All or Nothing

"Should be this way, right?"

It was already getting late. After classes ended in the afternoon, he had gone to the library, and with the time spent on the road, quite a few vendors had already set up their stalls outside Shrek Academy's gates.

Strictly speaking, the area outside Shrek Academy's gates was already beyond Shrek City proper. However, because of Shrek Academy's presence, it had gradually developed into a small commercial street. There were no proper shops, but there were vendors of practically every kind.

The most numerous and popular among them were all sorts of snack stalls. Simple, affordable snacks made from ordinary ingredients truly offered no help to soul masters' cultivation, but anyone would grow tired of constantly eating cafeteria food. These snacks were merely for a change of taste.

It was impossible that anyone genuinely expected to buy snacks made from all kinds of rare soul beast meat for so little money, right?

Of course, "affordable" was only relative to the prices inside Shrek City and Shrek Academy. Compared to cities other than the capitals of several empires, prices here were still rather high.

But in a commercially developed city like Shrek City, those prices were still quite accessible. Moreover, more than eighty percent of Shrek Academy's students came from wealthy or noble backgrounds and did not care about such trifling sums. As a result, the small commercial street outside Shrek Academy's gates continued to grow larger and larger.

Perhaps after a number of years, this place would truly become a commercial street with complete buildings.

Including the days of freshman registration, Jiang Yue had been at Shrek Academy for several days already. Yet during that time, he had never left the academy, and previously had only come to glance around its entrance.

That meant that with the commercial street being so large, Jiang Yue had no idea where Huo Yuhao's stall was located.

On one hand, since various events had already deviated somewhat from the original plot, Jiang Yue wanted to see for himself whether this scene would still unfold as it had in the original work. He also wanted to see whether he could infer Huo Yuhao's current soul skills.

Soul skills and martial souls were the most private secrets of soul masters. In the world of soul masters, even some married couples might not know the full effects of their partner's soul skills or the traits of their martial soul.

On the other hand, Jiang Yue himself wanted to try Huo Yuhao's grilled fish. It could be said to be the most absurd food in the entirety of the second Douluo Continent story. Even those accustomed to delicacies from the mountains and seas could not resist the taste of Little Huo's grilled fish.

Just as Jiang Yue was feeling troubled over how to find Huo Yuhao's stall in such a large commercial street, a strange, enticing fragrance drifted over from one direction and stimulated his sense of smell. It was completely different from the aromas of the food sold by the surrounding vendors, carrying an indescribable quality.

Jiang Yue was not the only one. Many people who caught that scent were drawn to it and began searching for the source of the unfamiliar fragrance.

Because his spiritual power was far greater than that of his peers, Jiang Yue quickly pinpointed the source of the scent and rushed in that direction at his fastest speed. However, there was some distance between him and the stall, so although Jiang Yue had quickly located Huo Yuhao's stall, he was not the first to arrive.

But that did not matter. Jiang Yue's main purpose was to see whether the sequence involving Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan would still be triggered, so he could determine whether there was a chance to profit from it.

Since Huo Yuhao was an unfamiliar face, most people remained cautious even though his grilled fish smelled exceptionally good. Still, the aroma was simply too tempting, and quite a few people had already gathered around Huo Yuhao's stall.

There were only five or six people ahead of Jiang Yue who wanted to be the first to try it. Even though Huo Yuhao's martial soul was the Spirit Eyes, the number of fish he could grill at once was limited, so at this pace, Jiang Yue would still have to wait a while.

Yet when it was Jiang Yue's turn, Huo Yuhao visibly relaxed upon seeing him and smiled.

"Classmate, if you want to try my grilled fish, I'll treat you this time."

Although Huo Yuhao did not know Jiang Yue's name, Jiang Yue's appearance was simply too striking to forget.

Huo Yuhao had already been grateful to Jiang Yue for saving him from the Datura Snake and pointing him toward a suitable soul beast. Yesterday, Jiang Yue had even beaten up Dai Huabin, the man who had killed his mother. To Huo Yuhao, that was simply incredible news, especially the latter.

No matter who it was, as long as they could give Dai Huabin a vicious beating, grind his worthless pride into the dirt, and make that arrogant bastard lose all face, Huo Yuhao would be grateful to them.

"No need. I appreciate your kindness, but this is a small business. The money you earn from this stall should be for your living expenses, right? It's only five copper soul coins. I can afford that much. Give me two."

After Jiang Yue handed Huo Yuhao a silver soul coin, all of Huo Yuhao's grilled fish for the day had been sold. Aside from the two Jiang Yue bought, the remaining two had been specially set aside for Tang Ya at her request.

At that moment, the students who had been gathered around Huo Yuhao's stall, breathing in the scent of his grilled fish, all moved aside in unison to make way. A girl of fourteen or fifteen with long, wavy golden hair, jade-like features, and a gentle, graceful demeanor approached Huo Yuhao's stall with several other girls also dressed in purple fourth-year uniforms.

