"Kid, you're just starting out in the world, aren't you?" The casino boss flicked his thumb upwards, pointing to an insignia right in the center of the hall behind him: "Open your eyes and take a good look! If you don't know what this emblem means, I wouldn't mind teaching you a basic piece of common knowledge! This mark is the insignia of the Qian family! That's right! The Qian family, the warrior lineage of the Elven King in Qianzhou!"

Qian Jin looked up and finally saw the huge, familiar emblem—it truly belonged to the Qian family's proprietary mark! This man also wore a small emblem on his chest, the mark signifying a failed awakening of the Qian family's Elven King bloodline, designating him as an outer member of the family.

"I can't believe I've ignored the Qian family to such an extent that I didn't even notice the emblem. Even more astonishing..." Qian Jin sighed, shaking his head as he muttered softly, "To show such loyalty after all the unfair treatment received within the Qian family... should I call it immense pride in his lineage? Or is he simply cold-blooded? So cold-blooded that even if his parents and children were mistreated by the Qian family, his servility has crushed him to this degree."

"The Qian family is taking bets? Wonderful!" Duan Feng Bu'er rolled up both sleeves, his smile resembling a great grey wolf spotting a lamb ready for slaughter: "Now I won't have to worry about you going bankrupt! Old man, I bet... one Saint Artifact!" Bang!

Duan Feng Bu'er directly snatched a Saint Artifact from his chaotic realm—a crimson whip! Potent Battle Qi flooded into the artifact, igniting formidable might, and upon striking the table, it instantly pulverized it to dust.

One Saint Artifact!

Duan Feng Bu'er's voice boomed, rich and full, carrying for a hundred meters, audible to every passerby. Immediately, all eyes were drawn to the scene.

Saint Artifact! This term was frequently heard, yet almost no one had ever truly witnessed what a Saint Artifact looked like. In the next instant, every gaze converged on the long whip held in Duan Feng Bu'er's hand.

The manager's face, previously adorned with a proud smile, instantly froze, his self-assurance hardening like stone.

He hadn't been running this gambling hall for just a day or two. He had seen wealthy and bold patrons come and go, some even daring to wager their entire fortunes for a single chance! He had accepted bets totaling millions of gold coins more than once or twice. He considered himself immune to surprise, even if His Majesty the Emperor himself walked in to place a wager.

But now, the manager was truly dumbstruck by this seemingly green newcomer—yes, a complete novice! How else could someone toss out a Saint Artifact to gamble?

A Saint Artifact? What was that? That was an object beyond the purchasing power of mere gold coins!

"Well? Are you taking the bet?" Duan Feng Bu'er lifted his chin. "The Qian family is so great, are they? Pulling out a broken emblem to scare me? I say, are you not the one in charge? If you can't make the call, fetch someone who can to talk to me!"

The manager remained rooted to the spot, unmoving. This matter was too immense! A Saint Artifact! If he could secure this artifact for the family through this bet, even if his descendants failed to awaken their bloodline power, they should at least secure comfortable positions in procurement or similar roles, right?

"Or perhaps," Duan Feng Bu'er sneered, "your Qian family doesn't dare accept the bet? If you can't afford to gamble, you should state it clearly! Tell everyone that the Qian family lacks the spirit for gambling."

"Our Qian family has fought on the Human-Demon Battlefield for countless years, sacrificing countless warriors' lives to protect this sanctuary. Does our Qian family fear losing a Saint Artifact even in death?"

A haughty voice drifted from the nearby street. The onlookers instinctively parted, making way for the voice saturated with arrogance, pride, and condescension. Qian Wushuang!

Duan Feng Bu'er raised his eyebrows, a hint of surprise crossing his face. It was unexpected to encounter the strongest and most promising warrior of the younger generation in the Qian family, the one heralded as the potential successor to the Elven King bloodline.

The common folk, pushed to the sides, cast gazes of fervent admiration toward Qian Wushuang, echoing the bold, righteous, and passionate words they had just heard.

"The warriors who died on the Human-Demon Battlefield were not only from your Qian family." Duan Feng Bu'er's gaze swept towards Fen Tu Kuangge. "The number of common warriors who perished far exceeds that of your bloodline warriors! Without the supplies provided by ordinary people, without the support of common soldiers, without their various forms of cooperation, do you think you could have built such supreme renown? Stop gilding yourselves, damn it! Go look at those common warriors who returned from the Human-Demon Battlefield! Go see if they bear fatal wounds..."

"Go look at how desolate the lives of those warriors are when they age, having returned from the Human-Demon Battlefield!" Fen Tu Kuangge picked up Duan Feng Bu'er's words. "Go see the suffering inflicted upon the wounded left behind on the Human-Demon Battlefield as they grow old! You have the family to support you, you have the common people to sustain you! And them? They fought just as hard, yet they have nothing!"

