Special Invitation, Wager

"Is that you?"

Ye Fan, just about to enter the Jianghuai City Branch Hall of the Star Martial Hall, heard a voice behind him—three parts surprise, seven parts disdain.

He knew that voice all too well.

Once, it had called him Brother Ye Fan with intimacy and syrupy sweetness.

Now, it carried lofty contempt, along with deep coldness and distance.

Ye Fan turned around. It was none other than the ungrateful wretch, the green-tea girl Jin Lian.

At her side stood a handsome young man with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a dashing air.

A faint smile rested on his face. It seemed warm, yet beneath it lay an unmistakable pride.

So this is Bai Mufeng, ranked third among Jiangnan Martial University's second-year students?

Ye Fan's heart stirred, but he could not be bothered to acknowledge Jin Lian.

Now, Ye Fan felt that even saying a single word to this woman was a waste of breath.

"Damn it!"

Jin Lian saw that Ye Fan had simply ignored her.

The pride of a heaven-blessed girl who had awakened S-rank Spiritual Aptitude seemed to have been trampled beneath his feet.

In the past, Ye Fan had cared deeply for her.

He had practically treated her like a little princess.

Yet now, he cast her aside like a worn-out shoe.

That infuriated her.

I can abandon you, but who gave you the nerve to ignore me?

"Stop!"

That voice did not come from Jin Lian, but from the white-clad young man at her side—Bai Mufeng.

"Kid, who allowed you to be so disrespectful to my Lianmei?"

Bai Mufeng spoke with absolute dominance.

As he spoke,

his foot flicked, sending a sharp, spindle-shaped stone from the ground tearing through the air toward Ye Fan's back.

Bai Mufeng, Spirit Stream Realm Level Five, Vitality Value: 655 cards.

Suddenly, Bai Mufeng's attributes appeared before Ye Fan.

So strong!

Ye Fan was inwardly startled. After awakening the Nine-Star Hegemonic Body yesterday, he had directly broken through to Spirit Stream Realm Level One.

His strength had advanced by leaps and bounds.

But his Vitality Value was still only a little over 125. He was absolutely no match for Bai Mufeng!

Moreover,

after cultivating the Void Spirit Refining Technique last night, Ye Fan's Mental Power had risen substantially.

In an instant, as the flying stone closed in, he felt a needle-prick danger.

Whoosh.

At the critical moment, thanks to Ye Fan's powerful Mental Power,

he predicted the trajectory of the sharp stone's sneak attack in advance and narrowly dodged it.

Pfft.

The stone struck a marble slab some distance away like a bullet, boring a deep hole as thick as a thumb straight through it.

One could only imagine that if it had struck Ye Fan, it would have blasted a bloody hole through him.

Ye Fan's gaze turned increasingly cold as he looked at Bai Mufeng.

Seeing Ye Fan's bedraggled state, the corners of Jin Lian's rosy lips curled slightly upward.

"Heh, you're quite lucky."

Bai Mufeng gave his assessment casually.

He believed Ye Fan had dodged his casual strike only because he had stepped in dog shit.

"I'm not afraid to tell you—my uncle is an instructor at this Star Martial Hall. If I want, you won't even be able to enter the doors of the Star Martial Hall."

Bai Mufeng spoke arrogantly.

At his words,

the petite and dependent Jin Lian looked at Bai Mufeng with just the right amount of starry-eyed admiration.

Bai Mufeng thoroughly enjoyed it.

"Whether he can enter or not is not for you to decide."

"Of course, it is not for your uncle to decide either."

Just then,

a thin figure walked out from the Star Martial Hall.

It was none other than Instructor Wu Xie.

At the sight of him, Bai Mufeng was slightly startled.

He knew this man did not get along particularly well with his uncle, yet his status was equal to his uncle's.

However, according to his uncle, this man had not been having a very good time lately.

"Greetings, Instructor Wu."

"Greetings, Instructor Wu."

Bai Mufeng spoke respectfully.

