"I want the second round to be a memory challenge!"
After announcing the first and second event, Yu Xiaogang crossed his arms and stared confidently at Li Chang'an, a smug expression on his face.
'Li Chang'an, you'd never expect this move from me!'
Ever since being possessed by the Abyss, Yu Xiaogang's mind had become increasingly twisted, even awakening the darker side he had long kept buried.
He considered himself quite clever—after all, logically, most people would assume he'd compete in Spirit Master theory or something similar. But instead, he flipped the script and challenged Li Chang'an in basic arithmetic and memory.
In this era, Spirit Masters did receive some cultural education, but nothing too advanced. Yu Xiaogang, on the other hand, had made a career out of this, giving him a natural edge.
What he prided himself on most was his calculation and memory skills. Even if Li Chang'an had dabbled in such things, there was no way he could compete with someone like him.
Plus, his soul power had increased by more than two ranks recently. As far as he was concerned, victory was all but certain.
But in the next moment, he saw Li Chang'an's lips curl into a faint smile as the latter spoke calmly:
"How about this, Teacher Yu? Let's settle it with a single round of Spirit Master Duel. One match is enough—if I lose, I'll admit defeat without complaint. How's that sound?"
Competing in arithmetic and memory with someone who went through nine years of compulsory education?
Yu Xiaogang must be out of his mind. Why would Li Chang'an be afraid of that?
The Douluo Continent was still a feudal society. Frankly speaking, their level of arithmetic was laughably primitive compared to Li Chang'an's previous life.
As for memory, Li Chang'an had always had a solid memory during school. Even after graduation, he'd trained it further—he used to memorize the birthdays and family backgrounds of all the women he dated, so as not to mix them up.
"You're sure? Just one round?" Yu Xiaogang looked at him in confusion.
'Could it be that Li Chang'an is actually good at arithmetic or memory?'
He quickly shook off the thought.
What nonsense. For someone with that level of combat strength, he must've spent a ton of time training. Strength like that doesn't just come from reading things.
Given Li Chang'an's age, even if he had some knowledge in these areas, it couldn't possibly rival Yu Xiaogang's thirty years of scholarly study.
"Sure. Why? Are you scared, Teacher Yu?" Li Chang'an smiled faintly and didn't say more.
"No, not at all. In fact, I'm quite looking forward to seeing you streak across campus," Yu Xiaogang replied coldly. "The match will take place in an hour on the training field. Don't be late."
With that, he turned and left, not bothering to see Liu Erlong.
In truth, he'd only returned to take a look at Liu Erlong—and more importantly, to see if she could ask the Clan about letting him return. After all, he was no longer the same man as before.
Li Chang'an didn't go to find Liu Erlong either. Instead, he returned to his dormitory.
He hadn't gotten much rest today, and he figured a good nap would help sharpen his mind. Besides, Yu Xiaogang seemed like a completely different person now. Li Chang'an needed to prepare.
But no matter what kind of tricks Yu Xiaogang had up his sleeve, Li Chang'an was confident he could handle them. Otherwise, he wouldn't be worthy of the name Li Chang'an—unless Yu Xiaogang had somehow ascended to a Title Douluo.
---
An hour passed quickly.
When Li Chang'an arrived at the training field, he found it already packed with people. On the dueling platform, specifically designated for Spirit masters Duels, Yu Xiaogang was already in place. Two desks had been set up on either end.
As Li Chang'an approached, the crowd instinctively made way for him. Students shouted excitedly:
"Hello, Teacher Li!"
"Teacher Li, you got this!"
"Teacher Li, I wanna have your babies!"
...
Such was the awe-inspiring reputation Li Chang'an had established at the academy in just a single day—unshakable and unmatched.
What he didn't understand was why Yu Xiaogang had made this public spectacle out of their match. Did he really think he had this in the bag?
"Teacher Li, are you sure you want to go through with this kind of challenge against Xiaogang?" Flender walked over and whispered in Li Chang'an's ear.
To Flender, Yu Xiaogang had clearly gone mad—challenging someone out of nowhere, and even making such ridiculous wagers. But what was even more baffling was that Li Chang'an actually accepted.
Flender knew his old friend well. In terms of Spirit Master Duels, he had no doubt Li Chang'an would win. But when it came to memory and arithmetic, Yu Xiaogang could absolutely crush him.
And this kind of competition—no matter who won—it wouldn't look good for either party. What Flender really wanted was to cancel the match entirely.
Still, this showed just how highly he regarded Li Chang'an. Without knowing the full story, he was willing to offend Yu Xiaogang just to save face for Li Chang'an.
But Li Chang'an just smiled and shook his head.
"Don't worry, Dean. I'm not canceling the match. But I do find the terms of the wager... rather distasteful."
"After all, it's an insult to one's dignity."
With that, he stepped onto the platform and was greeted by several familiar faces—Zhao Wuji, a frowning Liu Erlong, and even Xiao Wu and the others.
Among them, Liu Erlong looked the most troubled. She hadn't expected Yu Xiaogang to come back just to challenge a teacher to a duel instead of visiting her first.
'Xiaogang, what's wrong with you? Have you really changed that much?'
Li Chang'an casually approached one of the desks, clasped his hands politely toward Yu Xiaogang and Flender, signaling that he was ready.
But at that moment, Yu Xiaogang suddenly announced:
"Today, Teacher Li and I will engage in a friendly competition. The first round—arithmetic!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the crowd exploded.
Most of them didn't know what the events would be, but everyone was familiar with Yu Xiaogang's reputation as a learned master. And now... arithmetic!?
"What kind of sick joke is this? Spirit Masters are supposed to duel with soul skills, not arithmetic! You're way older than him—how's that fair?"
"What a bully! Teacher Li, don't do it!"
"Yeah! Don't stoop to his level! If you've got guts, settle it with a Duel! Teacher Li could knock you out with one punch!"
...
"Silence!" Flender's deep, resonant soul power instantly calmed the crowd. Once both sides were confirmed ready, he continued:
"Today's math question comes from a rare ancient text. No one but me knows the answer. I swear on my Martial Soul, this will be a fair and impartial contest!"
Li Chang'an slowly lifted the sheet of paper. Written on it was:
There are chickens and rabbits in the same cage. There are 35 heads and 94 legs in total. How many chickens and how many rabbits are there?
Li Chang'an: 'That's it?'
__
T/N:
Hello everyone! My Patreon is just $3 — a perfect opportunity to access 80+ advanced chapters and support the translation.
🔗 patreon.com/user?u=79514336
Or simply search Translator-Sama on Patreon