Swallowing the Stars: The Wind Sword Master.

Chapter 10 The Bet

The two strolled through the campus.

Shu Yi asked teasingly, "So, Master Martial Artist, what are your special feelings about returning to the school?"

Ning Ze shook his head.

No, not at all.

"Huh? No?"

Shu Yi was somewhat surprised; she had heard that those who returned from the wilderness area had many感慨 (feelings of deep emotion).

Even the trials of some school martial arts teams are the same. Having witnessed the vanished civilizations of humankind and experienced the survival rules of the wilderness, each entry into the wilderness is like a baptism.

Ning Ze said earnestly, "Whether it's a wild wilderness or a bustling base city, it makes no difference to me. Home is where my heart is, because of you."

Having witnessed countless instances of Ning Hua calming his mother down from her rage, Ning Ze gained some insight.

Shu Yi was slightly taken aback, and then a radiant smile slowly spread across her face, like a beautiful epiphyllum blooming.

She gave a coquettish laugh, "You're just trying to coax me." Her eyes were filled with an overwhelming joy.

Ning Ze shrugged and said calmly, "I'm just stating the facts, just like when I say I'm a peerless genius."

"Good, my great genius. How's your cultivation going lately?" Shu Yi asked with a sly smile.

"The intermediate-level warriors are almost halfway there. The next time we go to the wilderness, it won't be an easy trip, but it certainly won't be dangerous."

"The intermediate-level warrior is almost halfway there?"

Shu Yi's two big eyes were full of thought.

The strength range of an intermediate-level warrior is 2000kg-4000kg.

Ning Ze had only been a martial artist for a little over a month, and his strength before the assessment was around 2200kg, so it was definitely impossible for him to approach 3000kg.

That's definitely an exaggeration. To put it mildly, that's close to 2500kg, and reaching 3000kg would be considered halfway through.

Even if the range shrinks again, the strength increases to 2451kg, which was about 2300kg before. It has increased by 150kg in just over a month. In the future, he will inevitably become a mid-level warrior or a high-level warrior.

This was Ning Ze's talent in the past, and Shu Yi was already very satisfied with it.

She asked tentatively in a low voice, "Is your strength approaching 2500kg?"

A weight gain of 150kg in just over a month translates to nearly 2000kg in a year—that's an enormous achievement. And now, before August even arrives, a mere 22 or 23-year-old has already reached the warrior level. This isn't just elite; this is genius!

Shuyi felt that he was exaggerating a bit.

Ning Ze calmly said, "I'm almost at 2900kg." He trained all night yesterday and for an hour on the train, gaining another 45kg. While others calculate their progress by the day, he can calculate it down to the minute!

"Nonsense." Shu Yi rolled her eyes, a smile playing on her lips. She wasn't going to be fooled.

Ning Ze's eyes darted around, and a mischievous smile crept onto his lips. "Want to make a bet? You know what the reward is."

Shu Yi was slightly bewildered. They dared to make a bet?

If you can gain 700kg in just over a month, you'll be a warrior in a year. You can become a god of war quickly while you're young.

How could you not understand your own boyfriend?

Shu Yi suddenly realized what was going on and readily agreed, "Okay! You were definitely lying to me. What if you lost?"

Ning Ze's eyes lit up, and he said generously, "Name your terms."

His attitude was very firm.

Shu Yi felt a little guilty and carefully looked at that handsome face. When she noticed his rosy lips, her face also turned red.

She reached up and brushed a strand of hair from her forehead, changing the subject as she asked, "Where are we going today? You're going back this afternoon, right?"

"I'm cultivating so I can stay with you in peace. Right now, I'm with you, so I can skip the cultivation step for now. I'll take the last bus." Ning Ze rephrased his true feelings, a technique he learned from his father. In reality, his initial intention was very simple: he just wanted to do something bad.

Shu Yi glanced at him with amusement, resting her head on his familiar shoulder. "You've passed. Next time you go to the wilderness, no matter what, just send me a message. It doesn't matter if it's only a few seconds or as short as it is."

"good!"