"The Qian family? Bloodline warriors?" Fen Tu Kuangge only offered cold sneers. "Stop acting like you're the pinnacle of sorrow. Look behind you—the fame of every single one of your bloodline warriors was paved with the corpses of how many common soldiers we sacrificed! Don't claim you protected this nation, don't claim you defended this sanctuary! What we gave is more, infinitely more, than what you offered!"

Qian Wushuang's proud brow twitched slightly. Feeling the intense adoration in the eyes of the common people beside him, the fervor began to subtly, gradually, weaken in response to Fen Tu Kuangge's words.

In the span of mere seconds, the worship in the eyes of the common people vanished, replaced by expressions acknowledging the truth in Fen Tu Kuangge's accusations.

No one wished to be looked down upon! They might be the most ordinary of people, but they still supported their families, upheld their lives, and even sustained a society they didn't fully comprehend!

A novel sense of pride took root in the hearts of the onlookers, slowly germinating and growing.

"One Saint Artifact, is that right?" Qian Wushuang's eyes sharpened like blades. "Our Qian family..."

Bang! Bang!

Fen Tu Kuangge flipped his wrist, and a Saint Artifact helmet appeared on the ground. Immediately following, a pair of Saint Artifact vambraces tumbled out of Mu Nake Zhence's Battle Realm.

"Not one," Duan Feng Bu'er held up three fingers. "See? Three! Three of them! If your Qian family loses, you owe us nine Saint Artifacts."

One-to-three odds! This was the payout offered by the Qian family's casino!

Qian Wushuang's expression darkened slightly. Three Saint Artifacts! Where did these people procure so many? Were they secretly gifted by the Serpent Emperor, deliberately sent to humiliate the Qian family? Even if they meant to tarnish the Qian family's name, shouldn't they have been more cautious? Blaidus's aura on this journey was like the sun, making all the blacksmiths seem as fragile as waste paper before him.

Qian Jin? Qian Wushuang scrutinized Qian Jin, whom he hadn't seen in days. His pupils filled with suspicion. Even with forging talent at this age, there should be a limit to one's mastery, shouldn't there?

Forging required talent, but it also demanded vast amounts of practice! Especially the continuous forging and exploration using high-level materials!

Qian Wushuang had thoroughly investigated Qian Jin's life experiences and discovered he lacked the time for extensive forging practice, nor had he acquired large quantities of high-grade materials through any known channels for practice.

Even if his forging skill was formidable under these circumstances, could it truly surpass that of a master blacksmith like Blaidus, who had dedicated his entire life to the craft?

"Our Qian family accepts," Qian Wushuang stated calmly. "We thank our guests for gifting our Qian family more Saint Artifacts. In the future, we will use these three to slay more demons."

The newfound pride of the crowd was instantly extinguished by Qian Wushuang's composed words.

What was true mettle? What was the foundation of a great family? This was it! Even facing three Saint Artifacts, the Qian family dared to accept the bet. This was no longer explainable by mere financial strength.

"Since you accept, that's good!" Duan Feng Bu'er pointed to the three artifacts on the floor. "Send someone to verify them. If they are real, issue us a betting slip; we have a tight schedule today."

A rare smile touched Qian Wushuang's cheek, his pupils flashing with extreme confidence. "Nothing in this world can deceive the eyes of Qian Wushuang! No one else needs to inspect them; if I say they are real, they are real! Write the ticket for him!"

Qian Wushuang? The manager visibly startled upon hearing the name. He hadn't expected to run into the most outstanding warrior of the Qian family's younger generation here, the one highly likely to become the next family head!

Duan Feng Bu'er pocketed the slip issued by the manager and paid no more attention to the three Saint Artifacts on the ground. With so many witnesses, the Qian family would have to completely abandon honor and reputation to try and cheat them out of these artifacts.

Of course! Duan Feng Bu'er secretly hoped the Qian family would try to cheat them. If that happened, even a small amount of promotion would shatter the Qian family's face and credibility, dealing them an incalculably massive blow.

Exchanging three Saint Artifacts for a major decline in the Qian family's standing—Duan Feng Bu'er deemed this a very worthwhile exchange.

"You are headed to the Divine Craftsmen Assembly, aren't you?" Qian Wushuang spoke as Duan Feng Bu'er prepared to leave. "Perhaps when you arrive, you'll find everything concluded. The representative our Qian family sent will have already surpassed Blaidus in open combat. By then, you won't even have an opportunity to challenge him..."

Qian Jin frowned slightly. It explained why Qian Wushuang dared to agree; his true trump card lay here.

"We have to go take a look anyway," Duan Feng Bu'er patted his horse's rump. "Perhaps your Qian family representative will lose so badly he won't even have pants left. In that case, I might lend him my underwear."