Douluo Dragon King: My Strategy System Is a Bit Off

Chapter 73 The Bet

In the early morning in Tianhai City, a thin mist, like a veil, quietly enveloped the city. The streets gradually awoke in the soft morning light, and the flow of people began to stir.

During the Tianhai Grand Prix, both shopkeepers and ordinary people who came to watch the excitement got up very early. For example, the two commercial streets near Tianhai Stadium were already packed with people early in the morning.

Lin Ci and his friends ate something at a street vendor's stall and then went to the stadium early.

The individual elimination rounds will be held this morning, while the three-person team competition will take place this afternoon.

Lin Ci drew his lots early, so he was the first to finish his match. His opponent was only a second-ring Soul Master, and he easily defeated him.

Tang Wulin followed suit, even though his soul power was somewhat low. The power granted to him by the Golden Dragon King bloodline was immense, and he quickly completed the match.

They thought the first round would go smoothly until Xie Xie walked back looking dejected.

Lin Ci raised an eyebrow slightly: "Xie Xie, what's wrong?"

Xie Xie raised his head, his eyes filled with frustration and resentment. "I...I lost."

Lin Ci and the others were all stunned. They did not expect that Xie Xie, who had always been quite strong, would be eliminated in the first round of the knockout stage.

Xu Xiaoyan lightly covered her mouth, "Really 240?"

She was just joking yesterday, how come it came true today?

Tang Wulin couldn't help but ask, "How could you lose? Was your opponent very strong?"

Xie Xie clenched his fist. "The opponent is that girl from Shrek Academy."

"That Ye Xinglan?!"

Xie Xie nodded. He hadn't expected to run into his opponent in the first round, and to be so easily defeated. This really upset him. Just yesterday, Wu Changkong had said he would help them get into Shrek Academy, but now he had lost the match like this.

Before anyone else could offer a word of comfort, a cold, mocking voice rang out.

Still feeling tough?

Ye Xinglan stood not far from the group, proudly raising her head and looking down at them.

Upon hearing this voice, Xie Xie's face instantly flushed crimson, his eyes filled with shame and indignation. He clenched his teeth, his knuckles turning white from the force, wishing he could rush forward and fight Ye Xinglan again. But reason told him that he was no match for her.

Lin Ci stepped forward, shielding Xie Xie behind her, and calmly looked at Ye Xinglan. "Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. Such aggressive behavior seems rather ungentlemanly. Or is this how everyone at Shrek Academy is?"

Ye Xinglan sneered, "Manners? In a world where the strong are respected, talking about manners is nothing more than the self-comfort of the weak. Since he is inferior in skill, he should be prepared to admit defeat, instead of looking so dejected and pathetic."

Tang Wulin couldn't help but retort, "The outcome of one match doesn't determine anything. Besides, Xie Xie only lost to you because he was careless for a moment."

Ye Xinglan glanced at Tang Wulin disdainfully. "A moment of carelessness? That's just an excuse for a loser. If you were strong enough, why would you be careless?"

Just then, Xu Lizhi, the chubby boy, ran over and quickly grabbed Ye Xinglan, whispering, "Sister Xinglan, don't do this..."

"In that case, I really advise you to continue participating." Lin Ci slightly raised his eyes and looked at her.

Ye Xinglan, brimming with confidence, looked back defiantly and said, "I know you two participated too, no need for you to tell me. Just wait, I'll take care of you one by one."

Lin Ci said calmly, "How about we make a bet?"

Ye Xinglan remained arrogant, "What are we betting on?"

"In the individual competition, can you beat me? Whoever loses has to unconditionally grant the other's every request."

Ye Xinglan was taken aback and hesitated slightly.

Upon hearing this, Xu Lizhi's heart tightened, and he hurriedly advised, "Sister Xinglan, don't gamble, the academy will punish you."

"What, Shrek Academy students, don't you even have this much courage? Or do you feel inferior? Don't you value Shrek's honor highly? Now you don't even dare to uphold it?" Lin Ci was clearly using a provocation tactic.

But Ye Xinglan was completely swayed by this. She gritted her teeth and said, "How dare you slander the honor of Shrek Academy? Fine, I'll bet you. Don't come crying to me for forgiveness later."

