Chapter 21: Betting.
Ning Rongrong smiled. Though she was only twelve, she had to admit that her harmless smile was somewhat disturbing. Shi Yi understood that this tingling sensation stemmed from the disdain of a superior for ants, and of course, Ning Rongrong certainly had the credentials.
"Flender, who do you think you are? Just a mere Soul Sage."
Flender, unperturbed by her words, smiled faintly and said, "Yes, I'm only a Soul Sage, but you're still far, far behind me. Even if you're the most gifted of this generation of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, you're still only a Great Soul Master. There's an unbridgeable gulf between you and me. Since you despise this place, please leave. Shrek Academy doesn't welcome unruly students like you."
Flender's subsequent barrage of criticism was difficult for any normal child to withstand, let alone Ning Rongrong, who possessed a temper like that of a spoiled brat.
Soon, under Flanders's verbal attacks, Ning Rongrong ran back to her room in tears, and Dai Mubai, following Flanders' instructions, went to look for Oscar.
Dai Mubai returned quickly and nodded to Flanders, indicating that he had sent Oscar to comfort Ning Rongrong.
Flanders put his hands behind his back and said, "Alright, get ready to go. You saw what happened to Ning Rongrong and Oscar. If you want to stay here to train, you must follow the rules of the academy. Attend every class well. My words are orders here. Now you will begin your first class at Shrek. Each of you will complete your own course independently. Don't blame me for not making it clear in advance. If you don't do well enough, you will be punished at least to death."
With that, Flanders tapped the ground on his toes and lightly leaped out, heading towards the outside of the academy.
Everyone hurried to follow.
Flanders maintained a remarkably rapid pace, trailing closely behind him, naturally, Dai Mubai, possessing the most profound spirit power. He was surprised to find that the gap between Shi Yi and Dai Mubai was not that great; even Zhu Zhuqing and Tang San were not as fast as Shi Yi.
"This kid's cultivation isn't exceptional among this group of geniuses, but his coordination between strength and body is exceptional, perfectly transforming every bit of his power into speed." Flanders' sharp eyes analyzed everyone's footprints with a single glance.
Without using his spirit, Flanders was surprised to find that Shi Yi's footprints were even deeper than Dai Mubai's. With each firm step, the sound of his footsteps was second only to Tang San and Zhu Zhuqing's.
"The other kid's footsteps must have been cultivated through some spirit technique. He managed to easily keep up with the group without leaving any noticeable footprints. His steps were ethereal, his agility was exceptional, and his speed was only slightly behind Zhu Zhuqing, a nimble-attack type."
"Xiaogang, your disciples are all exceptional," Flanders sighed inwardly.
Looking at Ma Hongjun, who was at the end of the line, Flanders' face darkened. He feared that among the six, his disciple was the most clueless.
"I made my own choice, so I'm not angry," Flanders consoled himself mentally.
It wasn't far from Shrek Academy to Soto City, and soon the Shrek group arrived.
Although it was already dark, Soto City seemed to have just woken up, even busier than during the day. Shops lining the streets were brightly lit, and even small vendors, who only opened at night, found their favorite spots to sell snacks and small items. Clearly, Douluo Continent had its own nightlife.
Shi Yi didn't find it too novel; night markets were common in his past life. Xiao Wu, on the other hand, seemed excited the entire way. Zhu Zhuqing's gaze remained fixed on Flanders. She was more interested in the methods Flanders would use to help them become stronger than the bustling night market.
Dai Mubai and Tang San were indifferent to their surroundings, their eyes seemingly fixed on Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu.
Ma Hongjun's eyes, however, were somewhat limited, darting erratically, their gaze fixed on the most distinctive features of the women on the street.
Soon, the Shrek group arrived in front of a massive building. Shi Yi realized that this would be his primary source of income for a long time to come, until he secured the support of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
Flanders then briefed everyone on the Grand Soul Arena.
"There are six of you. Each of you will have one solo soul battle and one team soul battle. You can decide how to team up. Your goal is to obtain the Silver Soul Battle Badge before graduation." With a flick of his finger, Flanders pulled out six masks from his soul guide and distributed them to everyone, who then proceeded to the registration office to register for their soul battle badges.
Shi Yi quickly registered himself, receiving the most basic Iron Soul Battle Badge and naming himself Shuang Yi.
