But this was premised on Mo Junye possessing only average cultivation, a fact unknown to Zhan Qingfeng, who had no idea that the Young Master Jun had already achieved a level of power unimaginable to ordinary people. Furthermore, Zhan Qingfeng certainly didn't take the "dragon's pool and tiger's den" set up by these young talents seriously or keep it in mind. This turn of events naturally exceeded Zhan Qingfeng’s expectations!

Because no one would have guessed that someone whose displayed power suggested a “trashy” beginner in Profound Arts was, at his core, an utterly supreme master!

“What’s so hard to understand about that? Brother Zhan, you always analyze and judge problems from a purely rational perspective. This time, however, Mo Junye has clearly chosen an unconventional path. Ha!”

...another youth in black suddenly chuckled.

“Unconventional? What do you mean by that?”

Everyone asked in unison.

“I surmise that our genius with the Ethereal Physique, due to his fundamentally weak foundation, probably doesn't even know what a Heart Demon backlash is yet… How could he fear it?”

The youth in black winked and said: “The ‘Heart Demon’ is an obstacle that only appears when one cultivates to a certain level, accompanying the growth of one's own strength! And his current Profound Qi level…”

He frowned, putting on an expression of deep thought and confusion, tilting his ear as he wondered aloud: “I wonder if he is Golden Profound? Or Silver Profound? … Or perhaps Seventh, Eighth, or Ninth Grade?”

As soon as he finished speaking, he doubled over, laughing heartily. The crowd erupted in wild laughter, completely concurring with his assessment.

“No, that absolutely cannot be it!”

Zhan Qingfeng raised his head, thinking hard. “Even if he truly doesn't understand, how could Saint Emperor Cao not know? With his level of attainment, the very first lesson he gave his successor would certainly involve everything related to Heart Demons! Furthermore, his two companions are right here. He couldn't speak up, yet his life hangs by a thread in our hands, but he chooses not to come… This matter is inexplicable; there must be another reason!”

“As for reasons, I have no interest in speculating. However, Young Master Zhan, isn't it time to settle the wager we made earlier?”

Miao Xiao Miao said coldly.

She didn't know why, but looking at these young talents from the Illusionary Mansion, she suddenly felt intensely disgusted with every single one of them! She increasingly felt how shallow these people were; compared to Mo Junye, they were literally heaven and earth apart.

“The wager?”

Zhan Qingfeng, deep in thought, was momentarily stunned when he heard her speak before looking up.

“Precisely! The content of our wager was that your attempts to humiliate him would fail! Now, since he hasn't shown up, regardless of the reason, the result is that you have failed; therefore, naturally, I have won. That is the basic logic, isn't it!”

A faint smile played on Miao Xiao Miao’s lips as she stated calmly.

“Little Sister Miao, what you say is amusing. It seems the wager hasn't officially begun yet, so how can you claim victory?”

Before Zhan Qingfeng could speak, Zhan Yushu, standing nearby, interjected with a cold sneer: “Besides, today is Mo Junye unilaterally breaking the appointment, not us reneging. Little Sister Miao claiming victory now might be premature.”

“Breaking the appointment?”

Miao Xiao Miao scoffed: “I really don't know where the Second Young Master gets the idea of ‘breaking the appointment’ from? Which one of you arranged a prior agreement with him? It seems you haven't even met him face-to-face, so how could there be an appointment? What happened today is nothing more than you setting up a posture of your own accord, and now that the other party hasn’t arrived, it becomes a broken promise? Is there such a thing in this world?”

Miao Xiao Miao looked at Zhan Yushu with disdain: “Zhan Yushu, you seem awfully practiced at orchestrating such one-sided affairs. Don't tell me this is how you usually operate?”

Zhan Yushu's face flushed crimson, and he said loudly: “Regardless, deciding the outcome of that precious slot wager based on a contest that hasn't even started is far too childish! We have no intention of cheating, but we must wait until after the contest, right? That would be fair!”

Miao Xiao Miao let out a clear, cold laugh: “Then I must ask, when exactly is the ‘after the contest’ that the Second Young Master speaks of? Zhan Yushu, what you said is truly laughable; since the other party still hasn't arrived by this moment, you have already missed the opportunity to humiliate him. Even if you don't want to give up and still insist on contesting him, you will certainly need to find another opportunity; that opportunity might be tomorrow, the day after, or perhaps next month. If we are unlucky, perhaps even next year… nothing is impossible. But the stake of the wager I made with your elder brother—the slot to enter the Spirit Medicine Garden—will be determined in just five days! Zhan Yushu, are you suggesting we decide the quota for the next hundred years through this wager?”

Zhan Yushu’s face was bright red, but he was rendered speechless.

