Dugu Yan Stuns the Entire Arena!

Although Dugu Yan had confidence in Ning Chen, she did not want him to take such a risk.

However, Ning Chen acted as though he had not heard her warning at all.

He looked at Yan's smug expression. Not only was he not angry, but he actually smiled.

"Sure."

He spoke calmly.

"I, Ning Chen, accept this wager."

Ning Chen's voice rang clearly in everyone's ears.

The entire venue fell silent in an instant.

Everyone looked at Ning Chen as if he were insane.

He... he had actually accepted it?!

Did he not know what this wager meant?

This was no longer a simple spar. He was wagering all of his dignity!

Once he lost, he would never be able to hold his head up again in all of Spirit Hall, or even the entire soul master world!

"Young Master!" Dugu Yan panicked and tugged hard at Ning Chen's arm.

"Are you crazy?! How could you agree to such an unreasonable demand?!"

Her little face was full of worry and confusion.

Ning Chen merely smiled at her and gave her a reassuring look before turning toward the equally stunned Yan.

"What?" Ning Chen raised a brow, his tone carrying a hint of mockery.

"I accepted the wager. Don't tell me you're scared now?"

"Scared? Me?"

Yan snapped out of his shock, then burst into wild laughter.

"Hahahaha! Ning Chen, Ning Chen! I really don't know whether to call you confident or stupid!"

"Since you're so eager to be my son, I'll grant your wish today!"

He was overjoyed.

He had originally thought that even if Ning Chen did not reject the wager on the spot, he would at least hesitate. Yet Ning Chen had agreed so readily!

This was practically walking straight into hell when heaven's road lay open before him!

"Come on! To the Spirit Arena!"

Yan impatiently waved his hand and turned toward the Main Spirit Arena at the very center of the academy, the grandest arena in the entire place.

He wanted the entire academy to witness how he, Yan, would trample the arrogant Holy Son beneath his feet and force him to call him Dad!

News of Ning Chen and Yan's earth-shattering wager spread through the entire Spirit Academy at a terrifying speed.

"Did you hear? His Highness the Holy Son is going to duel Yan at the Main Spirit Arena!"

"It's more than a duel! They made a wager—the loser has to kneel and call the winner Dad!"

"Damn! Is that real? That's insane! Hurry, hurry, hurry! Let's get a good spot!"

"What spot? If you go now, you won't even find a place to stand!"

For a time, the entire academy erupted.

Countless students, whether they had been cultivating or resting, rushed madly toward the Main Spirit Arena.

His Highness the Holy Son Ning Chen versus Yan of the Golden Generation!

That alone was already a highly anticipated battle.

With the explosive wager of "whoever loses calls the other Dad" added to the mix, the duel's appeal reached an unprecedented height!

Before long, the Main Spirit Arena, which could hold over ten thousand people, was packed so tightly that not even water could pass through.

The stands were a sea of people, with every seat filled.

Even the walkways were crowded with students who had rushed over upon hearing the news.

Everyone wore excited, expectant expressions. Discussions and cheers rose and fell one after another, nearly blowing the roof off the arena.

In a section of the stands with an excellent view, Hu Liena and Xie Yue were also present.

"Nana, do you think that kid Ning Chen has gone mad?"

Xie Yue stared at the two figures facing each other on the arena platform below, his brows tightly furrowed.

"Why would he agree to such an absurd wager from Yan? This is completely unlike him."

In Xie Yue's impression, Ning Chen might have been domineering in his actions, but he was absolutely not an impulsive person.

At his words, Hu Liena's peach-blossom eyes remained fixed on Ning Chen below, her expression complicated.

She could not understand it either.

"I don't know..." She shook her head, her voice carrying a trace of concern.

"But I have a feeling that this... may not be as simple as we think."

Although she also felt that Ning Chen was taking too great a risk, for some reason, her instincts told her that Ning Chen seemed to... possess absolute confidence.

Meanwhile, below the arena platform.

Dugu Yan clenched her little hands nervously, her palms drenched in sweat.

She looked at Ning Chen on the platform, her heart lodged in her throat.

"Young Master... you absolutely must not lose..." she prayed silently in her heart.

Although she believed in Ning Chen's strength, Yan was, after all, a core member of the Golden Generation. His strength was definitely not to be underestimated.

What if... what if something went wrong...

She simply did not dare imagine that scene.

At that moment, the two people at the center of everyone's attention on the arena platform displayed two entirely different states.

Yan's face was filled with undisguised excitement and cruelty.

He was already imagining the scene after his victory: the cheers of the entire arena washing over him while Ning Chen knelt before him like a dead dog.

Ning Chen, meanwhile, remained as calm and composed as ever.

He even had the leisure to look over the packed crowd around him and nod inwardly.

Mm, not bad.

There are plenty of spectators, and the atmosphere is lively too.

This should be quite entertaining later.

Just then, a middle-aged man dressed in a Spirit Hall deacon's uniform stepped onto the arena platform.

He first looked at Ning Chen, then at Yan, before clearing his throat and announcing in a booming voice:

"This duel will be between His Highness the Holy Son Ning Chen and Yan, a student of Spirit Academy!"

"The two sides have made a wager. The loser must kneel before the winner and call out 'Dad' three times!"

"This duel shall end when a victor is decided. Neither side may deliberately endanger the other's life!"

"Now, I declare the duel..."

"Begin!"

At the referee's command, the atmosphere in the entire arena instantly exploded!

"Yan! Victory!"

"Yan! Go for it! Take down that arrogant bastard!"

"His Highness the Holy Son! We support you!"

Deafening shouts came from all directions.

Although quite a few people supported Ning Chen as well, the cheers for Yan were clearly louder.

After all, Yan had spent years building connections in the academy. His popularity and prestige were not something Ning Chen, a Holy Son who rarely showed himself, could compare to.

Hearing the thunderous cheers around him, Yan's smugness deepened.

He looked at Ning Chen as if he could already see the dawn of victory.

"Ning Chen!" he roared, taking the lead in releasing his martial soul.

"Today, I'll let you witness my true power!"

"Come forth! My martial soul, Flame Lord!"

Along with his furious roar, a scorching wave of soul power erupted from his body!

Boom!

A pillar of crimson flame shot into the sky!

Within the blazing firelight, a colossal humanoid creature over five meters tall, its entire body formed from molten lava, appeared behind Yan.

The lava giant radiated a savage aura that made hearts tremble.

It was Yan's martial soul, the Flame Lord!

At the same time, four soul rings—two yellow and two purple—rose from beneath Yan's feet and revolved around his body.

A powerful pressure of soul power surged outward from him in every direction!