The Soul Fighting Arena ran on a reservation system. Since Chu Feng couldn't be bothered to wait, he'd had Wang Dong use his identity badge to book a match with Xu Sanshi.
Generally, no one would back out of a match like this. Breaking an appointment was tantamount to fleeing from battle, a tremendous disgrace for a Soul Master.
Of course, even if a match was canceled due to unforeseen circumstances, not many people would pay it any mind. Dozens of matches took place in the Soul Fighting Arena every day, and some were bound to be canceled at the last minute.
But this match between Xu Sanshi and Chu Feng had landed right in the eye of the storm. Add in the vast difference in their strength and status, and it had caused an uproar. If either side backed out, the fallout would be considerable.
On the Soul Fighting Platform, Xu Sanshi stood with his hands behind his back, looking utterly proud.
Still, he couldn't help wondering if Chu Feng was deliberately standing him up.
As far as he could tell, Chu Feng had been full of confidence when he challenged him. Given the other boy's personality, he wouldn't back out like this. But he still hadn't shown up... and Xu Sanshi was beginning to wonder...
"Sorry, sorry! I'm late. I haven't missed it, have I?"
Just then, a familiar voice reached Xu Sanshi's ears, making him jolt.
Chu Feng came hurrying onto the Soul Fighting Platform, looking disheveled and clearly in a rush.
"You finally made it. Let's get started. Show me what gives you the nerve to challenge me." Xu Sanshi didn't care about any of that. He kept his hands behind his back and looked down at Chu Feng.
"Boo!"
"Xu Sanshi, have you no shame? You're still putting on an act when you're up against a new student?"
"Hahaha, give it a rest. Xu Sanshi's obviously doing this for Jiang Nannan. Otherwise, he wouldn't shamelessly pick on a new student."
"So that's what it is. That really does sound like something Xu Sanshi would do."
Many of the spectators knew Xu Sanshi. Seeing him once again show off in front of Jiang Nannan, they all looked at him with scorn.
Xu Sanshi was left in an awkward spot. To be honest, he'd agreed to the match in a moment of recklessness. He even suspected he'd been set up...
If he won, he'd be scorned for bullying a new student. If he lost... He couldn't lose!
"The Soul Fighting Platform is for friendly sparring. The fight ends when either side surrenders. Both of you have paid ten Gold Soul Coins as a wager. The winner will receive the full twenty." A Soul King referee came over and briefly explained the rules to Chu Feng, the newcomer.
"The wager's too small. I don't like it. Xu Sanshi, do you dare to raise it?" Chu Feng shook his head and looked at Xu Sanshi.
"What do you want?" Xu Sanshi immediately had a bad feeling.
"Two Mystic Water Pills," Chu Feng said coolly.
"Get lost! Absolutely not!"
Xu Sanshi's face darkened as he rejected him outright.
"Chicken," Chu Feng said with a disdainful smile.
"You!!!! If I put up Mystic Water Pills, what can you offer in return?!" Xu Sanshi roared, furious.
"If I lose, I'll supply you and Jiang Nannan with unlimited hamburgers," Chu Feng replied, still brimming with confidence.
"No way! One pill at most! Your wager's too small!" Xu Sanshi grew even angrier. Chu Feng was practically trying to fleece him for free. Hamburgers might be delicious, but they cost next to nothing to make.
His Mystic Water Pills, on the other hand, were worth their weight in gold. Damn it, how could this new student be so shameless?!
"Chicken. Are you afraid you'll lose?"
"I thought you cared so much about Jiang Nannan, but she's not even worth two Mystic Water Pills to you. Pathetic."
Chu Feng's expression stayed blank, but the scorn and contempt in his eyes were painfully obvious.
Mystic Water Pills were useless to Chu Feng. He simply didn't want Huo Yuhao to get them. He was curious to see how far Huo Yuhao could grow without the pills' help in the early stages.
"Ahhh—"
"Two pills it is!!!"
