"Ten to one odds!
Upon hearing Lin Hui's words, a wave of soft snickers rippled through the crowd.
If Lin Hui won, the payout was merely 1.1 times the stake; but if Luo Feng won, the payout was ten times the stake!
Such a vast difference in odds was practically declaring Luo Feng a certain loser.
"I bet forty taels of silver on Lin Hui to win!"
"I'll also bet on Lin Hui—one hundred and twenty taels of silver!"
"Fifty taels for me!"
"Two hundred taels!"
The crowd surged towards Qin Feng. In an instant, a small mountain of silver notes and ingots piled up, all betting on Lin Hui's victory.
Although Luo Feng's odds were tempting, the other students believed that Luo Feng, only at the mid-stage of the Cultivation Power Realm, stood no chance against Lin Hui.
Luo Feng gazed at the radiant Lin Hui amidst the crowd, a cold sneer playing on his lips.
This whole spectacle has clearly been orchestrated by Lin Hui for me to witness, with the obvious aim of humiliating me!
"I bet Luo Feng will win! One thousand taels!" A clear, melodious voice suddenly cut through the surrounding murmurs.
Bing Ruolan elegantly stepped out from the astonished onlookers, her blue hairband fluttering like a butterfly. Extending a jade-like wrist, she handed Qin Feng a silver note for one thousand taels.
"This…" Qin Feng, taken aback by the silver note in Bing Ruolan's hand, looked hesitantly towards Lin Hui.
He hadn't expected anyone to actually bet on Luo Feng. Moreover, one thousand taels was no small sum; it was enough to purchase two Condensation Yuan Pills.
Lin Hui glowered at Bing Ruolan. This was obviously an attempt to undermine him, but wary of Bing Ruolan's strength, he could only swallow his resentment.
"Hahaha… The Class President is truly impressive. Only a fool would pass up free money! One thousand taels, I accept!"
Lin Hui suddenly burst into laughter, snatching the silver note.
"Well said. Only a fool would pass up free money…" Luo Feng also chuckled softly, then walked over and asked Bing Ruolan, "Class President, how much silver do you have on you?"
He had spent all his savings on Lin XiaoXiao and was now completely broke.
Bing Ruolan took out an embroidered silk pouch, glanced inside, and said, "Only a little over five thousand three hundred taels left."
Luo Feng paused for a moment.
Carrying thousands of taels of silver isn't something a child from an ordinary clan could manage. I've never heard anything about this girl; I wonder what secrets she holds…
A thought flickered through Luo Feng's mind, but he quickly dismissed it. He held out his hand. "Lend it all to me."
Bing Ruolan looked startled but quickly took the silver notes from the silk pouch and placed them in Luo Feng's hand, asking suspiciously, "You don't mean to…"
"I'll pay you back shortly." Laughing, Luo Feng took the notes.
SMACK!
Turning around, Luo Feng slapped the silver notes into Qin Feng's hand.
"Five thousand three hundred taels, betting on myself to win!"
"Five thousand three hundred taels!"
An eerie silence fell over the area. The surrounding students stared at Luo Feng as if he were insane.
Five thousand three hundred taels—such a huge sum wasn't something one could casually produce.
Qin Feng was also stunned, staring blankly at the silver notes in his hand, unable to process what had just happened for a long moment.
Luo Feng raised an eyebrow, looking at Lin Hui with disdain. "What's wrong? You were all so arrogant just now. Don't tell me a mere few thousand taels of silver is enough to scare you off?"
Provoked, Lin Hui snorted coldly, "Who said I'm scared? If you dare to bet, I dare to take it!" He then reached for the silver notes.
"Hold on!"
Luo Feng's eyebrows shot up as he blocked Lin Hui's hand. Looking at the furious Lin Hui, he smiled. "Five thousand three hundred taels, plus Bing Ruolan's one thousand taels, makes a total of six thousand three hundred taels. If I win, that's sixty-three thousand taels of silver! Lin Hui, can you afford to pay that?"
"I won't lose!" Lin Hui retorted defiantly.
"But what if you do?" Luo Feng's tone was unhurried as he smiled playfully at Lin Hui.
"You!" Lin Hui was livid but helpless. His family was merely a minor wealthy clan. If it weren't for his connection to Lin XiaoXiao, he wouldn't have his current standing in the Silver Moon class. Forcing him to produce tens of thousands of taels of silver instantly was indeed impossible.
