Chapter Sixty-Five: The Martial Arts Duel Begins

Just as the entire hall was still reeling from the shock of their overturned worldview, another set of footsteps echoed up the stairs.

"Miss, I've brought the one billion in cash you requested."

A hoarse female voice sounded. Wang Lun looked up and instantly recognized the newcomer as the female bodyguard who always accompanied Li Yating's mother.

Indeed, it was Hu Lichun.

"Auntie Hu, you're here! Thank you for your trouble."

"Miss, think nothing of it—this is my duty. However, since you suddenly requested a billion in cash, the Chairwoman had to spend some time gathering it together."

Hu Lichun handed over a black bank card to Li Yating.

Upon seeing it, Tian Xinyu felt his mind go blank.

What was going on today? Swiss black gold bank cards appeared in pairs—first Lin Feng, now this young lady. What on earth was happening?

Li Yating, upon receiving the card, was momentarily at a loss. She had asked her mother for this specifically for Lin Feng, but earlier, Lin Feng had already secured a billion for himself. Her own billion now seemed redundant.

"Lin Feng, I... what should I do now?" Li Yating clutched the card, looking as helpless as a little girl, seeking Lin Feng's help with her bright, blinking eyes—she looked unexpectedly adorable.

Lin Feng patted her gently on the head, as if consoling a child, and smiled warmly:

"Then bet it on Jisheng Society with me. In a few days, a billion will become ten billion. Take away the principal, and the remaining nine billion will be yours!"

"Really? Then I'll bet with you on Jisheng Society!"

Li Yating trusted Lin Feng implicitly. Without hesitation, she handed her bank card to Tian Xinyu.

"One billion—I’m betting with Lin Feng on Jisheng Society!"

"Miss, you—" Hu Lichun tried to intervene, but it was too late.

Tian Xinyu stared at the card before him, his eyelids twitching, feeling as if his world had collapsed.

Damn it, did I forget to check the almanac before leaving the house today?

Especially since Lin Feng had confidently declared the bet would increase tenfold in a few days, as if certain Tianlong Hall would lose.

His own family had wagered everything on Tianlong Hall's victory!

If Lin Feng's words came true, the Tian family would be crippled, if not outright ruined!

Taking Li Yating’s card, Tian Xinyu broke out in a cold sweat as he handed two betting tickets to Lin Feng and Li Yating.

"Very well, Lin Feng. I, Tian Xinyu, have never lost a bet. Let’s see, in ten days, who will win and who will lose!"

"Hmph! We'll see!"

Tian Xinyu forced himself to appear calm, yanked up Zhong Hui from the floor, and turned to leave, not wanting to linger a moment longer.

Watching Tian Xinyu’s departing back, Lin Feng’s brows arched with a hint of icy anticipation.

"Good. I’m looking forward to this martial duel more and more."

Thanks to Tian Xinyu’s scene, rumors soon spread throughout the Yao Group.

All manner of gossip flew—stories that Lin Feng was not a useless loser but a hidden tycoon of immense strength. Every day at work, a parade of confident, beautiful female colleagues from all over the company would make their way to the sales department just to catch a glimpse of Lin Feng, some even anonymously sending various gifts.

Of course, all those gifts were shamelessly claimed by Wang Lun.

...

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, ten days had passed.

The contest between Tianlong Hall and Jisheng Society for supremacy in Binhai’s underworld had become a sensational event among the city’s elite.

In the past ten days, the entire city had been abuzz, with countless bigwigs anxious about the outcome that would shape Binhai's future balance of power.

Not just the top families—Tang, Feng, Qin—but even many second-tier clans had expanded their information networks, eager to obtain firsthand, valuable intelligence.

Yet both Tianlong Hall and Jisheng Society kept their mouths tightly shut; not a single leak escaped.

This left the upper echelons utterly bewildered.

At eight that evening, Lin Feng arrived at the venue for the martial contest—the city’s landmark, Binhai People’s Stadium.

Tonight, Binhai would be sleepless.

Even before he reached the stadium, Lin Feng saw that what was usually an empty venue was now surrounded by hundreds of luxury cars. There were at least twenty Porsche supercars, with Bentleys, Lincolns, and Rolls-Royces everywhere.

Obese local tycoons, clad in bespoke designer suits and sporting luxury watches, mingled with glamorous starlets—there were even several A-list actresses in attendance.

Truly, celebrities and elites had gathered in force.

Lin Feng, alone and dressed in three-hundred-yuan casual wear bought online, looked completely out of place among the crowd, drawing bemused stares and whispered snickers:

"Who’s this guy? He shows up dressed like that? Does he think this is a food stall outside his house?"

"Heh, probably just here for a workout."

"That must be it. Look at his sneakers—I bet they’re knockoff Putian shoes, a hundred yuan with no warranty!"

...

Scornful remarks sounded from every direction, but Lin Feng paid them no mind.

He walked into the stadium unimpeded, with jeers and ridicule trailing behind him.

But then, a group of true Binhai magnates caught sight of Lin Feng. Not daring to show the slightest disrespect, they immediately stood up straight, greeting him with nods, bows, and finally a soft chorus:

"Grandmaster Lin!"

Some were tycoons who had witnessed Lin Feng’s miraculous skills at the treasure auction, others were aligned with the Tang family.

To them, there were only two words for Lin Feng—reverence and awe.

Those who had been mocking Lin Feng glanced over at the tycoons paying him respect. Any one of them could easily crush the entire group.

Lin Feng's calm, casual wave in response seemed entirely natural, not at all affected.

At this, the mockers widened their eyes in shock, quickly lowered their heads, and scattered in panic, their hearts pounding with dread.

"Good lord, even the top tycoons bow to him—I’ve just run into a real low-profile big shot!"

"Damn, if you really are a big shot, can't you at least dress a little flashier?"

"My God, he’s not here to work out? Who exactly is this ‘Grandmaster Lin’?"

Lin Feng’s mere arrival caused a stir. Not wanting to make a scene, he shrugged and, under the gaze of the wealthy elite, made his way to the other side of the stadium.

At the same time, Tian Xinyu was experiencing the highlight of his life.

As the stadium's operator, he efficiently took on the role of host, greeting and seeing off the guests. Though he was the eldest son of the Tian family from Jinling, he was still a step below these true heavyweights.

Being able to chat with and befriend them would only benefit him in the future when he succeeded as head of the Tian family.

"Tian Xinyu, long time no see! How’s your grandfather these days?"

"Thank you for your concern, Elder Tang. Thanks to your blessings, my grandfather is in excellent health. Your seat is in the main stand—please, allow me to show you the way."

In front of Elder Tang, Tian Xinyu showed not a trace of his usual arrogance—he was humble and attentive, eager not to offend.

He warmly escorted Elder Tang to the central stand, arranged everything to perfection, and only then prepared to withdraw.

"Very good, Xinyu. You’ve done an excellent job. Young men like you are rare these days!"

"Thank you for your praise, Elder Tang. It’s what we juniors ought to do."

A single word of praise from Elder Tang was enough to fill Tian Xinyu with joy.

But as he turned around, he caught sight of Lin Feng searching for a seat, and his eyes instantly darkened with resentment.