TRWSB – Chapter 65 Large Bet

Hu Feng walked up to Qi Shaorong, gave him a heavy pat on the shoulder, and said, “Disciple, well done!”

“Disciple?” Qi Shaorong asked, somewhat puzzled.

Li Hong, observing Qi Shaorong’s performance, twitched the corner of his mouth. Before Qi Shaorong showed up, Hu Feng had been calling him “disciple” at every turn. Li Hong had assumed the teacher-student relationship between the principal and Qi Shaorong was already set in stone. But it turned out that such a relationship hadn’t even been established yet?

Hu Feng straightened his back and said, “How is it that after I’ve guided you for so long, I’m still not qualified to be your master?”

Looking at Hu Feng, Qi Shaorong replied, “You’re absolutely right. Master, you’re too kind. My performance was just average.”

Lowering his eyes, Qi Shaorong thought to himself: This competition had offended too many people. If Hu Feng wanted to be his master, it wouldn’t hurt to accept this reliable backer. After all, Hu Feng was a ninth-level expert, which was impressive enough to bolster his reputation.

Li Hong: “…” Average performance?

Li Hong mused: Qi Shaorong is just being overly modest. His performance was outrageously outstanding. There were probably countless people here who wanted to take him down.

Hu Feng took the belt from Qi Shaorong’s hands and said, “It looks like Zhuang Hao tricked you. This belt isn’t a spatial storage item; it’s just an ordinary belt. The real storage tool is the earring on his ear.”

Qi Shaorong’s eyes narrowed sharply, and his face darkened ominously.

Gritting his teeth, Qi Shaorong muttered, “I never thought Zhuang Hao would resort to deceit. I should have stripped him bare.”

Qianmian approached Qi Shaorong and said, “Don’t worry; we still have a chance. Didn’t you intercept that eighth-level magical beast core from Zhuang Hao? That’s worth a lot of points.”

Qi Shaorong let out a cold snort, his eyes gleaming with hostility.

“All participating academy students, please line up for score tallying,” came the announcement from the event referee over the broadcast system.

Hu Feng gestured towards Qi Shaorong and said, “Go ahead.”

Qi Shaorong nodded and walked toward the platform where the students’ results from each academy were being tallied.

Most of the students from Tianlan Academy who participated in the competition hadn’t encountered Qi Shaorong or Qianmian in the secret realm, so they had no idea what had transpired there. When some overheard the discussions about Qi Shaorong and Qianmian, their expressions became quite peculiar.

Qi Shaorong crossed his arms and stood at the end of the line with Qianmian.

Several students from Tianlan Academy occasionally glanced back at Qi Shaorong and Qianmian, their faces full of curiosity.

Zhuang Hao stood in a nearby line, not far from Qi Shaorong. Their eyes met, sparks flying between them.

“I thought Young Master Zhuang was so noble and upright, but it turns out you’re just so-so,” Qi Shaorong said mockingly.

Zhuang Hao shot Qi Shaorong a cold glare and retorted, “Extraordinary people require extraordinary measures. Don’t you think drugging someone is rather disgraceful, Qi Shao?”

Qi Shaorong let out a disdainful laugh. “Disgraceful? I’d say it shows my cleverness. If you’re that gullible, how is that my fault?”

Zhuang Hao looked at Qi Shaorong and said, “Then I see nothing wrong with a little deceit either.”

Qi Shaorong narrowed his eyes at Zhuang Hao. “Zhuang Hao, I have something to say to you.”

“I’m all ears,” Zhuang Hao replied.

“Your physique is terrible, and you reek of sweat. It’s disgusting,” Qi Shaorong said with a smirk.

Zhuang Hao: “…”

Yi Fan: “…”

Zhuang Hao, unwilling to engage further with Qi Shaorong, turned to Yi Fan instead. “I didn’t expect Tianlan Academy to not only have Qi Shaorong but also hide a skilled individual like you.”

Yi Fan smiled modestly. “My abilities are nothing compared to yours, Young Master Zhuang.”

Zhuang Hao chuckled lightly. “You’re too humble, Qianmian.”

The conversation between Yi Fan, Qi Shaorong, and Zhuang Hao grew increasingly tense, creating a palpable atmosphere. Students lining up nearby strained to listen to their exchange.

“Qi, your haul isn’t bad at all! Although you’re a bit short on six- and seven-colored stones, this eighth-level beast core alone is worth 1,000 points,” one of the tally judges remarked.

Qi Shaorong smiled. “I owe it all to Zhuang Hao. Too bad I didn’t anticipate that the so-called pride of the imperial Zhuang family, Young Master Zhuang Hao, would stoop to lying. If I’d known, I’d have stripped him bare earlier.”

Yi Fan looked at Qi Shaorong and added, “His spatial storage tool is an earring. Even if you stripped him, it wouldn’t have helped.”

“At least it would have vented some frustration,” Qi Shaorong said, waving dismissively.

Zhuang Hao stood to the side with a darkened expression. The other competitors’ gazes turned toward him, and his aura became even colder, warning others to stay away.

When the final points were tallied, Tianlan Academy secured first place with 4,832 points. Sacred Emperor Academy followed closely in second with 4,756 points, and Mingya Academy came in third with 1,876 points. Tianlan narrowly edged out Sacred Emperor Academy by less than one percent.

Qi Shaorong looked at the scores and smirked, exhaling in relief. “Luckily, despite some hiccups, Tianlan Academy still took first place.”

