Betting

Ning Rongrong smiled. Though she was only twelve, he had to admit that her harmless-looking smile was somewhat unnerving. Shi Yi understood that unease came from the disdain of one standing high above for an ant beneath her feet. Of course, Ning Rongrong did have the qualifications for it.

"Flender, who do you think you are? You're just a mere Soul Saint."

Flender did not get angry at her words. He smiled faintly. "That's right, I'm only a mere Soul Saint. But you are still far, far beneath me. Even if you are the most gifted of this generation in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, you are ultimately only a Soul Grandmaster. There is still an uncrossable gulf between us. Since you look down on this place, then please leave. Shrek Academy does not welcome students like you who refuse to follow the rules."

Under Flender's successive verbal bombardment, even an ordinary child would have found it hard to endure, much less Ning Rongrong, with her young lady's temper.

Before long, Ning Rongrong was reduced to tears by Flender's sharp tongue and ran back to her room. At Flender's instruction, Dai Mubai went to find Oscar.

Dai Mubai soon returned and nodded to Flender, signaling that he had sent Oscar to comfort Ning Rongrong.

Flender clasped his hands behind his back. "All right, prepare to depart. You have all seen what happened with Ning Rongrong and Oscar. If you want to stay here and cultivate, you must obey the academy's rules. Attend every class properly. Here, my word is an order. Next, you will begin your first class since coming to Shrek. Each of you will complete your own course independently. Don't blame me for not warning you beforehand—if you don't do well enough, even if you don't die, you'll lose a layer of skin."

After saying that, Flender tapped his toes against the ground and shot lightly forward, heading out of the academy.

The others hurried after him.

Flender maintained a fairly brisk pace throughout. Naturally, Dai Mubai, whose Soul Power was the deepest, followed closest behind him. What surprised him was that Shi Yi was not far behind Dai Mubai. Even Zhu Zhuqing and Tang San were slower than Shi Yi.

"This kid's cultivation is not outstanding among this group of geniuses, but his strength and bodily coordination are excellent. He has perfectly converted every bit of his power into speed." With a single glance from his sharp eyes, Flender analyzed all the footprints they had left behind.

Without using their martial souls, Flender was surprised to discover that Shi Yi's footprints were even deeper than Dai Mubai's. Despite every step being incredibly solid, the sound of his footsteps was quieter than everyone's except Tang San and Zhu Zhuqing's.

"The other kid seems to have cultivated some kind of soul skill. He can keep up with the group effortlessly without leaving obvious footprints. His steps are illusory, his agility is high, and his speed is only slightly inferior to Zhu Zhuqing, an Agility Attack System Soul Master."

"Xiao Gang, your disciples are all exceptional." Flender sighed inwardly.

Looking at Ma Hongjun at the back of the group, Flender's expression darkened. Among these six, his own disciple was probably the most worthless one.

I chose him myself. Don't get angry. Flender continually consoled himself inwardly.

Shrek Academy was not far from Suotuo City, and before long, the group from Shrek arrived there.

Though it was already dark, Suotuo City seemed as if it had only just awakened. It was even livelier than during the day. The shops lining both sides of the streets were brightly lit, while small vendors who only operated at night had set up in their usual spots, selling snacks, trinkets, and other goods. Clearly, Douluo Continent had its own nightlife as well.

Shi Yi did not find it particularly novel. Night markets had been everywhere in his previous life. Xiao Wu, on the other hand, was excited the entire way, while Zhu Zhuqing kept her eyes fixed on Flender. Compared to the bustling night market, she cared more about what method Flender would use to make them stronger.

Dai Mubai and Tang San were both indifferent to everything around them. Their gazes seemed to remain on Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu the whole time.

As for Ma Hongjun, his eyes were not enough. They darted about restlessly, targeting the most distinctive parts of the women on the street.

Soon, the Shrek group arrived before an enormous building. Shi Yi understood that before he gained the support of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, this would be his main source of income for a long time to come.

Flender then introduced the Great Soul Arena and its various details to them.

"There are exactly six of you. Each person will fight one solo soul battle and one two-person team soul battle. Discuss the teams among yourselves. Your goal is to obtain a Silver Soul Badge before graduation." As Flender spoke, he brushed his fingertip over his Soul Tool, took out six masks, and handed them out. He told them to register for their soul battle badges at the registration counter on their own.

Shi Yi quickly completed his registration, received the lowest-grade Iron Soul Badge, and chose Shuang Yi as his name.

