Chapter Sixty-Six: Only the Beginning

The waitress’s attitude was quite pleasant, and since Ling Tian had no intention of making things difficult for her, he said, “Then give me a chip worth twenty yuan.”
“Thank you for supporting my work,” the waitress replied quickly, handing him a twenty-yuan chip.

Then, she produced another chip of the same denomination and handed it to Ling Tian as well.

“This one’s on me,” she said with a playful wink. “Think of it as my investment. If you win, remember to share the profits with me!”

In truth, she didn’t expect Ling Tian to win anything. The Fukang Entertainment Club had opened its casino to make money, after all. Even if someone won at first, they’d eventually lose everything back. And besides, someone only exchanging twenty yuan’s worth of chips was hardly worth considering.

Ling Tian smiled faintly and said, “You get a ten percent share. No matter how much I win, you’ll get one-tenth of the profits.”

“Hey kid, hurry up and move aside. Don’t hold us up just for twenty yuan’s worth of chips. That’s not even enough to pick your teeth with,” grumbled someone from the queue behind, his tone brash and impatient. The wealthy patrons all agreed that letting someone exchange such a pitiful amount of chips at the front was a complete waste of their time.

A middle-aged woman, her eyes gleaming with lust, called out, “Handsome, do you want me to sponsor you? I don’t need any share of the winnings—just keep me company for a while.” Ling Tian wasn’t particularly handsome, but he possessed a unique charisma, especially after cultivating the Chaos Method.

Ling Tian had ignored the braying of the crowd behind him before, but now, as their heckling resumed, he spun around abruptly and said in a cold, cutting voice, “If you want to live, keep your mouths shut. If you’re looking to die, I can oblige you.” His words weren’t loud, but his presence was overwhelming. The cocky men who had been so arrogant moments before immediately fell silent, lowering their heads, unable to meet Ling Tian’s fierce gaze.

These men, accustomed to lives of luxury and indulgence, couldn’t withstand even the faintest trace of the pressure Ling Tian exuded.

Wang Yong looked at Ling Tian with admiration flooding his eyes—this was what it meant to be a true man!

After all, anyone who could afford to play here was at least a millionaire, yet Ling Tian’s single sentence had cowed them all into utter submission.

“If anyone’s dissatisfied,” Ling Tian sneered, glancing at the crowd of snobbish onlookers, “let’s see if you dare challenge me.”

One man, unwilling to accept defeat, retorted, “You want to play? I’ll play with you. How about a game of pool?”

The chip-exchange waitress immediately recognized the man and quietly warned Ling Tian, “Sir, this man is a regular here. He never plays card games; his specialty is billiards. They call him ‘One-Shot’—he even calls himself the King of Pool.”

One-Shot? I could drive straight into the dragon’s lair, Ling Tian thought with a smirk.

Ling Tian replied at once, “If you want to know whether I have the guts, ask your wife and she’ll tell you.”

The so-called King of Pool’s face turned ashen with fury. “Today I’m going to teach you a lesson you won’t forget. My standard bet is ten thousand a game, but you’ve only got twenty yuan’s worth of chips. That’s not enough to even carry my shoes. What makes you think you can play with me?”

“Twenty yuan is enough to finish you,” Ling Tian answered coolly.

“You’ve got guts, kid. Let’s play a round,” the King snapped.

The others in line abandoned their plans to exchange chips, trailing after Ling Tian and the King to the billiards area to watch the drama unfold.

Ling Tian glanced at the pool table, frowning slightly. He’d played billiards before, but never for money, and wasn’t familiar with the gambling rules. Still, it didn’t matter—he could set his own rules. “Since you want to play,” Ling Tian said indifferently, “the rule is simple: whoever finishes first, wins.”

The King of Pool snorted in disdain. “Fine by me. But let me clarify—my bet is ten thousand per game, and you only have twenty yuan. What now?”

Before Ling Tian could respond, Wang Yong yanked off his gold chain and waved it in front of the King. “Eighteen grams of gold, plus a white jade pendant. Is that enough?”

Ling Tian nodded in approval at Wang Yong. If he hadn’t offered up his necklace, Ling Tian would have used his bank card—he had ten million on it.

The King looked at them with scorn. “It’s enough for one round. I won’t bully you, kid. You can break first every game. Let’s get started.”

Ling Tian picked up a cue, weighing it in his hands. It had been years since he’d played billiards, and he felt a little rusty, so he took a practice shot to get a feel for it. The crowd watched as he miscued, but Ling Tian didn’t mind—it was just a warm-up.

The King jeered, “You actually dare to gamble with me at this level? Watch and learn what true skill looks like.”

He lived up to his reputation, pocketing four balls in quick succession. On his fifth shot, however, he made a mistake. The spectators burst into cheers at his performance; many exclaimed that he was good enough to play professionally.

Now it was Ling Tian’s turn. He circled the table, cue in hand, using his spiritual awareness to calculate the balls’ trajectories. During his practice shot, he’d discovered he could use his spiritual sense to simulate the balls’ movements. To be extra cautious, he decided to enhance his play with his internal energy.

Despite the mocking glances from the crowd, Ling Tian sank the first ball.

Then the second… the third… and so on, until he’d cleared the table. The onlookers were left stunned. Just moments ago, Ling Tian had seemed like a beginner, but in no time at all, he’d demonstrated a skill comparable to a professional.

“Didn’t you say I’d always break first?” Ling Tian remarked. “Then I’ll gladly accept.” He began the second game.

With the aid of his spiritual awareness and inner energy, Ling Tian won nine consecutive rounds in just five minutes. Each time he broke, the balls fell one after another like a chain of fireworks, until the game was over.

Ling Tian set down his cue and turned to Wang Yong. “How many games did I win?”

“Ten games,” Wang Yong replied at once.

“Collect the money.”

“Yes, sir!”

The King of Pool, undefeated for years, reluctantly handed over a hundred thousand yuan, exchanging them for ten ten-thousand-yuan chips, which he gave to Wang Yong.

Ling Tian took one ten-thousand-yuan chip and handed it to the waitress with a smile. “Here’s your share.”

The waitress’s eyes widened in disbelief. The windfall had come so quickly she was at a loss—twenty yuan had turned into a ten-thousand profit in less than ten minutes. It was outrageous.

“This is just the beginning,” Ling Tian said with a faint smile.