Endgame of the Handicap

Wang Hao opened the cloth bag. Inside lay a pill radiating brilliant, flowing light. The pill's surface bore nine pill-veins, each exuding a heart-palpitating Dao aura. A pill that extended one's lifespan by three hundred years was an invaluable treasure, even to a Martial God. If placed in the outside world, such an item would be enough to trigger a world-sweeping war.

"Guyun, how did you manage to snatch this?"

Ye Guyun fell silent for a moment, then spoke in a very low voice: "This subject set up seven sword arrays at the entrance of the cave dwelling, telling them it was a dead end inside. They didn't believe it and charged in three waves. All three waves retreated with heavy injuries. Then they believed it."

Wang Hao smiled. He smiled with great gratification. Even sword cultivators knew how to play mind games now; this was the result he most wanted to see.

He patted Ye Guyun's shoulder and then looked at Wanyan Gu and Su Lie. Wanyan Gu scratched his head and honestly pulled out a beast skin—drawn on it was the most detailed distribution map of the forbidden zones in the secret realm. This was a complete map he had pieced together over twenty days by using the most primitive wilderness tracking arts to trail three different factions of geniuses.

Su Lie silently handed over a jade slip. The jade slip recorded the operational patterns and cracking methods of all the formations within the secret realm. He had spent thirty days almost completely abstaining from any treasure snatching, constantly studying the secret realm's structure itself. The value of this jade slip was higher than any natural treasure—because it meant that the next time the Kunlun Secret Realm opened, the geniuses of the Eastern Wasteland could rely on this intelligence to bypass all dangers and directly reach the core area.

Wang Hao stored away all the storage rings, cloth bags, and jade slips, took a deep breath, and looked at the ten geniuses before him.

"You ten." His voice was uncharacteristically devoid of teasing. "Are the pride of the Eastern Wasteland."

Then he turned around, looked at Wei Zhongxian, and the smile on his face became radiant once again.

"Old Wei, are the betting pool results out?"

Wei Zhongxian had already calculated the results. His voice carried a hint of trembling, filled with utter disbelief from beginning to end: "Your Majesty, the total number of people who ultimately walked out of the secret realm alive is one hundred and thirteen. Two hundred and forty entered, and one hundred and thirteen survived. According to the betting rules, you bet that no more than fifty would survive—"

"I didn't win?" Wang Hao raised an eyebrow.

"You won one of the conditions—that the survivors would not exceed one hundred and fifty, at one-to-one odds. You bet two hundred million spirit stones, so the principal doubled to four hundred million." Wei Zhongxian swallowed hard. "But you also previously bet one hundred million spirit stones on the appearance of the demon race, at one-to-three odds, which won you three hundred million. In total, an income of seven hundred million spirit stones."

Wang Hao counted on his fingers: "Seven hundred million minus the three hundred million cost, a net profit of four hundred million. Not bad."

Not bad?

The bosses of the thirteen gambling houses in the Receiving City collectively fainted crying at their counters. A net profit of four hundred million spirit stones meant that each of the thirteen gambling houses had to pay out over thirty million spirit stones, equivalent to the sum of their profits for two years. And this was only what they had to pay Wang Hao—the other independent gamblers who followed his bet had to be calculated separately.

And Wang Hao was already planning his next gamble.

"Old Wei, go call the bosses of the Receiving City's gambling houses over. I have a new proposal—a thirty-year installment payment plan. They can pay it back slowly, with an annual interest rate calculated at twelve percent. This way, it can alleviate their cash flow pressure while giving me a stable, long-term income. Wouldn't you say this is a win-win?"

Wei Zhongxian remained expressionless. "Your Majesty, you call this a win-win?"

"Of course." Wang Hao said righteously. "They keep their ancestral businesses, and I secure my income. If that's not a win-win, what is?"

He peeled a fire spirit fruit and popped it into his mouth, smiling like a landlord who had just finished collecting rent.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Tianxu Peak, Jiang Tianchen finished listening to the reports of all the Central State geniuses, his face so dark it looked like it could drip ink. He turned and walked into the secret hall of the Sixteen Holy Lands, where the fifteen sect masters were already waiting for him.

"Speak." Perfected Chiyan suppressed his anger. "What exactly happened?"

Jiang Tianchen closed his eyes and repeated the reports of the Central State geniuses word by word.