"Heh, since everyone's in such a gambling mood, allow me to cover this wager." A bright, cheerful voice suddenly rang out as two figures strolled over.
"XiaoXiao!" Lin Hui's face lit up at the sight of them, and he hurried over.
One of the two figures was Lin XiaoXiao.
Lin XiaoXiao nodded, her gaze falling on Luo Feng nearby. A slight tremor flickered in her eyes before they resumed their icy indifference.
Luo Feng's breakthrough to the Fourth Level of the Meridian Wheel Realm, the mid-stage of the Cultivation Power Realm, in such a short time was somewhat surprising. However, this level of strength wasn't enough to warrant her serious attention.
That bitch has made a breakthrough too!
Luo Feng also noticed Lin XiaoXiao. Her skin glowed with a faint, jade-like luster, clearly indicating her cultivation had reached the mid-stage of the Fourth Level Rigid-Soft Realm—a significant improvement.
It seems she's reaped quite a few benefits from Duanmu Yu…
Luo Feng snorted inwardly, then shifted his gaze to the young man beside Lin XiaoXiao.
The youth had fair skin, red lips, and white teeth. A treasured sword hung at his waist, and he cut a rather handsome figure. The uniform he wore bore an embroidered emblem of a blazing sun, identifying him as a student of the Golden Sun class.
A peak expert of the Rigid-Soft Realm, even a notch stronger than Bing Ruolan… Luo Feng sensed the profound vital energy emanating from the sword-bearing youth, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
The sword-bearing youth felt Luo Feng's gaze. He stepped forward and looked at Luo Feng arrogantly. "You must be Luo Feng. I'll take this bet."
Luo Feng disliked the youth's condescending stare and replied calmly, "If you can afford to pay out sixty-three thousand taels of silver, then there's no problem."
Luo Feng's attitude made the young swordsman's brow furrow.
A mere piece of trash from the Silver Moon class dares to give me attitude!
Li Yunhao was furious internally but refrained from showing it in public. Suppressing his anger, he waved his sleeve and declared pompously, "My name, Li Yunhao, alone is worth more than sixty-three thousand taels of silver!"
At Li Yunhao's words, the nearby Silver Moon class students all gasped.
Li Yunhao's name was quite famous in the outer courtyard of Purple Sun School.
Although Li Yunhao's cultivation level wasn't extraordinary, his Qinggong ranked among the top five. His Yellow-rank mid-grade Martial Art, 'Traceless Steps,' had already reached the Great Achievement Realm. When used at full power, he could create three illusory figures, making it difficult to distinguish the real from the fake. In combat, opponents often couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes, earning him the nickname 'Ghost Shadow'!
Thanks to his mastery of Traceless Steps, Li Yunhao had successfully broken into the top ten in the previous Challenge King competition, becoming one of the ten Challenge Kings and making a name for himself in the outer courtyard.
The area suddenly grew quiet. The Golden Sun class students had always viewed those from the Silver Moon class as trash. Conversely, the Silver Moon class despised the arrogant Golden Sun class students. The two classes simply couldn't see eye to eye.
In last year's Challenge King competition, all top ten Challenge Kings were from the Golden Sun class. Bing Ruolan had ranked eleventh and was eliminated. This outcome had only intensified the animosity between the two classes.
Coincidentally, Li Yunhao was the tenth Challenge King. His appearance here was an implicit provocation, and even Bing Ruolan's gaze turned a few degrees colder.
"I accept," Luo Feng said after a moment's thought.
A fat sheep walking right up to be fleeced—how could I say no?
Luo Feng's quick agreement surprised Li Yunhao for a moment. Then, nodding, Li Yunhao smiled. "Very good!"
"The Instructor is here!"
Someone yelled, and everyone turned to see Ji Wuyue, dressed in practical attire and with a striking figure, striding towards them.
"Can someone explain this to me?" Ji Wuyue walked over. Sensing the unusual atmosphere, she raised her brows, her sharp gaze sweeping across all the students.
"Instructor, it's like this…" Bing Ruolan had no choice but to step forward and explain the entire situation.
After hearing everything, Ji Wuyue glanced at Lin Hui, who was standing with Li Yunhao, and raised an eyebrow. She suddenly lifted her hand. Just as everyone tensed, expecting an outburst, Ji Wuyue abruptly clapped Luo Feng on the shoulder and pulled him closer.