Jin Lian hurriedly followed suit.

"Ye Fan was specially invited by me. So, can he enter now?"

Wu Xie glanced at Bai Mufeng.

When his gaze swept over Jin Lian beside Bai Mufeng and sensed the rich Spiritual Aptitude aura surrounding the girl,

he could not help sighing inwardly.

This girl has at least A-rank Spiritual Aptitude.

The fat only grew fatter.

The annual comprehensive evaluation of instructors was about to begin.

This year, one instructor would be selected to serve as the Star Martial Hall Director.

A promotion in position would naturally bring greater resources.

Not only would it raise their status,

it would also allow their martial path to advance further.

Based on the contribution points accumulated over the years, the hottest candidates for the director position were Wu Xie himself

and Bai Nuoli, Bai Mufeng's uncle standing before him.

However, Bai Nuoli had recommended his nephew Bai Mufeng to sign a D-rank Contract with the Star Martial Hall.

If he now brought in another little girl with A-rank Spiritual Aptitude,

his contribution points would definitely leave Wu Xie far behind, racing ahead alone in a cloud of dust.

Furthermore, given how poorly the two of them had gotten along in the past,

if Bai Nuoli rose to power, Wu Xie would absolutely have no good days ahead.

Hah, I'll treat a dead horse as though it were alive.

Wu Xie glanced at Ye Fan.

Last night, he had sensed that Ye Fan was extraordinary.

He only hoped the kid would not disappoint him.

"Cough, Wu Xie, you're an elder. Isn't it somewhat beneath your dignity to intimidate a junior?"

At that moment,

a voice carrying a faintly mocking, yin-yang tone drifted over.

"Uncle."

The moment Bai Mufeng saw the newcomer, he was delighted.

Bai Nuoli: Spirit Stream Realm Level Eight, Vitality Value: 1600 cards.

"Hehe, first your fine nephew blocked the person I specially invited from entering the Martial Hall to take the test."

"Then you, Bai Nuoli, without even asking the reason, turned around and accused me instead."

Wu Xie snorted coldly.

Just then, Bai Mufeng gave Jin Lian a look.

Jin Lian immediately understood.

"Instructor Wu, I'm truly afraid that you've been deceived."

"This Ye Fan spent half a year at the Jiangnan Martial University Trial Camp without awakening any Spiritual Aptitude. Yesterday, he was even expelled from the trial camp early and has to pay 200,000 in trial fees."

Jin Lian looked at Ye Fan with disdain.

"Oh?"

Bai Nuoli's face immediately lit up. "So this is the little girlfriend Xiaofeng mentioned to me, the girl Jin Lian with S-rank Spiritual Aptitude? Not bad, truly not bad."

Wu Xie's expression darkened further.

S-rank Spiritual Aptitude?

Martial artists with such aptitude had a chance to cultivate all the way to the Mountain Sea Realm in the future.

"Whether it's a scam or not, we'll know after trying. After all, martial artists speak through strength."

Ye Fan spoke.

Only then did Wu Xie's expression improve slightly.

"This big fellow seems quite confident?"

"Old Wu, why don't we make a wager? Whoever loses gives the other the treasure we discussed last time. How about it?"

Bai Nuoli smiled confidently.

"...Fine, let's compete. Who's afraid of whom!"

Wu Xie gritted his teeth.

If he lost, he likely would not be able to remain at the Star Martial Hall in Linjiang City.

That thing would be useless to him anyway.

"I should also give you a friendly reminder. Our family paid for Jin Lian's cultivation expenses for the past three years. We have shown her considerable kindness."

"But the moment she awakened her Spiritual Aptitude, she directly kicked the Ye Family aside."

"In the future, this woman might also latch onto another powerful person and abandon your Bai Family. Tsk, tsk, tsk..."

Ye Fan sneered.

One must return courtesy with courtesy; he planted a thorn in their hearts.

"Ye Fan, you!"

Jin Lian clenched her silver teeth.

At his words, Bai Nuoli also frowned.