"There are three most perilous forbidden grounds in the secret realm. The first is the central cave dwelling. At the entrance, Ye Guyun, a subordinate of Wang Hao, laid down seven sword arrays, blocking the path inside. Our people forcefully charged four times, resulting in eleven dead and injured. The second is the Medicine Valley in the east. At the valley entrance, at least twenty interlocking traps were set up, ranging from ground spikes to poison mist and illusion arrays. The trap-setting techniques were extremely professional, and our formation masters judged it to be the work of Su Lie, a subordinate of Wang Hao. The third is the spirit ore vein in the west. The entire ore vein was preemptively occupied by the people of the Eastern Wasteland. They laid countless mechanisms in the mine shafts. After our people entered, they were ambushed and suffered heavy losses. There are many other details, but in the end, it was all the doing of the Eastern Wasteland. The people of the Eastern Wasteland snatched the ore vein and the Medicine Valley. Their hearts are too black."

The secret hall was quiet for a long time.

"It was all the Eastern Wasteland?"

"It was all the Eastern Wasteland." Jiang Tianchen's voice carried an indescribable taste of either anger or bitterness. "And their most insidious aspect is that they never take the initiative to kill. They simply occupy the good spots first, then wait for us and the demon race to crash into them. When we and the demons fight until both sides suffer heavy casualties, they pass by, offer 'rescue,' and collect a fee. Xiao Chen even made a deal with Cang Ming—Cang Ming was heavily injured in the central cave dwelling, and Xiao Chen used a healing pill to exchange for three Dao Source Stones that he brought out from the cave."

"Dao Source Stones? Three?!" Li Tianxing stood up abruptly, his eyes bloodshot. "Xiao Chen used one healing pill to exchange for three Dao Source Stones?"

"Yes. Cang Ming was heavily injured and dying at the time; he had no choice."

Li Tianxing slowly sat back down, his hands trembling slightly. Dao Source Stones were legendary items in the eyes of cultivators below the Martial God realm, but in the eyes of these sect masters, they were divine objects that could genuinely help one break through to the Martial God realm. Three Dao Source Stones, if used where they counted the most, could nurture at least one Martial God. And now, these three Dao Source Stones had fallen into Wang Hao's hands.

"This Wang Hao..." Perfected Chiyan gritted his teeth. "What exactly did he teach these people?"

The answer quickly spread throughout the entirety of Tianxu Peak.

Because Wang Hao didn't have the slightest intention of hiding it. He set up a small table at the entrance of the Eastern Wasteland camp and personally held a "Secret Realm Expedition Summary Meeting" for the ten great geniuses. His voice was so loud that it could be heard hundreds of meters away.

"Xiao Chen, you did well this time, but there is still room for optimization. In trading, you must pay attention to timing. The more desperate the other party is, the stronger your bargaining power. Asking for three Dao Source Stones when Cang Ming was heavily injured was a conscientious price. Next time, you can try for four."

"Ye Guyun, the sword arrays were set up nicely, but the arrangement order of your seven sword arrays can be further improved. The first three should be the fiercest, the middle two the most insidious, and the last two should make it look like you are about to be unable to hold on. Make the other party feel that they are just one step away from breaking through—that's when they are most willing to pay the price."

"Lu Chenzhou, you have mastered eighty percent of the corpse-collecting craft. The remaining twenty percent is the grasp of timing—knowing when to wait and when to snatch. If you wait too long, the good stuff will be picked up by others first. If you snatch too fast, it's easy to hit a tough opponent. You need to handle this balance well."

Wanyan Gu, that map you drew was very good, but next time remember to make an extra fake one. Keep the real one for yourself and sell the fake one to your opponent. A fake map needs to be ninety percent true and ten percent false. Make a slight mistake in the most crucial part, letting them lead themselves into a trap.

Su Lie, your trapping techniques are the most professional I have ever seen. But being professional is not enough; you need creativity. Digging pits in the ground is too ordinary. Next time, try placing mechanisms on the ceiling. No one guards against what is above their heads.

The ten prodigies diligently took notes.

More and more people gathered around to eavesdrop—from the Central State, Southern Frontier, Western Border, and Northern Region. There were even two shapeshifted great demons of the demon race mingling in the crowd. Everyone was dumbfounded.

Is this emperor publicly teaching how to scheme against people?

And he calls this tactical literacy?

Just what kind of place is the Eastern Wasteland? A training base for the underworld?

Holy King Canglong listened from afar, a complex gleam flashing in his slit-like pupils. He had lived for three thousand six hundred years and seen countless humans, but he had never seen anyone like this. An emperor leading his prodigies to cheat, abduct, and deceive using underhanded methods, only to summarize and review the events afterward, even holding classes without shying away from auditors.

