Chapter 2663: Chapter 2663
Even the Sixth Prince was taken aback. Though he was royalty, he wouldn’t carry that many divine crystals on him, let alone An Tianxin.
"Gasp!" The others collectively inhaled sharply, thinking to themselves, *This Master Ye is ruthless—and filthy rich!* Five hundred billion top-grade divine crystals, just casually tossed out like pocket change.
The princess’s maid took forever to empty the Interspatial Ring, constantly shifting positions to prevent the crystals from piling too high.
Even so, the divine crystals had already spilled out of the tent, covering the open space outside and even blocking the entrance.
"See them clearly? That’s all of it. I did a rough count—five hundred billion. If there’s no issue, I’ll pack them back up. They’re in the way!" the maid called into the tent.
Ye Liuyun, however, turned to An Tianxin with a smirk. "Well, Beast Tamer An? Satisfied?"
"You set me up!" An Tianxin roared at him.
Ye Liuyun remained unruffled. "I gave you the chance to check. You were too overconfident to bother. Now you blame me? Everyone here can vouch for that. Or is Beast Tamer An... unable to pay up?"
"You—!" An Tianxin nearly choked on his own rage.
Soon, the maid gathered the crystals back into the Interspatial Ring and returned it to Ye Liuyun.
With a theatrical flourish, Ye Liuyun extended his hand toward An Tianxin, palm up.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, An Tianxin couldn’t weasel out. But he simply didn’t have that many divine crystals—he had to borrow from the Sixth Prince, who, unsurprisingly, didn’t carry such a fortune either.
Noticing their struggle, Ye Liuyun generously offered, "If you’re short on crystals, equivalent resources will do. I’m a reasonable man."
Grudgingly, An Tianxin handed over half the crystals before bartering his own possessions one by one—even selling off a few of his prized beasts. By the time he settled the full five hundred billion, he was completely cleaned out.
"Care for another round?" Ye Liuyun asked lightly, tucking away his newly acquired wealth.
An Tianxin turned a woeful face toward the Sixth Prince.
There was no way he could cover his own losses now. If he kept gambling, the Sixth Prince would have to foot the bill for him.
But the Sixth Prince merely chuckled and said, "As long as you’re still in the game, you haven’t lost! If you’ve got the confidence, keep going. I’ll cover your stakes."
"Don’t worry, Your Highness. This time, I *will* win!" An Tianxin declared with unwavering conviction.
Ye Liuyun, still smiling, turned to An Tianxin and asked, "So the beast this time is that demon wolf, right? You’re not switching? And what counts as a win?"
"Right, that demon wolf! If you can make it disobey my commands, you win," An Tianxin replied.
"Then there should be a limit to how many commands you give. I can’t wait around forever after taming it just for you to keep ordering it around for days," Ye Liuyun countered.
"Three commands!" An Tianxin laid out his terms.
"Alright then, shall I place my bet?" Ye Liuyun asked.
An Tianxin gave a solemn nod.
This time, Ye Liuyun didn’t hold back. He had already taught An Tianxin a lesson, yet the man still dared to provoke him. Fine—he’d make sure the sting lasted.
With a deliberate motion, he produced the essence of an entire world, holding it up for all to see.
"*Whoa!*"
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. This was worth far more than fifty billion divine crystals.
By now, the spectators weren’t just marveling at Ye Liuyun’s beast-taming skills—they were utterly stunned by his wealth.
"Can you afford this wager?" Ye Liuyun asked calmly.
"This... this..." An Tianxin stammered, too hesitant to respond, and could only glance pleadingly at the Sixth Prince.
Even the Sixth Prince hadn’t anticipated Ye Liuyun would stake so much.
"Master Ye must be quite wealthy indeed! Since you’re in such high spirits, we’ll match your bet!" To everyone’s surprise, he agreed. As royalty, he couldn’t possibly back down when it came to matters of wealth.
Truth be told, he had originally planned to use a source energy as his payment. Even if he lost, he could intimidate Ye Liuyun into exchanging a large sum of divine crystals.
But he never expected Ye Liuyun to wager a source energy outright. Though his expression remained unreadable, inwardly he was reevaluating the man before him—this was no ordinary individual.
An average beast tamer wouldn’t have access to such resources. So even if he lost, it wouldn’t bother him. But one thing was certain: he wanted Ye Liuyun under his command. Just this display of capability alone made the man far more valuable than An Tianxin.
As for how to ensure Ye Liuyun’s obedience in the future—well, that was a problem for another time.
With the Sixth Prince’s agreement, the new wager was set.
This time, the princess doubled down, betting another 200 million divine crystals on Ye Liuyun’s victory. The Sixth Prince paid no mind to her stakes.
Lin Xiaoxiao hesitated, then decided against wagering her full 20 million, settling for just 10 million instead. After all, it was only the money she’d just won—losing it wouldn’t sting too badly.
"I’ve never seen him handle magical beasts before, so there’s no need to go all in. A million is enough to show my support!" she reassured herself silently.
Ye Liuyun, for his part, couldn’t care less about how much they bet. What intrigued him was why the princess had such unwavering faith in him.
The others, however, still didn’t dare to join in. The stakes were simply too high, and meddling further might earn them powerful enemies.
"No more bets? Then I’ll begin," Ye Liuyun announced, giving the crowd one last chance before leisurely stepping forward.
The moment Ye Liuyun stepped out of the command tent, An Tianxin let out a sharp whistle. The demon wolf immediately fixed its drooling maw on Ye Liuyun.
But Ye Liuyun instantly responded by strumming the Nine Nether Prelude with his spiritual energy. A mere second-level Heavenly Realm demon wolf stood no chance against his soul-stirring melody.
Truth be told, it wasn’t just the Nine Nether Prelude—the beast was outmatched in every conceivable way. Ye Liuyun could have easily branded it with a slave seal if he wished. He simply didn’t want to make his dominance look effortless.
The demon wolf’s expression gradually stiffened, its predatory grin fading as its head slowly bowed in submission.
An Tianxin kept whistling frantically, but the wolf, much like the crimson-scaled python earlier, acted as if it heard nothing.
Unfazed, Ye Liuyun strode right up to the beast’s gaping jaws—yet it dared not snap at him. In one fluid motion, he swung himself onto the wolf’s back and leveled a cold stare at An Tianxin.
"It’s tamed," Ye Liuyun said flatly. "Give it your orders."
"So fast!"
"That’s the most skilled beastmaster I’ve ever seen!"
The onlookers, who had been watching the spectacle, couldn’t help but murmur in awe.
Sweat beading on his forehead, An Tianxin blew his whistle again and again in desperation.
"First command!" Ye Liuyun began counting off, cutting short the man’s futile efforts.
