Chapter 2188 by Marina Vittori

The man in black gracefully accepted his defeat.

It was evident that Number 6 outclassed him. However, she allowed him a dignified exit rather than swiftly knocking him off the battle ring.

After all, refusing to acknowledge defeat would have been unbecoming.

“Thank you!” She nodded respectfully.

Ultimately, the first battle ring concluded with Number 6 emerging victorious.

“Dustin, you’ve got a keen eye. You nail the first match right off the bat. I’m impressed!” Miles exclaimed.

“It’s just luck,” Dustin replied nonchalantly. His bet was purely for fun, as the outcome didn’t concern him.

Miles lamented as he shook his head, ” Luck is also a form of skill. I just lacked a bit of it. If Number 28 had been cautious enough and not underestimated their opponent, I might have won the bet.”

“Miles, it’s not that you have bad luck. Your judgment is clearly off,” Ruby shot back and rolled her eyes. “You were sure Number 28 would win, so I trusted you, but he lost. Then, you said Number 6 would lose, and she won.

“Making one mistake could be chalked up to bad luck, but messing up twice? That just shows you’re not great at reading people.”

“Well…” Miles’s expression froze, and he felt embarrassed. “Everyone slips up now and then. Those two matches were just flukes. But don’t worry, I’ll win in the next round. You can count on me!”

“Really?” She sounded skeptical.

“Yes! I guarantee it with my honor!” Miles declared confidently.

“Okay, I’ll trust you one more time.” Ruby nodded reluctantly.

Upon witnessing this, Dustin simply smiled without saying a word.

Soon, all eight battle rings had concluded their matches.

In addition to Dustin and Crystal’s successful bet on Number 6, Dalen’s choice, Number 15, also came out on top.

Three of the five bets resulted in victories. Hence, this marked a promising start for the betting pool.

“Not bad! Congratulations to the three of you on your wins.” Abigail smiled as she lightly applauded. Then, she gestured to a guardian from the Mystic Arts Order standing behind her.

The guardian immediately understood and retrieved a square sandalwood box. Then, he placed it on the table.

Abigail opened the box that contained a collection of white celestial stones. Each stone was no larger than a fingernail. It was swirling with mist and emitting a dazzling glow under the sunlight.

“Wow! Are these celestial stones?” Miles’ eyes widened in amazement and delight.

Abigail explained, “You’re right. The Mystic Arts Order refined these celestial stones. They’re packed with highly concentrated spiritual energy. It allows direct absorption during cultivation, significantly speeding up the process.”

Everyone was excited upon hearing that.

Celestial stones were exceedingly rare in the martial world. They were usually reserved for disciples of major sects as rewards for their exceptional achievements.

As a result, ordinary martial artists wouldn’t have the chance to obtain or even see such treasures.

Celestial stones’ greatest advantage was their pure and potent spiritual energy. They didn’t require any further refinement and could be absorbed directly.

Martial artists traditionally drew spiritual energy from their surroundings and painstakingly converted it slowly through their meridians.

This process was excruciatingly slow due to the scarcity of spiritual energy in the world and the necessity of repeated refinement and tempering to integrate it into the core.

Unfortunately, only a tiny portion could truly be integrated into the core. Thus, the advancement of martial artists to another level was a gradual accumulation process.

However, with celestial stones, the process was expedited. The spiritual energy within was so pure and abundant that it could merge directly with the core.

So, with enough celestial stones, one could potentially break through to a higher level in a single night.