Wen Bing was so furious he almost laughed, seeing his own dignity challenged by a mere fourth-stage Qi Refining Realm brat. His sharp gaze pinned Chu Hao.
"A life-and-death battle? You are very courageous, but your paltry life does not qualify you to gamble or challenge me, for your life is not even worth a single primordial stone to me."
Li Ming interjected, this time directing his criticism towards Chu Ling'er.
"Chu Ling'er, Young Master Wen Bing's affection for you is your blessing, an opportunity for a duck to transform into a swan. As for your younger brother, he is but a dying wretch; as long as he bows his head and admits his mistake, Young Master Wen Bing might grudgingly spare him this once."
Wen Bing did not stop these words, clearly giving his tacit approval.
"Shut up, Li Ming!"
Chu Ling'er retorted in an icy tone. She gripped Chu Hao's wrist as if to demonstrate her resolve, speaking each word distinctly.
"Wen Bing, you say my brother's life is not worthy of being wagered against yours. Very well then, we shall both stake our lives!"
Despite knowing the colossal disparity between Chu Hao and Wen Bing, Chu Ling'er still trusted Chu Hao unconditionally.
Everyone else looked down on Chu Hao, deeming him to be ignorant of his own strength, but she believed that her little brother would surely achieve a miracle.
For she was Chu Hao's elder sister.
"Sister, thank you."
Chu Hao gently squeezed her hand. How could he not feel Chu Ling'er's affection and unconditional trust?
"Wen Bing, do you dare to accept the challenge?"
Chu Hao spoke, exuding an absolute dominance, not regarding Wen Bing as anything significant. Seeing this, Wen Bing was utterly enraged.
"Very well, if you wish to reincarnate quickly, I shall grant your wish. Just don't beg me for a complete corpse then."
Wen Bing spoke, radiating killing intent. Clearly, he had moved to kill. But Chu Hao was still not satisfied; he turned his gaze towards Zhao Feng and Li Ming.
"Both of you as well."
"Two months from now, by the shores of Moonlit Lake, I will assuredly take your lives."
Having said this, Chu Hao pulled Chu Ling'er away.
Xiao Yan frowned, seeing the situation unfold this way. He truly did not believe Chu Hao had the qualifications to challenge a Great Grandmaster Realm cultivator.
"I'll just give this ant a chance to crawl onto my foot, so that he can despairingly discover how vast the difference between us truly is. As for Chu Ling'er, once she falls into my hands, I will teach her a lesson."
Evidently, Wen Bing did not believe that two months' time could help Chu Hao bridge the gap between them. If it were that easy, his title as Jade City's top genius would have been snatched away long ago.
However, Wen Bing was not entirely off guard; he still harbored suspicion.
"Chu Hao is so confident in challenging me; could it be because that woman assisted him?"
Wen Bing naturally knew about Mo Mei redeeming the debt scroll.
Mo Mei was a young woman of very mysterious origins; he, like others, only knew that she existed, but her specific background remained unclear. But one thing could be confirmed: the major powers in Jade City were all somewhat wary of Mo Mei.
"Bah, what am I worrying about? Even if he had two months, and even with Mo Mei's assistance, he couldn't possibly reach the Great Grandmaster Realm. Even I took many years to set foot in that realm."
"The real concern here is that Mo Mei might very well step forward to protect Chu Hao, and that would be difficult to handle... Very well, I can publicly announce today's events, drawing everyone's attention. At that time, even Mo Mei will have to concede in front of so many eyes; for one Chu Hao, it's not worth it!"
The more Wen Bing thought, the more he felt he had a brilliant idea, completely convinced that Chu Hao was under Mo Mei's wing. Otherwise, where would Chu Hao find the confidence to challenge him?
"Zhao Feng, Li Ming, both of you go spread this news. Also, the annual gathering of Jade City's younger generation is about to take place; I want to seize this opportunity to host it directly. Moonlit Lake is also not a bad place to hold the gathering."
Zhao Feng and Li Ming respectfully bowed their heads, their eyes filled with awe. Even the arrogant Xiao Yan showed excitement upon hearing about this gathering, as it was a major event.
Each annual gathering, the younger generation of Jade City would select the ten strongest geniuses. This honor was the qualification to stand at the pinnacle, looking down upon others.
Compared to this, Chu Hao's challenge was no more than a speck of dust that no one would notice.
...
"Sister, are you afraid?"
Chu Hao asked Chu Ling'er, who sighed.
"To be honest, when you challenged Wen Bing, I was very afraid, afraid that something would happen to you. But I also knew you did it for me. So, little brother, even though I don't know where you get your confidence, your older sister will always, eternally support you. I trust you; you will definitely win!"
Chu Ling'er clasped Chu Hao's hand tightly.
"Sister, worry not. My words, I will surely fulfill. Wen Bing, Zhao Feng, Li Ming, they will all die."
Chu Hao spoke with certainty.
When he was a Heavenly Venerate Realm cultivator, if he wished to kill someone, no matter where that person hid, they could not escape their fate.
...
After the news of Chu Hao's challenge spread, the entire younger generation of Jade City was stirred, like a stone cast into long-still water.
"Who is Chu Hao? Why have I never heard this name?"
"How interesting. A life-and-death duel, and the opponent is Young Master Wen Bing. This Chu Hao fellow seems to be no ordinary person."
"Which major power in Jade City has the surname Chu? Could he be an outsider?"
The life-and-death battle between Chu Hao and Wen Bing immediately became a hot topic of discussion. However, information about Chu Hao's exact identity remained hidden. Clearly, Wen Bing did not yet want others to know that his challenger was merely a fourth-stage Qi Refining Realm cultivator. This would greatly damage his established reputation.