Chapter 64 – Wager Duel

Lin Ze naturally knew exactly what Guan Ning was thinking.

He had already prepared for this.

With that thought, a faint smile curled at the corner of Lin Ze’s mouth as he pointed at the Sealing Bead and said:

“Actually, the Spike-Tailed Lion has a second Evolution Path.”

The moment those words left his mouth, Guan Ning’s eyes widened in shock.

A second Evolution Path?

She had never heard of such a thing.

“I learned this from a powerful Beast Tamer,” Lin Ze said, putting on a serious expression and speaking in a solemn tone.

Guan Ning was momentarily stunned.

Then, as if something suddenly clicked, she covered her mouth and whispered, “Could it be… that Snow Maiden was also…”

“That’s right.”

Seeing Lin Ze nod, Guan Ning immediately showed a look of sudden realization.

In fact, she had found it strange for quite some time.

Little Snowball was widely known to have absolutely no evolutionary potential.

Yet Lin Ze had somehow managed to nurture and evolve it into an Ice Crystal Soul.

If it had only happened once, that would be one thing.

After all, cases of Beast Tamers stumbling upon an evolution by accident, while rare, weren’t unheard of.

But for Ice Crystal Soul to then evolve into Snow Maiden right after?

That couldn’t be explained away by luck or coincidence.

Two consecutive evolutions could only be achieved by someone who possessed detailed knowledge of the Evolution Path.

Guan Ning had been puzzled about this for a while, but considering it was Lin Ze’s private matter, she hadn’t dared to ask outright.

Now, however, she finally understood.

“No wonder Brother’s strength has been advancing by leaps and bounds lately—besides his talent, it must also be thanks to the guidance of that powerful Beast Tamer!”

“I wonder who that person could be, knowing so many secret Pet Beast Evolution Paths… Could they be some reclusive master?”

In just a few seconds, countless thoughts raced through Guan Ning’s mind.

She even began filling in a series of details for Lin Ze on her own.

Lin Ze watched it all unfold, laughing inwardly.

An ordinary youth encounters a mysterious master and soars to greatness from then on.

That kind of storyline was common in novels and films.

And it was also the easiest to accept.

In fact, from the very beginning when he first obtained his Cheat, Lin Ze had already figured out how to explain the changes in himself.

Along the way, he could also fabricate a powerful backer for himself.

Either way, it would reduce people’s doubts about the transformations he underwent.

It took quite a while.

Guan Ning finally snapped back to her senses.

She clutched the Sealing Bead tightly in her hand, pursed her lips, and said to Lin Ze with a solemn expression:

“Brother, I understand. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone else!”

Judging by her look, she clearly believed every word Lin Ze had said without question.

Lin Ze smiled and ruffled Guan Ning’s hair.

“Come on, let’s go pay. Once we get back, I’ll tell you the detailed Evolution Path.”

“Okay.”

The two turned and walked toward the counter.

From a distance, Lin Ze could already see a man and a woman standing at the counter, saying something to the sales clerk.

Both were wearing the student uniform of Ningjiang Academy.

However, he couldn’t see any Badges, so he couldn’t tell which Year they were.

For some reason, Lin Ze vaguely felt that the man’s back looked familiar.

As they drew closer, fragments of their conversation drifted into his ears.

“Is it ready yet?”

“Please wait a moment, my colleague has gone to fetch it.”

“Tsk, and you call yourselves a chain brand store—so slow! It takes this long just to grab something!”

“…I’m very sorry.”

The woman among the two kept complaining.

The salesgirl could only apologize with a helpless look on her face.

The other young man stood off to the side, looking lazy and saying nothing.

Just then, another coworker came to the counter and whispered a few words into the salesgirl’s ear, while discreetly pointing at Lin Ze and Guan Ning.

A trace of helplessness immediately appeared on the salesgirl’s face.

Whatever she said to the young man and woman, the group all turned in unison to look at Lin Ze and Guan Ning.

When their eyes met, the young man was momentarily stunned, then narrowed his eyes with a hostile expression.

Lin Ze’s gaze shifted as well.

The young man standing at the counter was none other than Luo Han, whom he had encountered not long ago.

That Second Year student who had invited him to join the Gaoshan Club, and who was also a club officer.

“What a coincidence, Junior Lin Ze. I didn’t expect we’d meet again so soon.”

Luo Han stared at Lin Ze with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“Quite a coincidence indeed.”

Lin Ze shrugged nonchalantly, walked up to the counter, and gestured for Guan Ning to place the Spike-Tailed Lion’s Sealing Bead on it.

