The Wager

Su Bai looked at the scene before him. Behind the Combat Gym was an open-air field, just like a soccer field, except it was larger—three times the size of a regular soccer field.

There weren't many people in the stands, either. Not even a tenth of the seats were filled, making the place look almost empty. This surprised him.

"Is the Campus Tournament really that unpopular? Why are there so few people watching?"

" Hehe, we're only Ninja Apprentices, after all, so we're not very exciting to watch. And tickets to the Combat Gym aren't cheap, so there haven't been many spectators in past years."

Xia Xueqing took him around another couple of times before they returned to the competitors' area. As soon as they got back, they saw Chang Rui looking sullen and displeased.

But when the two of them saw Wen Yuanyuan smiling nearby, they immediately understood.

Wen Yuanyuan must have been "teasing" Chang Rui again.

Looking at the two girls, who were like fire and water whenever they met, Su Bai asked curiously, "Xueqing, do those two have some kind of grudge? Why do they start fighting every time they see each other?"

"No." Xia Xueqing let out a long sigh. "They don't have a grudge. In fact, they used to be good friends."

"?" Su Bai was even more confused. If they had been good friends, how had things ended up like this?

Xia Xueqing glanced at Chang Rui and Wen Yuanyuan, who were glaring at each other, and spoke softly.

"Uncle Chang and Uncle Wen used to be comrades in the same ninja squad. They had a bond forged through life and death, and our families were very close. Sister Xiao Rui had known Wen Yuanyuan since they were little."

"I remember they were especially close when they were young. I don't know when they started comparing themselves to each other."

"They competed in their studies, popularity, and strength. Neither would give an inch, and Wen Yuanyuan has always had the upper hand over the years. On top of that, Sister Xiao Rui has never been one to admit defeat, so this is how they act whenever they meet."

Xia Xueqing helplessly spread her small, fair hands. "Actually, given Sister Xiao Rui's family background, she doesn't care much about the tournament's rewards. She just wants to beat Wen Yuanyuan."

"Now you know why she's been complaining about you all this time, right? She's actually just sulking over Wen Yuanyuan."

"I see. That makes sense." Su Bai smiled, then asked, "In that case, why did you choose me as your teammate? Surely Chang Rui has classmates who are stronger than me?"

He attended Yang City Ordinary High School, while Chang Rui went to a Noble School. There was only one Noble School in all of Yang City.

Its students were either rich or influential, and they had no shortage of cultivation resources. The overall quality of its students was far higher than that of regular high schools.

"Huh? I, I... just thought you were pretty good." Xia Xueqing hadn't expected Su Bai to suddenly ask her that. She stammered, her pretty face turning a little red.

"Heh."

Su Bai chuckled. He knew Xia Xueqing too well not to see what she was thinking.

Not wanting to put her on the spot, he returned with her to Chang Rui.

"Xueqing, we absolutely can't lose to Wen Yuanyuan this time!"

Chang Rui was furious. Wen Yuanyuan had just mocked her again!

"Mm, the three of us will give it our all. We can do this!" Xia Xueqing encouraged her.

"Three?" Chang Rui glanced at Su Bai without saying anything. From her expression, she clearly hadn't counted him as part of the team.

Eight o'clock sharp.

The Yang City Campus Tournament began on time.

The emcee stood on the raised platform with a microphone in hand, introducing the teams competing in the tournament.

"Ladies and gentlemen, there are 66 teams competing this time. These young people are the future of Yang City, so let's cheer them on!"

Applause rang out through the stands, and then the competitors began to enter.

Su Bai's team was assigned to the fourth division. Unless they received a bye, they would have to win four qualifying matches to reach the semifinals, where they would compete against the other three teams for the championship on the main stage.

Chang Rui had already found out the details. Wen Yuanyuan's team was their only serious threat; the rest were nothing to worry about.

Sure enough, things went just as she expected. The first few matches were incredibly easy.