He then hurried to the betting window, took out the more than two hundred Gold Coins he had saved in his Soul Tool, and bet half of them on himself. As for why he did not bet everything, what if he got matched against his cheap Junior Disciple Brother during the soul battle? That would be a disaster.

If he used the Soul Tools on him, Shi Yi was indeed somewhat confident he could defeat Tang San. But using powerful Soul Tools in front of such a large crowd would likely draw unwanted attention.

After finishing all that, Shi Yi headed to the stands. Tang San asked curiously, "Senior Disciple Brother, where did you go just now?"

Shi Yi shook the betting slip in his hand and chuckled. "I heard Shrek encourages gambling, so naturally I went to make some money. I bet one hundred Gold Soul Coins on myself."

"So much?" Xiao Wu cried out.

Ma Hongjun was also surprised. "You bet that much? Aren't you afraid of losing everything?"

Shi Yi chuckled. "Other than my Disciple Brother, I'm quite confident against everyone else."

After Shi Yi said that, Tang San also headed toward the betting window.

"Look, Junior Disciple Brother is confident in himself too. He's gone to earn snack money for Xiao Wu." Shi Yi teased with a smile.

Xiao Wu's face reddened. She glared at Shi Yi. "What's it got to do with you? You disgusting bastard!"

Shi Yi smiled and did not care about Xiao Wu's insult. After all, Soul Beasts did not speak of civility with humans.

Dai Mubai sneered. "If the Great Soul Arena's money were that easy to make, it would have gone out of business long ago."

Shi Yi said nothing. Compared to arguing, he preferred to let facts speak for themselves. That way, he could slap someone in the face while showing off at the same time.

Hearing Dai Mubai's pointed words toward Shi Yi, Zhu Zhuqing frowned slightly beside them. She felt Dai Mubai had gone too far, but she did not say anything.

Flender watched everything without intervening. In his teaching philosophy, competition was a good thing. As long as no one attacked and injured another person, anything within controllable limits was fine. Even negative emotions could often spur soul masters toward positive development.

Not long after, Tang San returned with a betting slip in hand.

Soon, the Great Soul Arena's matching system began operating, and a staff member informed Shi Yi that it was his turn to fight. The others also moved to the spectator area for Shi Yi's match.

As Shi Yi stepped onto the stage, he roughly grasped some information about his opponent.

Soul Grandmaster, middle-aged, burly at a glance, with well-developed limb muscles. Undoubtedly a Beast Soul Master, Shi Yi thought to himself.

Shi Yi slowly walked onto the stage. From the Host's introduction, he learned that his opponent's martial soul was a Giant Gray Bear.

No one cheered. Most of the spectators in the stands had the fanatical eyes of gamblers. Newly registered contestants like Shi Yi were immediately targeted by such gamblers. In their eyes, Shi Yi was a fat sheep, because most newcomers lost to seasoned fighters. Geniuses were a minority, after all.

Seeing that Shi Yi was very young and had an extraordinary bearing, the middle-aged man revealed a contemptuous smile. A lewd glint flashed through his murky eyes. The reason was simple: Shi Yi looked no different from those soft-skinned young noble masters.

Shi Yi and Tang San both possessed cultivation methods. Due to the way the Twelve Meridians refined their meridians, although Shi Yi had forged iron year after year, aside from some calluses on his hands, every other part of him was fair and tender.

"Match begin!" the Host's voice echoed through the arena.

"Kid, let uncle teach you your first lesson in stepping into the world of soul masters," the middle-aged man said arrogantly.

With that, the middle-aged man summoned his martial soul and Soul Rings. True to its name, the phantom of a huge bear appeared behind him, while his Soul Rings were the classic commoner configuration: one white and one yellow.

Shi Yi smiled disdainfully. The Soul Rings around him lit up, and a black shadow instantly appeared at his side, immediately putting the middle-aged man on high alert.

Little Ant rubbed against Shi Yi's calf. By now, Little Ant had grown much larger.

"Th-Thousand Jun Ant! A Soul Beast? Host!" Feeling the terrifying aura emitted by Little Ant, the middle-aged man hurriedly called toward the Host flying at low altitude nearby.

Everyone from Shrek in the stands looked astonished. Flender now understood why his old friend had accepted Shi Yi as a disciple.

He really is so similar to you, Xiao Gang, Flender sighed inwardly.