With that hair color and that appearance, Jiang Yue did not even need to guess. The breathtaking girl before him was Jiang Nannan. It seemed Huo Yuhao's grilled fish had successfully whetted Jiang Nannan's appetite.

As everyone knew, there was an established fact at Shrek Academy during the era of the Unrivaled Tang Sect: wherever Jiang Nannan appeared, Xu Sanshi would inevitably spawn beside her. Since Jiang Nannan had already appeared, and there was no more grilled fish left, Xu Sanshi would surely become anxious and try to overturn Huo Yuhao's stall.

Then Xu Sanshi would trigger the little money-loser incident, be struck by Tang Ya's Dragon Beard Needle, lose to Bei Bei with Huo Yuhao's assistance in the Soul Fighting Arena, and hand over two Mysterious Water Pills.

The Mysterious Water Pill cleansed impurities from the body and improved a soul master's physical constitution. The lower a soul master's innate soul power, the better its effect. Those two Mysterious Water Pills could be said to have helped Huo Yuhao far more than the Soul Ascension Pill, allowing him to escape the tortoise-like cultivation speed caused by his low innate soul power in the early stages.

"Junior, how much is your grilled fish?"

Huo Yuhao looked up and saw Jiang Nannan. For a moment, her beauty caught his gaze, but he quickly looked away from her. After handing the grilled fish in his hands to Jiang Yue, he turned back to Jiang Nannan.

"Senior, my grilled fish is five copper soul coins each."

"That's a little expensive. Including the cost of ingredients and preparation, it should be no more than three copper soul coins, right? You'd still make a profit."

"Sorry, Senior. My grilled fish has a fixed price, and the last two have just been sold."

"Sorry, I haggled out of habit. I'll come try your grilled fish next time if I get the chance."

Huo Yuhao had not expected Jiang Nannan to haggle. He had not thought that at Shrek Academy, where most students came from wealthy or noble backgrounds, a fourth-year senior would bargain over two copper soul coins.

Normally, even if their family circumstances were not particularly good, fourth-year students were at least Soul Elder level. On the Douluo Continent, Soul Elders had already stepped beyond the ranks of low-level soul masters. Making money was incredibly easy for them.

As Jiang Nannan turned to leave, Jiang Yue vigilantly scanned the surroundings. Sure enough, in the next instant, a figure wearing a black school uniform strode forward.

At the same time, the figure flicked out a gold soul coin. Clearly, he had set his sights on the grilled fish Huo Yuhao was holding for Tang Ya and intended to force the purchase.

That figure was indeed fast, but with the help of his first soul skill, Huo Yuhao also sensed his intentions. He grabbed the grilled fish and quickly retreated several steps.

"Kid, you dare refuse to sell?!"

The tall young man in black failed to seize the grilled fish. His hand continued forward with its momentum and plunged into the grill, grabbing two pieces of charcoal. Yet he felt no heat at all. With a disdainful snort, he crushed the charcoal in his hand, sending sparks flying everywhere.

Jiang Yue's expression darkened. He raised a hand and released a stream of soul power, dispersing the scattered sparks.

Because of the soul power fluctuations Jiang Yue gave off, Xu Sanshi paused. He warily eyed this first-year student whose soul power might not be weaker than his own, clearly treating Jiang Yue as Huo Yuhao's companion.

At the same time, after seeing the disturbance around Huo Yuhao's stall, Bei Bei and Tang Ya pushed through the crowd and came before Xu Sanshi, glaring unfriendly at the troublemaker.

When Tang Ya saw Xu Sanshi overturn Huo Yuhao's stall, she immediately became furious. A streak of golden light shot from her fingertips straight toward Xu Sanshi. Xu Sanshi instinctively released soul power to block it, but upon touching that soul power, the golden light actually burrowed directly into it. After piercing through the soul power defense, it stabbed into Xu Sanshi's flesh. Before that golden light, Xu Sanshi's defensive measures were utterly useless.

The Dragon Beard Needle—an innate hidden weapon obtained by shattering the golden strands within plate gold—specialized in piercing defenses. After the Tang Sect's decline, it was one of the few hidden weapons that remained, passed down only to the Tang Sect's master.

"Hiss—! Tang Ya! Isn't that going too far?! Don't think I won't do anything to you just because Bei Bei has your back!"

"Bring it on! Who's afraid of who?!"

"Enough, Xu Sanshi. You bullied my junior disciple today, so you have to give an explanation!"

"An explanation? It's not like I didn't pay. Don't you just want to fight? Let's go! To the Soul Fighting Arena! It's been a while since we last sparred."

After saying that, Xu Sanshi strode toward the Soul Fighting District.

Once Bei Bei confirmed that Huo Yuhao was unharmed, the look in his eyes as he watched Xu Sanshi's retreating back gradually turned sly. Clearly, he had his sights set on Xu Sanshi.

