Chapter 158: The Trillion-Dollar Wager (Part I) (Catch-up for Yesterday)

The Duel Space features a dedicated information display allowing challengers to browse profiles, select opponents, and submit a challenge request. If the opponent accepts, both parties are instantly teleported into the arena.

Users can also open a personal exclusive Duel Space and wait for others to issue challenges.

The Duel Space is not closed off; other users can apply to watch the matches as spectators. However, viewing requires a fee, which is then split evenly with the winner on a fifty-fifty basis. The standard fee to watch a match is one hundred Black Dragon Coins, making it quite affordable.

For a personal exclusive space, the owner can set their own spectator fee standard, and the viewing revenue will be divided exclusively with the space owner since they are the ones being challenged.

"Chubby, apply for this place to be my personal exclusive Duel Space!"

Qin Ming issued the command.

This was a region of rolling hills and ravines in the distance, with a waterfall cascading down, presenting a picturesque and beautiful landscape.

"Master, applying for a personal exclusive Duel Space requires ten million Black Dragon Coins!"

"Deduct it!"

"Understood, Master!" Babata replied. "The application has been approved. This place now belongs to your personal challenge space until you depart! Please choose a nickname for yourself so that others can easily apply to watch!"

"Emperor Qin!"

"Master, the nickname has been confirmed, linked to your personal account, and bound to your exclusive Duel Space!"

"Display my personal information!"

"Yes, Master!"

Nickname: Emperor Qin!
Cultivation: Level 6 Star-Level Warrior!
Record: None!

It was a very simple introduction, yet straightforward—this was the personal profile displayed for others to see.

"Chubby, how many Black Dragon Coins do I have left?"

"Master, you have nine hundred and one million remaining!"

"Apply for a wager match. For the first round, set the stake at nine hundred million Black Dragon Coins. The winner takes all, and the loser forfeits it! At the same time, set the spectator fee for watching each wager match at ten thousand Black Dragon Coins."

"Master, wager matches incur a one percent platform service fee, and spectator revenue is split fifty-fifty!"

"Got it! Also, restrict the weapons—none exceeding Tier 3!"

"Master, the application has been approved. The information regarding your personal Duel Space has appeared on the information screen. Now, we simply wait for a challenger!"

"Understood!"

Qin Ming nodded.

Here, the vast majority of warriors entered the Killing Space for training, and quite a few used the Duel Space for challenges, but wager matches had always been rare.

After all, across the immense territory of the Black Dragon Mountain domain, who dared claim invincibility at the exact same tier level?

If the stakes in a wager match were small, no one paid attention.

If the stakes were large, it would attract massive attention, and maintaining a winning streak under those circumstances would become extremely difficult.

The purpose of the Killing Grounds was training.

The Killing Space and the Duel Space were entirely sufficient for that; wager matches were completely unnecessary.

At that moment, some people in the Killing Hall had already noticed Qin Ming's personal Duel Space and his wager match, and the news was spreading rapidly.

"Is this guy crazy? A newcomer with zero challenge history directly opens a personal space for a wager match, setting the stake at nine hundred million Black Dragon Coins right out of the gate. Could he be some wealthy scion from a prominent family?"

"Level 6 Star-Level, a newcomer, opening a personal challenge space with no restrictions—meaning anyone within the Star-Level can challenge him. Damn, where did this reckless greenhorn come from? This is an incredible opportunity, but unfortunately, my funds aren't enough. Damn it, I missed a chance to get rich!"

"Ha! I'm just running low on cash, and here comes a fool delivering it right to my door! This money belongs to me, Power King!"

The warrior known as Power King immediately submitted a challenge request. The next moment, nine hundred million Black Dragon Coins were deducted from his account, and he was teleported away.

The funds for a wager match were deducted in advance, and upon the duel's conclusion, the entire sum was returned to the victor.

"Damn it, I was a step too slow and got beaten to the punch by that brat Power King. Oh well, I'll just apply to watch the match as a spectator... Holy crap, it costs ten thousand just to watch! Whatever, let's see what kind of idiot this is and have a laugh!"

Many people felt exasperated, while quite a few others paid the spectator fee.

A nine-million—correction, nine-hundred-million-coin wager was enough to arouse widespread curiosity!

