LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 236 Combat Pavilion
```
"Who the hell did you learn this from?"
Xiao Yi looked bewilderedly at the simple-faced Ye Heng in front of him.
In his memory, this guy was a straightforward boy!
How did he turn out like this?
Ye Heng, feeling somewhat embarrassed by Xiao Yi's gaze, touched his nose and said awkwardly, "Master, can you stop looking at me like that?"
Xiao Yi withdrew his gaze, speaking earnestly, "Ye Heng, if you truly wish to become my disciple, then you must first refrain from engaging in such self-serving acts. Throughout my life, I have conducted myself with integrity. We cannot allow others to point at our spine and curse, understand?"
"Master, I realize my mistake. I'll explain the situation to Nangong as soon as I can!"
Ye Heng looked ashamed, but upon thinking of the Nangong Family's vast wealth and influence, he couldn't help but sigh regretfully, "It's just a pity, if the Nangong Family were to intervene, the treasures wouldn't be worth less than a billion, right?"
"Not less than a billion?"
Xiao Yi was startled, then coughed lightly, speaking righteously, "Ye Heng, have the other three great clan families tried to recruit you?"
Ye Heng: "Eh?"
Xiao Yi touched his nose and said, "I've heard that the four great clans have numerous businesses, including brothels, gambling houses, and even slave trading—all of which are ill-gotten gains. If we were to take this money and use it for the construction of Xiaoshanhe Institute and to benefit the common folk, that would be a great deed!"
"But Master... didn't you say that we shouldn't let others point at our spine and curse?" Ye Heng said, puzzled.
Xiao Yi waved his hand and said, "Aren't you being a bit too old-fashioned? We would be robbing the rich to help the poor. The common people would praise us, not curse us! Don't you think that's the right thing to do?"
Ye Heng nodded subconsciously.
"Let's go, I'll take you around the imperial capital!" Xiao Yi called out to Ye Heng as they headed out of the combat field.
As the master and disciple walked along, they discussed whether the other three great families had any intentions of soliciting Ye Heng...
In a corner of the combat field,
Yu Huaxian looked befuddled as he watched the master and disciple walking away, finally managing to say, "What a shameless pair of master and student..."
The journey from Imperial Dragon Mountain to the imperial capital was not far.
Xiao Yi flew through the air, and in a short while, they arrived outside the imperial capital.
He had originally intended to come alone today to find ways to make money, but after running into Ye Heng in the combat field, he decided to bring him along.
Within the imperial capital.
Though it was only early morning, the place was already bustling with activity.
Along the way, the master and disciple were discussing various money-making strategies.
As for swindling the other three great families,
after discussing it, they unanimously decided that such actions should be taken only as a last resort, absolutely not otherwise.
Otherwise...
The two of them would probably end up like rats on the street, everyone shouting to hit them.
This made Xiao Yi feel somewhat regretful.
"Should we sell elixirs? Or appraise treasures?"
Ever since finding out that the monthly expenses exceeded a billion silver taels, Xiao Yi felt pitifully poor and now had only thoughts of making money.
But with his current level of cultivation, he could at most concoct four-star elixirs, which wasn't very profitable.
Even though Xue Bufan could make five-star elixirs, Xue Bufan's alchemy efficiency was too low.
That path was a dead end too.
As for appraising treasures...
He did have the Life-Snatching Scholar's ability to appraise treasures; for instance, at the Treasure Pavilion in Nanhuang City, he had easily earned several hundred thousand silver taels.
However,
Finding treasures also depended on fate! They weren't just lying around everywhere.
"Brothers, was my hospitality last night to your liking?" a boisterous voice came from the crowd.
Five burly men walked shoulder to shoulder.
```
Everyone reeked of alcohol, mixed with the scent of rouge, clearly having just left a brothel after a night of revelry.
"Third Brother's arrangements are absolutely beyond reproach!"
"Tsk tsk, that girl was really quite sprightly... By the way, Third Brother, you must've spent a fortune yesterday, right?"
