Chapter 85: The Duel is Moved Up

Chapter 85: Chapter 85: The Duel is Moved Up

"The duel between the rookie Lu Yuan and Sunx Jin has been moved up."

"What happened? Why was it suddenly moved up?"

"I heard that kid was the one who suggested it."

"No way! Does he have a death wish? He actually dared to move the time up instead of delaying it? He should have delayed it for three months, or even half a year..."

"Maybe Sunx Jin has some dirt on him."

"What dirt could he possibly have? He’s only been in the Bureau for ten days or so. He must have provoked him on purpose."

"Sunx Jin is going a bit too far with this. It’s fine to bully the rookies a little to teach them the rules, but not like this. Wanting to push someone to their death is just too ruthless."

"Sunx Jin really is a bit ruthless."

Since it happened in the cafeteria where many people noticed, the news spread quickly. Soon, almost everyone in the Demon Suppression Bureau had heard about it. This time, no one blamed Lu Yuan for being arrogant. Instead, most felt that Sunx Jin was too ruthless and unforgiving. After all, the gap in strength between the two was far too vast, and the outcome was already sealed. Knocking a rookie completely into the dirt and making them lose all face meant it would be incredibly difficult for them to ever rise again.

"Me, ruthless? Then ruthless I am!" Sunx Jin gritted his teeth upon hearing the chatter. "Today, I’m going to chop off his damn head!"

"You can heavily injure him, or even cripple him, but killing him is impossible," Wang Zhong shook his head. "Chen Qiang, and perhaps even Qin Gang, will definitely be present at the duel. There will be other experts there as well, and they absolutely won’t allow a murder to take place."

Sunx Jin’s eyes flickered; clearly, he had also considered this. "Then I’ll just cripple him!"

"Yeah, as long as it doesn’t result in death, anything goes," Wang Zhong smiled. Crippling a person could be physical, but it could also be mental. He thought of the Squadron Commander’s instructions, as well as the information the Squadron Commander had revealed. If they truly crippled Lu Yuan, that person would definitely be very happy. "By the way, that kid has reached major mastery in Bone Tempering, knows how to use Hidden Weapons, and rumor has it that his Archery Skill is quite good too. He even single-handedly killed a High Tier Eighth Grade Martial Artist. You need to take this seriously."

"What? How is that possible?" Sunx Jin’s expression suddenly changed. Knowing Hidden Weapons and Archery Skill was nothing, but soloing a High Tier Eighth Grade Martial Artist was no simple feat. How did he do it? Did he use poison? Hidden Weapons? Also, didn’t he just join the Demon Suppression Bureau without even forming Gang Qi yet? It’s only been a few days, and he’s already achieved major mastery in Bone Tempering?

"He has some background too, and he’s definitely receiving some special care, so you can’t be careless either," Wang Zhong advised.

"What background?" Sunx Jin quickly asked. He truly didn’t know about this. Could Lu Yuan’s origins be unusual, and did he have other backers?

Wang Zhong’s eyes flashed. "Wu the Cripple. Don’t look down on him just because he’s crippled now. Back in the day, he was incredible—extraordinarily talented and outstanding..."

"Wu the Cripple..." Sunx Jin immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Why should he care about a cripple?

"Remember, you are only allowed to win, not lose!" Wang Zhong emphasized.

"How could I possibly lose? That Lu Yuan will inevitably be defeated... Without a doubt, he will be crippled!" Sunx Jin was full of confidence. If he couldn’t even take down Lu Yuan, he might as well find a rock and smash his own head against it to die.

A short time later, on the training ground.

"Why did you move the duel up? Do you have a death wish?" Jianng Hongfei was extremely surprised. Logically speaking, Lu Yuan shouldn’t be this foolish. Sunx Jin was not Luo Rui, and an arena battle was not the same as a fight in the wilderness. Even if Lu Yuan could kill Luo Rui, it didn’t mean he could defeat Sunx Jin.

"He definitely doesn’t know how formidable Sunx Jin is, so he truly does have a bit of a death wish." The corners of Yu Qiuyang’s mouth curled up slightly; he was somewhat pleased. It would be wonderful if Lu Yuan was defeated or even crippled.

"It was Sunx Jin who threatened Brother Lu! Brother Lu had no choice but to move the duel up," Liu Zhi quickly explained.

