Chapter 24.3: The Bet
Zhou Yi said, âOkay, you two should quickly start eating. Once youâre done, go back and take a small rest. The afternoon match is going to start soon. Iâll be reporting this matter to the higher-ups. If youâre selected as a core disciple of the outer courtyard, the Academy will provide you these top-ranked dishes free of charge. Iâm pretty sure you can imagine how much thisâll benefit your cultivation. However, possessing a martial soul fusion skill doesnât mean that youâll definitely be selected as a core disciple. Remember, our Shrek Academy has no lack of geniuses. Your final ranking in the knock-out tournament will greatly affect your chances at entering the circle of core disciples. Truth is, I managed to graduate from the outer courtyard during my time, but I wasnât able to become a core disciple, much less obtain the qualifications to enter the inner courtyard. But for you two, becoming a core disciple is an important step thatâll help you to enter the inner courtyard. Out of all the core disciples thatâve been in Shrek Academy, over half of them managed to pass the inner courtyardâs assessment. Also, becoming a core disciple signifies that youâll receive even more help from Academy teachers. Do you understand?â
âYes.â The two replied together. Then, they immediately gorged themselves silly.
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong immediately acknowledged Zhou Yiâs praise of the Academyâs chefs. Huo Yuhao was still somewhat better; heâd never tried these types of high-ranked foodstuffs before. However, Wang Dong differed from him. Heâd eaten these delicacies in the past, but the flavours created by his familyâs chefs couldnât compare to the dishes cooked by the Academyâs canteen.
Once they finished eating, the two instantly felt their bodies heat up. This was especially true for their stomachs; waves of warmth spread through their entire bodies, causing an indescribable relaxing feeling to arise. Sure enough, you really got what you paid for!
Zhou Yi followed them all the way to the dorm entrance. Before leaving, she placed her hand on Huo Yuhaoâs shoulder and whispered, âSince you werenât born as a noble, use your own strength to become one.â
With that, she turned and left. Ever since the meal had started, her icy expression seemed to have disappeared.
The old man who seemed to be the dormitory manager, yet never cared about anything, continued to lean on his recliner. He seemed to have heard Zhou Yiâs words, and mumbled something in response, but nobody heard him.
After Huo Yuhao greeted the old man as he usually did, he returned to his dorm room along with Wang Dong. Theyâd just finished eating, but they had to cultivate for a while. After all, wasting time was disgraceful! Furthermore, the afternoon match clearly wouldnât be as effortless as the morning match.
When the afternoon bell rang, the freshmen assessmentâs knock-out tournamentâs round of sixteen officially began.
When compared to the morning, the number of competing students had decreased by a half. Once they drew their lots again, the students immediately headed toward their designated areas to start their respective matches.
The layout of the area hadnât changed, as this match was being held on the same day as the previous match. However, only the first 16 battlefields were used for the matches.
There was a tall stage erected by the northern part of the Assessment Area. This stage was 20 meters above the ground, and was supported by six metallic pillars. From the ground, it was impossible to see the number of people the stage contained. However, there were vague figures up there, as if there were people who were watching their matches. On the other hand, a distance of 20 meters from the ground was enough to overlook the entire Assessment Area, allowing the people up there to clearly see the state of every match.
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong werenât late this time around. Instead, they came to the Assessment Area very early to draw their lots, causing Xiao Xiao to sigh in relief.
This time, they were assigned to the eighth arena. By the time they arrived at the arena, the other team whoâd been assigned to the eighth arena as well had already arrived.
To Huo Yuhaoâs astonishment, their opponents were all girls. Furthermore, they were young ladies who were very pretty.
The Spectatorâs Stage.
Zhou Yi quietly stood on the stage, surveying the matches that were about to start. Class 1 had been the biggest winner among the ten classes during the round-robin tournament, but a few strong students had begun to reveal their true potential and strength when the knock-out tournament started. After the round of 32, only five teams from Class 1 remained. Although their numbers were greater than those from the other classes, their dominance was no longer that obvious.
The round of 32 was extremely crucial.
âTeacher Zhou, are you looking for your seeded team? Iâve just looked at the lots, and coincidentally, the seeded team youâve chosen just so happened to meet up with the seeded team from my class. Theyâre over there at the eighth arena. Say, who do you think will win?â
A thirty-or-so-year-old female teacher had walked up to Zhou Yi, and spoken with an amused tone.
Zhou Yi immediately squinted, âMu Jin, do you think that your students will win for sure?â
Although Mu Jin wasnât young, her appearance could definitely be described using the words âyoung and prettyâ. She smiled, shaking her head. âThatâs not true. There are no absolutes in this world. However, Iâve heard that there arenât any particularly outstanding talents from your class this time around. At the very least, Iâve heard that you donât have any students whoâre above Rank 30. What a pity.â
Zhou Yiâs gaze turned chilly. âAre you trying to provoke me?â
Mu Jinâs smiling expression instantly vanished, âSo what if I am? Doesnât your Class 1 have good results? I want to see how many of the students who youâve taught can get into the top 8. When I saw that my seeded team was paired up against your seeded team, I felt very happy. Ever since you expelled my disciples even when I bitterly begged you not to, this is the first time that Iâve felt this happy. Iâve heard that you want to be promoted to a senior teacher, but aih, you might be out of luck again.â
However, Zhou Yi didnât pay attention to Mu Jinâs provoking look. She cast her gaze down to the arenas below her, and fixed her eyes onto the eighth arena that Huo Yuhaoâs team was on. Then, she indifferently said, âWould you like to make a bet with me?â
Mu Jinâs objective had been to enrage and humiliate Zhou Yi. Thus, she didnât hesitate to reply after hearing Zhou Yiâs words. âA bet? Whatâre you betting with me?â
Zhou Yi finally stopped ignoring her. Turning around, she spoke with a serious tone. âOne soul bone. Do you dare to bet with me?â
After hearing the words âsoul boneâ, Mu Jinâs eyes suddenly shrank.
A soul ring was already an extremely precious item to a soul masters, as a soul master needed a soul ring to be able to breakthrough the existence known as a bottleneck.
However, soul bones were a hundred times more precious than soul rings. Every soul master could fuse with six soul bones, which were the skull bone, the torso bone, and the four limb bones.
Every soul ring could give a soul master one skill, while a hundred thousand year ring could give two skills. In other words, an ordinary soul master who managed to cultivate his way to the nine-ringed Titled Douluo stage should possess nine skills. On the other hand, soul bones were a completely different story altogether. Every soul bone would give a soul master another skill, and would drastically increase the strength of the body part it was added to.
Soul rings were items that soul beasts would definitely produce, but that wasnât the case for soul bones; only hundred thousand year soul beasts would definitely produce soul bones. On the other hand, soul beasts below the hundred thousand year rank would only have a one percent chance of producing a soul bone! The appearance of any soul bone would definitely cause a scramble among soul masters.