A Side Bet

"You really are a master at staying true to your sleep-loving persona."

Listening to Huo Yuhao's teasing, Wang Dong casually rolled over on the bed and said, "Since you won't practice the Martial Soul Fusion Skill with me anyway, I might as well get some proper rest and keep myself in fighting shape."

Leaning against the windowsill, Huo Yuhao pretended not to understand as she looked at Wang Dong. "That's what I find strange. One of our Martial Souls is a butterfly, and the other is an eye. Why are you so certain that, without any blood relation between us, we definitely have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill?"

Wang Dong was left speechless. After a long while, she squeezed out, "I saw it in a dream," then promptly escaped into sleep.

After messing with Wang Dong, Huo Yuhao's mood improved considerably. She looked toward the sun hanging in the sky, closed her eyes, and began to sense it.

The Ice God Seed she had planted in Ma Xiaotao had already taken root. Yan Shaozhe's incompetence was as consistent as Wang Dong's love of sleep.

He had completely failed to notice the seed Huo Yuhao had planted in Ma Xiaotao's soul. Huo Yuhao had not even needed to use the backup measures she had prepared; all of them had become nourishment for that seed to grow and sprout.

Judging by the timing, the seed would most likely sprout around the time Ma Xiaotao went mad. Then things would become interesting...

When it was time to leave that afternoon, Huo Yuhao slapped Wang Dong's bare lower stomach to wake her up, then headed with her toward the Assessment Area.

To the north of the Assessment Area stood a tall platform, a full twenty meters above the ground and supported by six metal pillars. Looking up from below, it was impossible to tell how many people it could hold. Shadowy figures could be seen above, seemingly watching the matches.

From a height of twenty meters, one could overlook the entire Assessment Area and clearly see the battles in every arena.

Just as the two of them found a place to wait for their match, hurried footsteps sounded behind them.

Turning around, they saw Xiao Xiao rushing over.

"I'm not late, am I?" Xiao Xiao wiped the sweat from her hair tips, panting as she asked them.

"Of course not. Did you sleep past your stop at noon too?" Huo Yuhao looked at Xiao Xiao with considerable curiosity, but Xiao Xiao shook her head.

"Me? I didn't sleep at all. At noon today, I suddenly felt inspired, so I sat down to cultivate and broke through a level of Soul Power!" Xiao Xiao said excitedly. Then, somewhat embarrassed, she added, "When I came back to myself and checked the time, there were only a few minutes left before I was late."

Huo Yuhao smiled, then patted Xiao Xiao on the shoulder. "Looks like you're pretty lucky. Then you can draw our lot this afternoon!"

Xiao Xiao immediately grew nervous at those words and said helplessly, "Me? Is... is that really okay?"

Huo Yuhao reassuringly patted Xiao Xiao's shoulder again. "Relax, relax. It's fine. No matter how you draw, there are only thirty-one groups. Our strength is solid enough that it doesn't matter who you pick."

Wang Dong nodded first, then smiled at Xiao Xiao. "Of course, it'd be even better if you drew an easier opponent!"

Encouraged by Huo Yuhao, Xiao Xiao finally clenched her fists and strode toward the lottery draw.

Naturally, the lots were not drawn one by one. They were simply taken in the order people arrived. Several representatives from other teams drawing lots at the same time looked curiously at Xiao Xiao.

It was not just those team representatives. Even the teacher in charge of the draw was somewhat stunned upon seeing Xiao Xiao.

Generally speaking, in an environment like Shrek Academy, the representative responsible for drawing lots in team activities was not easily replaced.

In these people's eyes, whoever drew the lot represented the person who held the authority to decide the team's direction.

It was somewhat like the wolf king getting the first bite of meat in the wolf clans described in novels from a past life.

Noticing that quite a few people were watching her, Xiao Xiao steadied herself. After completing the drawing process, she did not speak with anyone and simply returned to her team.

This time, the three of them were assigned to Assessment Area Eight. By the time they arrived, the other team assigned to Area Eight had already arrived as well.

On the viewing platform, Zhou Yi's expression had become as ugly as donkey dung. In a single round of elimination from sixty-four teams to thirty-two, Class One had been reduced to just one surviving team—the seed team she had personally chosen.

For the Outer Court teachers of Shrek Academy, this elimination round was also an assessment. Unless that seed team could ultimately take the championship, Zhou Yi's place at the very bottom was secure.

The teams from Class One had lost far too miserably.

Mu Jin, standing beside her, was instead calm and unruffled. At this point, besides Huo Yuhao's team, Class Two still had four other teams advance. Though their advantage was not particularly obvious, they still held first place.

With the first from the top meeting the first from the bottom, and with the two already at odds with each other, the atmosphere instantly dropped to freezing point.

"Your luck really is good. That last team fighting alone actually didn't run into anyone from my class." After a moment of silence, Mu Jin was the first to speak.

Zhou Yi gripped the railing tightly and tried her best to keep her tone calm. "Yes, my luck has always been good. Someone else's luck, however, seems to be running out. I don't know what madness possessed the captain you chose, handing over the right to draw lots and letting that girl draw them a tough opponent led by a three-ring Soul Elder."

Mu Jin said calmly, "I trust those I employ. Since my student dared to make that choice, I believe he must have his own trump card. Don't forget, he still hasn't used his second soul skill."

Mu Jin's words seemed to stab Zhou Yi hard. Zhou Yi shot Mu Jin a malicious sidelong glance before pretending to remain calm. "You trust those you employ? Then do you dare make a private bet with me? Let's bet on how long your student can last."

Mu Jin smiled, leaned against the railing, and calmly said to Zhou Yi, "Then I'll bet that the other side loses. Like I said, once I make a choice, I believe in my student. Unlike certain people, who have a few dark thoughts in their own hearts and therefore always think their students are trying to play clever tricks on them."

Zhou Yi immediately followed up, "A bet needs some stakes. What do you want to add?"

Mu Jin smiled and continued, "Whoever loses will convert three months of their salary into Gold Soul Coins and present it to the winner on their knees."

Zhou Yi glanced sideways at her. It was not the three months' salary that concerned her, but her surprise that Mu Jin, who had always cared so much about saving face, would make such a large wager while seemingly at a disadvantage.

"What? Too scared?" Mu Jin's tone remained light, carrying a distinct hint of provocation as she spoke to Zhou Yi...