Chapter 60: I'm Definitely Throwing This Fight!

"No way! I absolutely can't afford to offend him!"

At that moment, Xiao Chenyu's heart trembled with fear, a cold sense of dread rising within him.

Anyone who could bribe the Spirit Hall and have the backing of a powerhouse beyond the level of a Soul Elder... This was a soul master family far beyond the Xiao family's league!

From a young age, Xiao Chenyu's father had constantly reminded him that the most dangerous forces in the Douluo Continent were these formidable soul master clans.

If you angered the imperial family, as rulers of an empire, they at least had to save face. They would generally leave room for negotiation, to avoid causing public scandal.

But soul master families? They played by different rules. In the world of soul masters, the strong devoured the weak, leaving no survivors! If you crossed one of these powerful families, you would face total annihilation.

His father's warnings echoed in his mind, making it impossible for Xiao Chenyu to stay calm.

"I need to think of something, fast!"

As Lin Ye and Wang Sheng discussed who would go next, Xiao Chenyu panicked.

Ideally, he'd just surrender right away, but then he had another concern. Would conceding too quickly make Lin Ye's family suspicious?

In Xiao Chenyu's analysis, Lin Ye's family had likely sent him to Nuoding Academy to keep his identity a secret. What if they found out Xiao Chenyu had uncovered this secret? Wouldn't they have to silence him?

This was the dilemma gnawing at him.

How could he avoid offending Lin Ye without drawing the attention of his powerful family?

After racking his brain, Xiao Chenyu finally came up with a plan.

He would throw the match. Let Lin Ye win, and then honor the terms of their bet.

That way, not only would he avoid offending Lin Ye, but he might even be able to align himself with him!

I'm a genius!

Xiao Chenyu inwardly laughed at his cleverness.

But the current score was already 2-1, with his side in the lead. To make sure his plan didn't fall through, he needed to get on the field and throw the fight as soon as possible!

With that in mind, Xiao Chenyu glanced up at Liu Long, who was still standing in the center of the clearing. Trying to appear calm, he called out, "Liu Long, step down!"

"Huh? Boss, what's going on?"

Liu Long was puzzled, looking back at him.

"My hands are getting itchy. Come down, I'll take this one."

Xiao Chenyu responded naturally, keeping his tone steady.

"Oh, alright!"

Liu Long, not suspecting anything, nodded and, after retrieving his long staff spirit, retreated back into the ranks of the day students.

Xiao Chenyu then stepped forward.

Meanwhile, on the work-study students' side, Wang Sheng was equally baffled.

From what he knew about Xiao Chenyu, this guy was too proud to step forward until the very end, regardless of whether his team was winning or losing.

"Boss, what should we do now?"

Wang Sheng scratched his head, unsure of who to send up against Xiao Chenyu, the day students' "final boss."

"Lin Ye, I'll go, let me fight!"

As usual, Xiao Wu, spotting an opportunity to jump into action, was all fired up. Her eyes sparkled as she bounced up and down, eager to take the field.

"No way! He's a Soul Master, I'll go."

Lin Ye immediately shot down Xiao Wu's request.

Xiao Chenyu was, after all, a Soul Master and the leader of the day students. It was only fitting for him, as the leader of the work-study students, to handle this fight.

"I'll take this one. Wang Sheng, keep an eye on Xiao Wu for me."

Ignoring Xiao Wu's pouty face, Lin Ye calmly instructed Wang Sheng before stepping forward, his expression indifferent as he met Xiao Chenyu's gaze.

"Lin Ye, level 15 support-type Soul Master, martial spirit: Begonia."

As he stood in the clearing, Lin Ye introduced himself in a flat tone.

"Fifteen... Fifteen levels?!"

Xiao Chenyu's heart skipped a beat at Lin Ye's words.

If it were before, he would have scoffed and assumed Lin Ye was bluffing. But now, after everything he'd seen, he believed him completely—and that terrified him.

Hadn't Lin Ye just returned from hunting a spirit beast in the Spirit Hunting Forest? Shouldn't he have just barely reached level 11, having only absorbed his first soul ring? How could he possibly be at level 15 already?

Unless… the trip to the Spirit Hunting Forest was just a cover-up, and in reality, Lin Ye had long since absorbed a soul ring!

This thought alone sent shivers down Xiao Chenyu's spine. He forced himself to remain calm, meeting Lin Ye's gaze.

"Xiao Chenyu, level 11 assault-type Soul Master, martial spirit: Wolf!"

He introduced himself while adopting an offensive stance.

"A wolf, huh?"

Lin Ye nodded slowly after hearing the introduction.

"Let's begin."

"Spirit possession!"

At Lin Ye's signal, Xiao Chenyu roared, his white wolf spirit materializing behind him before merging into his body with a low howl.

As his martial spirit fused with him, Xiao Chenyu's muscles swelled, his academy uniform stretched tight over his bulked-up frame. White fur sprouted along his arms, and razor-sharp claws extended from his fingers.

At the same time, a white soul ring rose from beneath his feet, circling his body.

But even after Xiao Chenyu completed his transformation, Lin Ye remained still.

He hadn't even summoned his martial spirit, standing there with a calm expression, as if he had no intention of doing so.

Though support-type spirits weren't as helpful in direct combat, they could still offer significant advantages, like healing and maintaining peak condition—just as Lin Ye had done for Wang Sheng earlier.

"Lin Ye, why aren't you summoning your spirit?"

Xiao Chenyu asked, puzzled.

"There's no need. It's not time yet."

Lin Ye shook his head calmly.

His Nine-Spirit Begonia only had one soul ring attached so far, and its primary effect was to cleanse negative states. In this fight, there was no reason to summon it.

Besides, Lin Ye was confident that even without his martial spirit, he could easily defeat Xiao Chenyu, a mere level 11 Soul Master.

"Really not summoning it?"

Xiao Chenyu found Lin Ye's decision strange but ultimately shrugged it off. It didn't matter to him—he was planning to throw the match anyway.

"Boss! Teach this work-study kid a lesson!"

"Boss! Smash him!"

"Come on, Boss, take him out!"

Behind him, the other day students cheered loudly, egging Xiao Chenyu on to beat Lin Ye down.

"Idiots," Xiao Chenyu cursed silently.

Can't they see that Lin Ye has a century-old soul ring? How clueless can they be?

But unlike his reckless followers, Xiao Chenyu was no fool. Whether he could win or not didn't matter. He'd already made up his mind—he was throwing this fight, no matter what!

There are two more chapters. I'll do my best to have them out between 10 and 11 o'clock.

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