Chapter 122: An Unfair World

In truth, Ye Xin held little interest in the grand competition at Longteng Academy. However, since he aspired to be a great hero and to command the nation's sacred artifact, this was an indispensable step. Moreover, with Tie Xinsheng having declared he would personally attend the martial arena, Ye Xin saw this as an opportunity for Tie Xinsheng to form a clear judgment of him.

As for revealing his true strength, Ye Xin was not worried in the slightest. If he wished to conceal it, no one could uncover his true abilities. His decision to act now was because he anticipated a tremendous enhancement in his power within a short period. Yang Xuantong had been away for five days already, and Ye Xin trusted both Yang Xuantong and Zhenzhen’s capabilities. Surely, within a month, Yang Xuantong would return.

It would be a fatal mistake for any potential enemy to base their judgment solely on Ye Xin’s current display of strength.

Finally, the day of the academy’s grand competition arrived, and Ye Xin was shocked to realize he had severely underestimated Shao Xue and the others.

While Wen Rong and her group were among the elite students, their abilities paled considerably compared to Ye Xin’s world. What surprised him more was their capabilities in other areas.

Shen Miao and Shao Xue’s betting parlor had already set up shop at Longteng Martial Academy. The grand competition was a flourishing event for the Kingdom of David, and the academy did not forbid gambling. Besides, Shen Miao had official backing—her father was the Grand Chancellor, overseeing governmental affairs—so some respect had to be shown.

Because of Ye Xin’s great achievements, the betting odds, after fierce fluctuations, gradually stabilized. To everyone’s surprise, Ye Xin’s odds were the lowest, meaning many placed their hopes on him.

This was entirely unacceptable—the profit was too small!

Soon, rumors connected to Ye Xin began to spread.

“Have you heard? Tomorrow’s the competition, yet Ye Xin was spotted indulging in pleasures at Tianfang Pavilion. When he came out, his legs were weak, almost collapsing on the street. Tsk tsk… who knows what nonsense he was up to inside.”

Ye Xin could hardly believe his ears. A group of girls barely sixteen had concocted such a scheme to sully his reputation?

“Did you hear? Ye Xin was totally unreasonable. Ye Ling served him tea, but since it was a bit too hot, he scolded her harshly. Look—her eyes are still red!”

A martial warrior of innate rank at intermediate or advanced levels would have greatly enhanced physical resistance. There was no way hot tea could scald her. This was fabricated to imply that Ye Xin’s strength was limited.

Moreover, Ye Ling must have exerted great effort inside. Only by fully cooperating could this rumor gain any credibility.

“Did you hear? The plan to defeat the Tiger Head Army Zhuang Immortal was masterminded by Autumn Jiezha, a veteran of the Wolf Legion. The Ye family’s retainers did the heavy lifting, while Ye Xin did almost nothing, yet he’s credited with the glory. Sigh… if only my family had Ye family’s background, I could achieve great deeds too.”

“Did you hear…”

“Did you hear…”

One rumor after another spread, resulting in Ye Xin’s odds rising steadily until they surpassed even those of Li Chonglou and others who had no hope of winning.

***

In the morning, Wen Rong and the others arrived at Ye’s residence, dressed formally in their martial uniforms. They noticed Ye Xin silently scrutinizing them with an unreadable expression, which made their hearts flutter with unease.

“Brother Xin, what’s wrong? Why are you looking at us like that?” Shen Miao asked coquettishly.

“After all I’ve done for you, you still have the nerve to smear me like this?” Ye Xin said slowly.

“Oh, we had no choice,” Shen Miao replied, glancing at Ye Ling.

“Brother, it’s not our fault,” Ye Ling said, hugging Ye Xin’s arm and shaking it. “Your odds are way too low—no profit at all.”

“I haven’t even mentioned you,” Ye Xin turned his head to look at Ye Ling. “Just for that little bit of money, you’d sell out your big brother completely?”

“Not completely. Just for one day!” Ye Ling answered seriously.

“...” Ye Xin was at a loss. He raised his hand to tap Ye Ling’s head, but laughter came from outside the hall. Ye Sui Feng appeared. It seemed inappropriate to hit someone in front of their father, so Ye Xin withdrew his hand.

“Uncle Ye,” Wen Rong and the others hurriedly stood and bowed to Ye Sui Feng.

Knowing that Ye Ling had received much help from them over the past two years, Ye Sui Feng was gentle, exchanging a few words before turning his gaze to Ye Xin. “Xin’er, do you want to win the championship this time?”

“We’ll see,” Ye Xin replied. “If, in the end, everyone bets on me, I’ll bet the opposite and lose on purpose. Just don’t know if the bookmakers can afford the loss.”

