The rules of the Inter-grade Challenge Tournament were quite considerate. After each round ended, the advancing contestants were given a full hour to rest.
On the one hand, this let them get back into shape. On the other, to put it bluntly, it gave the audience plenty of time to go wild placing bets on the next round.
As soon as the first round ended, Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan hurried into the betting hall.
Looking at the glittering Gold Soul Coins in her arms, Tang Ya grinned from ear to ear.
"We're rich, we're rich! We've made a killing!"
After subtracting the five hundred Gold Soul Coins Mu Guiyun had lent her and the platform's cut, she'd netted more than three hundred Gold Soul Coins this time!
Jiang Nannan was beaming too. She hadn't wagered much to begin with, but for someone as thrifty as her, this was already a massive sum.
Having gotten a taste of victory, Tang Ya waved her little hand again. "Again! I'm putting it all on Arena No. 4. Mu Guiyun is guaranteed to win!"
After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Nannan not only went all in with the Gold Soul Coins in her hands, but also threw in the little nest egg she'd spent ages saving.
"The winner of this match is Mu Guiyun!"
The referee's voice rang out again, but this time his expression was indescribably strange.
Even the vast Soul Fighting Arena was shrouded in an exceptionally bizarre atmosphere.
After several rounds of matches, the eight contestants advancing in the Inter-grade Challenge Tournament had finally been decided.
The other contestants had crushed their opponents with overwhelming force, winning cleanly and decisively.
Mu Guiyun alone was a bizarre exception.
Whether his opponent was a Soul Ancestor or a Soul Elder, every match had been a back-and-forth struggle, with him putting on a convincing show of barely scraping out a win.
Even ordinary spectators without Soul Power had finally caught on.
This brat had been acting the whole time!
His strength was absurd, yet he'd deliberately fought as if he were in dire straits. Even an idiot could see he must have placed a huge bet on himself. He'd done all this to drive down the odds!
"Damn it! Give us our money back!"
"Have you no shame?!"
A storm of curses and complaints swept through the entire Soul Fighting Arena.
Mu Guiyun, however, wasn't the least bit rattled. He didn't care at all.
He casually brushed the dust off his clothes, then walked off the platform without looking back.
It was only making money. Nothing to be ashamed of!
"That's enough for now. Thirty million is plenty."
Now that Mu Guiyun's act had been exposed, the audience had driven his betting odds lower and lower. He might as well enjoy the thrill of a proper fight instead.
Besides, none of his upcoming opponents would be pushovers. They were all Shrek geniuses, and quite a few were destined to become top Inner Court elites.
If he accidentally lost, Mu Guiyun would want to die.
On the high platform, Yan Shaozhe watched the boy swagger off the stage, the corner of his mouth curling with amusement.
"This kid really won't pass up a chance to fleece anyone!"
Well, Yan Shaozhe had done it too.
It wasn't just Yan Shaozhe. The other three deans had also placed huge bets on Mu Guiyun.
After a brief rest, Mu Guiyun stepped back onto the stage at the staff's urging.
When he saw his opponent for this round, a flicker of surprise flashed through his eyes.
It was her!
Across the platform stood a breathtakingly beautiful girl. Her smooth, ice-blue hair fell naturally over her shoulders, and an elegant princess gown accentuated her slender figure to perfection.
A dainty, exquisite crown adorned the top of her head, lending her an air of nobility. Her slender jade fingers gripped an Ice Pattern Staff decorated with intricate patterns.
A sharp, bone-chilling cold enveloped her. A lingering sorrow and melancholy lay between her brows, and her aloof, distant bearing made her seem untouchable.
As Mu Guiyun studied her, Ling Luochеn calmly sized him up as well.
When she saw his strikingly handsome face, the girl couldn't help but pause.
"I can tell you've been deliberately holding back, but I hope you'll give this match everything you've got. Otherwise, you'll most likely lose very badly."
"No problem."
Mu Guiyun nodded lightly.
Now that the odds were completely worthless, putting on an act wouldn't earn him a thing. He might as well cut loose and enjoy a proper fight.
Seeing Mu Guiyun agree, Ling Luochеn gave him a gentle, warm smile.
"Ling Luochеn, level forty-three Control System Battle Soul Ancestor."
"Mu Guiyun, level thirty-eight Power Attack System Battle Soul Elder."
Level thirty-eight?
Ling Luochеn narrowed her eyes. Looking at the boy's somewhat youthful face, she immediately raised her estimation of him several notches.
Once the referee saw they were ready, he announced loudly, "The quarterfinals of the Inter-grade Challenge Tournament! Mu Guiyun of Grade 2 Class 1 versus Ling Luochеn of Grade 5 Class 1! Let the match begin!"
As soon as the words fell, Ling Luochеn activated her Martial Soul Possession.
The Ice Pattern Staff in her hand instantly blazed with brilliant azure light, and the temperature around them dropped several degrees.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple!
Four Soul Rings revolved neatly behind her.
Ling Luochеn's Martial Soul was the pure Ice Element, one of the very best even among high-tier Martial Souls.
"Junior, you'd better be caref—how is that possible?!"
Ling Luochеn was about to throw out a few bold words, but when her gaze swept over the space behind Mu Guiyun, her entire body froze!
Black! Black! Black!
Three pitch-black Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings pulsed steadily behind Mu Guiyun. Their terrifying aura left even Ling Luochеn struggling to breathe!
As Mu Guiyun revealed his Soul Rings, the arena of several thousand people fell completely silent!
"Th-that can't be real, can it?"
"A level thirty-eight Soul Elder with three Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings?! How does that even make sense?!"
"That's the most outrageous Soul Ring Configuration I've ever seen! Unprecedented!"
"Damn it, give us our money back!"
Even the bigwigs on the high platform lost their composure.
Even Yan Shaozhe, usually so calm and collected, couldn't help swearing.
"Holy crap! What's going on with that kid's Soul Rings?!"
After months of training day and night, Mu Guiyun's physical constitution had long since improved enough to withstand Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings.
And with Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, the Soul Ring cheat code, naturally all three of his Soul Rings had been upgraded to the Ten Thousand Year level.
On the platform, Mu Guiyun couldn't stop the corner of his mouth from lifting. The teasing look in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by unprecedented confidence and wild exhilaration.
The dumbfounded faces of everyone in the arena filled him with a satisfaction and thrill unlike anything he'd ever felt.
I've been reincarnated, damn it. If I don't pick up girls and show off, then what was the point of reincarnating?!
The clear sky instantly turned black with rolling clouds!
Silver-white arcs of lightning darted wildly through the clouds, and deafening thunder shook the entire Soul Fighting Arena.
A violent gale swept across the arena, even making Ling Luochеn's skin sting.
How terrifying!
This overwhelming pressure was nothing like what someone at level thirty-eight should be able to unleash!
High above, Mu Guiyun's voice, wrapped in thunder, rang across the entire arena!
"When thunder rolls across the clouds, when lightning lights up the earth!"
"I come with the storm, bearing the wrath of the gods!"
Ling Luochеn's instincts screamed alarm. She didn't dare hesitate for even a moment and lit all four Soul Rings behind her at once.
A bone-chilling cold erupted. Layer upon layer of ice walls rapidly formed around Ling Luochеn, sealing her safely within.
"I! Am the lightning!!!"