Chapter 103: Bet

Wang Dong'er, Xiao Xiao, Ning Tian and Wi Feng all stared.

Both Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie jaws dropped in utter disbelief.

Huo Yuhao grinned, his eyes half-lidded with the expression of great satisfaction as he witnessed the scene before him.

As for Dai Huabin, he tried to scream. Keyword, tried.

He could only let out muffled noises as his head was completely enveloped in Xiao Dong's mouth. His arms flailed helplessly as he struggled to free himself from the unexpected predicament. But no matter how hard he tried, Xiao Dong's grip remained firm, firmly holding Dai Huabin's head in its mouth.

The shocked silence that followed was palpable.

Huo Yuhao's grin widened, his eyes glittering with mischief. "Looks like Xiao Dong has quite the appetite today," he remarked casually, as if this was a common occurrence.

Wang Dong'er couldn't contain her laughter any longer, doubling over with amusement. Xiao Xiao giggled uncontrollably, while Ning Tian and Wu Feng exchanged amused glances.

"AHH! HUABIN!" Zhu Lu screamed, snapping out of her shock. She lunged forward, attempting to pry Xiao Dong's mouth open and rescue Dai Huabin from his unexpected confinement. Cui Yajie quickly followed suit, both girls trying desperately to free Dai Huabin from Xiao Dong's grasp.

Huo Yuhao and his friends watched on from the side, amused by the chaotic scene unfolding before them.

"Jokes aside, Yuhao. Will Dai Huabin be alright?" Ning Tian asked.

"Are you really worried about that guy?" Xiao Xiao chimed in, her eyes still sparkling with laughter. "He's caused enough trouble for everyone, maybe this is just karma catching up to him."

Ning Tian rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "Heck no. I just don't want us to get into trouble by the school just because we caused Dai Huabin to get rabies."

Huo Yuhao nodded, waving his hand. "Eh, don't worry about it too much. Xiao Dong's just messing with him. If he really was serious about eating Dai Huabin's head, he would have done it already."

Xiao Dong might be a harmless, chonky Snow Rabbit but it was still a soul beast that lived in one of the most brutal and competitive region in the world. If it weren't trained by Huo Yuhao, it would have only been a mindless hungry beast that would try to eat everyone here.

Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie continued their frantic efforts to free Dai Huabin, but Xiao Dong's grip remained unyielding. Finally, after a few more moments of struggle, Xiao Dong released Dai Huabin with an audible pop and hopped back towards Wang Dong'er's arms, who subconsciously wrapped her arms around it and patted its fluffy head in gratitude.

"Who's a good little rabbit? You are! Yes you are..." she cooed at the big fella, who immediately melted in her arms.

Dai Huabin stumbled backward, his face flushed with embarrassment and anger. He glared daggers at Huo Yuhao, his fists clenched tightly.

"You'll regret this, Huo Yuhao!" he spat out, his voice trembling with fury.

Huo Yuhao simply shrugged, his grin unwavering. "Sure thing, Dai Huabin. But for now, how about you get yourself a towel? Or, do you wanna go to class looking like a slobbering mess?"

Dai Huabin seethed, blood vessels pulsating on his forehead, and he saw red.

"You fucker!"

He stepped forward and threw a punch once again, but this time, at Huo Yuhao; not learning his lesson.

The smart thing to do here for him was to step back and avoid escalating the situation further, but Dai Huabin's temper seemed to have overridden his rationality. As his fist flew towards Huo Yuhao, the latter didn't flinch. Instead, with calm reflexes, he sidestepped the punch effortlessly, letting it sail harmlessly past him. The former was about to follow up his attack with a high kick when a ball of black light suddenly appeared between the two parties; it was Xiao Xiao's Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron.

Dai Huabin didn't stop his attack, and allowed his leg to slam into the Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron. At this moment, the gap in their cultivations fully manifested itself. With a muffled noise, the Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron flew uncontrollably back towards Wang Dong'er.