"I refuse to believe a new student like you can beat me!!"
Xu Sanshi roared.
Intelligence -100,000, anger +100,000.
The Soul Fighting Arena was enormous, but it had Amplifying Soul Tools. Everyone heard their conversation loud and clear, and their expressions turned wonderfully colorful.
"Hahaha! This new student's a beast! He actually managed to make Xu Sanshi this angry!"
"But he's asking for the moon too. He wants to wager two Mystic Water Pills in one go, and that idiot Xu Sanshi fell for it."
"I'd take the bait too! He's just a new student, with practically no chance of winning. I'd bet even ten Mystic Water Pills!"
"Jiang Nannan really does the trick. All it takes is a little goading, and Xu Sanshi can't take it~"
"Chu Feng may be a new student, but he sure knows plenty of gossip. And he even knows to use Jiang Nannan to provoke Xu Sanshi. Not bad~"
"I wonder what this hamburger is. It must've won Jiang Nannan's heart. Xu Sanshi's been cuckolded by a hamburger..."
"But I'm still curious. What nerve does a new student like Chu Feng have to challenge Xu Sanshi? Could he have a powerful Soul Tool?" someone wondered. After all, a new student could only hope to challenge someone above their level by using a Soul Tool.
"Come on. Xu Sanshi specializes in defense. If that new student's trump card really is a Soul Tool, he'll lose the clothes off his back."
"Haha, good point. Let's watch and see~"
"Both sides have confirmed their wagers. The match begins."
The referee waited until the two were done trading insults, then announced the start of the fight.
"Kid, I'll let you make the first move. Don't say your senior bullied you." Xu Sanshi kept his hands behind his back and looked at Chu Feng through his nostrils, his face full of arrogance.
Xu Sanshi had been a little impulsive just now, and he'd put up a rather large wager, but he still didn't think he could lose.
After all, the boy standing in front of him was just a new student—at most, a trashy Soul Grandmaster in his twenties.
Xu Sanshi was a Soul Elder, and one of the strongest at that. He was used to challenging people above his level; no one had ever challenged him that way!
Besides, his Martial Soul was built for defense. He could just stand there and let Chu Feng hammer away until the other boy ran out of Soul Power and stamina.
This guy actually used my Nannan to provoke me. I have to teach him a lesson, Xu Sanshi thought.
Seeing Xu Sanshi act so smug, Chu Feng immediately took offense!
He could endure other people insulting him. He could even endure being wronged. But someone standing right in front of him and openly showing off? That was absolutely intolerable!
The next moment.
Chu Feng's eyes turned scarlet. Strands of scorching flame flickered in them, and that tiny spark alone made the temperature throughout the entire Soul Fighting Arena soar!
"Holy crap, what kind of Martial Soul is that? That fire attribute is so powerful... Is this guy even human?!"
Feeling the fire radiating from Chu Feng's eyes, Xu Sanshi's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
He was often whipped by Ma Xiaotao's Phoenix Evil Fire. In his eyes, it was the most powerful flame he'd ever encountered. But now... it seemed he'd found something even stronger!
At that thought, Xu Sanshi could no longer keep up his cool act. He hurriedly activated his second Soul Skill, summoning more than a dozen powerful Black Tortoise Shields to encase himself.
[You shocked ***, your comprehension increased by 50%]
[You shocked **, your cultivation speed increased by 50%]
[You shocked Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan's favorability +50]
[...]
Chu Feng: ????
He could understand the boosts to comprehension and cultivation speed, but what was Jiang Nannan's favorability doing there?
Could this stuff drop from a simp too??
Well, it did kind of make sense...
Xu Sanshi had started pursuing Jiang Nannan as soon as he enrolled. They were now about fifteen, and he'd been after her for more than three years, yet her favorability toward him was still in the negatives.
But Chu Feng had put on a show for a moment and her favorability went up by twenty. If Xu Sanshi found out, he'd probably spit up thirty tons of blood on the spot...
Before you continue