The man was taken aback.
Suspiciously, he said, “Wait, you’re not here to rent? This property of mine isn’t for sale.”
Upon hearing that, Cong Shuang turned to look at him and said flatly, “There’s no such thing as something that isn’t for sale in this world. If it seems that way, it just means the offer isn’t high enough. Try naming a price.”
The man studied Cong Shuang and the attendants behind her, then cautiously ventured, “How about… three hundred million?”
The location and neighborhood were excellent, but three hundred million was still outrageous. The market value here was barely over two hundred million at most. This was clearly a sky-high opening bid—probably meant to leave room for haggling.
So in truth, he was willing to sell; he just figured no ordinary person could afford it, which was why he’d said it wasn’t for sale.
But to his surprise, Cong Shuang didn’t bat an eye. She pulled out a money pouch, tossed it over, and said, “My people will handle the paperwork with you. Now, get out of my house.”
Huh?
The man was stunned. What the hell was going on?
He peeked inside the pouch, and his pupils instantly contracted.
Three hundred million!
There were three hundred million gold coins inside!
Not a single coin short!
She didn’t even try to negotiate!
He hadn’t expected that at all. His head was spinning.
And buying property like this—no haggling, not even blinking at three hundred million—this was definitely no ordinary person!
“May I ask… your name?” the man probed carefully.
“Cong Shuang,” she replied casually.
The man’s pupils shrank sharply. He quickly said, “So you’re the eldest daughter of the Cong family! My apologies for not recognizing you! Right, I’ll go handle the paperwork immediately—right away…”
With that, he went off with Cong Shuang’s people to finalize the formalities.
As for Cong Shuang, she sat down on the sofa by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the Heavenly Alliance headquarters across the way.
Ever since she was little, her dream had been to join the Heavenly Alliance. She’d pushed herself relentlessly, but she also knew that in this world, hard work alone was useless—you needed talent!
Fortunately, she’d eventually awakened as a Star Mage, successfully joined the Tianfu Association, and qualified for the Hundred Cities League with the highest score from the association.
For her, wasn’t the championship of the Hundred Cities League basically a sure thing?
But then Lu Ran showed up!
His appearance itself wouldn’t have mattered, but he was a Necromancer—someone who’d awakened at the same starting line as her—and he came from the slums of a third-tier main city. Yet in just over twenty days, he’d achieved the status and position she’d dreamed of her entire life!
That feeling of being completely invalidated after all her hard work was what stung her the most.
And that was precisely why she’d grown curious about Lu Ran.
But no one had ever taught her that when a girl gets curious about a boy… she’s in danger!
Lunch.
Lu Ran and Su Ting returned to the Heavenly Alliance headquarters. The four guild masters were already waiting for them.
Su Ting had planned to leave after dropping Lu Ran off.
“Time to eat. Where are you going, Sister Ting?” Lu Ran asked.
“Oh, I’ll head to the cafeteria,” Su Ting replied.
“Come eat with us. We’re heading out together this afternoon anyway,” Lu Ran said.
Su Ting didn’t dare agree right away and instinctively looked at Yu Qingcang.
The latter nodded and said, “Su Ting, join us. Since Lu Ran says so, that’s how it’ll be.”
That remark caught Su Ting off guard even more—Lu Ran’s word carried more weight than Yu Qingcang’s!
At the dinner table—
“How are you feeling, Lu Ran?” Lei Tai asked excitedly.
“Feeling… alright, I guess?” Lu Ran said casually.
To be honest, he didn’t feel much of anything. One Blood Spear and it was over.
For Lu Ran, what was there to feel? His opponent wasn’t even as tough as some of the bosses he’d fought—just fodder he could one-shot.
The entire Hundred Cities League, as far as Lu Ran was concerned, was the same—instant kills all the way.
It didn’t matter what class, level, or gear the opponent had—he’d take them all down!
Even if Cong Shuang showed up, the result would be the same.
“Easy for you to say. Back in my day, it was brutal,” Lei Tai said, shaking his head dramatically.
“Brother Tai, you participated in the Hundred Cities League too?” Lu Ran asked, his eyes lighting up.
“Of course! That year, I dominated left and right, crushed everyone, and tore through the competition like a hot knife through butter. I took the championship! The scene, the impact, the—” Lei Tai immediately got fired up.
He made it sound so epic that even Lu Ran felt his blood start to pump.
But just as he was getting into it—
Ye Hongyi rolled her eyes and cut in, “Oh, give it a rest, you iron turtle.”
Liu Xinxin covered her mouth with a light laugh and explained to Lu Ran, “That year, both Sister Hong and Brother Tai were contestants. Your Brother Tai was an Earth Knight—no one else could even scratch him, so they all eventually got ground down by him. Even Sister Hong, going all-out, couldn’t do a thing to him. That’s why back then, his nickname was ‘Iron Turtle.’ Of course, ever since he joined the War Banner National Guard, nobody’s dared to call him that anymore.”
And that was a given—who’d dare call the guild master of the War Banner National Guard “Iron Turtle”?
The meal was warm and lively.
Su Ting barely touched her food. She kept observing the four guild masters’ reactions, watching how close they were with Lu Ran. It only raised his standing even higher in her eyes!
She’d never seen a newcomer so highly regarded by all four guild masters before!
After the meal, as they were about to leave—
Yu Qingcang gave Lu Ran some parting advice: “Just perform as you normally do and take the championship. That’s really all there is to it. I’ve done some digging for you—it’s still vague, but I can basically confirm that this year’s Hundred Cities League champion will receive extremely generous rewards from the state, meant to boost national morale and prestige. You’re in for a real treat!”
Su Ting shot a glance at Yu Qingcang.
Putting the rewards aside, the way Yu Qingcang talked, it was as if Lu Ran had already been handed the championship!
Were they really that confident that Lu Ran would breeze through the competition without breaking a sweat?
What about Cong Shuang?
Even if they disregarded Cong Shuang, there were plenty of other talented contestants from other main cities, along with all sorts of unusual and powerful hidden classes!
She made up her mind—she’d watch the second match of the afternoon closely. She had to see exactly how Lu Ran fought!
Shortly before two in the afternoon, everyone arrived at the venue.
As Lu Ran walked in, the atmosphere around him had already shifted.
“Lu Ran! That’s him!”
“Huh? He really is a Necromancer?”
“Isn’t that Su Ting from the Heavenly Alliance next to him? Holy crap!”
“Su Ting was the Hundred Cities League champion two years ago!”
“The Heavenly Alliance has their eyes on this kid!”
“Man, he’s a nepotism hire—definitely connected!”
“Which ring is Lu Ran on? I’ve gotta see this!”
All at once, there was no shortage of gossip and rumors swirling around Lu Ran.
There was even some cursing and insults mixed in.
And that was perfectly normal.
With everyone already assuming he was some kind of well-connected insider—especially in a high-stakes event like the Hundred Cities League—of course he was going to catch flak!
But soon enough, they’d all shut their mouths.
In the Hundred Cities League, connections wouldn’t carry you far.
Only true strength could take you to the top!
“Sister Ting, you were the Hundred Cities League champion two years ago?” Lu Ran asked in surprise, turning to Su Ting.
“Yes. The opponents in my year weren’t all that strong. Don’t listen to all that nonsense—just stay calm and focus on your matches,” Su Ting said gently.
But in reality…
Su Ting’s reputation back then was nothing to sneeze at!
That year, she’d represented the Imperial Capital in the competition—and she was also a member of the Tianfu Association!