"You're already at the mid-stage of the Cultivation Power Realm, not bad! Challenging a late-stage Cultivation Power Realm expert with mid-stage strength—commendable courage!"
Luo Feng was pulled in front of Ji Wuyue, his gaze landing directly on her impressively ample chest. As Ji Wuyue spoke, a dazzling expanse of white seemed to sway before his eyes, and for a moment, his mouth went dry.
GULP! Luo Feng swallowed hard and quickly averted his gaze.
Ji Wuyue glanced at the silver notes nearby, then patted Luo Feng's shoulder and laughed. "Luo Feng, it seems no one expects you to win. Don't worry, I, your Instructor, support you! I bet on your victory!"
Luo Feng was touched, but then he saw Ji Wuyue take out a gleaming piece of silver and toss it to Li Yunhao from afar. "Luo Feng to win, ten taels of silver!"
"Ten taels of silver…"
Luo Feng's mouth twitched, and he swallowed the words of gratitude he was about to utter.
"Well, your Instructor is a bit short on cash lately…" Seeing Luo Feng's expression, Ji Wuyue said, somewhat embarrassed.
"Like instructor, like student, tsk tsk. Ten taels of silver… I give beggars more than that. No wonder she teaches a bunch of trash!" Li Yunhao caught the silver, tossed it in his hand, and sneered with disdain.
BOOM!
Ji Wuyue's aura suddenly exploded, the leather armor she wore seeming to tremble. In a single step, she was before Li Yunhao, her hair flying as she stared angrily and yelled, "What did you say?"
THUMP… THUMP…
Facing the enraged Ji Wuyue, a flicker of fear appeared in Li Yunhao's eyes, and he stumbled back several steps.
Although his cultivation had reached the peak late-stage of the Fourth Level Rigid-Soft Realm of the Meridian Wheel Realm, he was powerless against Ji Wuyue, who had opened six Meridian Wheels.
"I was just speaking the truth," Li Yunhao, a proud individual himself, forced out through gritted teeth.
"Remember this! My students are not for you to criticize! If you dare say one more word, I'll crush every bone in your body, inch by inch!" Ji Wuyue snorted coldly. She clenched her fists, and her knuckles emitted a series of thunderous cracks, causing Li Yunhao to break out in a cold sweat, his face paling.
Bone Bursting Thunder Sound, the hallmark of the Sixth Level of the Meridian Wheel Realm, the Iron Bone Realm!
"Luo Feng, are you truly confident about this duel?" Ji Wuyue suddenly turned back to Luo Feng.
Luo Feng snapped back to his senses from the shock and nodded seriously. "Absolutely!"
"Good! I believe in you!"
Without hesitation, Ji Wuyue reached into her robes, pulled out a glittering gold note, and threw it to Li Yunhao. "Ten thousand taels of silver! Luo Feng to win!"
The entire crowd was stunned. Ten thousand taels of silver! If Luo Feng won, that would be one hundred thousand taels of silver! This was an enormous gamble!
I originally just came with Lin XiaoXiao to take a look. I didn't expect this windfall… Li Yunhao clutched the gold note, a smile appearing in his eyes.
Class could no longer continue. Ji Wuyue led everyone directly to the martial arts field next to the training ground.
The martial arts field contained dozens of fighting rings, specifically for students to spar. Furthermore, the academy had an unwritten rule: once on the fighting platform, life and death were one's own responsibility!
"Lin Hui, come here."
Standing in a corner, Li Yunhao glanced at Luo Feng, then called Lin Hui over and whispered something to him.
Lin Hui nodded repeatedly, a ferocious smile touching the corners of his mouth. He glanced at Luo Feng, then leaped directly onto a fighting ring, crossing his arms as he waited for Luo Feng to ascend.
"Luo Feng, I've really put myself out there. You'd better not disappoint me," Ji Wuyue cautioned Luo Feng.
Normally, ten thousand taels of silver wouldn't mean much to her. But Ji Wuyue was currently at a critical juncture, preparing for the Golden Palace assessment. A single pill cost thousands of taels of silver, and she was spending money like water. She had only wagered so much in a fit of anger to stop Li Yunhao from insulting her students.
Luo Feng smiled faintly. "Instructor, your ten thousand taels of silver will soon become one hundred thousand!"