Dual-wielding! 100x proficiency, I'll grind my way to godhood!

Wang Pangzi stood on the threshold of the grocery store, took a deep breath, and stepped out.

Laughter from both sides surged up like a rising tide, pouring into his ears.

"Manager Wang! Don't let your legs shake! If you fall, no one will help you up!"

"I'll bet three times! One more and I lose!"

"You're giving him too much credit, I'll bet two times!"

Fatty Wang's legs were indeed shaking, and he was clutching a white porcelain bottle in his palm, his knuckles turning white from the pressure.

He glanced down at the porcelain vase, and only then did he feel a little more at ease.

He gripped the bottle tightly and took another step forward.

The crowd automatically moved aside, making way for him, and the people on both sides were all laughing at him.

He didn't turn his head; he had only one thought in his mind: to keep walking forward.

As they approached the entrance of Zuiyue Tower, Lingling and Xiaohong leaned against the door frame on either side.

Lingling was cracking sunflower seeds when she spat the shells onto the ground with a "plop".

"Hey, Manager Wang, you'd better show that same ruthlessness you had before. Xiao Hong and I both believe in you."

Xiao Hong covered her mouth with a handkerchief and laughed.

"If you can survive for half an incense stick's time, we won't charge you when you come again."

Fatty Wang didn't reply. He looked up at the signboard of Zuiyuelou, then pushed open the door and went inside.

The first floor was packed, and the casino's clerks, clutching betting slips, stared intently at him.

The railings on the second and third floors were covered with heads, hundreds of eyes glued to him.

He held onto the stair railing as he walked up the stairs. Just as he reached the corner on the second floor, his legs suddenly gave way, and his knees slammed onto the steps with a thud.

The downstairs neighbors burst into laughter.

Wang Pangzi gritted his teeth, pushed himself up, and walked step by step to the door of Ruhua's room on the third floor.

The door was closed, and there was no sound from inside.

He turned around and faced the hundreds of people downstairs.

The entire room fell silent instantly.

He uncorked the bottle, poured out two blue pills, tilted his head back, and swallowed them in one gulp.

"Listen up, all of you. When I get out, don't call me Fatty Wang or Wang Shixia anymore, call me Wang Mengnan."

After saying that, he pushed the door open and went in, and the door slammed shut behind him.

The moment the door closed, the whole street fell silent.

"when!"

The gong suddenly rang out.

A child stood barefoot on a bench, his face flushed red, his hand gripping the gong mallet tightly.

Liu Jingting slowly stepped onto the bench, and his rosewood folding fan unfolded with a "whoosh," revealing the four characters "Discussing the Past and Present" on its surface.

He cleared his throat.

"Ladies and gentlemen! I am Liu Jingting, a storyteller from Lin'an City. Today, I have come across this wonderful show and I will be your witness."

He closed the folding fan and pointed to the door on the third floor.

"Just now, Manager Wang swallowed two mysterious pills and went through that door. I don't need to say who's inside. I only have one question..."

The folding fan slapped against his palm.

"How long do you think he can hold out?"

The crowd was about to start a commotion.

"ah……!"

A scream came from Ruhua's room on the third floor, directly interrupting the noise of the street.

Liu Jingting pointed upwards with a "snap" of his folding fan.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the timer begins!"

The young apprentice struck the gong again with a "clang".

A second and a third scream followed, each one more agonizing than the last.

Then, it suddenly stopped.

The entire Drunken Moon Pavilion fell silent.

Five breaths.

Ten breaths.

Liu Jingting frowned and gently tapped his palm with his folding fan.

"Something's not right. It's only been less than ten breaths. Could it be that Manager Wang is about to fail his challenge?"

Before he could finish speaking, a muffled thud echoed in the room, like something hitting the wall.

Then came an even deeper sound.

Then came a series of rapid sounds, as dense as a downpour hitting the roof tiles.

