A Bet

Time flew by. As Huo Yuhao practiced the new abilities he had mastered while helping Ning Tian make Soul Tools, the battles in the four divisions almost all came to an end. Most of the opponents Huo Yuhao Team encountered forfeited outright. The occasional team unwilling to admit defeat was simply swept aside by Huo Yuhao, leaving Wu Feng's hands itching for a fight.

At Wu Feng's adamant insistence, Huo Yuhao did not make a move. Ning Tian and Wu Feng defeated the final team, and the battles in all four divisions finally came to an end.

When Huo Yuhao saw the opponents they would face in the next round, a faintly cruel smile appeared on his face.

There was no other reason. Their next opponents were Dai Huabin Team.

Quite a few people had gathered before the notice board at the training grounds. The latest match list had just been posted, and the ink was still faintly damp. When Huo Yuhao's gaze fell on the line that read "Huo Yuhao Team vs. Dai Huabin Team," his fingertips unconsciously rubbed the pale gold mark between his brows—the slight warmth of the Marrow of Extreme Transformation lay hidden there, like a flame pressed beneath ice.

Wu Feng leaned over for a look, then jolted violently and nearly slapped the student beside her. "Dai Huabin?!"

She moved closer to Huo Yuhao and asked in a low voice, "Isn't that the combat target we've been simulating all this time?"

Huo Yuhao's fingers paused. A trace of surprise flashed through his Spirit Eye, and he then looked toward Ning Tian. He had not expected her to keep her conflict with Dai Huabin from Wu Feng.

The girl was looking down at the notice board. Sunlight fell across her long eyelashes, casting faint shadows, while the Glazed Ring around her wrist turned softly with a quiet clinking sound—one of her small habits whenever she felt uncomfortable.

"The tactics used in simulated battles should be judged by strength alone, without mixing in personal matters." Ning Tian spoke first, her voice as calm as the bluestone of the training platform. "Dai Huabin Team's combination of direct assault and ambush is very typical. We repeatedly simulated them so we could master the patterns for defense and counterattack. Telling Wu Feng about those matters would only make her lose focus."

Wu Feng blinked, looked at Ning Tian, then at Huo Yuhao, and suddenly slapped her forehead. "Who cares about their personal business? We've practiced those simulated battles to death already. Their style of charging in and ambushing people? I could guess it with my eyes closed!"

With that, she swept out her hand, and the flames rose another half inch. "Perfect. Huo Yuhao taught me a new move that I haven't tried yet. I'll let Zhu Lu's Netherworld Spirit Cat find out just how fierce claws wrapped in icy fire can be!"

The student beside her jumped in fright at the rising flames and complained, "Wu Feng, watch it! You nearly burned me!"

Wu Feng hastily pulled back her hand. The flames shrank with a soft puff, and rare embarrassment appeared on her face. "Sorry, sorry. My hand slipped." Though she apologized, excitement still gleamed in her eyes. Clearly, all she could think about was how to deal with Zhu Lu later.

Ning Tian shook her head helplessly and took a small bottle of water from her Soul Tool, handing it to the student. "Use this to wipe it off. It was only a spark. It's fine as long as it didn't burn your skin." Her gaze swept over the students who had been disturbed, and though her voice was gentle, it carried weight. "Everyone, make some room. The match list was just posted. Don't crowd around here and make it hard for others to see the information."

The students had merely been watching for entertainment. After Ning Tian said that, they all stepped back and left a path through the middle. The student who had been singed accepted the water and muttered, "Be more careful next time," but said nothing else. After all, this was Shrek Academy. Who had not been accidentally hit by a teammate's soul skill during training?

Just then, Dai Huabin's voice came from beyond the crowd, filled with undisguised mockery. "What? You're already fighting among yourselves before the match even starts? Huo Yuhao, your teammate can't even control her own flames. Is there any point in competing?"

He sneered, his twin pupils sweeping over Wu Feng. "She can't even control her own soul skill. No wonder she never makes a move."

The tips of Wu Feng's wings tightened abruptly, and the flames nearly surged up again before Ning Tian promptly pressed a hand to her shoulder. The girl looked at Dai Huabin, her voice calm but sharp. "Controlling a soul skill depends on proficiency, not temperament. No matter how fierce Wu Feng's flames are, she knows when to hold them back and when to unleash them—unlike certain people, who only know how to scare others with Martial Soul pressure."

Dai Huabin's expression darkened. The pressure of his White Tiger Martial Soul faintly spread out, chilling the surrounding air by several degrees. "Talking tough is useless. Once we're on the stage, I'll show you what a true gap in strength looks like."

"Oh?" Huo Yuhao finally raised his eyes. The blue light in his Spirit Eye was like ice that had been tempered. "Dai Huabin, you didn't come here just to say that, did you?"

Dai Huabin's pupils suddenly contracted, as though Huo Yuhao had struck at the heart of the matter. The mockery on his face stiffened for a moment before being covered by hostility again. "What would I need to say? I simply can't stand seeing certain people coast this far on luck. I came to help you recognize yourself in advance."

Huo Yuhao smiled softly. The blue light in his Spirit Eye grew even brighter, as though it could see through a person's heart. "Is that so? Then why do I feel like you're afraid?"

"Afraid?" Dai Huabin acted as though he had heard the greatest joke in the world. He took a hard step forward, the White Tiger Martial Soul appearing over his body as three soul rings flickered around him. "I'd be afraid of you? Someone who only knows how to bully the weak? You think you're worthy of making me afraid?"

"Huo Yuhao, do you dare make a bet?"

At last, a hint of interest appeared in Huo Yuhao's eyes. "What kind of bet?"

Dai Huabin gritted his teeth. "We'll bet on which team defeats the other. The losers will kneel on the ground, kowtow three times, and shout, 'I'm trash!'"

Dai Huabin's words crashed into the crowd like a boulder, instantly causing an uproar.

"Kowtow three times? That bet is way too ruthless!"

"Dai Huabin is really desperate. He actually dared to make a bet like that..."

"Would Huo Yuhao dare accept? If he loses, he'll be utterly humiliated!"

Wu Feng exploded on the spot, pointing at Dai Huabin's nose as she cursed, "Are you insane? It's just a team match. Do you really have to bet that much?! If you lose, I'll make you kneel, kowtow, and call yourself trash! Who do you think you are?!"

Ning Tian frowned deeply as the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda slowly turned in her palm. Her voice grew several degrees colder. "Dai Huabin, matches at Shrek Academy are for sparring, not for you to show off your brutality. We won't accept a bet like this."

"Besides, you have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. Are you planning to have two people fight one?"

She was not afraid of losing. She simply disdained proving anything in such a way.

Yet Dai Huabin acted as though he had not heard her. He stared fixedly at Huo Yuhao, a vicious smile curling across his lips. "What? Too scared? Weren't you quite capable of talking just now? You even dared say I was afraid. And now you don't even dare accept a bet?"

Huo Yuhao's gaze rested on Dai Huabin. The blue glow in his Spirit Eye was terrifyingly calm, as though he were looking at a clown. He was silent for a moment, then suddenly chuckled. "I can accept the bet."

"Yuhao!" Ning Tian and Wu Feng cried out at the same time to stop him.

Huo Yuhao raised a hand to signal them to stay calm, his gaze still locked onto Dai Huabin. "But I have one condition."

Dai Huabin paused, then sneered. "You still dare to set conditions? Say it!"

"This bet is only between the two of us. Whoever loses kneels and kowtows. Didn't you want to prove yourself? I'll give you that chance."