Ning Ze responded without hesitation.

Although martial artists enjoy glory and even privileges, these generous treatments in terms of daily life only make them feel comfortable.

The reason for this is that martial arts families have to endure pain and pressure that ordinary people cannot imagine.

He often waited for his father to come home when he was a child, and he will never forget that feeling. He also vividly remembers his mother's anxious and worried look.

Scenes of life and death unfolded in the neighboring houses as well.

Ninghua's last return was at the hospital when he had his leg amputated. He was ten years old then, which was no longer considered too young.

He knew very well what his girlfriend's mindset was when he went to the wilderness.

The two strolled quietly through the campus, enjoying the feeling of having each other by their side.

Suddenly, the roar of an engine came from afar, booming like rolling thunder.

"Buzz! Buzz!"

"Sizzle!"

The sound grew louder as it approached, accompanied by a sharp screech of brakes, and a sleek supercar came to a stop beside them, drifting off its tail.

Under the sun, the jet-black, glossy car body looked very heavy, like a monster crawling on the ground.

On the right side, the entire car window opens like a wing.

Black leather shoes stepped on the ground, and a young man wearing sunglasses walked out. He wore suit trousers and a white shirt with gold patterns, and held a large bunch of bright and full roses in his hands.

Zhai Yanke smiled naturally, took off his sunglasses to reveal a handsome face, and walked over gracefully to hand over the bouquet.

"This is for you, Xiaoyi."

Ning Ze was furious. This bastard had indeed come. A playful smile appeared on his lips as he said, "You called me 'Auntie,' so why didn't you call me 'Uncle'?"

Shu Yi covered her mouth and chuckled, showing no intention of accepting the flowers.

Zhai Yanke narrowed his eyes and said with an exaggerated expression, "Isn't this the martial arts master who dropped out of our school? I heard he recuperated at home for a week after returning? The wilderness area is really terrifying. Why weren't you more careful?"

Ning Ze nodded in deep agreement and said, "It is quite dangerous. It's okay if you don't dare to go. No one will call you a good-for-nothing."

Zhai Yanke clenched the bouquet tightly, veins bulging on his forehead. He suppressed his anger and said with a half-smile, "Your strength hasn't increased much, but your mouth has become even more cunning."

Ning Ze raised his head slightly, his expression arrogant, and commanded, "If there's nothing else, step back. A good dog doesn't block the way; don't cause trouble in front of me!"

Enraged, Zhai Yanke's eyes darkened, and he said in a low voice, "You want me to step aside? Let's see who's stronger!"

"A defeated opponent! How dare he say such a thing?"

Ning Ze tightened his arm slightly, holding Shu Yi's waist, preparing to take a detour and leave.

Shu Yi was surprised. Didn't he say he was going to teach this guy a lesson? Why was he leaving so suddenly? This wasn't like Ning Ze at all.

Zhai Yanke was stunned. This person had never been afraid of battle since childhood. He was always the one being beaten, and now he was leaving?

"You coward, looks like you're terrified by the wilderness. Are you still recovering from your injury? No wonder you only care about words. I'll let you off this time!"

Ning Ze tightened his grip on Shu Yi's arms slightly, feeling like he was about to lose control, but how could he let this guy off so easily? He decided to hold back a little longer.

Sure enough, Zhai Yanke became anxious as he watched the two figures walk away.

He became a martial artist a little later, but his talent was undeniable, and he gained 1600kg of strength, 400kg more than Ning Ze.

He was confident that he would be able to defeat Ning Ze this time.

How can we just let them leave like that?

Zhai Yanke flashed back to the two of them and said in a deep voice, "Ning Ze, you're not scared, are you?"

"If you're scared, just stop bothering Shuyi, and I'll let you off the hook."

"Hahaha!"

Ning Ze laughed loudly, shaking his head with a smile, "As expected of the young master of the group, his skin is really thick."

"They really dare to say anything."

"If you don't look in the mirror, you won't even realize you're a mangy dog."

"Okay. I won't bother Xiaoguai anymore."

