I relied on leveling up to achieve a comeback.

Meanwhile, inside a building in the inner city of Qinghe County that had not yet been plaque-hanging, a group of powerful individuals were gathering.

"Hehe, that old dog Chen Changhe has taken the bait. One Qi Pill was enough to lure him out!" A third-stage expert from the Longevity Sect said with a ferocious expression.

His name is Guangwei, and he has a very close friendship with the captain of the Changsheng Sect who secretly came to investigate last time.

Now that the advance team has been completely wiped out, he is seething with anger.

I was just worried about having nowhere to vent my frustrations.

Now that the Chen Family Martial Arts School has agreed to their request to fight, he is already thinking about how to crush the Chen Family Martial Arts School on that day.

Even if a few people are killed, it will still be within the bounds of propriety and law.

"Yes, the Chen Family Martial Arts School only has three direct disciples. Including Chen Changhe, there are only four of them!" The leader is Liu Yunhe, who is a genuine fourth-level breakthrough cultivator.

Moreover, after breaking through four levels, he also gained access to the Shuangqing Prefecture stronghold of the Changsheng Sect and obtained some precious elixirs.

Among them, the Vitality Pill was obtained by him through merit points.

Bringing it out now, of course, means they believe they have a foolproof plan.

"Of the Chen family martial arts school's direct disciples, only Liu Yong and Zhao Heshan are worth mentioning, but Zhao Heshan is just a constable. We've killed plenty of those in other counties before!" The burly man, Guangwei, scoffed disdainfully.

"I'll take the first battle. As for the newly promoted disciple Xu Hao, let's use him as a sacrificial offering."

"Alright!" Liu Yunhe nodded, then looked at Zhao Li'ou, a third-stage martial artist beside him, and said, "If Guangwei can't stop Liu Yong, you'll be the second one. If you encounter Chen Changhe, you can voluntarily admit defeat!"

"My lord, these are just three level-three warriors. I can kill them all by myself!" Guangwei shouted somewhat discontentedly.

In his eyes, he was the strongest among those of the same realm.

"Hmm?" Liu Yunhe turned his head and stared straight at Guangwei.

"I was just saying, I'll follow your orders!" Guangwei quickly changed his tune.

"That's settled then. Guangwei, you go first and finish the battle quickly. Zhao Li'ou will go second to save Li Tongshan and me our energy. The rest of you will wait for the right opportunity. Once we take down the Chen Family Martial Arts School, you will split up and attack different locations as planned, eradicating all those connected to the Chen Family Martial Arts School!" Liu Yunhe said grimly.

Their original plan was to have their spies secretly collude with powerful forces and rely on the gang to gain a foothold.

However, the people below were too arrogant and unruly, and as a result, they were all wiped out by the government after only a few days of hiding.

This completely disrupted their plans.

Left with no other choice, they had to take the "right path" and come out in the open.

Fortunately, they used money and other connections to open up channels in Qinghe County.

This time, we must firmly establish ourselves and provide the final safeguard for the Eternal Life Sect's next plan.

"Yes!" The others exchanged glances, and couldn't help but lick their lips, their faces contorted with malice and cruelty.

After that, things calmed down considerably in Qinghe County.

But everyone knows this is the harbinger of an approaching storm.

Moreover, the closer the duel gets, the more oppressive the atmosphere becomes.

Many forces have even opened betting odds on the periphery.

Upon learning of this, Xu Hao immediately went to the scene.

The largest family was the Wang family, and the Zhao family even got the government to act as guarantor.

Neither of these two firms had much faith in Chen Family Martial Arts School, hence the extremely high odds they offered.

One to four.

"How do you place bets here? Are there any restrictions?" Xu Hao asked as soon as he arrived at the betting area, directly asking about the project he was most interested in.

When the people at the opening ceremony saw that it was Xu Hao, they immediately showed a look of surprise.

One of the parties in this contest actually wants to bet on the outside odds?

Do they feel they're doomed to lose and want to recoup some of their losses?

Or do they think they've already won and want to take advantage of the situation to make a quick buck?

However, without careful consideration, they answered directly, "There are no restrictions; you can bet on either side, but the amount bet on either side cannot exceed one thousand taels!"

They open these markets to make money, to exploit ordinary people and certain powerful figures.

If a powerful force, like them, knows the challenger's strength and the rules of the competition in advance, then it is easy for them to make a mistake.

Therefore, setting a limit will prevent them from being unlucky and losing money!

"One thousand taels?" Xu Hao sighed.

Even with a 1:4 ratio, it's only four thousand taels.

I don't earn much!

But Xu Hao immediately pulled out a thousand taels of silver from his pocket, placed it on the table, and loudly declared, "No matter who it is, my Chen Family Martial Arts School is determined to win this match! I'm betting a thousand taels—Chen Family Martial Arts School will win decisively!"

His loud words immediately drew everyone's attention.

This was to have everyone witness it, and also to let others who knew Xu Hao know that he had placed a bet of one thousand taels.

He wasn't afraid of the Wang family or the Zhao family refusing to return the money; that would give him a reason to take action and reclaim even more.

"Tsk tsk tsk, I know this guy. He's the newly promoted personal disciple of the Chen Family Martial Arts School. Although he's young, he's already at the third level of cultivation. But he directly took out a thousand taels of silver to bet on his family's victory. What secret weapon does he have?"

Some people have suspicions.

After all, Xu Hao's actions were rather reckless.

Didn't you see that the odds for Chen Family Martial Arts School to lose are 1 to 15?

"He probably saw the high odds and wanted to take a gamble, but can he really come up with a thousand taels?"

Everyone was talking about it, but some smart people saw the difference in the situation.

Some who were initially convinced that the challenger would win began to waver slightly under Xu Hao's influence.

"Damn it, I'll gamble. It's 1 to 4 odds, so buying some won't be a loss!"

Some people followed the trend, while others disregarded it.

Xu Hao took the warrant and returned to the Chen Family Martial Arts School, where he began to quietly cultivate.

Of course, news of Xu Hao's purchase of the Chen Family Martial Arts School also reached the Chen Family Martial Arts School.

Tang Dengshan was the first to approach, exclaiming in surprise, "Junior Brother Xu, you really bought a thousand taels of silver?"

"Hey, this is my life savings!" Xu Hao nodded subtly, then whispered, "If Senior Brother Tang has any spare money, why not bet some too? Look at Master's radiant face, I think we're guaranteed to win!"

Tang Dengshan turned his head to look at the backyard, pondered for a moment, and said, "Alright, the martial arts school is my home, let's make a bet!"

Seeing Xu Hao's confident expression, Tang Dengshan felt a little relieved.

He has already lost an arm, so if the martial arts school declines, he will also be at a disadvantage.

Seeing that even a newcomer like Xu Hao is going all in, he won't let his master down.

"Wait, I'll buy some too!" Zhao Heshan and Liu Yong exchanged a glance, then each took out some silver notes.

It's not much; it simply expresses a mindset and belief.

Of course, the other martial arts school disciples did not follow suit.

Chen Changhe also witnessed this scene. He took a deep breath and continued to adjust his energy and spirit according to his own rhythm.

The atmosphere then became even more oppressive.

And so time passed, and the day of the competition arrived.