The two words 'pay up' were like a clap of thunder, striking Jiang Yunzhou's most sensitive nerve.
He wavered. Whether Ning Rongrong participated in the battle no longer seemed absolutely essential.
What if? If it really came to paying up, then this venture would be a huge loss!
No, this cannot be allowed to happen.
"It won't, Rongrong."
Zhu Zhuqing, who was beside them, expressed her opinion at the right time. She explained, "I've tested your counter-damage effect. With your current control over the 'Liuli Wall,' you can only reflect up to fifty percent of the opponent's attack power. As long as the opponent isn't too fragile, or doesn't foolishly use all their strength to hit your shield, no one will die."
Jiang Yunzhou nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this.
If the risk was only to this extent, then it seemed acceptable again!
One more person participating meant one more opportunity to place a bet and earn money!
He even started to ponder whether he should give Ning Rongrong some offensive methods, so she could even take the initiative to attack?
But seeing her busy from morning till night, exhausted like a dog every day, he felt a little reluctant.
"Good, in that case, this matter is settled!" He made the decision directly.
"Besides the individual competition, you two will also form a duo to participate in the two-on-two match. This way, I can place three bets."
He made no secret of his true intentions.
He had great confidence in the strength of the two girls.
Moreover, he already had plans for the future, intending to form a team to win the All-Continent Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament three years from now, as the reward was three Spirit Bones.
Spirit Bones were incredibly valuable, so if there was an opportunity, he would naturally strive to obtain them.
With Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong, and if Little San was added, they could win even with a few dogs.
And Ning Rongrong was a very good candidate for team captain.
She now possessed extremely strong self-preservation abilities. The cultivation method she practiced allowed her to remain calm at all times, and with 'Telepathic Guidance' to establish a mental link, she could perfectly command from the rear and manage the overall situation.
Participating in more battles to hone her reaction capabilities and her team's Tacit Understanding was crucial.
Telepathic Guidance was such a useful skill, and easy to modify. Jiang Yunzhou had already decided that anyone who joined his Sect would receive a copy.
Ning Rongrong wasn't worried about Jiang Yunzhou's decision. She was very aware of her recent transformation, and naturally felt confident.
She was no ordinary support system Spirit Master now; she didn't need others to be distracted protecting her.
Thinking that her teacher was so keen for her to participate in the battle, even harboring the idea of placing more bets and making money?
A bold idea suddenly popped into her head: she really wanted to ask her teacher directly if he would consider being a kept man?
She really wanted to directly shove her soft, sweet things into his mouth!
Zhu Zhuqing was more direct, throwing a straight ball: "Teacher, betting is gambling, it's not good."
She knew her teacher was betting to make money, of course.
But currently, almost all of the academy's expenses were being borne by Ning Rongrong.
Ning Rongrong often asked her for small favors, then casually gave her a large handful of gold coins as a thank you.
When her teacher went to buy ingredients, Ning Rongrong arranged it based on a standard of one thousand gold coins per month.
Logically, her teacher shouldn't be short of money.
She secretly worried: he absolutely must not get addicted to gambling. Nine out of ten gamblers lose, and she was truly worried sick about this family.
"Hmm?"
Jiang Yunzhou retorted self-righteously, "Why wouldn't I take money that I can pick up for free?"
This statement left Zhu Zhuqing speechless, and she could only sigh silently.
She secretly pondered: should she give her teacher the two thousand gold coins she had saved as her private stash?
Unbeknownst to her, her small treasury had grown from an initial few tens of gold coins to over two thousand in the past half-month, thanks to various rewards and reimbursements from Ning Rongrong.
Now, almost everything she ate, wore, and used was paid for by Ning Rongrong.
She had to admit, having a thoughtful rich junior sister was really nice!
Most importantly, she couldn't refuse.
Ning Rongrong would always put on an act of 'if you don't take it, I'll throw it away,' and who could bear to let that happen?
So Zhu Zhuqing could only 'righteously' accept it.
Ning Rongrong, on the other hand, was seriously considering another question: should she continue to throw money around? What if her teacher really became a big rich man in the future, would he no longer be interested in her gold coin offensive?
An idea popped up: what if they deliberately lost tonight's competition? Let all the money her teacher bet be lost? Make him poor and destitute again, wouldn't that make him even more dependent on her?
As she thought about it, a sly smile unconsciously appeared on her face.
Jiang Yunzhou and his two disciples were holding their weekly meeting in the small courtyard.
They were discussing how to make a fortune at the Soul Arena when...
At Shrek Academy, a person Tang San had long awaited arrived.
It was Grandmaster, Yu Xiaogang.
His arrival gave Tang San, who had been in low spirits for days, a shot in the arm, and much of the gloom on his face dissipated.
Yu Xiaogang had always been extremely strict with Tang San.
He had heard from Hu Lande about Tang San's decadent performance over the past half-month and was very displeased.
He naturally knew about Tang San's feelings for Xiao Wu, but wasn't clear about the specific stage their relationship had reached.
What he didn't expect was that Xiao Wu, who had always clung to Tang San, had also begun to show aloofness.
They used to be inseparable; how could it have come to this?
Upon learning that the root of all this seemed to stem from the newly opened 'Supreme Academy' across the way, and that the two sides had even had conflicts, Yu Xiaogang's face became particularly grim.
So he had a private conversation with Tang San.
"Little San, do you know your mistake? How did I teach you?"
Yu Xiaogang's voice was stern, "It's one thing that your spirit power hasn't advanced at all in the past half-month, but are you planning to continue being so dejected? Just because Xiao Wu no longer revolves around you like before, you've even neglected your cultivation?"
"Cultivation is your own business. If you continue like this, you'll be ruined."
Tang San was rendered speechless, lowering his head, not daring to argue.
Seeing his appearance, Yu Xiaogang knew his guess was almost spot on.
It had to be said, the World of temptations was dazzling.
Not only were boys easily charmed, but girls were also easily led astray by outside 'blondes.'
His impression of Xiao Wu worsened a few points in his heart.
He had never particularly liked Xiao Wu's lively personality; in his opinion, Xiao Wu's presence had always affected Tang San's cultivation.
Now that she could consciously keep her distance, perhaps it was a good thing instead.
If Tang San could let go, he would be able to focus more on cultivation.
"Teacher, I was wrong!" Tang San admitted in a low voice.
Seeing Tang San's sincere attitude, Yu Xiaogang's expression softened considerably.
"It's good that you can correct your mistakes. Go prepare; I'll also go to the Soul Arena tonight to see your performance."
It seemed that due to Jiang Yunzhou's unexpected entry, the original plot trajectory had undergone some subtle shifts.
Tang San's cultivation progress was noticeably slower than expected.
After dinner,
Xiao Wu, upon learning that Jiang Yunzhou and his group of three were also going to the Soul Arena, unhesitatingly joined their team and went to Soto City together.
Jiang Yunzhou had already noted the location of the Soul Arena during his last stroll, and since Xiao Wu had been there several times, the four quickly reached their destination.
"It's so grand here!"
"Yes, I felt the same way the first time I came," Xiao Wu nodded in agreement.
Zhu Zhuqing nodded calmly, "I heard it can accommodate tens of thousands of spectators. It must be big and lively."
"Hmph~"
Ning Rongrong, with an arrogant tilt of her small face, said, "Compared to our Sect, it's just so-so!"
Having seen the prosperity of big cities, she couldn't muster much astonishment for the Soul Arena in this small city.