The most terrifying thing was not his methods, but his mindset. He wasn't just seeking personal gain; he was cultivating an entire generation of brainy powerhouses for the Eastern Wasteland. Not only was he a menace himself, but he was also nurturing ten little menaces. When these menaces grew up in the future, they would be a massive threat to the Central State and the demon race. With such an emperor in the Eastern Wasteland, they would become a disaster sooner or later. If this man became a god, he would inevitably rewrite the world's order.

Meanwhile, Wang Hao continued his lecture.

The final and most important lesson—credibility. He held up a finger. Every transaction you made in the secret realm this time must be fulfilled. Xiao Chen, the healing pills you promised Cang Ming, did you give them?

I did.

Ye Guyun, you promised not to kill those retreating demon prodigies. Did you keep your word?

I did.

Very good. Wang Hao nodded in satisfaction. Scheming is scheming, and credibility is credibility. You can trap people, you can deceive people, and you can frame people. But as long as you promise something, you must do it. This is not only the bottom line of being a person, but also the capital for doing business. Because you never know if today's opponent will become tomorrow's client.

He stood up, his voice echoing throughout the area.

Sect Masters of the Central State, Demon Gods of the demon race, you have heard just about enough. I will end today's lecture here. The next training session is tentatively scheduled for next year's Kunlun Assembly. The theme will be How to Retreat Unscathed from a Disadvantageous Matchup. The registration fee is one million spirit stones per person, with a twenty percent discount for Eastern Wasteland allies. Spots are limited, first come, first served.

The entire crowd was in an uproar.

Then, everyone heard Wang Hao's final words.

Oh, right, I just opened a new betting pool. The bet is on whether I will still be able to stand here and lecture at next year's Kunlun Assembly. Betting that I can will pay one to one hundred, and betting that I cannot will pay one to ten thousand. I welcome everyone to place your bets enthusiastically.

He smiled, revealing eight white teeth.

However, I suggest you bet 'can.' Because I don't have many merits, I just have a tough life.

No one laughed. Because everyone heard an unusual implication in those words—Wang Hao was telling them that someone might make a move against him soon. And not only was he not hiding, but he was also turning this crisis into a gamble. This kind of confidence and arrogance made everyone think of one thing: either he was crazy, or he had enough trump cards to deal with all the upcoming dangers.

Jiang Canghai, Patriarch Chiyan, and Jiang Cangyun, three Martial Gods, opened their eyes simultaneously. Their gazes were like three bolts of lightning tearing through the twilight of the Heavenly Void Peak, shooting straight toward the Eastern Wasteland camp.

Holy King Canglong and four Demon Gods also stopped their meditation. Five Demon God auras, like five awakening ancient behemoths, slowly opened their eyes in the night.

Wang Hao felt these eight gazes. He returned to his tent, took out the nine-colored flowing Martial God Barrier-Breaking Pill from his sleeve, and hovered it above his palm. Above his head, the Thunder Abyss Demon-Suppressing Tower slowly rotated. The lightning within its seven-story windows faintly resonated with the pill's nine-colored light, emitting a series of low hums.

Can't wait anymore? Wang Hao said softly, as if asking the pill, or perhaps asking himself.

He looked up at the night sky outside the tent. Under the moonlight, the white jade plaza of the Heavenly Void Peak was as quiet as a snowfield. But everyone knew that beneath this snowfield lay a volcano on the verge of erupting.

Today, he had gone to the Kunlun Stone Stele to sign in again, and the system gave him an unexpected reward.

[Sign-in Location: Kunlun Heavenly Void Peak - Kunlun Stone Stele]

[Sign-in Reward: Yin-Yang Twin Talisman]

[Description: A one-time special talisman. Upon use, it leaves behind a clone identical to the original body in its place. The clone possesses eighty percent of the original's combat power and can fight independently for the duration of one incense stick. The original body will enter a state of concealment and cannot be locked onto by the perception of anyone at or below the Martial God Realm. Note: The talisman becomes invalid after use and cannot be reused.]

Wang Hao held the Yin-Yang Twin Talisman in his hand, the smile on his lips growing wider.

I was originally worried about being focused down by them when the heavenly tribulation descends. But now it's perfect—the clone will stand in place to undergo the tribulation, while my true body hides on the sidelines to watch the show. Once the heavenly tribulation strikes them all into a dizzy stupor, I will emerge from the shadows to collect their corpses.

He carefully put the talisman away, leaned against the couch, and closed his eyes.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow would be the day he settled the score with the eight super-tier existences.

He was looking forward to it.