Wager Battle

On October 22nd, Chen Daolin had just returned from working out in the simulated Gravity Room at the Elite Training Camp when he saw his senior sister, Zhao Ruo, standing by the roadside. She was speaking in an agitated tone to a young man with yellow skin and black hair, surrounded by several young Westerners.

Seeing William and Candice among the group, Chen Daolin couldn't help but frown.

Although Candice and his cohorts hadn't provoked him since the Black Dragon Ranking in September, Chen Daolin still remembered that Candice had once threatened him. As for William, he had tried to trick him into a duel in the Virtual Space right when he first arrived at the camp. He still remembered that debt.

"Senior Sister Zhao, what's going on?" Chen Daolin walked up quickly.

William, Candice, and the others, who had been smiling, saw Chen Daolin appear and their expressions shifted slightly.

"Junior Brother Chen, you're here." Zhao Ruo's eyes lit up. She pulled the young, handsome man beside her and said indignantly, "This is our new student from Huaxia Kyoto, Junior Brother Pang Yuanwu. William and his friends were just trying to trick Junior Brother Pang into a duel in the Challenge Room."

The young man behind Zhao Ruo also looked curiously at Chen Daolin, who appeared even younger than himself.

Chen Daolin turned his head to look at William and the others. "You all started as newcomers once. Is it really appropriate to use such low-handed tactics to bully a new student all day long?"

William smiled. "Don't misunderstand, Chen Daolin. We were just looking to spar."

"Is that so? Then how about you spar with me?" Chen Daolin stared directly into his eyes. "Right, haven't you always wanted to challenge me? I accept. Do you dare to go to the Virtual Space and fight me?"

William's expression changed slightly. If this were before, he might have agreed, as he was quite confident against a newcomer who had only recently joined. But Chen Daolin was different; he was a prodigy who had broken into the top 100 in his first month. It was rumored that his combat power amplification had already reached the average level of a fourth-year student—meaning his amplification was at an elite level, at least 8. William was currently only at the intermediate level, between 2 and 4. With such a massive gap, how could he dare to fight Chen Daolin?

Chen Daolin looked at him coldly, his tone mocking. "What, you don't dare? I've been in the camp for less than two months; perhaps I'm not as good as you veterans. Didn't you just say you wanted to spar? Let's have a match. How about a 5 billion bet?"

"You..." William's face turned pale and then green, but he couldn't utter a word.

Did he dare to compete with Chen Daolin?

He did not.

William wasn't a fool; he wouldn't fight someone when he knew he would lose. Even if he could scrape together 5 billion, it was a massive sum for these students—comparable to the savings of a low-level God of War after a year of eating and drinking nothing. Losing that money would hurt even him deeply.

Zhao Ruo fanned the flames from the side, kicking them while they were down. "That's right. You were so smug just a moment ago, wanting to bully a newcomer. Now that Junior Brother Chen is here, you've all gone quiet. It seems your group is just a bunch of cowards who bully the weak and fear the strong."

Candice's expression darkened as he stepped forward. "Chen Daolin, how about I fight you? 5 billion. I have it, and I'll put it up. If you want to fight, I'll accompany you."

Chen Daolin looked at Candice. He remembered that Candice was ranked around 75 on the Black Dragon Ranking and had been at the Elite Training Camp for three years. His strength was quite impressive among the veterans, but his combat power amplification was likely inferior to his own. After all, Chen Daolin's combat power amplification had already exceeded 9, which was the standard for a fourth-year student at the Elite Training Camp.

In a life-or-death battle within the Virtual Space, their physical attributes would be identical, so the outcome would depend on factors like punch force, speed, and footwork.

Combat is unpredictable; if two people are of similar strength, the one in a worse state might be killed instantly, while the one with slightly less strength but a better state might manage a counter-kill.

Chen Daolin knew in his heart that he had no guarantee of victory against the current Candice.

However, it was precisely this feeling of uncertainty, coupled with the possibility of victory, that made up his mind.

"Fine, I accept," Chen Daolin said in a calm tone.

"Junior Brother Chen!" Zhao Ruo looked at Chen Daolin in shock.

Candice was a veteran who had been in the Elite Training Camp for three years, while Chen Daolin had been here for less than two months. Yet, he was actually betting 5 billion on a duel! In Zhao Ruo's eyes, this behavior was incredibly irrational and insane.

The handsome black-haired youth, Pang Yuanwu, was also stunned, looking at Chen Daolin with admiration. Although he didn't yet know Chen Daolin's status or strength, anyone who dared to wager 5 billion in a fight had to be extraordinary.

"Very well. I'll go back and submit the application to the system for a 5 billion credit duel," Candice said with a brilliant smile.

Chen Daolin, you brought this on yourself, don't blame me.

After Candice and his group left, Zhao Ruo said to Chen Daolin with dissatisfaction, "Junior Brother Chen, you've always been quite calm. Why are you so impulsive today? That Candice is a veteran of the Elite Training Camp who has been studying for three years. How long have you been here? Even if you are a genius, everyone in this camp is a genius. Do you think you're guaranteed to win?"

Chen Daolin said softly, "Don't worry, Senior Sister. I know what I'm doing." 5 billion was a small price to pay for a high-pressure life-or-death battle that might lead to a breakthrough.

Chen Daolin no longer cared much about money; his greatest goal now was to raise his combat power amplification to 12 before the New Year.

Zhao Ruo huffed, "That's what you say. If you lose, don't come crying to me with regrets."

Chen Daolin exchanged pleasantries with the newcomer from Huaxia Kyoto, Pang Yuanwu, and returned alone to his residence in the Jiangnan Pavilion. Soon, he received a system notification that someone had challenged him for 5 billion Huaxia coins, scheduled for 10:30 the day after tomorrow. Seeing that the challenger was Candice, Chen Daolin accepted the invitation and transferred 5 billion from his account into the system. Once the result was determined, the winner would receive 10 billion.

Sitting cross-legged in his underground chamber, Chen Daolin closed his eyes, cleared his mind, and let his breathing gradually become slow and steady.

News of the 5 billion credit duel between Chen Daolin and Candice spread through the camp, quickly circulating among students and teachers alike. The showdown between Candice, a three-year veteran of the Elite Training Camp, and Chen Daolin, the camp's most popular rising star, attracted a great deal of attention.

"This Chen Daolin... is he too arrogant? To actually dare to bet 5 billion against Candice."

"Candice is ranked 75 on the leaderboard, and Chen Daolin is 97. The gap is so large, the result is already obvious."

"This Chen Daolin is truly foolish. Isn't he just handing money to Candice? 5 billion, tsk tsk. If only he were fighting me."

"I actually think Chen Daolin might win. He's not stupid."

The camp was filled with talk of the upcoming duel. Most people favored Candice, though some believed Chen Daolin had a chance. Many planned to go and watch when the time came.

That evening, after Ji Xuan returned and heard the news, she sought out Chen Daolin upon arriving at the Jiangnan Pavilion. The two sat facing each other in the first-floor living room, drinking.

"Are you confident about the duel the day after tomorrow?" Ji Xuan asked.

Chen Daolin drank his wine. "Fifty-fifty."

"Don't lose."

"I won't."

Shi Jiang and Zhao Ruo had originally intended to come over together, but seeing Ji Xuan and Chen Daolin drinking and talking in the living room from a distance, they exchanged a look and tacitly turned away, leaving the space to the two of them.