First Huo Yuhao had terrified every soul beast into submission with a single shout, then Li Lezi had swallowed a thousand-year Golden Lion-Tiger in one gulp. Gong Changlong completely exploded.
"This is outrageous! I'm filing a complaint!"
When the complaint reached the dean, Yan Shaozhe looked thoughtful, clearly considering what Dai Yueheng had told him.
Li Lezi's martial soul was anything but ordinary. His thousand-year first soul ring possessed such terrifying power that even ten soul beasts placed before him would probably all have been devoured. It had been an exceptionally fine strike.
Although Huo Yuhao had twin martial souls and received the Sea God Pavilion's attention, Dai Huabin's team was no slouch either. The Golden Horned Beast was undoubtedly a top-tier, perhaps even a super-tier, martial soul.
After weighing everything, Yan Shaozhe personally announced the result. "Li Lezi's martial soul possesses unrivaled power. He swept through the battle like a storm crushing rotten wood, a performance worthy of being called perfect. However, Teacher Gong has a point. Most of his advanced points will be deducted, while his basic score receives full marks..."
Had Dai Yueheng not arrived, he would have deducted a few token points out of respect for Gong Changlong. But that would have left Li Lezi's score close to Dai Huabin's, meaning Huo Yuhao would lose and have to hand over a soul bone, kneel, and kowtow. That was absolutely unacceptable.
Yet he could not offend Dai Huabin's side either, nor could he maliciously lower their scores. Otherwise, what would the students think of him?
Gong Changlong had arrived at just the right moment. By using his complaint, Yan Shaozhe could keep either side from losing the wager while dumping the blame on him. Two wins in one stroke!
Yan Shaozhe remained calm on the surface, but inwardly, his heart bloomed with delight. Only after he announced the total scores and everyone added them up did they discover that the two teams had actually tied!
Huo Yuhao > Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu = Xiao Xiao, Li Lezi ≈ Wang Dong...
If Huo Yuhao had pulled ahead with his perfect score, then the difference lay with Li Lezi. He had scored a few points higher than Wang Dong, exactly making up the gap on Dai Huabin's side.
With the wager settled, it was Dai Huabin's turn to secretly rejoice, while Huo Yuhao was left disappointed instead. He had long wanted to avenge his mother, Huo Yun'er. He had thought he could make Dai Huabin admit his wrongdoing in public and collect a little interest in advance, only for it to end in a draw...
"You're all classmates. Harmony should come first between you. Let this matter end here!" Dai Yueheng stepped forward.
The stakes had grown higher and higher. Losing would not merely cost Dai Huabin his dignity; the entire White Tiger Duke's Mansion would share in the humiliation. With everyone watching, they could hardly renege, either. Did they want to keep their reputation or not?
Li Lezi's suggestion had been excellent, preserving both Dai Huabin's dignity and the Duke's Mansion's reputation. They had certainly chosen the right study companion!
All that remained was managing their relationships, and that was no challenge for Dai Yueheng. As the White Tiger Duke's heir and someone who had entered the Shrek Inner Court, his emotional intelligence was more than adequate.
After placating Huo Yuhao and the others with a single sentence, he unleashed a blistering reprimand on Dai Huabin. The effect was scarcely weaker than making him kowtow and apologize. At the end, Dai Yueheng took out a soul bone, one of the wager's original stakes.
Huo Yuhao and the others wanted to refuse, but Xiao Zi spoke up just then. "Huabin started this. Consider this soul bone his apology. Take it!"
Was he not tempted? Of course he was. His original plan had been to sweep everything into his net. But with Dai Yueheng involved, he had to adjust that plan to avoid arousing his suspicions.
Xiao Zi took the soul bone himself, then handed it to Wang Dong.
There was a reason he gave it to her. Either of the other two would have absorbed it outright or left it gathering dust in a storage device, never to see the light of day again.
Wang Dong, however, paid him quite a bit of attention. As a God King's daughter, she would not absorb this soul bone, making it easier to ask for it back later.
"You're really giving it to me?" Wang Dong could hardly believe it, and the way she looked at him changed. "Thank you!"
Within this team, Huo Yuhao was often not the one truly making the decisions. Now that they had accepted the apology gift, the wager was over. If either side tried to go back on their word, this soul bone would serve as evidence.
Once the assessment ended, Dai Yueheng left with Dai Huabin. After finally escaping Wang Dong's persistent attention, Xiao Zi returned to his dormitory to count his spoils.
The two soul bones he had fleeced from the Duke's Mansion had gone to Ling Luochеn and Wang Dong respectively. He still held a huge pile of Gold Soul Coins, including his previous treasure-chest earnings and all of Qian Renxue's savings. His net worth had reached a staggering twenty million!
Even a Titled Douluo might not have that much cash on hand. If he sold a few more soul bones and treasures he did not need, becoming a billionaire would be no mere dream!
Xiao Zi remembered that Shrek Academy's annual Treasure Appraisal Fair came after the advancement assessment. It offered not only all sorts of rare soul bones, but also various treasures that improved one's constitution, convenient for either personal use or gifts.
His net worth of over twenty million was the foundation of his confidence, not to mention Dai Huabin, his soul slave. Whatever he wanted, he could simply have him buy it. If he dared to think a little bigger, perhaps Wang Dong was worth considering too?
With the wager ending in a draw, Dai Huabin did not lash out like a cornered dog as he had in the original story and send assassins from the Duke's Mansion after Huo Yuhao. Life remained calm and uneventful.
The advancement assessment had also ended. After Xiao Zi and the others finished their tests, everyone allowed into the classroom had passed. Those who failed would have to retake the assessment three days later, and anyone who failed again would be expelled.
The only change was that Yan Shaozhe's disciple, Ma Xiaotao, had not gone all out and thus triggered her evil fire, forcing her to ask Huo Yuhao to suppress it with his ultimate ice and leading the two to do certain indescribable things.
After class that day, Xiao Zi was strolling beside Sea God Lake, taking the opportunity to observe the Inner Court on the opposite shore, when he suddenly spotted a fiery-red figure.
Her appearance was highly distinctive. Her figure was slender and well-proportioned, and her red clothing lent her an extra touch of heroic spirit. Her pale pink eyes seemed capable of stealing souls, yet the coldness in her gaze kept people at a distance. Her long, fiery-red hair billowed like flames, radiating passion and vitality.
Her features were exquisite and striking, her skin white as snow. Standing there, she resembled a graceful jade sculpture, every inch of her exuding delicate tenderness.
But something was off about her condition. Her lovely face was flushed, and a faint red glow flickered around her body. Judging by her appearance, she was undoubtedly Ma Xiaotao.
Xiao Zi did not have a particularly strong impression of her ancestor, Ma Hongjun. He had initially sympathized with the man's plight, only to discover that he was mud that could never be plastered onto a wall. Visiting brothels at such a young age was one thing, but even after becoming a god, he had failed to apply himself, spending every day at home mourning his late wife.
Although Tang San had harbored selfish motives, Ma Hongjun himself had no shortage of problems. The Fire God was one of the Seven Elemental Gods, ranked among the strongest First-Level Gods. It was not a position just any stray cat or dog could inherit.
Ma Xiaotao was the descendant he had left in the mortal world. Setting aside her martial soul's flaw, her willpower to keep herself unsullied and her achievement of becoming a Soul Emperor before twenty already made her far more impressive than her ancestor. The title of Phoenix God should have gone to her instead.
This time, however, Xiao Zi was not merely seeking talent. He wanted to obtain something through Ma Xiaotao.
He said to Qian Renxue in his Sea of Consciousness, "Remember what we discussed before? I have a plan now..."