The screams of Manager Wang could be heard continuously coming from inside the room.

Liu Jingting swished his folding fan open with a "whoosh," and his voice suddenly rose in pitch.

"Here it comes! Miss Ruhua has changed her tactics! That was just a test; this is her real skill! Manager Wang is already under Miss Ruhua's thumb; he's just putting up a tough fight!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the sound inside stopped again.

Liu Jingting's fan froze in mid-air, his eyes wide with surprise.

Someone downstairs was whispering.

"That's... the end?"

One breath, two breaths, three breaths.

Suddenly, a hoarse groan erupted.

Change with the rhythm, faster and more frequent than before.

Liu Jingting slapped his folding fan against his palm.

"It's not over yet! He hasn't fallen! Manager Wang has withstood Ru Hua's fierce attack!"

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

The bills in the hands of the gambling den worker were wrinkled from the sweat on his palms.

The battle in the room gradually became more organized, with one wave after another, starting slowly, then accelerating, then becoming violent, and then slowing down again, repeating in a cycle.

Each time the tension eased, people downstairs breathed a sigh of relief;

Each time someone gets anxious, another person clenches their fist.

Liu Jingting stood on the bench, his eyes half-closed, his fingers gently tapping the folding fan, the sound rising and falling with the rhythm.

"Listen carefully, everyone! This is a series of overlapping waves! One wave after another, each higher than the last! Ordinary men can't even withstand the first wave! Listen! The first wave! The second wave! The third wave…!"

A low growl came from inside the house.

Liu Jingting suddenly opened his eyes.

"It's broken! The third wave is broken! Back then, the Zhou family elders perished on the third wave! Manager Wang, he's broken the record!"

Half a cup of tea passed just like that.

As soon as Liu Jingting finished speaking, the commotion inside the room suddenly became more urgent and intense, more violent than any of the previous waves.

Liu Jingting's expression changed.

"No! Miss Ruhua has activated her inner strength! She's using her best technique!"

A muffled thud sounded from inside the room, followed by Fatty Wang's hoarse voice.

Liu Jingting's hand trembled, and the folding fan fell to the ground.

"Not even a cup of tea... not even a cup of tea's time has passed, and Miss Ruhua has already used her unique skill. It seems that Manager Wang is doomed to lose."

However, as time went on, Manager Wang persisted.

He swallowed hard.

"He's holding on! He's actually... still holding on."

Everyone craned their necks, staring at the door.

The rhythm emanating from the room grew increasingly intense, so intense that the gaps were almost imperceptible.

Liu Jingting jumped off the bench, took two steps back, picked up the fan, and pointed it at the window.

"A cup of tea! A cup of tea has passed! Congratulations, Manager Wang, on successfully completing the challenge!"

The crowd erupted in a buzz.

"My money..."

"Damn it, why is this Fatty Wang so powerful today?"

Those who lost money were talking amongst themselves, while the sounds of fighting inside the room grew louder and louder.

Liu Jingting stood downstairs, pointing his fan at the third floor.

"The pretty girl is angry, and she's intensifying her offensive!"

"They're both giving it their all! How much longer can Manager Wang hold out?"

After a while, the room suddenly became quiet.

When it started playing again, the rhythm had changed.

It has become deeper and more powerful.

Liu Jingting's hair was disheveled, and his voice was already hoarse.

"It's been almost half an hour, and Manager Wang is still putting up a fight... Ru Hua's theatrics have run their course. Listen to the noise, this isn't a beating! This is..."

He looked up sharply.

"This is a counterattack! Manager Wang is launching a counterattack!"

Everyone stood up abruptly, their eyes all turning towards the third floor.

A full hour later, as the last sound from the rooftop disappeared, a long silence followed.

Liu Jingting turned around, faced everyone, and roared loudly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you have witnessed history today."

"The first true hero in the history of Lin'an City has been born—Wang Gang!"

"Wang! Meng! Nan!"