acknowledging that Zhang Hongguang was truly willing to invest, even bringing out an S-grade building. He immediately responded, "Deal!"
"It's a deal!"
"It's a deal!" Zhang Hongguang quickly affirmed, as if fearing Yang Junming might change his mind.
Yang Junming naturally wouldn't refuse. The value of this building far surpassed his sword technique. It was evident how much confidence Zhang Hongguang had in this match.
After the bet was finalized, Zhang Hongguang was quite pleased and said, "Old Yang, you're definitely going to lose this time. Zhuge Kaiming is a formation master. No matter how strong Zhou Yan's power is, once he's trapped in a formation, his strength will be greatly suppressed."
"I admit his close-combat abilities are formidable. However, you know the Zhuge family excels at these intricate formations. This Zhuge Kaiming hasn't even used his full strength from the start."
"This time, your sword technique will be handed over with both hands." Zhang Hongguang happily analyzed the situation with Yang Junming.
Yang Junming replied, "Zhou Yan also hasn't used his full strength yet. Just wait and see. If I lose, you'll certainly get what's yours." He wasn't overly concerned about winning or losing; he simply wanted to see Zhou Yan's limits.
Zhou Yan managing to reach the top four had indeed surprised him, so he didn't have excessively high expectations for Zhou Yan. He just wanted to know how many surprises this young man could bring him.
The first match was Ye Bufan against Gu Nianyun. Both were melee combatants. The arena was the rooftop of a skyscraper, exceptionally high, such that falling from it would result in a gruesome death. Surrounding them were countless other skyscrapers of similar height, with only a few dozen meters separating them. This distance was not significant for them.
They stood on the rooftops of two different buildings. Upon seeing each other, they immediately charged forward. Their strength was immense; each step carried them great distances, and the gap of several dozen meters between buildings did not impede them. They swiftly crossed several rooftops and then began their assault.
Ye Bufan showed no mercy, even though his opponent was a woman. He unleashed his formidable power, enveloped by golden energy. Every punch he threw resonated with a dragon's roar, and golden dragon-shaped energy materialized around his fists.
Gu Nianyun was equally ferocious. Her Zhan Hu Saber struck with immense power, each move akin to a fierce tiger bursting from its cage, its roars shaking the heavens. Their initial exchange erupted into a fierce battle. Gu Nianyun's saber swung down with untamed might towards Ye Bufan.
Ye Bufan was not outmatched. His fists roared like dragons, parrying every one of her attacks. It was a true clash of dragon and tiger, their roars and growls echoing throughout the combat space, as if a real dragon and tiger were locked in battle. The energy emanating from them battered the surroundings, with sections of buildings collapsing intermittently.
No one had expected a woman like Gu Nianyun to possess such terrifying strength, capable of contending with a powerhouse like Ye Bufan. Their fight was truly spectacular. They exchanged blows relentlessly. Gu Nianyun's every saber strike landed on Ye Bufan's fists but failed to inflict any damage.
After more than ten minutes of intense combat, the battle reached a fever pitch. Gu Nianyun began to employ her martial skills, unleashing a barrage of powerful techniques. Her fierce qi slammed onto the rooftop, directly causing it to collapse.
"Tiger Roars Throughout the Heavens!" Gu Nianyun roared, pouring all her spiritual energy into a furious downward strike. It manifested as a colossal white tiger, roaring defiantly at the sky, and then charging ferociously towards Ye Bufan below.
"Dragon Soars Through the Firmament!" Ye Bufan, equally unwilling to be outdone, unleashed a surge of golden light against the white tiger. His fists blurred, creating numerous afterimages, and with a final punch, a golden five-clawed dragon soared into the sky, lunging towards the white tiger.
"BOOM!" The clash of dragon and tiger was earth-shattering. The powerful explosion generated a terrifying wave of energy that tore through several buildings.
When Gu Nianyun's figure appeared by the edge of the arena, they realized that single blow had directly killed her. Naturally, Ye Bufan won this round. However, no one underestimated Gu Nianyun. The fact that she could force Ye Bufan of the Ye clan's Dragon King lineage to unleash such a powerful move was incredibly impressive. It was something most others could not achieve. Everyone looked at her with awe.
Luo Yushuang stepped forward immediately and said, "Alas, it was just a little short of seeing you beat up Ye Bufan. You'll have to try harder next time." The onlookers were bewildered. They didn't know Luo Yushuang's identity or why she consistently opposed Ye Bufan. Antagonizing the Dragon King family was hardly a wise move.
Knowing the relationship between the two, Zhou Yan chuckled inwardly. With a sister like that, Ye Bufan must have been infuriated countless times since childhood. Ye Bufan also emerged shortly after, smiling at Zhou Yan and indicating that the next fight was his. Zhou Yan gave him a reassuring nod. Then, he was teleported into the combat space.
It was atop a mountain, shrouded in mist. The summit was quite spacious, with the two combatants standing a hundred meters apart, facing each other. Viewed from the outside, they truly resembled two peerless masters about to engage in a decisive battle.
"Brother Zhou, I'm very pleased to have the opportunity to fight you!" Zhuge Kaiming was as courteous as ever, displaying the demeanor of a true gentleman, a title he deserved.
Zhou Yan nodded and said, "I hope Brother Zhuge will go all out. I'm also eager to learn about the Zhuge family's arts of Qimen Dunjia."
"Naturally. I also wish to see if I can force Brother Zhou to use his full strength." Zhuge Kaiming was quite astute and had previously sensed that Zhou Yan was not fighting with his all.
The two exchanged smiles. They were both intelligent and didn't need to elaborate on many things. Although Zhuge Kaiming hadn't moved an inch, Zhou Yan's senses were incredibly sharp. He could feel a mysterious energy flowing from Zhuge Kaiming. He seemed to see a Five Elements Bagua diagram appearing on the ground, which began to expand rapidly and engulf him.