Lin Ci smiled slightly, her smile filled with absolute confidence and composure. "Then it's settled. I hope you won't go back on your word later."

Ye Xinglan snorted coldly, "I, Ye Xinglan, always keep my word. As for you, you'd better be prepared to lose."

After saying that, she turned and strode away. Xu Lizhi glanced helplessly at Lin Ci and hurriedly chased after Ye Xinglan.

Lin Ci chuckled softly. It had been a long time since he felt this fired up for a fight. He had thought he had lost all interest in combat. But unexpectedly, someone could still ignite his fighting spirit.

It's fun to discipline these spoiled wildcats.

"Brother Ci, this..." Xie Xie hesitated, but Lin Ci waved his hand, seemingly unconcerned.

"Even without your involvement, I would still have taught her a lesson. Get some rest, there's still the team competition."

For Lin Ci, Ye Xinglan was nothing special. The name Shrek Academy might put pressure on Xie Xie and the others, but for him, it was child's play.

In other words, he ate more salt at Shrek Academy than Ye Xinglan ate rice.

Gu Yue's gaze remained coldly fixed on him. After a moment, she simply asked, "What do you want her to do?"

The latest novel is first published here!

She was naturally asking about the bet with Ye Xinglan.

Lin Ci pondered for a moment, "I haven't decided yet. Maybe I'll let her be my maid for a day. She seems uncomfortable without anyone to take care of her."

Gu Yue's forehead was covered in black lines, and he could only mutter a light scolding: "You're being indecent."

Xu Xiaoyan covered her mouth and chuckled, "A proud person like her would probably be worse off serving someone than killing her."

In the afternoon, the sun shone brightly on Tianhai Stadium, and the enthusiasm of the audience was as high as the blazing sun. Lin Ci, Tang Wulin, and Xu Xiaoyan walked into the stadium in high spirits.

Wu Changkong didn't assign any strategies to them; the five of them devised the tactics together. Xie Xie, who had just lost the match in the morning, was naturally not suited to continue competing in the afternoon.

The three of them will be on the field for this match.

The rules of this three-person team competition are that each team of three players takes to the field simultaneously, and the first team to defeat all three opponents or render them incapable of fighting wins. Lin Ci and his two companions are facing a team of Soul Masters from a local academy in Tianhai City.

As the whistle blew to start the match, the three opposing Soul Masters quickly spread out, forming a triangular formation to flank Lin Ci and his companions.

Lin Ci's three-person team had a simple strategy: Xu Xiaoyan controlled the situation, Tang Wulin rushed out, and Lin Ci attacked.

Lin Ci didn't even reveal his spirit rings; he was able to defeat his opponent simply by having absolute control over the light element. With the assistance of Xu Xiaoyan and Tang Wulin, the match became even easier.

They won the first match of the team competition with almost no effort.

The same was true in the following matches; the team competition was unstoppable, and they encountered almost no strong opponents.

In the individual competition, Tang Wulin only managed one ring, but he still managed to overcome many obstacles and pass several rounds.

After defeating several rounds of enemies, Lin Ci finally encountered Ye Xinglan in the top sixteen.

Ye Xinglan explained to the organizers that she would participate in the individual competition, but she definitely couldn't achieve a high ranking. Under these circumstances, and through her deliberate arrangement, she successfully encountered Lin Ci in the top sixteen.

Many people don't want me to explain the plot here, and honestly, I don't want to either. If I reveal anything below, it would indeed be considered a spoiler. But if I don't explain, some people will think it's illogical and start criticizing me.

This really puts me in a dilemma.

For example, I saw a comment today saying that Leng Yaozhu recognized the protagonist, but I didn't give her much screen time later. However, in the Heavenly Dou Auction House scene, I actually hinted that she had been secretly watching the protagonist all along. Furthermore, taking her as a disciple after recognizing him was just a means to keep her around. The reason I didn't have much contact with her later, like securing a spot at the Angel's Tomb but having Wu Changkong take her there, is all part of what I was implying. I'll explain all of this later.

It's hard to hold back.

(End of this chapter)