Xiao Xiao quickly unsummoned her Martial Soul and Wu Feng lunged forward, intending to support Huo Yuhao but Zhu Lu appeared before her. Both glared at each other, and without any hesitation, they threw a punch at each other simultaneously, their fists colliding with a resounding thud. The impact sent both of them staggering backward and the difference of strength between them was clear; Wu Feng merely took a step back while Zhu Lu stumbled several paces, her face pale and fist trembling.

Wang Dong'er frowned, taking a step forward but Cui Yajie blocked her path with a wry smile. She knew that she couldn't win against her but she could try and stop her from joining in the fight.

Xiao Xiao and Ning Tian were ready at the side, the moment Dai Huabin's group release their martial soul then all hell will break loose.

The tension between the two group was high, Dai Huabin growled and was about to release his martial soul. He no longer cared if he gets punished, this was a matter of pride and his reputation! Ever since the competition, he trained hard and his cultivation increased to rank 37, he wasn't far off from reaching Soul Ancestor and become the youngest one in the outer courtyard.

It was at that moment, a hand grabbed his right shoulder.

"Enough."

One word, followed by a powerful and heavy aura that enveloped Dai Huabin's body that made feel as though he was being pressed down by a mountain. Slowly, he turned to see who it was and was stunned to see Huo Yuhao standing beside him, his hand casually resting on his shoulder.

It was at that moment that Dai Huabin realized that Huo Yuhao eclipsed him by a few inches, and with the heavy atmosphere surrounding him, he felt a sense of inferiority that he couldn't shake off.

"Dai Huabin," Huo Yuhao's voice was calm but carried a weight that demanded attention. "if you wish to fight, we'll gladly welcome you in the Soul Duelling Arena at any time. However this is a school campus. Don't you know the school rules?" Once he finished speaking, he motioned for Wu Feng and Wang Dong'er to step back to shimmer down the tension.

After a brief moment of rage, Dai Huabin regained his composure. He pushed off Huo Yuhao's hand and moved back, his back wet with cold sweat as his soul power returned into his body. He coldly replied, "There's no need to wait for us to go to the Soul Duelling Area, Huo Yuhao. We're about to start the advancement test. Do you dare to make a bet with me?"

"...I'm listening." Huo Yuhao asked, eyebrow raised.

Dai Huabin replied in a low voice, "We'll bet on the results you five get compared to the results that we three get in our advancement test."

Wang Dong'er hugged Xiao Dong, and asked in an arrogant tone, "Stakes?"

Dai Huabin replied, "If you lose, I want the prize that you won during the freshmen assessment."

Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao exchange a certain look with each other. Their faces turned neutral, trying to keep their laughter contained. Because other than the privilege to ask the academy to help them obtain a soul ring, the most important reward they'd obtained from the freshmen assessment was the left leg bone of the Emptybright Devil Leopard, which Xiao Xiao had already fused with.(1)

Soul bones weren't like soul rings that could only follow a single soul master; when a soul master died, their soul rings would naturally dissipate. However, soul bones could be passed on. As long as the soul bone itself wasn't broken, it could still be re-absorbed by another person if its original owner had passed on, or if they'd had the limb possessing the soul bone broken.

Though Huo Yuhao and the rest didn't know whether or not Dai Huabin truly knew what the reward they'd obtained from the freshmen assessment was, this stake was equivalent to breaking off Xiao Xiao's leg!

When Zhu Lu saw the trio's silence, she became very pleased and said, "What? Scared? If you're scared, just screw off with your tails between your legs."

"What?! Alright, bet! We'll take the bet!" Xiao Xiao said firmly, her tone resolute despite the underlying tension. Even though she normally had a decent temperament, how could she endure being taunted by her opponents like this?

Huo Yuhao coldly stared down at Dai Huabin and shook his head. "Sorry, but we won't."

"Hmph! Coward," Zhu Lu scoffed.

He ignored and continued, "Not unless you change your stakes."