Zhan Qingfeng smiled, defusing the situation for his brother. “Little Sister Miao, the wager is important, and I will not cheat, but wouldn't you agree that deciding the winner based on this alone is somewhat unfair?”

Miao Xiao Miao suddenly froze. Looking at Zhan Qingfeng’s face, wearing a warm and gentle smile, she suddenly felt a chill deep in her heart.

“A wager, naturally, requires basic principles for determining victory or defeat. But since neither side has engaged in battle, you wish to claim the final result now… Heh heh, Little Sister Miao, although I have always been generous, I am not quite that generous yet,” Zhan Qingfeng said with a wry smile.

Miao Xiao Miao suddenly felt a surge of anger!

She realized that even this very point had been predicted by Mo Junye.

Her original intention in coming here was to cancel the wager. She had essentially given up hope of obtaining the slot through that gamble. While a trace of regret lingered, she also felt a faint sense of relief.

Bringing up the wager was merely to start a conversation, perhaps exchange a few pleasantries, and then proactively propose its dissolution, thereby causing the Zhan family to owe her a great favor. Even if they didn't owe her a favor, it would amount to nothing more than a jest…

But she never imagined that before she could even voice her intention, the other party would already start retracting their commitment!

Zhan Qingfeng, as the foremost young master of the Ethereal Illusionary Mansion, was resorting to sophistry to renege!

And he was doing it with such righteous self-assurance; she couldn't detect even a flicker of shame in his eyes!

Completely clear, utterly upright!

How could he do this? How dare he?

Could words spoken aloud actually be taken back? To go back on one’s word, and yet sound so justified!

Miao Xiao Miao’s heart instantly sank in disappointment. She couldn't help but recall the sentence Mo Junye had cautioned her with before she left: “The sayings about accepting defeat when you wager and destiny deciding victory or defeat are merely pretty words on the surface. In reality, the key to victory or defeat is always built upon the opponent being extremely powerful or possessing an absolute advantage. Only then will the other party concede the outcome once the result of the wager becomes clear. However, if the interests involved are enough to influence certain major factors, even betrayal between the parties in a contest is not impossible. Therefore, I advise Miss Miao not to place too much importance on this wager. In the affairs of the mundane world, often the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. Eight or nine out of ten things in life do not go as one wishes; dwelling too much on them is not good…”

She recalled merely giving a perfunctory smile and leaving in a hurry. In Miao Xiao Miao’s estimation, Young Master Mo certainly possessed admirable literary talent, but speaking to her like that, with the underlying goal of slandering Zhan Qingfeng, suggested his character was somewhat lacking… She had lowered her opinion of him slightly, feeling quite disappointed, as a narrow-minded person, no matter how unparalleled their talent, was not worth cultivating a deep friendship with.

But looking at the current situation, how incredibly true those words were!

Times had changed, and what seemed like slander then now proved to be exceptionally prescient!

Now, the situation was clearly defined, yet Zhan Qingfeng still refused to admit defeat. Therefore, she believed that even if Mo Junye managed to defeat all of them, they would likely still refuse to honor the outcome! Just as Young Master Mo had said, when faced with significant interests, concepts like morality and promises are worth less than a scrap of paper!

Moreover, this was the quota for the Spirit Medicine Garden, a slot that concerned the prosperity of their clan for centuries—an absolute matter of vested interest!

But the problem now was this: Zhan Qingfeng had lost, and he had the choice to deny it, leaving her helpless; but if she ultimately lost, they would cling to it tenaciously, absolutely using every means available and unavailable to force her compliance! As a mere young woman, she couldn't afford to become entangled with them over the issue of reputation alone.

Miao Xiao Miao could already foresee that if they truly gained the upper hand, they would inevitably use this to force her to marry Zhan Yushu… Since they could stoop to this, what illusions could she hold about them regarding other matters?

Miao Xiao Miao smiled faintly. For some reason, at this moment, she didn't feel much anger rising in her heart, but instead, Mo Junye's ordinary face surfaced, and she thought to herself: You were right. I misunderstood you; it was my own lack of insight!

Mo Junye saw through these matters with clarity and didn't hesitate to offer her sincere counsel despite their shallow acquaintance. She had misinterpreted him. Miao Xiao Miao suddenly felt deeply regretful… No wonder Young Master Mo had hesitated when speaking; he naturally anticipated her reaction. But after weighing it carefully, he still spoke out…

If it weren't for that timely warning, which had somewhat prepared her, she would probably be exploding with rage right now, wouldn't she?

“Young Master Zhan is indeed resourceful and thoughtful in all aspects. Whether moving forward or retreating, you manage both with such ease. The previous so-called wager was simply my own naiveté, ha…”

Miao Xiao Miao stated calmly: “Since that is the case, is there any need to discuss the wager now? Facing a gentleman like Young Master Zhan, this junior dares not act rashly. Let us just let this matter drop.”