"Is Young master making fun of me?"

As Yino’s words grew outlandish, Zhihan began to feel a sense of sheer absurdity.

First of all, she couldn’t fathom why Yino was so absolutely certain of Lin Che’s victory. Secondly, she couldn’t understand what possible benefit such a lopsided wager held for him.

In her eyes, her personal favor was nowhere near valuable enough to be pitted against an ancient Treasure of the Spirit Immortal realm.

Furthermore, she could sense that the way Yino looked at her hadn’t been entirely pure from the very beginning. His gaze carried a complex, indiscernible undertone that she simply couldn’t see through.

Weighing all these factors, Zhihan could only guess that Yino saw her current desperate situation and, relying on the immense wealth of the Grand Tutor’s Mansion, had decided to toy with her for his own amusement.

"If I truly harbored such twisted tastes, why would it be lady Pei stopping me today, rather than me taking the initiative to block your path and strike up a conversation?" Yino replied, finding her suspicion highly amusing.

At these words, Zhihan momentarily choked on her own thoughts.

He had a point.

Yino hadn’t broadcasted his bet on Lin Che to anyone else. It was Zhihan who had secretly observed him and approached him of her own volition.

"So, the wager you just proposed... you are serious?" Zhihan narrowed her cold eyes, still finding it somewhat unbelievable.

She stared at Yino for a while longer, searching for flaws in his expression, but ultimately found none.

Could there truly be a young master in this world with more money than sense?

Or perhaps... Does he simply want to use this as a reasonable excuse to gift me this ancient mirror? But what does he seek to gain by giving me a treasure? Is he just trying to protect my safety?

In the span of a few short seconds, Zhihan analyzed all of Yino’s possible motives in her mind. Yet, the one thing she never considered was the possibility of Lin Che actually defeating Zichen.

Crossing a gap of two major cultivation realms! Forget Lin Che - even Zhihan in her youth would have found it impossible to overcome such a heaven-and-earth disparity in strength!

"Very well. I accept the young master’s wager."

"However, although we have Yuyan as a bridge between us, our meeting is still one of chance," Zhihan finally sighed. "Moreover, you are my junior, still young in years... Forgive me, but I cannot accept such a precious treasure. Let us simply wager a favor against a favor."

Lowering her beautiful eyes, she spoke softly, retaining her reserved dignity.

Looking at her, Yino didn’t press the matter and casually tucked the jade mirror back into his robes.

"Alright. I hope lady Pei will wait and see."

"The lot-drawing is about to begin. We should head back soon, lest we worry Yuyan by making her wait." Zhihan cast him a glance, not taking Yino’s confident words to heart. She simply turned around, her voice returning to its usual cold, ascetic tone.

Yino watched her walk away. Her slender, graceful waist and peach-like curves were tightly wrapped in the black dress, a figure that was voluptuous without a trace of excess fat. Her steps carried the lightness of a sword treading upon clouds, yet exuded an undeniable feminine charm.

A beautiful sight naturally caught the eye, and Yino couldn’t help but smack his lips in appreciation.

"Young master?"

Without warning, Zhihan suddenly stopped and glanced back over her shoulder.

Yino froze. It felt as though a blade of cold Sword Intent was suddenly pressed against his forehead, snapping him out of his reverie. "It’s nothing. Just thinking about some matters."

"Is that so? The Young Lord certainly carries many worries for someone so young."

Zhihan didn’t ask further, but her slightly displeased gaze and subtly sarcastic tone made it clear she had noticed exactly where his eyes had been wandering.

Yino caught up, shrugging with a smile.

"If I didn’t worry a bit more, how could I stand where I do today?"

...

Yino and Zhihan returned from the betting pool.

At the Immortal Alliance Pavilion, above the Dao Testing Stage, the bell chimed three more times. Following the host’s impassioned introduction, the living true dragon of empire, the White Dragon Empress, finally descended from the sky into the view of the masses.

Today, Nina wore a phoenix crown and the golden phoenix-dragon robes reserved for grand ceremonies. The massive aura of a dragon swirled around her, manifesting as lifelike golden runes.

As she floated down from the top floor, her jade-like feet, adorned with white dragon scales, seemed to make flowers bloom with every step. Her draconic visage was flawless, resembling a perfectly sculpted jade-porcelain doll. Even the leading Holy Maidens and beauties of the major immortal sects and factions paled in comparison to her radiance.

In the mortal world, a immortal’s ethereal beauty was the highest standard of aesthetics, spoken of with endless relish.

But now, when the immortal charms of the Five Great Immortal Sects’ beauties clashed with true divine grace, the Dragon Emperor’s divine presence clearly held the upper hand.

After all...

The Dragon Emperor was the supreme ruler, standing above the Five Great Immortal Sects and the three Grand Tutor’s Mansions.

It was only a pity that while Nina’s beauty and bearing were enough to bear the weight of a nation, as the ruling Dragon Emperor, her face still retained an underlying youthfulness, no matter how much regal makeup was applied. Standing at less than 1.7 meters tall, even if she stood on stilts atop the Dao Testing Stage to look down upon the masses, she still struggled to project the towering, dominating figure of a mother to the world that the people expected from an emperor.

Furthermore, as a member of the White Dragon Clan, her snowy-white hair naturally gave her an aura of pure holiness, and the pair of white dragon horns on her forehead weren’t particularly long or sharp. Compared to the previous old Dragon Emperor, whose presence was defined by an oppressive black-and-gold majesty, she indeed lacked a bit of that tyrannical imperial authority.

"We pay our respects to Your Majesty!"

As Nina landed on the Dao Testing Stage, the lead host was the first to drop to his knees in a deep bow.

Following his lead, the crowds below, and even the elders of the various major sects hidden behind the curtains on the upper floors, all stood in solemn respect. Cultivators of all races bowed their heads toward the stage from every direction, paying homage to the White Dragon Emperor.

"You may rise," Nina spoke in a deep voice, a smile playing at the corners of her lips.

"Your Majesty, these are the name slips of all the disciples who have registered for the martial tournament..." The hosting elder adopted a humble posture, carefully gesturing toward the container. "Your Majesty, please."

Nina’s gaze followed his hand to the bamboo slips. Her lips curled up. With a grand sweep of her hand from beneath her dragon robes, vast Spiritual Energy transformed into a chain of golden dragon runes, lifting the wooden bucket filled with slips.

Next, she pressed two fingers together and flicked them upward. Instantly, all the bamboo slips were launched high into the air, shuffling and scrambling before the eyes of the entire crowd.