Chapter 103: A Wager

Lin Xiao immediately regretted his words as soon as they left his lips—sometimes, it was impossible to restrain himself when his mouth moved faster than his mind. Had he not just poured oil on the flames at this moment? Sure enough, after hearing Lin Xiao’s remark, Luo Yao erupted.

She radiated an intense aura.

“Judgment of Light!”

A potent surge of light energy gathered; even though it was night, the surroundings shone as bright as day. The light elements swiftly transformed into arrows of light, shooting straight toward Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao was startled—he remembered this Judgment of Light well. At the auction, Luo Yao had purchased a spirit pearl imbued with this very spirit technique.

Such overwhelming animosity—she was unleashing her ultimate move right from the start!

In truth, Luo Yao regretted her actions as soon as she released the attack. Her anger had clouded her judgment; Lin Xiao’s words were simply too infuriating, and she had lost control for a moment.

Now that the Judgment of Light had taken shape, even she could not retract it.

Although Lin Xiao had touched places he shouldn’t have, it wasn't truly intentional. His actions had been purely instinctive. In fact, Lin Xiao had held back at the last moment—she had seen him compete with Zheng Jia in strength in the classroom, and if he hadn’t restrained himself, even if she weren’t injured, being struck in such a manner would have been far from pleasant.

Now, as she watched the Judgment of Light take form, she was genuinely afraid she might accidentally kill Lin Xiao.

“Damn it! You little vixen, you’re playing for real!”

The arrows of light formed by the Judgment of Light shot toward Lin Xiao at astonishing speed. Lin Xiao had no time for banter; his priority was to deal with the immediate crisis.

He activated his first spirit skill—enhanced vision. In his eyes, the speed of the arrows slowed somewhat.

His mind raced. Though he was tough and resilient, taking a direct hit from a fourth-level Judgment of Light was not something he felt confident about.

He could take it head-on, but that would mean relying on the defensive skill of the treasure he carried. Lin Xiao didn’t want to waste it unless absolutely necessary.

Alternatively, he could use his speed to evade the arrows.

Lin Xiao quickly made his decision: first use his speed to dodge, and only resort to his defensive skill if necessary.

To maximize his speed, Lin Xiao immediately stored his weights in his spatial ring.

The arrows of light descended, and Lin Xiao retreated at once, dodging several arrows.

To his surprise, the arrows exploded upon hitting the ground.

Lin Xiao was caught in the blast's shockwave; fortunately, his tough skin and muscles meant he was only left in a sorry state, without any real injury.

Now was not the time to dwell on that—more arrows of light were coming his way.

---

This time, Lin Xiao learned his lesson: avoiding this spirit technique was not just about dodging the arrows, but also about escaping the explosive force upon impact. This required him to push his speed to the limit.

The arrows of light were densely packed, and Lin Xiao was forced to evade them in a most undignified manner.

Luo Yao was surprised: every time she thought Lin Xiao was about to be hit, he managed to escape disaster.

In the end, Lin Xiao evaded the Judgment of Light.

The power of the technique was considerable. Lin Xiao was unscathed, but the path back to the dormitory was now riddled with craters from the explosions.

Seeing this, Lin Xiao was speechless. Would the school make him pay for the damages? If so, he’d definitely refuse—whoever caused the destruction should pay!

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Lin Xiao was also a little angry.

“You really went all out!”

Luo Yao, perhaps realizing she was in the wrong, didn’t lose her temper for once, merely snorting coldly.

“You had it coming! I just couldn’t help myself!”

Lin Xiao sighed—he was indeed partly responsible.

Though Luo Yao had struck first, he had also touched places he shouldn’t have. It was hard to say who was at fault.

“Fine, I won’t hold it against you. Now that you’ve vented your anger, can you let me go?”

Luo Yao flashed a mischievous smile, making Lin Xiao, who had been keeping a wary eye on her, secretly curse her as a little witch.

“That matter is settled. But if you dare tell anyone, I won’t hesitate to make sure you never speak again!”

Seeing Luo Yao’s fierce yet adorable demeanor, Lin Xiao’s heart fluttered once more.

Fortunately, Luo Yao was letting it go.

Wait, she had attacked first—how did it suddenly seem like it was his fault?

Never mind, he wouldn’t argue with her.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about this. Can I leave now?”

“Leave? It’s not that easy! Though I won’t pursue the matter, you’ve managed to catch my attention. It’s been a long time since I met a worthy opponent among people our age. I think you qualify! Why not take this opportunity and spar with me?”

Lin Xiao found himself struggling to keep up with Luo Yao’s train of thought.

Still, her words stirred his fighting spirit. Back at the nursing home, he had been completely outmatched; now, finally facing a talented peer, he wanted to see how strong he really was.

“Alright! Please teach me!”

Luo Yao was surprised at Lin Xiao’s prompt agreement.

She hadn’t really intended to seek his consent—whether he agreed or not, she was determined to fight.

Though Lin Xiao had blocked her fourth-level spirit technique, that didn’t mean much.

Light abilities were naturally weaker at night; now she planned to show Lin Xiao what she was truly capable of.

That previous incident couldn’t all be blamed on Lin Xiao, though—after all, he had touched what he shouldn’t have.

---

Giving him a beating wasn’t unreasonable, was it?

“Then be careful!”

With that, Luo Yao vanished into the shadows.

At night, even with street lamps around, this was undeniably her domain.

Seeing Luo Yao disappear, Lin Xiao grew serious, immediately activating night vision and enhanced vision.

He quickly spotted Luo Yao’s hiding place—the infrared function of his night vision was incredibly useful.

Though Luo Yao concealed herself in the darkness, her body heat could not be hidden.

Simply put, in Lin Xiao’s eyes, her attempt at stealth was futile.

What surprised Lin Xiao, though, was that through night vision, he detected two other figures nearby.

He had no idea when they’d arrived.

Unbeknownst to him, lurking in the shadows were Chu Wentian and Murong Bo, a vice principal of the school.

The commotion caused by Luo Yao’s Judgment of Light was hardly inconspicuous—it would have been strange if they hadn’t noticed.

At this moment, the two were watching with excitement.

“My, my, this little girl of both light and darkness was forced to use a fourth-level spirit technique. Interesting! And that boy emerged completely unharmed—he’s not bad.”

“Brother Murong, care for a wager on who’ll win this fight?”

“That depends—surely Luo Yao. She hasn’t even used her full strength yet.”

“Don’t be so sure. I’ll bet on Lin Xiao.”

“That boy’s name is Lin Xiao? You know him? How could a second-level kid possibly be Luo Yao’s match?”

“He’s a student in my class, of course I know him. So, are you betting or not? The stake is that bottle of vintage wine you’ve kept for twenty years! If you win, I’ll take your grandson as my apprentice.”

“Are you serious?”

“Of course I am. Would I lie to you?”

“Deal!”

Their gazes returned to Luo Yao and Lin Xiao.

Truthfully, Chu Wentian didn’t know Lin Xiao’s true strength. He simply felt that anyone recommended by his old friends must have some real skill.

Besides, Murong Bo’s grandson was indeed talented, and he intended to take him as a disciple.

All in all, this was a win-win situation for him!