Ethan's flat response left everyone in stunned silence.
Especially Xun Wei, who hadn't expected such a blunt refusal.
Still trying to suppress his anger, he spoke in a calm tone,
"And why is that?
Don't tell you're actually afraid of losing?
You can admit it if that's the case. No one will bla you," Xun Wei said, hoping to provoke a reaction.
As much as he wanted to rush at him, they were in the imperial capital.
If he caused a scene here, missing the tournant would be the least of his problems.
He was trying to goad Ethan into accepting the challenge, which is why he said those words.
But Ethan didn't seem concerned at all by what he said and responded simply,
"You see, I already have a spot in the tournant, but you don't.
So fighting you doesn't make sense for .
After all, even if I win, I gain nothing.
But if I lose, I'd lose my place. Why would I accept such a duel?" He asked calmly, making his point clear.
Upon hearing these words, Xun Wei secretly rejoiced.
'Finally, he's taken the bait,' he thought while making an offer,
"You're right, such a duel wouldn't be fair to you. How about this?
If you win, you keep your spot in the tournant, and in addition, you'll get a favor from my Xun family." He figured that would be enough.
But to his disappointnt, Ethan still refused, saying he wasn't interested.
A vein appeared on Xun Wei's forehead as he struggled to control himself.
He tried again, offering sothing else, "Well then, what do you want?
Money? resources of so kind?
Tell , as long as it's sothing reasonable, I can get it for you," he said, thinking it'd be faster to ask what the other side wanted.
He doubted that an alchemist of Ethan's caliber was short on money, so he left the offer open.
Upon hearing this, Ethan smiled to himself and responded without hesitation,
"I heard your Xun family acquired so hundred-year-old Bloodflowers a few months ago.
If you're willing to offer even one of those, I'd be happy to accept your duel." Ethan replied calmly.
Unfortunately, the request he made was far from ordinary.
Not only Xun Wei, but several others at the table made blank expressions as they stared at him.
'He's insane? Does he really think the Xun family will hand over their Bloodflowers?' they all thought, shaking their heads.
The Bloodflower was a rare dicinal herb, difficult to find in the wild.
Among the list of herbs and ingredients that Ethan hadn't been able to get his hands on, the Bloodflower was one of the most elusive.
Aside from its applications in various fields, it could be used in several high-level alchemical recipes. Many of the third-level recipes Ethan had required this herb as a primary ingredient.
But without even one of them, he couldn't even think of growing it in his herb garden.
Usually, a single herb wouldn't be enough to grow more, but the Bloodflower was a little special. Even one could produce several seeds, which, if carefully cultivated over decades, could result in many more Bloodflowers.
That's why Ethan wanted to get his hands on at least one of them, but no matter how hard he searched, he couldn't find it.
He heard that the last of these herbs to appear ended up being sold at an auction, and the buyer was none other than Xun Wei's father, Xun Yun.
So when Xun Wei made his offer, Ethan didn't hold back and directly asked for the Bloodflower as a reward.
Xun Wei, who had been expecting sothing reasonable, suddenly found another two veins appearing on his forehead as his patience began to crack.
'What the hell did you say? A Bloodflower?
Do you think they're cabbages you can just pick up anywhere?'*
This ti, Xun Wei was truly on the verge of losing it.
Even the elder Shu, seeing that the situation could escalate, was about to intervene, but Ethan continued.
"Of course, asking for the herb may be a bit much, so how about this? If you agree to wager a Bloodflower as the reward for our duel, I'll put these up as well."
He waved his hand, and three ginseng roots appeared in his right hand.
For a mont, no one reacted, including Xun Wei, who wasn't sure how to respond.
He thought Ethan might be mocking him, but then his eyes sharpened as he noticed sothing.
'Wait, are those...' and just as he realized what they were, a voice broke the silence.
"100 year old ginseng's," said the voice.
Everyone at the table turned toward the source of the voice and saw the elder of the pavilion staring in astonishnt at the ginseng in Ethan's hand.
Even those who hadn't realized what it was widened their eyes one by one after hearing the elder's words.
"No way, centennial ginseng? And he has three of them?"
"Wait, but aren't those really hard to find? How is it possible he has three?"
"More importantly, are they really centennial ginseng? What if they just look like it but aren't mature enough?"
One by one, whispers spread through the table, primarily from the group of beginners.
Even Yan i couldn't help but be surprised, just like Xuang Hua, but neither of them lost their composure.
This was because, while the ginseng Ethan held was as rare as the Bloodflower, one of them was the granddaughter of a master alchemist and had seen the herb before.
The other was part of one of the most prestigious sects in the region, and though it had only been once, she had also co across this herb before.
That said, it didn't an they weren't shocked.
Even the elder Shu was tempted to take those ginseng roots from Ethan, but she held back.
Her reputation was at stake, after all.
And while ginseng had its value, it was not enough to justify such a deplorable act.
Xun Wei had seen this herb once or twice while learning from his father, but that didn't an he wasn't tempted.
In the end, he didn't speak imdiately and had to think carefully about how to proceed.
The Bloodflower belonged to his father, not him, so using it as a prize for a duel was out of the question.
Without his father's permission, there wasn't much he could do.
But the addition of those three ginseng roots changed things.
If he managed to get his hands on them, he might not only justify the bet, but also perform well in the tournant and secure a good position.
That alone would be enough for his father to forgive him.
So, seeing he had multiple reasons to participate, he decided to accept the bet.
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