After placing a hefty bet of one hundred million, the Divine Sacred Family stopped being the house and passed the game over to Yang Xin.
Since it was Yang Xin running the betting, Nie Li decided to withdraw from the game.
"Nie Li, you better step up. Ninety percent of the bets are on the Divine Sacred Family to win, and all my wealth is riding on you!" Yang Xin gave Nie Li a flirtatious glance, her pink lips smiling softly.
With her curves so close to him, it stirred a rush of temptation.
This woman was truly a mesmerizing enchantress!
"Sister Yang is joking. Such a small amount is nothing to you; even if it’s a loss, it won't matter!" Nie Li smiled lightly, not easily swayed by Yang Xin's charms.
But Yang Xin pouted, feigning dissatisfaction.
"I’ve bet all my personal funds!"
"Well, then I can’t help you. All I can do is offer incense and leave it up to fate!"
Moments later, the game commenced.
Nie Li and Shen Ning from the Divine Sacred Family stepped down onto the martial arena.
The entire arena erupted in cheers, voices rising and falling, some supporting Nie Li while others supported Shen Ning.
"I lost a lot last round to that brat from the Heavenly Mark Family; I must make it back this time!"
"That Heavenly Mark kid brought a Tiger Tooth Panda demon spirit; what a joke! Even though he tricked the Divine Sacred Family this time, Shen Ning is already a Silver Star Five demon spirit master. Shen Ning will definitely win!"
Although Nie Li had won a round earlier, it had been far from honorable.
Shen Fei had suffered too much, meaning most people were betting on Shen Fei to win again.
Yet, there were a few who believed in Nie Li, thinking he could create another miracle, especially since he had already won a round.
Watching Nie Li in the arena, Ye Ziyun couldn’t help but chuckle lightly.
She had heard that the Divine Sacred Family had placed another bet of one hundred million.
That Nie Li was truly something; despite his less-than-stellar performance during the year-end test, Ye Ziyun always believed he had reached an unimaginable level.
Otherwise, how could he control his power and soul force to such an extent? For her, it was clear that Nie Li could outdo Shen Ning, so she had put all her savings on him.
Thinking about Nie Li’s mischievousness made her feel slightly annoyed, yet for some reason, she couldn’t shake off her concern for him, especially upon hearing he was participating in the genius battle; she rushed over without a second thought.
"It’s just normal concern between friends," Ye Ziyun told herself, though her cheeks felt warm.
She had never been this focused on a boy before.
The battle began.
Shen Ning swiftly integrated with his demon spirit, flames igniting his body, transforming him into a powerful Sacred Flame Demon Bear.
Roar!
Shen Ning stepped forward, flames surged skyward, and a wave of overwhelming force swept through the arena, scorching the ground black beneath him.
"It’s actually a Sacred Flame Demon Bear!"
"A Silver Star Five demon spirit master paired with a Sacred Flame Demon Bear? He’s absolutely unbeatable among the younger generation. Nie Li will have a tough time this round! He humiliated the Divine Sacred Family’s young master last time; the family won’t let him off easy this time."
Those betting on Shen Ning cheered loudly, their voices swelling with excitement.
"Starting off without even a nod! Such poor manners!" Nie Li mumbled to himself.
Hearing Nie Li's words, Shen Ning could only smile bitterly.
After the last match where Shen Fei hadn’t even had a chance to integrate with his demon spirit before getting beaten by Nie Li, he was not about to go easy this time! This battle was critical, so he had integrated with his demon spirit first.
With Nie Li’s Tiger Tooth Panda, he definitely wouldn't win against him!
Shen Ning felt victory was already within his grasp!
Nie Li also hurriedly integrated with his Tiger Tooth Panda demon spirit, becoming a plump little creature that looked completely harmless.
No matter how you looked at it, this Tiger Tooth Panda posed no threat.
"Roar!" Shen Ning marched toward Nie Li, waves of scorching heat swirling around him as he unleashed the power of his demon spirit, Thunder Fire!
Suddenly, Shen Ning leaped into the air, his palm crashing down like a meteor, fiery flames streaking down toward Nie Li.
Seeing this, Nie Li didn’t linger, quickly running away.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Flames rained down in a chaotic storm, scorching and carving deep craters into the ground.
Nie Li leaped and dodged each blast, leaving the spectators in a cold sweat—if any of those fiery meteors hit him, he’d be mortally wounded.
Booing erupted from the stands.
"That brat from the Heavenly Mark Family is such a coward, taking off right at the start. Can’t he show a little backbone?"
"This genius battle is just too uninteresting. If you can’t win, just admit defeat! Stop wasting everyone’s time!"
Voices echoed from the stands.
Yang Xin glanced at Nie Hai and Nie En, her expression darkening with displeasure.
"Why aren’t you two going to help Nie Li get a better demon spirit? How could he fight with something as pathetic as the Tiger Tooth Panda?"
"My lady, you misunderstand!" Nie Hai quickly replied, sounding distressed.
"In the recent period, we’ve already helped Nie Li acquire over a hundred thousand demon spirits, but he chose this Tiger Tooth Panda himself. There’s nothing we can do about it!"
Yang Xin's expression shifted to surprise upon hearing Nie Hai’s words.
Over a hundred thousand demon spirits? She looked over at Nie Li.
Although he seemed a bit awkward, dodging every attack at the last moment, there was a chance it was intentional.
"Since little Nie Li chose the Tiger Tooth Panda, he must have his reasons!" Yang Xin thought to herself, a small smile appearing on her face.
With Yang Xin’s mood brightening, Nie Hai finally sighed in relief, wiping away the sweat from his brow.
After all, he was just the head of a minor family; how could he afford to offend someone as powerful as Yang Xin?
In the corner of the stands, Ye Ziyun was fixated on the martial arena.
Her brow creased in concentration, unable to tell whether Nie Li was trying his best or merely playing.
But instinctively, she felt Nie Li would definitely win.
Flames rained down explosively around Nie Li.
In truth, these fire meteors were harmless to him, as he could easily blast Shen Ning away with a burst of dark-light elemental energy.
However, Nie Li didn’t want an easy win against Shen Ning!
If he won too easily this time, the Divine Sacred Family certainly wouldn’t continue playing with him in the future.
Thus, he needed to "struggle" to win against Shen Ning.
"Kid, don’t run!" Shen Ning relentlessly unleashed the terrifying power of his Sacred Flame Demon Bear, smashing down and wreaking havoc in the arena.
Yet, it frustrated Shen Ning that Nie Li's luck was outrageous—every time one of his flaming meteors was about to hit Nie Li, he would just narrowly evade.
Remembering how a regular Tiger Tooth Panda was typically clumsy, and seeing Nie Li’s rolling maneuvers, Shen Ning found it quite odd; Nie Li’s version of the Tiger Tooth Panda was truly a bizarre anomaly!
If it were a normal Tiger Tooth Panda, he would have taken it down ages ago—how could it last this long?
Roar!
Shen Ning leaped from the sky, his hands brought together, forming an endless fiery fist that rained down from above.
Seeing this, Nie Li’s eyes lit up, rolling aside just in time.
"Trying to flee? Too late!" Shen Ning smirked coldly, flames bursting from every inch of his body as he plummeted downward like a meteor.
(End of Chapter)