Chapter 27: Two Great Experts of the Earthly Institute

"Madam, Chu Hao is actually acquiring Star Stones!" Uncle Yuan stood respectfully beside Madam Yun, reporting the important events that had occurred recently every day.

Madam Yun showed a hint of surprise and said, "Does he actually know the use of Star Stones?"

"It's probably just another way for him to make money!" Uncle Yuan chuckled and said, "He went to the Blackwood Forest a few days ago and encountered a young girl from the Yang Family of Yue City—the Yang Family has contact with people in our area, specifically searching for Star Shatter Stones that were left in abandoned mines! The boy probably knows that someone is buying Star Stones at high prices, so he thought of this idea."

"Oh, who is it?" Madam Yun casually asked.

"A Loose Cultivator, not worth mentioning!" replied Uncle Yuan.

Madam Yun nodded slightly and after pondering for a moment, said, "It may not necessarily be so, that boy might already be able to absorb the power of Star Stones!"

"How is that possible!" Uncle Yuan immediately shook his head, "Even in our place, one must become a martial master to absorb the power of Star Stones, and even then, only one in ten can!"

Madam Yun's eyes flashed with excitement and said, "You must not forget, that boy's comprehension can compare with the War Gods of Yue and Han. Perhaps he also possesses an exceptional physique, and he might already be able to absorb the power of the Star Stones!"

"If it's as Madam says, then this boy's value is too great! Our Ling Family might not be able to keep him!" Uncle Yuan said worriedly.

Madam Yun smiled and said, "Worrying now might be too early. We still don't know if the boy can absorb the power of the Star Stones yet. However, if it really is the case, we should better rope in this boy, offering him more favors!"

"Madam, why not directly take him for our own use?" Uncle Yuan suggested, and this was not the first time he had done so.

Madam Yun showed a look of being moved, but still shook her head and said, "If that boy truly is such a demon, he will not be content under others! Instead of causing unpleasantness later, it is better to invest in him! A true strong person cannot possibly be ungrateful!"

"Madam speaks the truth!" Uncle Yuan lowered his posture further, "The He Family is a living example! They supported the Yue War God when he was still very weak, despite many calling them foolish! Now, the He Family has jumped from a Ninth Grade small family to a First Grade noble family, all thanks to the Yue War God's help. Who knows how many Spiritual Medicines, advanced techniques, and Martial Techniques he has given them!"

"Perhaps, one day our Ling Family might become the second He Family!" Madam Yun revealed a look of longing but then laughed it off. Chu Hao's present strength was so weak that even if he could smoothly reach the end, it would be a matter of over a hundred years later.

...

Little Leopard was now incredibly attached to Chu Hao. In the beginning, Chu Hao could still leave it at home, but as the little fellow's body quickly became stronger, it insisted on following Chu Hao to the academy, and could not be sent back!

Besides, the little guy now had a strength of over a thousand pounds, and Uncle Yu could not control it! Moreover, Chu Hao was also worried that the little guy's ferocity would erupt, so since it wanted to stick with him, he let it be.

This tiger-headed fellow, with its fiery red fur and not long after birth, naturally appeared adorable. After arriving at the academy, it peeked its small head out of Chu Hao's embrace and looked around, immensely cute.

The girls at the academy had absolutely no resistance to such adorable creatures, with many of them screaming continuously, surrounding Chu Hao, demanding to cuddle Flying Fire.

The little guy had a particularly strong sense of alertness. When it saw the girls approaching, it immediately bared its toothless mouth in a threatening manner, but this gesture not only failed to scare anyone, it instead made it look even more ridiculously cute, melting the hearts of those girls.

Chu Hao squeezed out from the encircling fragrance, feeling it was even more difficult than having fought a battle.

After beginning training, Chu Hao could only set Flying Fire aside, and the little fellow lazily lay down on the ground to sleep. It was still young, and although its strength was increasing rapidly, its bones and muscles were still tender, and it did not need intense training yet.

A day later, Tang Xin and the others came looking for him again, discussing where to go next, when suddenly the crowd began to buzz.

"Big news! Big news! Huang Yaping is going to duel with Chi Dao!"

"What, are those two finally going to fight?"

"It's going to be a great show! Where are they fighting?"

"Where else but the Beast Fighting Arena!"

"Let's hurry then!"

Chu Hao was stunned, he knew who Huang Yaping was—the top expert of the Eastern Sect's Earthly Institute. But Chi Dao? Speaking of which, how could someone be named that? He couldn't help but turn to Tang Xin and said, "Who is this Chi Dao?"

"A newcomer who just enrolled this year, but, he's very strong!" Tang Xin said seriously.

"It's said that he stayed in his mother's womb for eleven months, so his father just casually named him Chi Dao!" Xu Sheng laughed from the side, his words bringing smiles to Zhang Jian and Pan He's faces.

Chu Hao also wanted to laugh, finding the name quite whimsical.

"Let's go and see for ourselves!" Tang Xin pulled Chu Hao along, "Chi Dao is really strong, the duel between these two should be very interesting!"