Emperor Qin's Duel Space.

"Master, thousands of people have submitted applications. Which one should we accept?"

"The one with the lowest cultivation and the lowest rating!"

"Master, the application has been approved. The opponent's name is Power King, Level 4 Star-Level, Five-Star rating, 321 wins, 78 losses!"

As Chubby's voice faded, a figure materialized a hundred meters away. He was a lean-looking young man with knotted muscles that concealed explosive power within.

"Emperor Qin? Such an overbearing name, yet what a fool!" Power King carried a massive saber on his shoulder, curling his lip into a sneer as he said, "Little fellow, did you just crawl out from some sheltered family estate?"

"How did you know?" Qin Ming answered with a blank expression.

Secretly, however, he was communicating with Chubby via divine sense: *Master, the spectator count has reached 12,342, and another 300-plus have just joined!*

The number of spectators continued to rise incessantly.

People who frequented the Killing Grounds were never short on cash.

"It's obvious—no match record at all!" Power King wore the air of an experienced mentor, walking forward casually while his hand gripping the saber hilt tightened repeatedly. "You must be very wealthy. To set up a wager like this on your first time here, you must be looking to make a name for yourself, right? Let me guess, are you trying to impress some beloved woman?"

While speaking, he had already closed the distance to within fifty meters.

At that exact instant, Power King moved. In a fraction of a second, he appeared right in front of Qin Ming, the saber on his shoulder descending in a slash. At the same time, he spoke at lightning speed, rattling off dozens of words in a thousandth of a second: "Kid, this isn't a place for playing house. Even though you're a fool, to kill you, I'll still use my full strength!"

His blade fell, yet it cleaved through empty air.

Qin Ming had already retreated a thousand meters away, his face pale and slightly trembling. "Fortunately, my cultivation is higher than yours, my reaction is faster, and I kept my guard up against you, otherwise I would have been killed by you! I heard that figures in the Duel Space can fight across tiers, but I didn't expect it to actually be true. A Level 4 Star-Level person like you dared to challenge me, a Level 6 Star-Level, and almost managed to kill me. But you're so shameless! Where is the reason in launching a sneak attack while in the middle of talking?"

"Hahaha!" Power King burst into laughter, the lingering unease from a moment ago dissipating by seventy or eighty percent. "Let me tell you, those who frequently fight here can mostly battle opponents of higher tiers, let alone someone like me, the Power King! Go back to the Killing Hall and ask around—who doesn't know my name? As for attacking suddenly? Little fellow, this is the Duel Space! There are no rules here. Since you are my opponent, I naturally have to use every means possible to kill you. Seeing as you're about to hand me nine hundred million Black Dragon Coins, let me give you one final lesson: against any enemy, no matter how weak they seem, you must always use your full strength. Only when the enemy is completely dead can you truly claim victory; otherwise, anything can happen!"

*Swish...*

Power King stepped through the air, bringing his saber down in a downward slash that split into six distinct blade afterimages.

*Puff...*

Qin Ming's figure was sliced cleanly in two by the blade.

"Not good!"

Power King clearly sensed that the blow had not struck a physical body. Panic surged in his heart, and just as he prepared to leap away, he felt a chilling sensation around his neck, and his head went flying into the air.

"Did you really take me for some sheltered heir who knows nothing?" Qin Ming stood firmly in place, communicating through divine sense: *Chubby, how many spectators in total?*

"At the moment of conclusion, the number was precisely forty-four thousand!"

"So many?"

"Not many at all! Master, you must remember, the Killing Grounds here encompass warriors from the entire territory of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, and countless people come here every day. If you create a sensational enough impact, even the entire Ganwu Continent will tune in to watch."

"How can I cause a massive sensation?"

"Master, that would require even larger wager matches and displaying defying battle prowess!"

"Alright! How much money do we have now?"

"Master, we originally had nine hundred million, won another nine hundred million, and gained two hundred and twenty million from the spectator share. After deducting the eighteen million platform commission, we currently have two billion and three million remaining!"

"Chubby, for the next wager match, set the stake at two billion! In five minutes, accept the next challenge application."

"Yes, Master! The application has been submitted... Master, it has been approved!"