“Brother Xin, you can’t mess around like that!” Shen Miao’s expression changed. To them, Ye Xin’s strength was awe-inspiring, and it was natural he didn’t care much for the title. But Ye Xin’s assets were tremendous—just a casual trip unearthed over a thousand Spirit Stones. Even if he wagered only that thousand, no one could cover the losses.

“That’s what I fear,” Ye Sui Feng sighed. “I know you don’t care about fame, but remember: your elder brother left Longteng Martial Academy wearing a golden crown. To command respect from the veterans of the Wolf Legion, you must claim first place!”

“All right, all right. I know. Don’t worry, Second Uncle,” Ye Xin said helplessly. “If I take it seriously, those scraps in the academy won’t stand in my way.”

Hearing Ye Xin’s promise, Shen Miao and Shao Xue relaxed, only to hear his next words and immediately express discontent. Shen Miao called out, “Brother Xin, you’re an academy student too! Saying that makes you a scrap as well!”

“Fine, we’re all scraps,” Ye Xin waved his hand. “From now on, my army will be called the Scrap Legion.”

“Brother Xin, you’re not serious, are you?” Shao Xue was aghast at the awful name. No way—she wanted to quit the Wolf Riders!

“You believe everything I say?” Ye Xin smiled. “Come on, watch how I crush all obstacles like dry twigs!”

***

Shen Miao, Shao Xue, and the others left in high spirits. Since Ye Xin had declared his intention to win, they were sure to profit handsomely.

They soon arrived at Longteng Martial Academy. This time, just over two hundred students participated, having qualified by breaking through the innate realm—a smaller number than usual.

Xie En had already registered Ye Xin’s name, confirming his breakthrough to the innate realm. This was why Ye Xin initially had the lowest odds. In less than two months, he had leapt from postnatal to innate, creating a miracle since the founding of the Kingdom of David. Even Ye Guan Hai of old was left far behind.

With Tie Xinsheng’s announced attendance, many influential officials had gathered. Though the preliminaries were underway and Tie Xinsheng would not be present yet, these dignitaries had to warm up the atmosphere. Everyone knew the Kingdom of David had suffered great losses; for Tie Xinsheng to overcome these difficulties, he would need to curry favor with the prominent clans and court ministers. Showing enthusiasm was necessary. Though it might not affect the severity of the blows, those who dared to defy Tie Xinsheng would surely be punished harshly.

The two hundred students were shuffled and divided into three large tents. Each student had to face opponents from the other tents twice. Winning both matches would generally secure a place in the finals. If there weren’t enough undefeated students, those with one win and one loss would compete again until thirty-two finalists were determined.

Ye Xin and Wen Rong’s groups were separated; Ye Xin was placed in Tent One, while Wen Rong’s group was split between Tent Two and Three. By chance, when Ye Xin leisurely entered Tent One, he recognized only one of nearly seventy students—Li Chonglou. The rest were strangers.

However, the students all recognized Ye Xin, nodding respectfully and some even approaching to curry favor. Reestablishing the Wolf Legion was inevitable, and when they trained in the army, they would likely serve under Ye Xin’s command. Although they were students now, their identities would soon shift dramatically. They were soldiers, and Ye Xin was the commander. It was never excessive to flatter the future leader; those who failed to do so were fools.

Even Li Chonglou approached, forcing conversation, and others were no different.

Seeing their reverence, Ye Xin was unreserved. He summoned Xie En and had him bring a reclining chair. He then sprawled out carelessly, chatting idly with the students.

Though they outwardly showed respect, the students harbored various thoughts. Xie En had risen to advanced innate warrior status, with a power level of Pillar of the State. Such a talent joining the Ye family should command respect, yet Ye Xin treated Xie En like a mere retainer—called him at will and dismissed casually. Such rudeness!

Truly a prodigal son! But no one dared voice these thoughts. Ye Xin had plenty of reasons to act arrogantly. What did they have?

After a drumbeat, the preliminaries officially began. Since the entire round had to finish in one day, matches had time limits. If no victor emerged within time, it was a draw. A loss yielded one point, a draw five points, and a win gave ten to fifteen points. The cleaner and quicker the victory, the higher the score. This system ensured students gave their all from the start without hiding their strength and allowed heads and instructors to better gauge their potential.

Once the preliminaries began, the students in Tent One shifted their attention from Ye Xin to the matches, eager to learn. Ye Xin, bored, actually fell asleep on his reclining chair.

This only deepened their murmurs of disapproval. Could Ye Xin truly be a descendant of a great general? What if he lost the first match? How embarrassing! Still, even if he disgraced himself, he would remain commander of the Wolf Legion. After all, no one else could command those veterans.

Unfair! This world was so unfair! (To be continued.)