As Zhang Fan left, the remaining people dispersed, and the events of the day quickly spread throughout the war base.
"Iron Monkey, what do you think?" Chi Hu Zhen Xian asked Tie Hou after returning to his cave dwelling.
"Twenty Immortal Treasures are no small sum. Brother Chi Hu, don't be too eager to challenge him. That Shi Jue Zhen Xian is too confident. He seems to have no special tricks, but that's the most terrifying part."
Tie Hou shook his head and said, "I specifically target newcomers for gamble battles, and I didn't expect to actually hit a wall this time."
Chi Hu Zhen Xian nodded, "My strength is considered top-tier among the thousands of Five-Star War Generals at the war base, but I can only rank in the top fifty. There's still a gap between me and those at the forefront. Someone will eventually tackle this tough nut to crack. We'll just watch the show."
"As for the ten Immortal Treasures you lost, don't worry about it. As long as you focus on improving your strength, the military merits from killing an enemy Four-Star War General can offset it."
Tie Hou Zhen Xian nodded. After all, gamble battles at the war base were just for entertainment. To truly earn military merits, one had to fight on the star battlefield.
...
"Master, you don't need so many Immortal Treasures. Why don't you let me pick one?" Upon returning to his cave dwelling, the Blood Demon Flood Dragon pestered Zhang Fan, asking for an Immortal Treasure.
"How could I not need them?" Zhang Fan stared at the Blood Demon Flood Dragon and said, "I'm here on this star battlefield to earn a million military merits before I can leave. These forty Immortal Treasures, while not a small amount, only convert to a little over a hundred thousand military merits. That's still far from my goal. If you want Immortal Treasures, go fight for them in the Star River yourself."
"Just over a hundred thousand?"
The Blood Demon Flood Dragon's face immediately crumpled. Knowing that asking for Immortal Treasures was hopeless, it realized that it had to rely on itself to get rich.
"Then when will we venture into the Star River? I've read the war base's data. There are all sorts of treasures in the Star River. If we could obtain a Grand Dao Secret Treasure, we'd truly be made."
"Let's wait two more days. Someone will likely come to challenge me for a gamble battle tomorrow. After one last harvest, we can head to the battlefield."
"I really wonder who the unlucky one will be tomorrow," the Blood Demon Flood Dragon shook its head. If its strength were sufficient, it would also want to participate in gamble battles.
The Pang brothers were completely bewildered. Their captain was too confident, treating the top Five-Star War Generals of the war base like leeks to be harvested. If this conversation were to get out, Zhang Fan would immediately become the public enemy of the war base.
...
Zhang Fan's victory over Lie Yang Zhen Xian did indeed bring a sense of calm to many. They couldn't believe such a coincidence.
However, there were also cultivators who were full of confidence in their own strength. No matter how strong Zhang Fan was, his cultivation realm was still only at the mid-stage of the Spirit Refining Realm. Could he truly be comparable to a peak Spirit Refining Realm expert?
The next day, when Zhang Fan once again arrived at the Duel Arena, two Five-Star War Generals simultaneously challenged him, wanting to gamble battle.
Thousands of people had gathered around the Duel Arena today, but they were mostly cultivators below the Six-Star War General realm. Nascent Soul realm cultivators were already rare at the war base, and those who had the leisure to come and watch were even rarer.
"It's actually Pu Ji Zhen Xian and Gu Hai Zhen Xian."
"These two rank in the top five among the thousands of Five-Star War Generals at this war base. It seems Shi Jue Zhen Xian has become too arrogant, and these two can't stand it anymore."
The crowd chattered amongst themselves, wondering if Zhang Fan would still dare to accept the challenge.
Looking at the two who had approached him, Zhang Fan couldn't help but smile, "You two are proposing a gamble battle simultaneously, and I don't know who to fight. Why don't you two discuss it?"
Pu Ji Zhen Xian and Gu Hai Zhen Xian exchanged glances, both understanding the other's intentions. Twenty Immortal Treasures were an extremely substantial sum of military merits for them, and neither was willing to back down easily.
As the two stood in a stalemate, Zhang Fan spoke, "How about this? Since you two have come for a gamble battle, you must have gathered twenty Immortal Treasures each. I happen to have forty Immortal Treasures. Whichever of you fights, hand over your twenty Immortal Treasures to the other and bet them together!"
Zhang Fan's words immediately set the scene ablaze. Forty Immortal Treasures was considered a massive gamble.
Pu Ji and Gu Hai were also surprised by Zhang Fan's audacity. However, since Zhang Fan had made the proposal, there was no reason for them to retreat.
"Since Daoist Shi Jue is so straightforward, I won't waste everyone's time," Gu Hai Zhen Xian took a step back, took out twenty Immortal Treasures, and handed them all to Pu Ji Zhen Xian.
Zhang Fan nodded, turned, and stepped onto the Duel Arena. Pu Ji Zhen Xian also entered.
Pu Ji Zhen Xian was a man who looked very young, with a handsome face and an elegant demeanor. After entering the arena space, he flipped his hand, revealing a three-foot-long green sword, and calmly stared at Zhang Fan, saying, "Daoist Shi Jue, upon entering the war base, you dare to challenge all Five-Star War Generals with such a heavy bet. I admire you."
"I broke through to the Nascent Soul realm through the way of the sword, and I have now cultivated to the late stage of the Spirit Refining Realm. Fighting against Daoist Shi Jue gives me a significant advantage, but I won't hold back."
Zhang Fan shook his head, flipped his hand, and took out a blood-red long sword, shaking his head, "It is I who have the advantage. Daoist Pu Ji, you don't need to hold back."
"Interesting!"
Pu Ji Zhen Xian smiled when he saw Zhang Fan also taking out a long sword. "A swordplay duel? Then I'd like to see what path Daoist Shi Jue's swordplay takes."
Boom!
A sharp sword dao rule surged around Pu Ji Zhen Xian. He raised his three-foot green sword and stepped forward, launching a sword strike head-on. Its speed was astonishing, reaching Zhang Fan's face almost instantaneously.
"Still as a mountain, moving like a swift wind. The application of sword dao rules can indeed be as varied as the immortals." Zhang Fan's eyes shone, reflecting a sword light. With a slight shift of his footwork, he easily dodged it.
"Sword One."
As Zhang Fan moved his feet, he simultaneously slashed out a sword strike, causing the approaching Pu Ji Zhen Xian's figure to stagger slightly.
"A good sword technique." Pu Ji Zhen Xian praised. His figure moved like a ghost, and wherever he passed, sword light followed, forming a river of swords with trailing afterimages, trapping Zhang Fan within it.
"Sword Two."
Zhang Fan was surrounded by the river of swords, but his mind was unwavering. He continued to execute the wordless sword manual. The moves were very ordinary, akin to the very beginning of the creation of 'sword,' simple chops and slashes.
Pu Ji Zhen Xian watched, and his heart trembled. He stared intently at Zhang Fan's sword trajectory, and a flash of inspiration struck his mind.
Scratch!
The river of swords formed by Pu Ji Zhen Xian was torn open, but it quickly healed.
"Sword Three."
Zhang Fan seemed to be practicing a certain sword technique, appearing simple and natural. But only Pu Ji Zhen Xian, whose sword dao rules were equally perfect, could sense an invisible force being drawn, attaching itself to the blood sword and making Zhang Fan's sword moves increasingly powerful.