Dai Huabin puffed out his chest and asked with supreme confidence, "Jiang Chen, do you dare bet against me this time?"
Jiang Chen actually laughed.
A bet?
When had he ever been afraid of a bet?
If the people of the Douluo Continent loved gambling, he would let them gamble to their hearts' content.
Jiang Chen stared straight at Dai Huabin and asked, "What do you want to bet on?"
Dai Huabin folded his arms and declared arrogantly, "I know you're strong, but we won't compete in strength this time. We'll see who gets the better assessment score. The loser has to kneel, kowtow, and call the winner Daddy on the spot. Do you dare?"
Zhu Lu gritted her teeth as well. "Do you dare?"
Jiang Chen couldn't keep a straight face. Usually so calm and composed, he burst out laughing.
The people of the Douluo Continent were truly strange. They actually wanted to compete in assessment scores with a Soul Master who had received a Ferocious Beast's sacrifice.
Once his Soul Ring lit up, wouldn't those captive Soul Beasts piss themselves in terror on the spot?
Dai Huabin really loved offering up his face to be slapped.
Jiang Chen nodded in agreement, then turned to Zhu Lu. "If you lose, will you kneel and call me Daddy too?"
"Of course!"
Zhu Lu puffed out her cheeks and made a decision that betrayed her ancestors.
Jiang Chen smiled. "I'll be waiting for you to call me Daddy. After all, it's not every day I get to be the White Tiger Duke. With my son and daughter-in-law scrambling to call me Daddy, how could I refuse as their father?"
"If you lose, I'll even have to give you a few presents. I can't become your dad for nothing, after all."
Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu blazed with fury at his words.
Jiang Chen was far too arrogant. Not only was he humiliating them, he was taking advantage of them too.
Dai Huabin silently swore to make Jiang Chen lose all face and reclaim his dignity as the duke's son.
The two then stormed off to the Cafeteria to prepare for that afternoon's advancement assessment.
Jiang Chen sat back down and closed his eyes to rest.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao's trio had witnessed their wager and couldn't help feeling tempted.
"Yuhao, we lost to Jiang Chen in the Freshman Assessment finals, and I still feel wronged. We lost before we even unleashed Withering in Brilliance, Golden Road. I just can't accept it."
"Why don't we make a bet too? We could win back the rewards from the freshman finals."
Wang Dong bit her lip, subtly egging Huo Yuhao on to gamble.
Xiao Xiao, however, said worriedly, "Wang Dong, why don't we just forget it? I'm not fond of gambling either. I don't want to call Jiang Chen Daddy..."
She was just an innocent little girl and didn't want to get dragged into these wagers.
Wang Dong glared with her hands on her hips. "Xiao Xiao, you're from the Douluo Continent, yet you don't like gambling? You're nothing like us locals."
"Don't you know that our Lord Sea God wins ten bets out of ten? He wins every single wager. Why don't you dare gamble?"
Xiao Xiao's ears drooped, and she muttered, "I already have a dad. I don't want another one. How can a girl just go around calling someone else Daddy?"
Wang Dong gave it some serious thought and found that rather reasonable.
But they could change the stakes. Who said they had to call him Daddy?
Xiao Xiao really was a brainless, stupid girl!!
Just then, Huo Yuhao stepped forward and interrupted their conversation. He puffed out his chest, feeling that everything was finally looking up.
He said, "I'll make the bet! I'll definitely win."
Wang Dong gave him a thumbs-up. "Yuhao, I knew you were a real man. You're the best!"
"I'll bet on my own. You two don't have to," Huo Yuhao said, walking over to Jiang Chen with renewed determination in his eyes.
The emergence of his second Martial Soul had given him courage others lacked.
Wasn't it just a bet with Jiang Chen?
He wasn't afraid!
Jiang Chen opened his eyes and asked, somewhat puzzled, "You want to bet against me too?"
Huo Yuhao nodded. "Classmate Jiang Chen, I want to bet on which of us gets the better score. No stakes. I just want to prove I'm no worse than you."