“Please ring us up.”

The salesgirl looked at Lin Ze, then at Luo Han, her expression somewhat pained.

“What’s the matter?”

Lin Ze raised an eyebrow.

The salesgirl hesitated, then said with a bitter smile:

“This gentleman also wants to purchase the Spike-Tailed Lion, but unfortunately, this is the only one left in the shop.”

Only then did Lin Ze understand what their earlier exchange had been about.

Guan Ning frowned and said, “So what? We picked out the item first. First come, first served—what’s the problem?”

But no sooner had she spoken than Luo Han let out a derisive laugh.

“That’s not how it works. When a shop does business, the highest bidder should always take priority.”

He turned to look at the salesgirl.

“How much for this Spike-Tailed Lion?”

“O-one million four hundred ninety thousand!”

“Fine, I’ll pay three million for it!”

Luo Han slapped his chip card onto the counter with a crack, while casting a sidelong glance at Lin Ze.

His gaze carried a hint of mockery and sneering contempt.

Ever since Lin Ze had rejected his invitation to join the club in front of everyone, he had secretly harbored resentment toward this ungrateful commoner Freshman.

He had long since resolved to make the boy pay.

He just hadn’t expected the opportunity to come so quickly.

Now that a chance to humiliate Lin Ze had presented itself, Luo Han certainly wasn’t going to let it slip by.

The girl beside him also wore a smug, arrogant smile.

Guan Ning’s pretty face flushed red with anger as she glared at the two of them.

Lin Ze ignored Luo Han’s provocation and turned to look at the salesgirl instead.

Facing Lin Ze’s calm yet weighty gaze, the salesgirl’s expression grew even more bitter.

By the rules, the customer who selected the item first should be the one to buy it.

But Luo Han was a regular at the shop, and he came from a prominent family with deep connections.

How could a lowly salesgirl like her dare to offend him?

Yet Lin Ze clearly didn’t seem like someone easy to push around either.

For a moment.

She had no idea what to do.

Just as the salesgirl was on the verge of tears, Luo Han suddenly spoke up.

“Lin Ze, how about this—let’s have a Wager Duel between the two of us, with this Spike-Tailed Lion as the stake. What do you say?”

At these words, everyone present was taken aback.

A Wager Duel.

The term was no stranger to anyone there.

Most students were young and hot-blooded, and Ningjiang City was home to several Beast-Taming Academies, drawing in a large number of students.

Every day, plenty of young Beast Tamers found themselves in conflict.

And the way they resolved those conflicts was precisely through Wager Duels.

Both parties would agree on the stakes, then face off in battle on the Arena Platform.

The winner gloated in triumph, while the loser lost both their wager and their dignity.

Snapping back to reality, Guan Ning couldn’t help but shoot Luo Han a furious glare.

“You’re a Second Year student, and you have the nerve to challenge my brother to a Wager Duel?”

Luo Han shrugged with a dismissive smile.

“Lin Ze is the Top Freshman, after all, and he’s already beaten several Second Year students. There’s nothing strange about me dueling him.”

At those words, the shop assistant and the girl beside Luo Han both shot Lin Ze a startled look.

They hadn’t expected that this young man was actually this year’s Top Freshman at Ningjiang Academy.

And from what Luo Han said, he’d even defeated Second Year students!

That was simply unbelievable!

“So, what do you say? Or are you too afraid to lose and won’t accept?”

Luo Han’s gaze locked onto Lin Ze as he goaded him.

Lin Ze remained unmoved, replying calmly:

“This Spike-Tailed Lion was already bought by us first. Why would I wager my own possession against you?”

Luo Han took Lin Ze’s response as a sign of cowardice and sneered contemptuously.

“I’ll add another five million Credit Points. If you beat me, the money is yours.”

“On the other hand, if you lose, you hand over the Sealing Bead and add two million Credit Points.”

“So? Don’t say I’m bullying you—you’re already getting the better end of this deal. Do you dare to bet with me or not?”

Lin Ze smiled.

As expected of someone from a prominent family—generous with their spending.

Five million Credit Points, just like that.

And he was valuing the Spike-Tailed Lion at three million Credit Points, more than double its original worth.

It was clear he was confident he’d win the Wager Duel, certain of his victory.

Fine then.

He happened to be short on funds for evolution materials.

Since someone was voluntarily bringing money to his doorstep.

He couldn’t very well turn down such a good opportunity.

As the thought crossed his mind, a meaningful smile flickered in Lin Ze’s eyes, and he gave a slight nod.

“Alright, I’ll bet with you.”