The Host was clearly inexperienced as well. He cautiously flew over to Shi Yi and asked, "This young man, please explain what this is..."

"It should be obvious that I haven't undergone Beast Soul Possession. Little Ant is my martial soul. My martial soul mutated," Shi Yi explained to the Host.

As he spoke, Shi Yi recalled Little Ant and then summoned Little Ant again to prove that his words were true.

"It really is a martial soul. There has been no violation. The match is valid," the Host said in surprise.

Shi Yi patted Little Ant's head and said something to it, then crooked a finger at the middle-aged man.

Seeing Shi Yi's confident appearance, the middle-aged man began to lose his nerve. Shi Yi had two hundred-year Soul Rings and a special mutation. It seemed unlikely that he could win.

Seeing that the middle-aged man had not moved for a long time, Shi Yi grew impatient. "Are we fighting or not? If you don't decide, I'm making a move."

The moment Shi Yi's first and second Soul Rings lit up, the middle-aged man hurriedly said to the Host, "Host, I surrender."

Disappointment appeared on Shi Yi's face. He had wanted to properly assess Little Ant's combat power.

The middle-aged man's surrender instantly ignited the stands. Clearly, most gamblers had bet on him. Curses immediately rose without end, and knowing he had incurred public wrath, the middle-aged man hurriedly left through the contestants' passage.

Shi Yi said, "Host, shouldn't you announce the result?"

The Host declared, "Gray Bear has surrendered. Battle Soul Master Shuang Yi wins. Record: one win, zero losses. Please register your points after leaving the stage."

After Shi Yi stepped down and registered his points, he also cashed in his betting slip. Including his original stake, three hundred Gold Coins instantly landed in his hands.

"One-to-two odds. Not bad. Looks like the odds are evaluated based on Soul Power Level," Shi Yi muttered.

Shi Yi smiled and soon returned to the stands, weighing his money pouch in his hand.

"Dean, aren't you going to seize such a good chance to make money? Bet on Xiao San. You won't lose," Shi Yi said to Flender.

"You're confident?" Flender asked uncertainly.

"Xiao San is the strongest among us, and the level bracket is low. Won't he just steamroll everyone?" Shi Yi said to Flender.

The instant his words fell, Flender vanished from before them. Shi Yi also headed toward the betting area, and seeing that even his teacher had gone, Ma Hongjun followed.

As for Xiao Wu, she did not have a single coin on her. She curiously asked Zhu Zhuqing, "Zhuqing, aren't you going?"

"I don't lack money," Zhu Zhuqing said indifferently, making Xiao Wu envious.

Seeing this, Dai Mubai was tempted as well. As someone who frequently indulged himself in Suotuo City, he naturally needed money. But he could not bring himself to swallow his pride.

This time, Shi Yi went all in on Tang San. Seeing Shi Yi bet everything, Flender, who had originally only intended to bet part of his money, took out a card from his Soul Tool.

Perhaps because of Tang San's Soul Power Level, the odds on him were not high this time, only one-to-one. Still, it could double their Gold Coins.

Before long, everyone returned. When they saw Tang San's matched opponent, smiles appeared on their faces.

Tang San and Zhu Zhuqing belonged to the same level bracket, and by sheer coincidence, they had been matched against each other.

Shi Yi smiled at Zhu Zhuqing. "Pretty lucky. Good thing Zhuqing didn't go bet with us."

"I may not lose," Zhu Zhuqing said calmly, her brows slightly furrowed.

Shi Yi nodded without arguing. A hint of appreciation flashed through his eyes as he said meaningfully, "If you refuse to yield to fate, you will definitely become strong."

Zhu Zhuqing's expression softened slightly. "Thank you."

Not far away, Dai Mubai clenched his fists tightly and stared at Shi Yi with a dark expression.

After speaking, Zhu Zhuqing glanced at Tang San and headed for the soul battle passage. Just as Tang San was about to follow, Dai Mubai grabbed his shoulder.

A trace of embarrassment appeared on Dai Mubai's face as he said in a low voice, "Xiao San, go easy on her."

Tang San smiled faintly and nodded at him before heading through the soul battle passage and onto the stage.

Shi Yi smiled. No matter how he thought about it, Zhu Zhuqing could not possibly be Tang San's opponent—unless she could move so fast that Tang San could not react, but that was impossible.

By his estimation, Tang San's foundation was unmatched among those of the same level. Even Shi Yi might only surpass him in strength; in every other aspect, he was far inferior to Tang San.