Ning Ze let go, creating some distance between himself and Shu Yi, then grabbed her arm and pulled her back, asking in confusion, "Huh, why are you back again?"

He created distance again, this time pulling Shuyi into his arms while spinning her around.

"You left. You've come back."

Shu Yi smiled and looked at Ning Ze reproachfully, but she didn't refuse. She twirled around like a dancer, her skirt fluttering, like a beautiful butterfly dancing gracefully.

"Alright, stop fooling around. Let's get away from this mangy dog."

Ning Ze pulled Shu Yi back to his side and turned to leave again.

Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Zhai Yanke's face darkened.

He had been pursuing Shu Yi for several years. He might have liked her a little, but he hated her more than anything. Ning Ze was his greatest enemy.

"What do you want?"

Ning Ze stopped, chuckled, turned around, and scolded, "You're so old, and you still haven't grown up at all. What are you doing, playing around like this? Don't you know how to add some stakes?"

Zhai Yanke narrowed his eyes, turned his gaze to Shu Yi, and pointed a finger, "Then use her as the wager!"

A cold glint flashed in Shu Yi's eyes, and she was extremely angry.

Ning Ze cursed, "Go to hell, go eat shit!"

He had already made up his mind; he would teach the next bastard a lesson in a moment!

Zhai Yanke remained expressionless after being scolded, though he felt a slight sense of regret.

"What prize? Tell me."

Ning Ze's eyes showed a hint of contemplation as he said, "If we fight fairly, and you win, I'll give you ten million; if you lose, you give me twenty million."

Shu Yi leaned closer to him, clearly worried about their fight. Ning Ze gently patted her arm to comfort her.

Zhai Yanke remained silent for a moment, then readily agreed.

"OK!"

He was the one who wanted to fight in the first place. Ning Ze might have wanted to fight him too, but he was the one who proposed the fight first, so paying twice the price is normal.

A slight smile appeared on Ning Ze's lips.

He was poor, with only one million Chinese yuan in total. As a martial artist, all he had to buy was a backpack and a communication watch.

Is there anything more wonderful than making money on a trip, especially money from the enemy?

As for losing, that's completely impossible. Even if he's weaker, he firmly believes he will win!

He told Shuyi he would use both hands, and that was the truth, but unfortunately Shuyi didn't believe him.

Ning Ze generously said, "Should we go to the Extreme Martial Arts Academy for justice, or to the Thunder Martial Arts Academy? It's up to you!"

"Raiden Grand Hall!"

"I hope you'll still be this confident later!"

Zhai Yanke was somewhat excited, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. As long as the great revenge was achieved, then Ning Ze would have no reason to exist! He suppressed his excitement and opened his communicator, "Yu San, have someone arrange a car to pick him up."

Ning Ze waved his hand, "No need, we'll go by ourselves."

Zhai Yanke glanced up, then didn't insist, turned around and walked back towards the supercar, still clutching the bunch of red roses in his hand.

The engine roared up again and disappeared from sight in a few seconds.

Ning Ze smiled slightly, turned his head and said, "Little darling, let's go make some money."

Shu Yi was still a little worried and reminded him again, "I heard that he stayed at the quasi-martial artist level for several months, and he weighed nearly 1000kg during the test. Plus, he gained 1600kg from absorbing cosmic energy for the first time, so his strength is 2600kg. You…"

"What? You think I'd lose?"

Ning Ze smiled faintly. "That won't do. You should have more faith in your boyfriend."

Shu Yi's eyes were thoughtful. Ning Ze might be a little weaker in terms of strength, but strength cannot fully represent combat power. Ning Ze has never lost.

"I believe you! This guy is really cunning, choosing the Thunder Martial Arts Hall as the venue. Given the relationship between the two martial arts halls, even if you win, some of them will probably make things difficult for you."

Ning Ze raised an eyebrow and said nonchalantly, "Maybe. As long as I have money, I don't really care how many people challenge me."

"Let's go. I can't wait to teach this bastard a lesson. Even if another genius defeats me later, I can still win 1000 million."

Thunder and Lightning Clubhouse.

