After finally wriggling free of the embrace, Tang Ya was still blushing. She tidied the slightly mussed bangs on her forehead, then gave Mu Guiyun a playful wink and chuckled. "I'm going to place my bet first. I'll introduce you to a new friend later—she's a great beauty, too!"
"See you later!"
"Goodbye."
The two smiled and waved farewell. Watching Tang Ya skip away, Mu Guiyun couldn't help feeling a little wistful.
You had to hand it to a plant-type Soul Master—even she carried a faint, lingering fragrance.
As for the new friend Tang Ya had mentioned, Mu Guiyun could make a pretty good guess.
"It's probably Jiang Nannan. I wonder how her mother's illness is doing."
Meanwhile, Tang Ya hurried to the betting hall, accompanied by a melancholy girl with golden hair and rabbit ears.
Facing the staff member, Tang Ya immediately took out everything she owned, including the bag of Gold Soul Coins Mu Guiyun had lent her.
"I'd like to place a bet. Put it all on Mu Guiyun winning at Arena No. 4!"
"Please wait a moment."
The staff member lowered their head and quietly counted the Gold Soul Coins. A moment later, they looked up again. "Hello. Your bet is 504 Gold Soul Coins, with odds of 1:1.7. Here's your ticket. Please keep it safe!"
"Huh? The odds are that low?"
Learning that the odds weren't as high as she'd expected, Tang Ya's mood immediately sank.
Mu Guiyun's first opponent was a veteran Soul Elder from the outer court. Apart from a few gamblers willing to take a dangerous chance, surely not many people would bet on Mu Guiyun.
"Oh, well. I can still make several hundred Gold Soul Coins. That'll feed me for ages."
She had no idea that Mu Guiyun had recklessly bet over ten million on himself, dragging the odds down considerably.
Tang Ya carefully put away her ticket, then looked at her friend in confusion. "Nannan, why aren't you placing a bet?"
The girl was Tang Ya's closest friend, Jiang Nannan.
At her question, Jiang Nannan's expression turned hesitant. "This... I think I'll pass."
Her situation was hardly better than Tang Ya's. Her part-time jobs earned her only a dozen or so Gold Soul Coins each month, not even enough to cover her mother's medicine.
"Hehehe!"
Tang Ya grinned, then leaned close to Jiang Nannan's ear and whispered mysteriously, "I know Mu Guiyun! He's incredibly strong. Trust me, bet on him and you're guaranteed to make money!"
Guaranteed to make money?
The rabbit ears atop Jiang Nannan's head twitched twice, and she fell into indecision.
Seeing that her friend was still hesitant, Tang Ya confidently patted her chest and promised, "Don't worry, Nannan. The two of us are going to make a killing today!"
At last, Jiang Nannan nodded firmly, as if she had made up her mind. "All right. I'll give it a try, too."
Tang Ya could be a little unreliable sometimes, but as her only close friend, she chose to trust her in the end.
After leaving the betting hall, the two held hands and went to the audience area to wait quietly for the match to begin.
The entry requirements for the Inter-grade Challenge Tournament were very relaxed. Any outer-court student from Grade 2 to Grade 6 who was confident in their abilities could choose to compete.
The rules were simple and brutal: one-on-one, the winner advanced, and the loser was eliminated. The opponents were determined by random draw.
This method, relying entirely on luck, was extremely unfair. But when it came to battles between Soul Masters, fairness had never really existed.
"Competitors Mu Guiyun and Li Jiahao, please proceed to Arena No. 4!"
At the staff member's call, Mu Guiyun slowly opened his eyes.
Just thinking about what was about to happen made the corners of his mouth twitch upward.
He hadn't spent long at the outer court, and he'd never even taken part in a proper Soul Fighting match. Aside from knowing his name was Mu Guiyun, everyone else knew nothing about him. Even his Soul Power Level was still listed as Level 29.
Now came the test of his acting skills!
The Soul Fighting Arena was already packed to the brim. People crowded even the edges of the aisles, and the clamor below rose and fell before finally swelling into layer upon layer of deafening cheers that surged toward the platform.
Unlike other academies, Shrek Academy allowed outsiders into its Soul Fighting Arena. For just one Silver Soul Coin, they could enjoy an exciting Soul Fighting match—or place a bet on the Soul Master they favored.
"Both competitors, take the stage!"
The moment Mu Guiyun stepped onto the platform, the entire audience area erupted.
His outstanding bearing and peerless looks stirred a sour pang in the hearts of many male spectators.
"Damn, why does he get to be this handsome? That's not fair!"
"Honestly, I was planning to grow up looking like that, but he cut in line..."
The female spectators, on the other hand, were far more direct, shouting at the top of their lungs.
"Handsome, you've got this! Go, go, go!"
"Baby, Mom loves you!"
"Cute boy, if you win, I'll give you a private reward!"
The audience's cheering didn't affect Mu Guiyun in the slightest. He was quietly sizing up his opponent.
"State your names!"
"Mu Guiyun, Grade 2 Class 1."
"Li Jiahao, Grade 5 Class 1."
The girls in the audience screamed their encouragement for Mu Guiyun. Envy and jealousy welled up in Li Jiahao, and he spoke sourly. "Kid, Soul Fighting matches aren't about who's better-looking!"
"You don't need to worry about that."
Seeing the two of them bristle at each other, the referee didn't waste time and immediately announced the start of the match.
As soon as the referee's voice fell, Li Jiahao summoned his Martial Soul. A curved blade appeared in his hand, and three optimally matched Soul Rings floated behind him.
"Blades don't have eyes. Watch yourself!"
Li Jiahao sneered. A faint blue glow surged across the curved blade in his hand, and the only purple Soul Ring behind him lit up as well.
He planned to defeat Mu Guiyun with a swift, thunderous strike, so those shallow girls in the audience would realize that being handsome was useless on the Douluo Continent!
When you were out in the world, what mattered was strength!
"Winner: Mu Guiyun!"
When the referee announced the end of the match, deafening curses rang out from the audience. Clearly, many people had bet a hefty number of Gold Soul Coins on Li Jiahao.
"I won!"
Mu Guiyun panted heavily, deliberately putting on the appearance of someone whose Soul Power had been drained and who had fought with all his might. He even staggered a couple of times, looking as if he might collapse at any moment.
"Damn it! I was so close..."
Li Jiahao cursed under his breath, unwilling to accept the result.
He couldn't believe he'd lost to a junior three grades below him—and one of those Soul Engineers he looked down on most, at that!
To make a killing in one go, Mu Guiyun had fought entirely with close-combat Soul Tools. He hadn't used a single Soul Ring—not even his Martial Soul.
After the referee announced the result, Mu Guiyun staggered down from the platform, looking as if a gust of wind might blow him over.