Then, he rushed to the betting window without stopping. He pulled out the two hundred gold coins he'd saved from his spirit device and bet half on himself. As for why he didn't go all in, he thought that if he were matched up with his junior brother during a spirit duel, he'd be in big trouble.
Using his own spirit device, Shi Yi was certainly confident he could defeat Tang San, but using a powerful spirit device in such public would only draw attention.
After completing all this, Shi Yi arrived at the stands. Tang San asked curiously, "Brother, where were you?"
Shi Yi shook the betting receipt in his hand and chuckled, "I heard Shrek encourages gambling. Of course, I'm going to make money. I'm betting one hundred of my own gold soul coins."
"So much!" Xiao Wu exclaimed.
Ma Hongjun was also surprised. "Betting so much, aren't you afraid of losing everything?"
Shi Yi chuckled, "Except for my junior brother, I'm confident in everyone else."
With that, Tang San headed towards the betting window.
"Look, Junior Brother is so confident in himself, he's going to earn snack money for Xiao Wu," Shi Yi chuckled and joked.
Xiao Wu blushed and glared at Shi Yi, "What's it to you, you bitch!"
Shi Yi smiled and ignored Xiao Wu's insults. After all, spirit beasts don't talk politely with humans.
Dai Mubai sneered, "If the money in the Great Spirit Arena was so easy to make, it would have closed down long ago."
Shi Yi remained silent. He preferred facts to debate. This not only slapped him in the face, but also made him look pretentious.
Zhu Zhuqing, standing nearby, frowned slightly as Dai Mubai's words directed at Shi Yi. She felt Dai Mubai was going too far, but she didn't say anything.
Flanders watched all this without intervening. In his teaching philosophy, competition was a good thing. As long as no one was hurt and everything was under control, even negative emotions could often promote positive development in spirit masters.
Not long after, Tang San returned with his betting receipt.
Soon, the matchmaking system of the Grand Fighting Spirit Arena began to operate, and Shi Yi was notified by the Grand Fighting Spirit Arena staff to enter the arena. Everyone also moved to Shi Yi's stand to watch the game.
As Shi Yi entered the stage, he roughly knew some information about his opponent.
"Great Spirit Master, middle-aged, strikingly majestic, with well-developed limbs and muscles, undoubtedly a Beast Spirit Master," Shi Yi thought to himself.
Meanwhile, Shi Yi had already slowly made his way onto the stage. The host's introduction revealed his opponent's spirit: a giant grizzly bear.
No one cheered, but the eyes of most in the stands shone with the frenzy of gamblers. Newly registered contestants like Shi Yi were immediately targeted by these gamblers, who saw him as a fat sheep. Most newcomers would be defeated by these veterans; talent was rare, after all.
The middle-aged man, seeing Shi Yi's youthful appearance and extraordinary demeanor, couldn't help but smile disdainfully. A hint of lust flashed in his cloudy eyes. The reason was simply that Shi Yi's appearance was no different from those delicate young noblemen.
Both Shi Yi and Tang San possessed powerful skills. Thanks to the twelve meridians regulating their meridians, Shi Yi, despite years of forging iron, had a fair, delicate complexion, save for a few calluses on his hands.
"The match begins!" the host's voice echoed through the arena.
"Boy, let uncle teach you your first lesson in the world of soul masters," the middle-aged man said arrogantly.
With that, he summoned his martial spirit and spirit rings. True to his name, a giant bear's silhouette appeared behind him. His spirit rings were the classic civilian configuration, two white and yellow rings.
Shi Yi sneered disdainfully, his spirit rings illuminating as a dark figure instantly appeared beside him, instantly making the middle-aged man feel formidable.
Xiao Yi, now considerably larger, nudged Shi Yi's calf.
"Thousand... Thousand-pound Ant! Soul beast? Host!" The middle-aged man, sensing the terrifying aura emanating from Xiao Yi, quickly addressed the host, who was flying low nearby.
The Shrek members in the stands all looked surprised, and Flanders finally understood why his old friend had accepted Shi Yi as his disciple.
"What a resemblance, Xiao Gang," Flanders sighed inwardly.
The host, clearly unsophisticated, flew cautiously to Shi Yi's side and said, "Young man, could you please explain this..."
