Chapter Sixty-Eight: A Wager-Please Let Me Fail(Go have some fun.)

Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Wager

Staff hurried over to inspect the equipment, checking here and there, then rubbing their heads, "There's no problem!"

A male employee placed his hand on the testing platform, "Look, my internal energy displays normally."

The male host was startled. "Then..." Suddenly, he looked at Shi Bai. "Could it be, contestant Ye Xiaobai, you..."

"That's right. I have no internal energy," Shi Bai replied calmly.

"What?!"

The entire audience erupted.

"No internal energy!"

"Why are you competing without any internal energy?"

"Is he here to die?"

"Haha..."

"Don't talk nonsense! He's from the Ye family!"

"The Ye family?"

The crowd grew even more chaotic. "How could the Ye family send someone with zero internal energy to compete?"

"Are they truly out of candidates?"

"After Ye Fan died, the Ye family hasn't had any young talent worth mentioning."

"Ha! The Ye family is on the decline!"

The audience buzzed with speculation. Ye Ying'er frowned, about to speak, but Ye Xingzu stopped her.

"Ying'er, let them talk. Once the real competition starts, they'll shut up."

Ye Ying'er nodded, but her gaze drifted toward Murong Lingfeng.

Murong Lingfeng stared at Shi Bai with a puzzled expression, uncertain what was happening.

Only Shangguan Yunfei and his companions shook their heads in resignation. "Laugh all you want; soon you won't be able to."

With the internal energy test over, the host organized a draw. There were sixty-four numbers in total; Shi Bai drew number twenty-five.

According to the rules, number one faces sixty-four, two faces sixty-three, and so on. Shi Bai's opponent was number forty.

There were thirty-two matches in the round of sixty-four, and to speed things up, four arenas had been set up to allow simultaneous battles.

Since Shi Bai wasn't called in the first round, he returned to the spectator stands for now.

Murong Lingfeng sat beside Ye Ying'er, glanced at Shi Bai, and asked, "Ying'er, this Ye Xiaobai—who is he?"

But hearing the name Ye Xiaobai, Ye Ying'er burst out laughing, "He is..."

She hesitated, unsure how to answer; she certainly couldn't say he was her grandfather's master.

"Well..."

Shi Bai saw her struggling and was about to explain himself, but noticed a hint of irritation in Murong Lingfeng's expression. Smirking, he decided on a mischievous response.

"Oh! I'm her boyfriend. And you are...?" He extended his hand to Murong Lingfeng.

Everyone nearby was shocked.

"What? This guy is Ye Ying'er's boyfriend?!"

Murong Lingfeng's pupils contracted instantly, glaring at Shi Bai as if he'd seen a ghost, then at Ye Ying'er.

Ye Ying'er turned pale, staring at Shi Bai in horror and shaking her head quickly, "No! No!"

Murong Lingfeng sneered, ignoring Shi Bai's offered hand, "Then who is he?"

Ye Ying'er replied, "He's... a friend of our family."

"Oh?" Murong Lingfeng looked at Shi Bai with obvious hostility. "So this friend is quite close with my Ying'er?"

Shi Bai inwardly scoffed, thinking, "Your Ying'er, huh?" Retracting his hand, he said, "Just average—but better than you."

Murong Lingfeng's brows knit together, the air chilled with murderous intent.

"This friend seems very confident," he said coldly.

Shi Bai smiled faintly. "It's all right. On this planet, I have no equal."

Dong...

A similar thought echoed in everyone's mind.

"Good grief, that's some boasting!"

"Exactly! He even claims to conquer the Three Realms. Who does he think he is?"

"A useless guy without a shred of internal energy!"

Murong Lingfeng burst out laughing. "You must be joking. Does your family put on comedy sketches?"

Shi Bai shook his head. "No, we run a fruit stand."

...

"What is he saying?"

"No idea. How did a fruit vendor get in here?"

"Absurd!"

Murong Lingfeng paused, unable to grasp the meaning behind Shi Bai's words. Fruit stand? Was there a faction in the ancient city dealing in fruit? Or perhaps a sect related to fruit?

He was thoroughly confused.

Meanwhile, Ye Ying'er was giggling nonstop, casting a reproachful glance at Shi Bai.

Shi Bai raised his eyebrows but said nothing, and the atmosphere grew increasingly delicate.

At this moment, the matches had begun; four arenas were filled with contestants, one of whom was Wang Zhongtian.

Ye Ying'er and Shi Bai both focused their attention on him.

"Do you think Wang Zhongtian will win, Brother Murong?" Ye Ying'er asked.

Murong Lingfeng squinted at Wang Zhongtian, then shook his head, "I doubt it. His opponent is Lei Biao from the Lei family; Lei Biao has ten years of cultivation, while Wang has only eight. Plus, the Lei family's Thunderblade technique counters his fist style. This time, his chances of winning are slim."

"Yes," Ye Ying'er agreed. "Your analysis makes sense."

The others nodded in support; given the current situation, Murong Lingfeng's assessment seemed accurate—even the dissatisfied Ye Rulong and Ye Xingzu had to concur.

"I don't agree," Shi Bai suddenly interjected. "I believe Wang Zhongtian will win."

Everyone was startled, especially the young men sitting behind Shi Bai, who immediately snickered.

"Hey, buddy," one patted Shi Bai's shoulder, "if you don't know, don't speak out—don't make yourself a laughingstock."

"Yeah!" another crossed his arms and gave Shi Bai a sidelong glance. "You talk big for someone who knows nothing."

Ye Rulong, Ye Xingzu, and Ye Ying'er all looked puzzled, unsure why Shi Bai would say such a thing.

Murong Lingfeng laughed. "A fine braggart."

Shi Bai curved his lips. "There are things ordinary people can't comprehend."

Murong Lingfeng sneered coldly, "Do you dare make a wager with me?"

Shi Bai replied, "What kind of wager?"

Murong Lingfeng gritted his teeth. "Whoever loses must leave immediately!"

Shi Bai swiftly turned his face. "No, if you leave, who will I laugh at?"

"You...!"

Ye Ying'er could barely contain herself; though her heart was always with Murong Lingfeng, seeing him bullied by Shi Bai made her strangely delighted.

"What is happening to me? How can I feel this way? Am I turning bad...?"

Murong Lingfeng was about to speak again, but cheers erupted from the arena, and the host announced loudly, "The match begins!"

Everyone turned their attention to the stage.

Facing Lei Biao, Wang Zhongtian could not help but sigh inwardly, "Just my luck, meeting him right off the bat."

Lei Biao wore an expression of smugness. "This match is in the bag."

But man proposes, heaven disposes. At that moment, Shi Bai summoned the system.

"Custom task: Have Wang Zhongtian win the match."

"Custom task accepted, task initiated."