The 200-meter-high cylindrical building stands majestically; looking up from below, it seems to pierce the clouds.

As the headquarters of the Thunder Martial Arts School in Jiangnan Base City, those who can enter here are basically all martial artists.

At this moment, the martial arts hall was filled with noise. After hearing that someone from the Limitless Martial Arts Hall had come to compete, the martial artists were excited.

The two martial arts schools have never lacked competition and duels. At this moment, a fighting ring has been set up, waiting for the arrival of the challenger.

Zhai Yanke's supercar is extremely fast. Now he has changed into a training suit and is standing quietly on the stage waiting.

He had longed for this battle for a long time.

For a martial artist, power begins.

In order to wash away his defeat after entering the martial arts level, he even deliberately delayed becoming a martial artist for a month.

Unfortunately, Ning Ze didn't play by the rules. As soon as he reached the level of a quasi-martial artist, he immediately took the test and even dropped out of school! This caught him completely off guard.

The preliminary martial arts and practical assessments in the base city are all on the first day of the month. There are four out of eight districts that take turns, so even if he changed districts to participate in the assessment, he would still be a month late.

Fortunately, Ning Ze returned to the base city after only one day. Upon receiving the news, he immediately began planning the battle.

It's not too late to start a fight now.

Although he didn't know why Ning Ze returned so quickly, he was confident that he would win this battle.

Because he donated 100 million to become a one-star citizen, he was able to log into the Limitless House and cultivate a top-level sword technique. Now, half a month later, he has gained some understanding of it. The secret manual he cultivates is definitely stronger than Ning Ze's, and his strength also surpasses Ning Ze's.

A luxuriously decorated VIP room on the second floor.

Four middle-aged men sat at a tea table discussing the martial arts assessment on August 1st.

"This martial arts assessment is being held in our four districts. Have you recruited any geniuses?" a burly man asked.

"No." The speaker was dressed in a black combat uniform, was somewhat thin, and had a sinister look on his face.

"I don't have any either." A square-faced, burly man spread his hands, looking helpless, and said, "Talented martial artists aren't so easy to recruit. There are only one or twenty throughout the whole year. And then there are those guys from the Limit Martial Arts Academy competing with us. We're lucky if we get one out of our meetings every two months."

He has a large black mole on his face. If Ning Ze were here, he would definitely recognize him as Park Nam, whom he met on the train.

After the three finished speaking, there was no reply. They turned to look and saw a middle-aged man with a large head and thick neck, who was chuckling to himself and saying something against his will, "I don't have any here either."

A black line immediately appeared on the foreheads of the three people.

Park Nam said unhappily, "What, are you suggesting we compete with you for it?" His expression then brightened as he added, "Tell me quickly, have you recruited any powerful geniuses? We must suppress those guys from the Limitless Martial Arts Academy!"

The middle-aged man with a thick neck laughed and said, "We have recruited a genius. His name is Wan Dong, and he is nineteen years old. He gained 2200 kg of power after absorbing cosmic energy for the first time. I was originally going to bring him to see Manager Wang Heng, but the manager is busy, so I decided to come over and chat with you guys instead."

Nineteen years old! That's young enough!

"Gaining 2200kg on your first try, you're a good prospect. Old Zhang, you're really lucky this time! You weren't taken directly by the instructor."

"Well, you can't blame the instructors. Everyone's short on contribution points. They bring over any promising talents they find. It's all pretty much the same anyway, it's just a matter of showing off. Old Zhang is a close watchman. I remember the genius we found last time was also brought over by him."

Old Zhang smiled without saying a word. His colleagues' envy was making him quite happy, and that was exactly what he wanted. Just as he was about to speak, he heard a faint commotion nearby. He paused, then asked, "What's going on? Daring to cause trouble here?"

"The sound is from the first floor."

"Turn on the security camera on the first floor."

The lights in the room dimmed slightly, and a projection appeared on one of the walls.

The martial artists on the first floor were inquiring about the bustling scene, and one of the arenas was surrounded by a large crowd.

At the entrance, a handsome man and a beautiful woman walked in.

(End of this chapter)