"I don't want to," Dai Huabin said coldly, "you can either bet or scram."

A fierce light flashed through Huo Yuhao's eyes. "If you lose, then what will you do?"

Dai Huabin replied, "If we lose, we'll naturally bring out something of equivalent value."

"Are you sure about that?" After saying that, Huo Yuhao activated his Sharingan, of course he hid his soul rings at the moment, and conjured the image of the soul bone that Xiao Xiao got and their expressions changed.

It was no wonder that Huo Yuhao had asked him to change the stakes; this involved the severing of a limb! Of course anyone wouldn't easy agree to such a stake.

The truth was that Huo Yuhao didn't want Dai Huabin's reward, not that he wasn't opposed to the latter losing a limb, but because he knew he wouldn't do it and would most likely go back on his word with all kinds of excuses. That's what people like him would do.

A fervent look appeared in Dai Huabin's eyes when he saw the soul bone.

"Fine! I..."

"Shut your mouth!" Just as Dai Huabin was about to reply, a shout suddenly rang out, interrupting him.

They all turned to see Wang Yan charging over to them and started scolding them.

"Just what are you lot doing?! You're all so young, yet you're actually using your bodies for a joke like this! Dai Huabin, why haven't you registered at Class 2 yet? Just what do you think you're doing by blocking this corridor? Are you trying to get disciplined? And... is that a Snow Rabbit?" he stared at the chonky Xiao Dong, who innocently stared back at him.

Ning Tian, whose been quiet for a while now, stepped forward and respectfully spoke up. "Teacher Wang, Dai Huabin is blocking our way, thus rendering us unable to enter the class and register. Furthermore, they've insisted on making a bet with Yuhao, Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao; they were also the ones who suggested this bet. They had no choice but to take on their challenge, please forgive us."

Wang Yan snorted coldly. "I don't object to you using the results of your advancement test as a bet, as it can serve make you work harder. However, I absolutely don't agree to the stakes of this bet. Even if you don't care about yourselves, have you even thought about your families? If you sever your leg, what sort of future would you even have left? I'll be the witness to this bet for you guys. The loser of this bet will have to bow down to the winner, apologize to them, and admit that they were wrong."

"Bowing won't do; that's too soft! You need to make them kowtow and admit that they were wrong!" Zhu Lu screeched.

Wang Yan was just about to reply, but Wang Dong'er quickly followed up, "Fine then. You were the one who suggested it. If we lose, we'll kowtow and admit that we were wrong. What about if you guys lose?"

After being suppressed by Huo Yuhao, Dai Huabin already felt somewhat dejected. Without any hesitation at all, he clicked his tongue and replied, "We'll kowtow and admit that we were wrong as well."

"It's settled then." Huo Yuhao raised his hand and slapped his palm on Dai Huabin's right shoulder, making him stumble. Their bet was now considered to have been properly made. Even if Wang Yan wanted to change it, it was now too late.

Wang Yan blinked, realizing something was wrong. "Wait, who are you?!" asking Huo Yuhao.

After Huo Yuhao explained who he was, both groups then followed after Wang Yan into the school building before they separated into their respective classes. Class one was obviously astonished to see the transformation of Huo Yuhao and after a few minutes of them crowding him for questions, and crowding Wang Dong'er about Xiao Dong, Zhou Yi entered classroom and started explaining the various important topics regarding the afternoon's advancement test.

Time seemed to quickly passed and the time for the freshmen advancement exam was about to begin.

.....

(1)AN: This was what they officially got and the soul bone that Zhou Yi got from the bet Ning Tian's teacher made was given to the shadow clone as the real one was long gone from the academy when she was prepared to give it to him; both Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao declined of getting the soul bone.

Btw, have you guys tried out the Soul Land 2 Donghua? It's got pretty good animation, the animation of the surroundings really, but they really messed up with a few things. Especially Skydream! They massacred the poor worm! Plus, they really exaggerated Huo Yuhao's martial soul.

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