"I took your words to heart: 'Victory and defeat may fall to outside forces, but the strong must triumph over their own hearts.'"
"We haven't seen each other all vacation. I want to see how large the gap between us is."
Jiang Chen's expression grew serious.
At that moment, he recalled the days when he had lived beneath the shadow of the Child of Fortune. Those had been his darkest times.
But things were vastly different now.
The Auspicious Beast had already blessed him, and his fortune was overflowing. If he still feared the Child of Fortune, he would truly be going backward.
Jiang Chen agreed outright.
Having received the answer he wanted, Huo Yuhao clenched his fists.
I have to prove myself this time!
With Brother Sky Dream, Elder Yi, and his second Martial Soul, he refused to believe he was still inferior to Jiang Chen.
That afternoon, the blazing sun hung high overhead.
Inside the oval Beast Fighting Zone, the senior students were having their lessons. Wang Yan led his entire first-year class, who were about to take their advancement assessment, into the venue.
Before long, four teachers and Director of Studies Du Weilun entered the grounds.
They were the teachers responsible for scoring.
Meanwhile, the senior students took their seats in the stands to watch their juniors show their mettle.
Xu Sanshi, Bei Bei, Tang Ya, and Jiang Nannan happened to be among them.
Xu Sanshi spotted Jiang Chen in the crowd at once and said through gritted teeth, "I only lost to Jiang Chen during the vacation because I was careless. This time, I'll find a way to settle the score and teach that brat a harsh lesson."
"My Black Tortoise Martial Soul isn't necessarily inferior to his ice phoenix."
"Sanshi," Bei Bei called, his expression exceptionally grave. "You're a smart man. There's no way you don't understand the gap between you. You just don't want to acknowledge how exceptional he is."
"There's something I need to tell you. Grand Ancestor holds Jiang Chen in extremely high regard. He doesn't just have the ice phoenix Martial Soul. He also possesses a phoenix bloodline, along with the Soul Ring and Soul Bone of the Ice Empress, who ranks seventh among the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts. He possesses both ultimate fire and ultimate ice attributes."
"That combination is even more terrifying than what the Tang Sect Ancestor had back then. You really need to calm down."
Hearing this, Xu Sanshi slapped his thigh in frustration.
Bei Bei's words had brought him to his senses.
That was right!
The gap between them was unimaginably vast. Jiang Chen was a true monster, while he merely had a Xuanming turtle Martial Soul whose evolution was obstructed. Even with his astonishing defenses, he couldn't possibly be Jiang Chen's match.
He simply didn't want to lose face in front of Nannan.
Xu Sanshi turned to look at Jiang Nannan, hesitating to speak.
Jiang Nannan snorted and said coolly, "Xu Sanshi, I'll forgive you when you defeat Jiang Chen."
The corner of Xu Sanshi's mouth twitched.
Isn't this making things impossible for me, the big bully?
What kind of arsenal would I need to defeat Jiang Chen?
Nannan is so heartless.
Meanwhile, the assessment for Jiang Chen's class was about to begin.
Standing on the raised platform, Du Weilun called out, "Let the assessment begin. Teacher Wang Yan, please send out your students."
Wang Yan nodded, then turned to the students and asked, "Who wants to go first?"
"I do!"
Huo Yuhao volunteered and stepped forward, determined to prove himself.
Wang Yan said, "All right. Be careful."
Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow in the crowd, ready to enjoy the show.
Was Huo Yuhao about to start showing off again?
Soon, Huo Yuhao entered the arena and selected a lone wolf with five thousand years of cultivation, shocking the teachers and senior students present.
Even Du Weilun was stunned. Concerned for Huo Yuhao's safety, he spoke up and urged him to choose one with fewer years of cultivation.
After all, Huo Yuhao was only a Soul Grandmaster at present. How was choosing a five-thousand-year Soul Beast any different from courting death?
Yet Huo Yuhao insisted on his choice.
Before you continue