Their first opponents were three students who hadn't even mastered the Three Body Technique and were only there to gain experience. Chang Rui scared them into forfeiting with a single "Great Fireball." Su Bai and Xia Xueqing didn't even have to lift a finger.

Their second opponents were just as weak. Chang Rui couldn't even be bothered to fight, so she pulled Xia Xueqing to one side.

"Su Bai, these three are about the same as the last team. Go fight them. Xueqing and I will watch and see what you can do."

"Sure." Su Bai nodded and walked a few steps forward, facing the three students.

The opposing team had been about to surrender. After all, they had seen Chang Rui's strength in the previous match and knew they stood no chance against her.

But now, only one person from the other team had stepped forward. They felt insulted and decided they had to save face!

"Damn it, so what if he knows a C-rank ninjutsu? What's so impressive about that?" grumbled a short boy. His two teammates nodded, feeling they'd been looked down on.

"He must have some skill if he can team up with the little princess of the Xia Family. Let's attack together. At the very least, we've got to knock him down!" said another boy.

The girl in the middle nodded. "Right! Let's show those two arrogant girls what we can do!"

"Let's go!"

"Yeah!"

The three charged at Su Bai, hoping to strike first. But aside from the Three Body Technique, they didn't know any other ninjutsu and could only rely on taijutsu to attack.

I can't reveal too much of my chakra. I don't want to put Wen Yuanyuan's team on alert ahead of time.

Su Bai decided to stick to the strength he'd let others see and save a "surprise" for Wen Yuanyuan.

He formed hand seals.

"Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu!"

After reducing his chakra output, Su Bai found that he could perform the ninjutsu even faster. In just two seconds, he disappeared beneath the ground!

"Ah, it's a ninjutsu! Watch out!" The girl in the middle saw Su Bai vanish and immediately warned her teammates!

But it was already too late. Su Bai appeared beneath her feet, grabbed her right ankle, and gave it a gentle tug. Her whole body sank into the earth, leaving only her head above the surface.

"Stop, stop! We surrender!"

The other two boys saw Su Bai starting to form hand seals again and quickly conceded.

That was a ninjutsu. They had no way to deal with it.

Su Bai smiled, formed hand seals again, and used the "Double Suicide Decapitation Technique" to pull the girl out of the ground himself.

Her clothes were all dirty, and she was breathing hard. Being squeezed underground had been an awful experience.

"Are you okay?" Su Bai asked.

"I'm fine. Thank you." The girl blushed as she thanked him. Su Bai had seemed so gentle to her...

In the distance, Xia Xueqing was puzzled by how quickly Su Bai formed hand seals. The veins beside her beautiful eyes bulged—a sign that she had activated her Byakugan.

"What! Su Bai's Chakra Level is actually..."

After the match, Su Bai returned to the two girls.

"Not bad. You're pretty quick at casting ninjutsu." Chang Rui was a little surprised.

Xia Xueqing looked at Su Bai happily, a sly glint in her eyes. Feigning surprise, she said, "Su Bai, I didn't expect you to form hand seals even faster than I do. How did you manage that?"

"Heh, you get faster with enough practice."

Chapter 27: The Wager

The tournament was in full swing. Su Bai's team had won every match with ease and had already taken first place in their division. They were just waiting for the semifinals to begin.

Wen Yuanyuan's team had also advanced alongside them. The other two semifinalist teams were still fighting through the elimination rounds, leaving only the six of them in the rest area.

"What are you laughing at?" Chang Rui shouted at Wen Yuanyuan, who was sitting some distance away with a smile.

"Hehe." Wen Yuanyuan stood up and walked over with Yang Liu and Yan Zheng. "Of course I'm happy. We're going to win the championship."

After watching the previous matches, she had seen that Su Bai really was as mediocre as his registration form claimed. This only made her more certain that she would win.

Like Chang Rui, Wen Yuanyuan didn't care about the tournament's rewards. She just wanted to get one over on her!