However, with the unfamiliar Jiang Yue standing nearby, Bei Bei could not openly reveal that he was planning to trick Xu Sanshi.

"Junior, I didn't expect us to meet again so soon. I didn't get the chance to introduce myself last time. Hello, I'm Tang Ya, the current sect master of the legendary Tang Sect."

"Junior, have you considered joining a sect? Our Tang Sect possesses the secret techniques passed down by our ancestor Tang San. I guarantee you won't be disappointed. Would you like to think about it?"

Tang Ya blinked at Jiang Yue and immediately extended the invitation to join the Tang Sect that she had not managed to make last time.

Bei Bei awkwardly covered his forehead. He had not expected Tang Ya to push the Tang Sect so eagerly. She was being far too hasty; it made the Tang Sect seem cheap.

Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao looked at Jiang Yue expectantly. He truly hoped that a talented peer like Jiang Yue could join the Tang Sect and help it rise again.

"Um, sorry, Senior Sister, but I don't think the elders in my family would allow me to join any sect for the time being."

"I see. That really is a pity."

That counted as a tactful refusal. Strictly speaking, Jiang Yue did not have a single relative. Other than that mysterious old man, the only people who had shown him kindness were the lord of Maple Leaf City and the senior student from the junior academy.

Neither of them would interfere with Jiang Yue's choices no matter what, but they were quite useful as an excuse.

"Senior Brother, that guy's strength doesn't seem much different from yours, right? Can you win?"

"Why do you ask, Junior?"

"Nothing. I heard that people usually open betting pools in the academy's Soul Fighting District, and you can place bets. I've spent my allowance a little too freely lately, and it's not quite enough for my daily expenses. I was thinking that if Senior Brother is certain to win, I could place a small bet and earn a little."

"I see. Betting pools are indeed usually opened for soul fights. Don't worry, I'll definitely win. But small bets are entertaining, while large bets are harmful. A friendly reminder: don't bet too much."

"Don't worry. I'm just earning some living expenses to buy a few small things."

Seeing the confident expression on Bei Bei's face, along with emotional fluctuations that could not possibly be faked, Jiang Yue did not even need to know Huo Yuhao's soul skill. Bei Bei was definitely going to win.

Under normal circumstances, Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi's soul power differed by only one rank, and both had hidden trump cards. Whether in their normal states or using those trump cards, their combat strength was roughly equal—especially since they had known each other for years and understood each other well.

If Bei Bei were not absolutely certain that he could defeat Xu Sanshi, he would never be giving off such joyful, everything-is-under-control emotional fluctuations.

In fact, if Shrek Academy had not prohibited first-year freshmen from stepping onto the Soul Fighting Arena, Jiang Yue would definitely have gone up to fight himself.

The Soul Fighting District was an extremely important area located in the northwestern corner of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department. Teachers served as referees during soul fights here to ensure the students' safety, allowing Shrek Academy's students to truly battle without restraint.

After the fourth year, students wishing to advance to the fifth year had to defeat ten students of the same year in the Soul Fighting Arena. The requirements for fifth- and sixth-year students were even higher.

Once the Soul Fighting District staff confirmed that Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi were going to have a soul fight, they immediately activated the academy broadcast to draw more people to watch.

A soul fight between the Outer Academy's number one assault-type soul master and number one defense-type soul master was highly appealing, and many newly enrolled freshmen were drawn over.

"The betting pool for Thunderclap Bei Bei versus Xu Sanshi is open! Both are at five-to-one odds! Those who want to bet, hurry up! Bets are final! Bets are final!"

Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi were indeed extremely popular, but the problem was that when they fought each other, they almost always alternated between victory and defeat, resulting in low odds.

When he reached the person running the betting pool, Jiang Yue was delighted by the odds. Although he could not gather enough money to buy the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife in one go, earning whatever he could was still good. Small gains added up.

Taking out a Gold Soul Card containing nearly his entire fortune from his storage soul tool, Jiang Yue could not help feeling a little nervous.

"Hello, I'd like to bet thirty thousand Gold Soul Coins on Bei Bei's victory."

"Th-thirty thousand Gold Soul Coins? Student, are you sure you want to bet that much?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

You could not achieve great things by being timid. Hesitation led to defeat! He had to go all in!

Even if he lost it all, he still had the soul bone from the freshman assessment as a safety net. No need to panic!

After verifying the amount on the Gold Soul Card, Jiang Yue successfully received proof of his thirty-thousand-Gold-Soul-Coin wager. He then found a spot near the front to watch the match that was about to begin.

Once Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi entered the arena, Jiang Yue turned his gaze toward Huo Yuhao in the distance. Sure enough, a different light had already appeared in his eyes.

Good. That made it even more certain.

If Jiang Yue truly had even a single coin left on him, he would definitely have placed another huge bet. What a pity—he had not met any wealthy people lately, so he could not even borrow money. Otherwise, he might really have gathered enough money to buy the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife in one shot.