The Challenge and the Wager

Watching his students get beaten to a pulp by Dai Mubai, the teacher was truly shaken to the core.

He clearly understood that the twelve- or thirteen-year-old boy before him was absolutely a genius among geniuses.

Most importantly, he could tell that the boy clearly took orders from the white-clad youth sitting there. That meant the other boy had to be even stronger!

The teacher was already middle-aged, after all. Seeing Dai Mubai reveal his true strength, he had already thought of many possibilities.

Though he had lost face and suffered a heavy defeat this time, he was prepared to swallow his pride. Some people simply weren't worth provoking.

"I'm Ye Zhiqiu, director of Canghui Academy's External Affairs Department. May I ask which sect you belong to?"

Seeing Ye Zhiqiu walk up to Dai Mubai, Oscar stood as well. Before Dai Mubai could say anything, Oscar had already pulled him behind himself.

He could roughly sense the auras of those around him. This Ye Zhiqiu was definitely more than Dai Mubai could handle!

"Shrek Academy."

Oscar looked at Ye Zhiqiu and replied calmly.

Ye Zhiqiu paused, a thoughtful look in his eyes. Evidently, he wasn't very familiar with the name Shrek Academy.

"Shrek Academy? I don't think I've heard of it."

Dai Mubai snorted. "That's because you're ignorant."

Who could have seen this coming? After meeting Oscar and Ma Hongjun, he'd thought that most young Soul Masters in the Heaven Dou Empire had grown to an absurd level.

He'd even thought that the Star Luo Empire had no future...

But after watching this fight, he realized the new generation of the Heaven Dou Empire wasn't abnormal. It was those two senior and junior brothers who were utterly outrageous!

Compared to those two, this lot were nothing but barnyard fowl and stray dogs!

And people like that actually looked down on Shrek Academy, which had produced those two brothers?

Meanwhile, when Ye Zhiqiu heard that they weren't disciples of some sect, he felt relieved, but also couldn't help feeling somewhat helpless.

He'd always believed the students at Canghui Academy were quite outstanding. This time, they were headed for the Star Dou Great Forest to help a few students who hadn't yet reached level twenty obtain Spirit Rings.

But these boys had given him a tremendous shock.

Ye Zhiqiu understood that this boy truly had the right to look down on Canghui Academy.

But how had they cultivated such powerful Soul Power at such a young age?

They were simply Little Monsters.

Of course, though their strength had stunned him, if he backed down now, in front of so many diners, Canghui Academy would lose all face.

The students might not be up to the task, but he had to win back at least a little face for Canghui Academy.

With that thought, Ye Zhiqiu stopped hesitating. A glint flashed in his eyes as he released his Martial Soul.

"Mystic Tortoise, possess me!"

A Beast Spirit: Mystic Tortoise.

A ring of black ripples spread from Ye Zhiqiu's body, forcefully suppressing the others' auras.

His limbs each contracted by a third, while his back bulged, forming a massive shell.

Black light shimmered across his body. Five Spirit Rings rose from beneath his feet and circled him.

Of the five Spirit Rings, one was white, two were yellow, and two were purple. The director of Canghui Academy's External Affairs Department was actually a Soul King above level fifty.

The restaurant erupted in astonished cries. Soul Kings were rare on the continent, after all, and immensely powerful. In some kingdoms, they could even be granted the title of Viscount or Earl.

Dai Mubai's expression changed. He glanced at Oscar, who stood in front of him, but Oscar remained perfectly straight, his white robes fluttering.

Then he looked at Ma Hongjun, who was still eating his meal, completely unbothered.

Having calmed down from his impulsiveness, Dai Mubai remembered that Shrek's teachers were upstairs. They must have noticed the commotion downstairs, so he straightened up and faced Ye Zhiqiu.

Then Ye Zhiqiu spoke again, and what he said was quite tactful.

"You children are too young to know better. Don't go saying things carelessly in the future. Call your academy's teacher out here."

Though Dai Mubai considered them all geniuses, the difference in strength was plain to see. Of the three, one was level twenty-five, one was level twenty without a Second Soul Ring, and one was only level eighteen. They had no chance of winning.

He was just about to call for the teachers upstairs when Oscar stopped him.

"We got ourselves into this mess, so we'll deal with it ourselves. How about we go outside?"

Oscar gestured toward the shopkeeper, who was looking over at them with a pitiful expression, and spoke to Ye Zhiqiu.

Ye Zhiqiu hesitated. Even if he could teach this white-clad boy a lesson, it wouldn't restore his academy's reputation. He sighed helplessly and was about to let Oscar off the hook.

Then Dai Mubai taunted him. "You old tortoise, what are you scared of?"

After Oscar stopped him, he'd guessed what Oscar was thinking.

Shrek Academy's teachers were all upstairs. There were three Soul Saints above level seventy and one Soul Emperor above level sixty. If Oscar got hurt, they might as well line up and bash their heads against a block of tofu.

With his Mystic Tortoise Martial Soul, Ye Zhiqiu hated one thing more than anything else: being called a tortoise.

He'd only meant to scare the boys a little. After all, he didn't want to be accused of bullying the young, and he had no idea how powerful the academy behind them was.

But Dai Mubai had touched a nerve. Ye Zhiqiu was furious—so furious that he laughed.

"Fine. I'll teach you a lesson in your teachers' place. Let's go outside."

With that, he turned and headed out. The massive black shell on his back swayed in a rather comical way, but the Soul Power he released was undeniably robust.

The Canghui Academy students limped after Ye Zhiqiu out of the hotel. Dai Mubai lowered his voice and said to Oscar:

"That old fellow is above level fifty, and his Mystic Tortoise Martial Soul is a pretty decent Beast Spirit. Its offensive power isn't especially high, but its defense is extremely strong.

"If you can't hold out, just call for the teachers. Don't worry about losing face."

Oscar glanced at him, and Ma Hongjun did too, but the two senior and junior brothers said nothing. Dai Mubai felt a little awkward.

What he didn't know was that the four teachers upstairs had already gathered on the rooftop and opened a betting pool.

Li Yusong: "How many moves do you think Little Oscar can last in this fight?"

Shao Xin looked worried as he replied, "Ten moves. He's only just reached level twenty, after all."

Flender stroked his beard, a sly glint flashing in his eagle eyes. He spoke slowly. "Twenty moves should be no problem. Let's bet on thirty, then."

Zhao Wuji sat to one side and asked, "Then let's open the pool. Li Yusong, how many moves do you think Little Oscar can last?"

"Me? I'll take the middle. Twenty moves."

"Then it's settled. I opened the pool, so if you lose, all that money goes to me."

Zhao Wuji gathered a pile of money into his arms and said with a hearty laugh.