Chang Rui glared at her. "Are you dreaming? You won't win the championship with me around!"

"Please. You can say that with a straight face?"

"I have Yang Liu, who uses Ice Release, and Yan Zheng, who uses Fire Release. You think you can beat the three of us with just Xueqing?"

"C-can't I take on two of you by myself?" Chang Rui argued, but everyone could see how little confidence she had.

Wen Yuanyuan looked at her contemptuously. "You? You can't even beat me, and you think you can take on two?"

"Xueqing may have the Byakugan and be very strong, but there's no way she can take on two people at once. You're bound to lose!"

"As for Su Bai... heh."

Wen Yuanyuan ignored Su Bai and kept taunting Chang Rui.

Yan Zheng and Yang Liu looked a little awkward after hearing that. After all, they were two men teaming up to bully a woman. What kind of thing was that?

But Xia Xueqing was strong and had the Byakugan bloodline, so they didn't dare underestimate her. They silently went along with Wen Yuanyuan's plan.

"Look, you can analyze the match all you want, but could you at least be a little more polite?" Su Bai said as he stepped forward, watching Chang Rui seethe. He sighed helplessly.

He'd only wanted to keep his strength hidden and win first place without taking any risks. But after pretending to be weak for so long, everyone had started to take him for a fool...

Wen Yuanyuan froze for a moment, then laughed.

"Haha, you're a weakling who can't even manage two cards' worth of chakra. What makes you think you deserve my attention?"

Weakling?

Su Bai furrowed his brow.

He could understand Chang Rui calling him a weakling; after all, he had indeed been a "burden" to her.

But he didn't like hearing it from Wen Yuanyuan, too.

Su Bai didn't argue with her, though. Instead, he smiled and said, "In that case, do you dare to make a bet with me? I bet you can't beat me one-on-one."

"Sure. Why wouldn't I?" Wen Yuanyuan brushed her hair aside. "Go on, what's the stake? I'm not playing if it's too small."

"The stake is ten thousand Federal Co—"

"The stake is a D-Rank Ninjutsu Scroll!" Xia Xueqing cut in before Su Bai could finish, smiling.

"Xueqing?" Su Bai looked at the girl in front of him, slightly stunned.

Wen Yuanyuan stared at Xia Xueqing in surprise, inwardly wondering, Xueqing is willing to pay such a high price for this Su Bai? What's their relationship?

Though surprised, she had no reason to refuse when Xia Xueqing was offering her a ninjutsu scroll. She accepted at once.

"Fine. We'll bet one D-Rank Ninjutsu Scroll!"

After the bet was settled, Wen Yuanyuan lost interest in staying. Her team would be up soon.

Chang Rui watched her walk away and curled her lip, then turned to Su Bai. "I didn't realize you had so much guts. You even dared to provoke Wen Yuanyuan."

She was pleased with how Su Bai had acted. At least he hadn't backed down in front of Wen Yuanyuan. And anyone who stood up to Wen Yuanyuan was her "good friend"!

"Provoke her?" Su Bai raised an eyebrow. "I didn't provoke her. She's the one who kept provoking me."

"That's true, but are you really ready to get beaten to a pulp by her?"

"Beaten to a pulp? Heh. You'll see." Su Bai gave her a mysterious smile.

"Whatever. Stop acting mysterious!" Chang Rui rolled her eyes at him. "I'm going to scout the competition."

With that, she left the rest area.

Su Bai looked at the girl beside him. "Xueqing, thank you for believing in me. I won't let you waste your money."

A D-Rank Ninjutsu Scroll was worth at least a million Federal Coins. He didn't know how much money meant to Xia Xueqing, but he, Su Bai, couldn't afford that kind of expense.

Xia Xueqing shook her head and spoke softly. "It's only a D-Rank Ninjutsu Scroll. It's nothing."

"Besides, Su Bai... I know you'll win."

Hmm?

Su Bai looked at the girl in surprise, not understanding why she had so much faith in him.