This Isn't Bullying an Honest Man, Is It?

Xu Hu had only taken two steps, ready to make a run for it, when he backed up again, his chubby face full of indignation.

Turning around, they saw why.

Several upperclassmen were blocking the back door as well.

Judging by their aggressive looks, they clearly meant trouble.

Remembering how Xu Hu had patted his chest and guaranteed that his name would carry weight if anything happened at the academy, Xu Yuan's mouth twitched slightly.

Seriously? Other than his name, not a single word he said had been true. It had all been bragging, hadn't it?

Xu Hu was a little embarrassed too. He had only made that boast not long ago, and it had been exposed after just one morning. It really was hard to save face.

He gave a light cough, steadied his gaze, and resolutely stepped forward.

"Whoever caused the trouble should bear it himself. If you want something, come at me. Don't make things difficult for my brother!"

He sounded righteous and imposing, but Xu Yuan, standing beside him, could clearly see the little fatty's chubby legs shaking like sieves.

Clearly, he was nowhere near as calm inside as he looked on the surface.

Spirit Academy did not divide grades according to years of study, but according to the students' cultivation. First-years were Soul Scholars who had yet to obtain a Spirit Ring, second-years were one-ring Soul Masters, and third-years were Soul Grandmasters.

And so on, up to the highest, sixth grade.

There was also an age limit of twenty-five.

Anyone over twenty-five who had not reached the level of a five-ring Soul King would be sent back to the various Spirit Hall Branches and would be unable to graduate from Spirit Academy.

The students blocking the door to Class Six were mostly third- and fourth-year students from Spirit Academy.

They ranged from fifteen to twenty years old.

A young man who looked like the leader sneered, plopped down on the teacher's desk at the front of the room, and shook a receipt out of his robes.

"What nonsense are you talking about? The Soul Fighting Arena has rules. If you lose money, you admit it; if you get beaten, you stand straight.

You signed the contract yourself. Don't tell me you can't recognize it now?"

Hearing that, Xu Yuan glanced at the receipt. It did indeed bear the seal of the Soul Fighting Arena, but he could not recognize all the words on it yet, so he had no way of telling whether it was real.

After all, Old Jack did not know much himself, and he had already taught Xu Yuan everything he could.

Still, since they had dared to come all the way into the classroom, the receipt was probably genuine. Xu Yuan could not help frowning slightly.

The Soul Fighting Arena.

When Xu Yuan had enrolled yesterday, Yue Guan had specifically told him that students were not allowed to fight privately within the academy.

If they absolutely had to fight, they could settle it at the Soul Fighting Arena under a teacher's supervision.

Aside from resolving personal grudges, they could also spar in a controlled manner to increase each other's combat experience.

Most importantly, they could place bets there.

And those bets were witnessed by teachers from the Soul Fighting Arena.

Xu Yuan had initially thought rather well of Xu Hu and felt that he was a decent guy, but the moment the other side took out the receipt, his favorable impression plummeted to rock bottom.

He had never had a good impression of gamblers.

Yet things often developed in unexpected ways.

After seeing the receipt, Xu Hu did not fall silent out of guilt. Instead, his chubby face filled with anger.

"Do you people have any shame at all?"

Huh?

A question mark slowly appeared above Xu Yuan's head.

Xu Hu furiously slapped the desk in front of him until it rang out with loud smacks, spraying saliva as he ranted.

"We agreed on a fair soul fight. Fine, the bet was made, and the Soul Fighting Arena teacher even issued a receipt.

But then you found a Soul Grandmaster in his twenties to fight me. Do you have any shame?

A Soul Grandmaster fighting a Soul Master, a whole realm above me, and you still have the nerve to call that fair!"

The other students in the class clearly knew about this matter as well. Upon hearing him, the sympathy in their eyes toward Xu Hu grew even stronger.

However.

The man sitting on the teacher's desk did not change expression in the slightest. He said righteously, "How is this not a fair soul fight?

You're ten, and I found someone ten to fight you. Isn't that fair?

You haven't even fought yet. How do you know you can't win? Besides, you never said cultivation had to be restricted from the start!"

At this point, Xu Yuan finally understood.

The rough situation was that the two sides had agreed to a fair soul fight, set a wager, and found a teacher from the Soul Fighting Arena to serve as a witness and issue a receipt.

When everything was ready and the match was about to begin, the other side had brought over a second-year Soul Grandmaster to fight Xu Hu.

Two Spirit Rings against one—wasn't the outcome obvious?

They had agreed on a fair soul fight but had not specified a cultivation limit, so the other side had found a Soul Grandmaster of the same age, exploiting a loophole in the rules.

Put that way, the other side really was acting improperly.

Even bullying people had to have limits, didn't it?

Although the other Class Six students looked indignant, none of them dared to say anything. This matter had caused quite a stir in the academy over the past two days, but the people on the other side were upperclassmen. They could not afford to provoke them.

On Douluo Continent, strength reigned supreme!

Xu Hu was absolutely furious. Pointing a trembling finger at them, he shouted, "Despicable, shameless, filthy, utterly without shame—you're cheating!"

Hearing that.

The young man sitting on the platform remained unmoved. "Are you fighting or not? You should know that this contract has a time limit.

After midnight tonight, even if you do not step onto the stage, the teachers at the Soul Fighting Arena will still rule that you lost. Not only that, you'll have to pay me triple the penalty!

We came here just to remind you not to forget the rules."

This was one of the Soul Fighting Arena's basic rules.

This was Spirit Academy, a place for training Soul Masters. You could lose on the stage, but you could not be too scared to step onto it!

Humiliation and frustration.

That was how Xu Hu felt right then.

He opened his mouth, ready to curse a few more times for the sake of venting, when Xu Yuan lightly tugged at him from the side and asked in a low voice.

"Your arranged match hasn't started yet?"

"There's no way to fight it at all!"

Xu Hu said angrily, "Two rings against one—isn't that bullying an honest man?

If I go up there and lose, I'll get injured all over and still have to pay them a huge sum of money. They're treating me like a pig to be slaughtered!"

At that point, Xu Hu paused slightly and sighed as if resigning himself to his fate.

"You can hide from the first day, but not the fifteenth. If I don't go on stage, they'll still declare me the loser according to the agreement, and I'll have to pay triple.

Most importantly, if the teachers see that I don't even dare to get on stage, then things will really be bad."

Seeing that he had calmed down, the young man on the teacher's desk smiled faintly.

"I trust you understand the stakes. With this kind of thing, sooner is better than later."

Looking at his smug face, Xu Hu wanted nothing more than to slap him with a huge shoe.

After taking several deep breaths and feeling everyone's eyes on him, Xu Hu gritted his teeth and stomped his foot.

Damn it, at worst I'll be bedridden for half a month.

"Fine! I'll fight—"

"How about I go in your place?"