"Wait, wait, wait, let me bring Flying Fire first!" Chu Hao quickly went to pick up Flying Fire, who was lazily sleeping under the sun. When the little fellow realized it was him, it merely changed its position and fell asleep again in his arms.

"You go out for a bit, and you turn into a full-time nanny?" Tang Xin laughed heartily.

Chu Hao chuckled and said, "Believe it or not, in six months, you'll definitely be no match for this little guy!"

Tang Xin immediately scoffed. Flying Fire didn't even have his teeth grown in yet, what about six months from now? He snapped, "Wanna bet on it?"

"Sure!" Chu Hao laughed, "Let's bet the Fortune Full Building. If you win, I'll give it to you!"

That truly shocked Tang Xin. The Fortune Full Building was a major money-maker, and also the only economic lifeline for the Chu Family. Chu Hao's willingness to wager it meant he was absolutely confident!

He was not someone stubborn about saving face, and he immediately laughed, "Can I not bet now?"

Chu Hao patted his shoulder, saying, "Smart choice!"

Little Leopard was gaining nearly a hundred pounds of strength every day, and as his body grew sturdier, the amount of Cloud Mist Stone it absorbed was sure to increase as well! In six months, the little guy might just reach a colossal strength of 20,000 pounds!

Although Tang Xin was a core disciple of the Tang Family, judging by his strength of not even 5,000 pounds at 16 years old, he could at most reach 10,000 pounds in six months, give or take.

—The higher the cultivation, the quicker the increase in strength. When Chu Hao first stepped into the world of martial arts, he could only increase his strength by about 25 pounds a day, not even 10,000 pounds in a year! But martial artists in the Vajra Realm, as long as they were under 30 years old, could increase their strength by at least 20,000 to 30,000 pounds every year!

However, Tang Xin was far from reaching such heights. After six months, he could increase his strength by another 5,000 pounds at most, barely making it to 10,000 pounds!

After all, how many people knew about the effects of Cloud Mist Stone, and how many could absorb it?

A group of five followed the large troop and made their way to the city's Beast Fighting Arena.

This was one of the most bustling places in the city.

As the people in this world were fond of martial arts, fighting-related activities were also the most popular. During any major festival, the most favored activities were always the bloody battles — it could be between people, ferocious beasts, or both.

Where there was a win and a loss, there would naturally be betting, and here many people neglected their proper businesses, becoming addicted to gambling. Some became rich overnight, but even more lost everything, including their wives and children.

The fights in the Beast Fighting Arena were categorized by levels, not of the fighters' strengths, but of the intensity of the battles. Some would end as soon as a winner was determined, while others would go until death!

Therefore, one had to declare to the arena whether it would be a fight to the finish or a fight to the death.

If it was a fight to the finish, the arena would assign a master to preside over it as a judge and to promptly stop the fight if necessary to prevent loss of life. But if it was a fight to the death, then the arena would not intervene, providing just the venue, since the death of one contender would clearly spell out the victor.

Huang Yaping's fight with Chi Dao was, of course, a fight to the finish.

Generally, one did not need to pay to fight here—unless one required the arena to provide a sparring partner. However, the arena would not conduct a losing business, as they were the house, and all bets had to be placed with them!

What, set up an illegal underground betting den? Did you not know that the Beast Fighting Arena belonged to the City Lord's Mansion? Competing with the City Lord's Mansion for business, are you tired of living?

The Beast Fighting Arena was enormous, able to accommodate fifty thousand spectators at once, resembling the ancient Roman coliseums, though the difference was that the fighting area could be segmented, divided into many small stages to host many battles simultaneously.

The fight between Huang Yaping and Chi Dao only needed a small stage; there was just no help for it—while they could be considered top fighters in the Earthly Institute, they would just scrape the bottom in the grand scope of Eastern Cloud City.

After all, both were too young.

The fight was to start in a while, and in the meantime, the arena staff certainly took the opportunity to introduce the two contenders, drawing the crowd in to place their bets.

Chu Hao checked and saw that this was not simply about betting on the winner or loser, but there was a time limit, like deciding a winner within five minutes, ten minutes, or half an hour before placing bets on who would win or lose.

That way, the stakes were spread out, and the house could make a killing.

Of course, there was also an unrestricted betting method called 'match betting,' where two people or groups made opposite bets, with the house acting as the mediator. Regardless of who won or lost, the house would take a 10% cut of the bets.

Ordinary people would not go for match betting, as it only paid even money and still took a 10% cut, unlike other betting methods where winning once could triple the stakes. Especially in some underdog matches, the profits could be even greater.

"Chu Hao, who do you think will win?" Tang Xin asked.

Chu Hao shook his head and replied, "I'm not familiar with either of these two, hard to say!"

"It's definitely going to be Huang Yaping!" a voice suddenly interjected. Ma Long and Lin Yuqi walked over together, "Chu Hao, dare you match bet with me?"

This guy just won't go away!