“Zhuang Hao is ridiculously strong. He nearly wiped out the sixth-level beast zone by himself; almost all the multicolored stones there are in his possession. What a pity. If you’d managed to snatch Zhuang Hao’s earring in the end, Sacred Emperor Academy might have dropped to last place. The look on Old Man Lu Ming’s face would have been priceless,” Hu Feng said with a laugh.

Qi Shaorong smiled faintly but said nothing.

“If only the competition lasted longer, you’d have figured out the trick with the belt,” Hu Feng said regretfully.

Qi Shaorong shook his head. “If it lasted longer, the outcome would’ve been uncertain. The drug’s effects were limited; given more time, Zhuang Hao would’ve recovered.”

Hu Feng sighed. “Zhuang Hao is exceptionally gifted. Don’t let him get to you.”

Qi Shaorong: “…”

Li Hong walked over, leaned close to Hu Feng, and said, “Principal, Yi Huo from the Yi family has returned, but Yi Bing hasn’t.”

Qi Shaorong’s expression remained unchanged, but a glint of intrigue flickered in his eyes. Could Yi Bing have died in the secret realm? He glanced at Yi Fan, who stood lazily to the side, his face as calm as ever.

In the Hundred Schools Competition, it was common for participants to remain trapped in the secret realm for various reasons—losing their teleportation token, being killed by a beast, or even falling victim to another competitor. In any case, their points would be nullified.

“Yi Bing and Shen Yuan were both worthless. It’s no surprise they didn’t make it out,” Hu Feng said dismissively, his tone indifferent.

“Speaking of which, the last sighting of Yi Bing in the projections was when he entered the seventh-level area. After that, nothing. Could he have been eaten by a beast?” Li Hong asked worriedly.

“That’s Lu Ming’s problem to worry about, not ours,” Hu Feng replied.

“Out of the ten participants from Sacred Emperor Academy, only three lasted until the end. Even though Zhuang Hao single-handedly secured second place for them, it’s still enough for us to laugh at,” Hu Feng added with a pleased expression.

A flicker of thought crossed Qi Shaorong’s eyes. Was Yi Bing still alive?

Iya, the principal of Mingya Academy, approached with a group of female cultivators. She smiled warmly at Qi Shaorong and Yi Fan. “Qi, Qianmian, you two performed remarkably!”

Qi Shaorong and Yi Fan exchanged a glance. “Principal Iya, you’re too kind,” Qi Shaorong said.

Iya chuckled mischievously and leaned closer to Qi Shaorong. “Qi, what do you think of Zhuang Hao’s physique?”

Qi Shaorong smiled faintly. “Nothing special.”

“Qi, if you have the time, you should visit our academy. Zhuang Hao clearly doesn’t recognize true value, but our students do. Why settle for just one blade of grass when there’s a whole meadow out there? We have plenty of beautiful women, all of them exceptional,” Iya said.

Qi Shaorong clasped his hands behind his back. “Principal Iya, you’re too generous.”

Iya turned her gaze to Yi Fan. “Qianmian, you and Qi seem to have a great relationship. Mingya Academy would also welcome you anytime.”

Yi Fan nodded slightly, his expression indifferent.

Hu Feng frowned, grumbling to himself, Tianlan Academy rarely produces two exceptional talents, and here comes Iya, trying to poach them already.

Qi Shaorong glanced teasingly at Yi Fan. “That Huang Feixue next to Iya seems to be glaring at you. Did you offend her?”

“She encountered me in the secret realm disguised as ‘Shen Yuan.’ She couldn’t accept that someone like ‘Shen Yuan’ could be part of the Imperial Capital’s Seven Beauties while she wasn’t, so she insisted on sparring with me,” Yi Fan said nonchalantly.

“And? Did you beat her?” Qi Shaorong asked.

Yi Fan nodded. “I did.”

“Well done! If you hadn’t beaten her, our first-place position might’ve been in jeopardy,” Qi Shaorong said, his eyes shining with approval.

Yi Fan: “…”

Hu Feng: “…”

Li Hong looked at Qi Shaorong and Yi Fan. “You two seem to know each other well?”

“We’ve known each other for years,” Qi Shaorong replied casually.

Li Hong nodded. “Ah, that explains it.”

“Qianmian, you seem to keep a low profile at the academy. If it weren’t for this Hundred Schools Competition, I wouldn’t have known our academy had such a skilled expert,” Li Hong remarked.

“Someone once told me that the tallest tree gets cut down first, so I prefer to keep a low profile,” Yi Fan replied coolly.

Li Hong was momentarily at a loss for words in the face of Yi Fan’s blunt response. “Qianmian, even though you like to keep a low profile, stepping up for the academy this time has truly moved me as the vice principal.”

“I didn’t do it for the academy. Shaorong promised me 20% of the gambling winnings if I helped out. That’s the only reason I put in the effort,” Yi Fan said matter-of-factly.

Li Hong: “…”

Hu Feng: “…”

Yi Fan looked at them both, his expression earnest. “Twenty percent is a lot of money.”

Hu Feng swallowed hard, thinking to himself, The betting odds for Tianlan Academy taking first place ranged from 1:20 to 1:30 at various gambling houses. If Qi Shaorong wagered a million on Tianlan Academy coming in first, he could potentially win at least 20 million.

Hu Feng mused further, Getting old really dulls your boldness. I also placed some bets on Tianlan Academy, but I only dared to bet on them finishing in the top five—and only put down 300,000. The top-five odds were 1:1.5, so I only made 150,000.