"Not much, not much, just a hundred thousand silver taels!" Third Brother said with a wave of his hand.
The robust man beside him said with a look of envy, "Third Brother won three million silver taels at the Combat Pavilion yesterday, so this hundred thousand is just a mere trifle to him!"
In the face of the envious glances from the others, Third Brother laughed heartily, "It's just luck! The one called Dongfang's winnings were truly something else. Just one match and Dongfang won five hundred million silver taels, that's five hundred million! If you piled up all that silver, it would probably be as tall as a mountain!"
"Combat Pavilion? Five hundred million in one day?"
Xiao Yi was startled.
He was now very sensitive to money.
Xiao Yi looked at Ye Heng beside him and asked, "Ye Heng, do you know about the Combat Pavilion?"
"I know!"
Ye Heng nodded and said, "The Combat Pavilion is also a gambling house. They arrange battles between martial artists, and people can place bets on the fighters they favor. Of course, one can also apply to become a combatant and fight; if you win, you get a certain percentage. However, the Combat Pavilion is very dangerous, with frequent fatalities."
"How substantial are the Combat Pavilion's financial resources?" Xiao Yi asked.
"From what I've heard, the Combat Pavilion is backed by the Great Qian Dynasty's most mysterious assassination organization, Xue Yi Tower, so their financial strength is undoubtedly immense!" Ye Heng replied.
Xiao Yi raised an eyebrow, "Xue Yi Tower?"
That was an old nemesis of his!
If it hadn't been for an assassin from Xue Yi Tower, Fang Qingzhu wouldn't have had to use her Innate Divine Ability multiple times, which led to her being detected and taken away by people from Baiyu.
There was also Xue Mantian...
The encirclement of the Tianqing Kingdom from all sides had something to do with him as well.
"Ye Heng, your master has found a way to make money!" Xiao Yi said with a grin.
Ye Heng was startled, "Master, you're not thinking of going to the Combat Pavilion, are you?"
"Let's go!"
Xiao Yi grabbed Ye Heng and started walking forward, "Master will show you how to rob the rich to aid the poor!"
Ye Heng looked speechless, "Master, the Combat Pavilion is to the east, you're going the wrong way..."
Xiao Yi: "..."
......
Combat Pavilion.
Located in the eastern part of the imperial capital, it covered an extremely vast area.
The entire Combat Pavilion was square-shaped, divided into four areas: Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, and Yellow.
The Heaven Character Pavilion was of the highest grade, while the Yellow Character Pavilion was the lowest.
The Yellow Character Pavilion was for fighters of the Physical Body Realm, the Mysterious Character Pavilion for the Divine Skills Realm, the Earth Character Pavilion for the Golden Core Realm, and the Heaven Character Pavilion for the Tao Tribulation Realm.
For the Mysterious and Yellow Character Pavilions, one simply needed to buy a ticket to enter and watch the battles or place bets.
To enter the Earth Character Pavilion, your net worth had to be verified, and those with less than ten million silver taels were not allowed in.
The Heaven Character Pavilion had even higher requirements, demanding a minimum net worth of one hundred million silver to gain entry.
Xiao Yi spent two hundred silver taels to buy two tickets and entered the Mysterious Character Pavilion.
As soon as they entered,
they were greeted with a deafening cacophony: "The next match is about to start, place your bets quickly!"
"Put ten thousand taels on Tiger King for me!"
"Tiger King my ass, this round is definitely going to the Azure Dragon Association. Put fifty thousand taels on Azure Dragon for me..."
On the way there, Ye Heng had explained that in the Combat Pavilion, many martial artists who didn't want to reveal their identities would choose to use nicknames instead.
Both Tiger King and Azure Dragon were martial artists of the Divine Skills Realm.
Xiao Yi and his companion had just arrived and did not place bets immediately. Instead, they went into the arena to have a look around, intending to get a feel for the place before making a move. They had just found good seats in the stands when the fighters for the next battle entered the ring, and a fierce fight erupted instantly...