"It's obvious I'm not possessed by a beast soul. Little Yi is my martial soul, and it's mutated," Shi Yi explained to the host.
He then retracted Little Yi and summoned her again to prove his words were true.
"It's truly a martial soul. No foul, the match stands," the host exclaimed in surprise.
Shi Yi patted Little Yi's head, said something to her, and then hooked his finger at the middle-aged man.
Seeing Shi Yi's confident expression, the middle-aged man felt a little intimidated. After all, Shi Yi possessed two century-old spirit rings and a special mutation, making him seem unlikely to be his opponent.
Shi Yi, seeing the middle-aged man's inaction for a long time, grew impatient and said, "Will you fight or not? If you don't make a decision, I'll make my move."
With that, Shi Yi's first and second spirit rings lit up, and the middle-aged man quickly turned to the host, "Host, I surrender."
Shi Yi, seeing this, looked disappointed; he had wanted to assess Xiao Yi's combat prowess in detail.
The middle-aged man's surrender instantly ignited the stands. Apparently, most gamblers had placed bets on the middle-aged man, and for a moment, the stands erupted in shouts and curses. The middle-aged man, realizing he had incurred public outrage, hurriedly left through the contestants' dedicated passage.
Shi Yi, observing this, said, "Host, it's time to announce the results." The host announced, "Grizzly Bear surrenders. Battle Spirit Master, Double B wins. One win, zero losses. Please exit the stage and register your points."
Shi Yi then exited the stage, registered his points, and cashed in his bet receipt, instantly receiving his initial stake of 300 gold spirit coins.
"Two to one, not bad. It seems the odds are based on soul power level," Shi Yi muttered.
Shi Yi smiled and quickly returned to the stands, carrying his purse.
"Dean, why don't you seize this great opportunity to make money? Bet on Xiao San, you can't lose," Shi Yi said to Flanders, weighing his purse.
"Are you confident?" Flanders asked uncertainly.
"Xiao San is the strongest here, and the level range is low, so it's just a killing spree," Shi Yi said to Flanders.
As soon as he finished speaking, Flanders disappeared from the crowd. Shi Yi also headed towards the betting area. Seeing that his teacher had gone, Ma Hongjun followed.
As for Xiao Wu, she was penniless. Curiously, Xiao Wu asked Zhu Zhuqing, "Zhu Qing, aren't you going?"
"I'm not short of money," Zhu Zhuqing said calmly, which made Xiao Wu envious.
Seeing this, Dai Mubai was also tempted. Frequently enjoying a life of luxury in Soto City, he naturally needed money, but he couldn't bring himself to lose face.
This time, Shi Yi went all-in on Tang San. Seeing Shi Yi's all-in, Flanders, who had originally only wanted to bet a portion, pulled out a card from his spirit guide.
Perhaps due to Tang San's spirit power level, the odds on this bet weren't very high, only 1 to 1, but it still doubled his gold coins.
Not long after, everyone returned and smiled at Tang San's match.
Tang San and Zhu Zhuqing were in the same level range, so it was a coincidence that they met.
Shi Yi smiled at Zhu Zhuqing and said, "We're lucky Zhuqing didn't come with us."
"I don't have to lose," Zhu Zhuqing said calmly, frowning slightly.
Shi Yi nodded without objecting. Seeing a flicker of admiration in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes, he said, with a hint of meaning, "Don't succumb to fate. You will surely become a powerful being."
Zhu Zhuqing's expression softened slightly at this, and she said, "Thank you."
Meanwhile, Dai Mubai, not far away, clenched his fists tightly, looking at Shi Yi gloomily.
Zhu Zhuqing finished speaking, glanced at Tang San, and headed for the Dou Spirit Channel. Tang San was about to follow when Dai Mubai grabbed his shoulder.
A hint of embarrassment crossed Dai Mubai's face, and he whispered, "Little San, be gentle."
Tang San smiled faintly, nodded, and then passed through the Dou Spirit Channel and onto the stage.
Shi Yi smiled. No matter how he thought about it, Zhu Zhuqing couldn't possibly be Tang San's opponent, unless she was so fast that Tang San couldn't react, but that was impossible.
According to his assessment, Tang San's foundation was unmatched among his peers. Even if he did, he might only have a slight advantage in strength. In other areas, he was far inferior to Tang San.
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