"That still doesn’t make it right. It’s a bit foolish," Jianng Hongfei shook his head. Was there really no other way? Did he have to stubbornly charge straight in?

"How confident are you?" Mu Lingche couldn’t help but ask. He felt that Lu Yuan wasn’t an impulsive person and should have a certain level of certainty, although this might just be his own subjective assumption.

SWISH! SWISH!

Jianng Hongfei, Yu Qiuyang, and Liu Zhi all looked at Lu Yuan. They all wanted to know exactly what his chances were. Because of his previous performance, even though they didn’t want to admit it in their hearts, Lu Yuan was indeed different in their eyes now. Perhaps there really was a slight possibility.

"About thirty percent," Lu Yuan said.

"Thirty percent!" The crowd was astonished. Thirty percent wasn’t low at all. At the very least, it meant he truly had a fighting chance. They had thought it would be less than ten percent.

"Really?" Jianng Hongfei still couldn’t quite believe it. That was Sunx Jin, an Eighth Grade Peak expert who had been in the Demon Suppression Bureau for almost five years. He was absolutely a battle-hardened veteran, belonging to the strongest handful just beneath those of Noble Lineage.

"Naturally." Lu Yuan suddenly looked at Jianng Hongfei. "Brother Jianng, are you interested in playing a game?"

Jianng Hongfei was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"You act as the bookie and let everyone bet on Sunx Jin to win. In the end, I’ll win, and we’ll split the profits thirty-seventy," Lu Yuan smiled.

"You only have a thirty percent chance, yet you’re telling me to be the bookie..." Jianng Hongfei couldn’t help but roll his eyes. "Am I the idiot here, or are you?"

"If the pot is large enough, my chances of winning will continuously increase," Lu Yuan chuckled, his tone somewhat sly.

"Huh? What... what do you mean?" Jianng Hongfei stared at Lu Yuan in astonishment. Did he still have a hidden trump card?

"Come closer, I’ll tell you a little secret." Lu Yuan waved him over.

"What is it?" Jianng Hongfei leaned in.

The others all pricked up their ears, filled with curiosity.

"I’ve mastered the Nine Glories of Archery and achieved the Nine-Star Linked Beads," Lu Yuan transmitted his voice to Jianng Hongfei by condensing a strand of Gang Qi.

"What? The archery... you succeeded?" Jianng Hongfei directly exclaimed out loud. "Is that true?"

"How else do you think I helped Squad Leader Chen kill a Seventh Grade expert?" Lu Yuan countered.

"This..." Jianng Hongfei believed him. "Even so, you don’t have absolute certainty. It adds twenty percent to your chances at most. Why should I gamble with you?"

Sunx Jin was at the Eighth Grade Peak and had reached major mastery in Organ Tempering. The purity and vigor of the Gang Qi inside his body far surpassed Lu Yuan’s. Simply breaking through his defenses wouldn’t be easy. Lu Yuan’s chances of winning were still not high.

"If there’s enough stimulation, it can be raised to a hundred percent." Lu Yuan held out a hand, rubbing his thumb against his index and middle fingers. "Therefore, I’ll take seventy percent of the final profits."

"What? I thought it was seventy for me and thirty for you!" Jianng Hongfei’s eyes widened. What the hell? Are you messing with me? And you just declare it a hundred percent like it’s a fact, but the starting capital is entirely mine.

"Then you go fight him!" Lu Yuan threw his hands up. "I’m asking for seventy percent because I can win. If I only had a thirty percent chance, why would I risk my life?"

"You..." Jianng Hongfei felt that Lu Yuan’s words made some sense. But what if Lu Yuan lost? Wouldn’t he have to pay out that massive amount of compensation all by himself? "No, if you lose, I’ll suffer a massive loss. I’ll lose my entire fortune!"

"Does the Jianng Family have so little wealth? If I didn’t need the reputation of the Jianng Family, would I have sought you out? I could have just asked Brother Liu Zhi." Lu Yuan spread his hands. The Liu Family was too weak to set up a sufficiently large betting pool. Aside from Su the Ninth, only Jianng Hongfei would barely suffice.

"No, the risk is too great!" Jianng Hongfei shook his head. The risk and reward weren’t proportional.

"You..." Lu Yuan glared at him. "I’m gambling with my life here, and I’m a hundred percent certain!"