This was the first time Jiang Xiaofeng placed a bet. Tiger Boss and his two brothers had done so a few times, but Jiang Xiaofeng wasn't sure about his endurance, and he had lost more than he had won.
That's why Boss Jin always sat in the dealer's seat. The last time, Jiang Xiaofeng had ended the match in less than five minutes unexpectedly. The reason was that when facing a top-tier Soul King, he suddenly gained an epiphany, sat down cross-legged, and admitted defeat. It was during that match that his soul power broke through to level 30.
Boss Jin considered himself unlucky. After all, breakthroughs weren't something that could be controlled, and he had no place to complain.
But this time, Jiang Xiaofeng had already broken through, so he was sure things wouldn't repeat. However, facing a Soul King would still be tough, so Boss Jin offered a 20-fold compensation if he couldn't hold out for 5 minutes. This would probably attract more people to bet.
Just as he expected, the most popular bets were for 5 minutes and 10 minutes, with only a few brave souls betting on 20 minutes or more. After a rough calculation, Boss Jin figured this round would be profitable.
After the other bets were placed, Tiger Boss finally arrived.
"Boss Jin, I'll bet too. Today's the first time my big brother is fighting against a Soul King, so I won't bet much—just 300,000!"
Boss Jin was delighted. A 300,000 bet was huge. Before, people had bet hundreds or thousands, and the biggest bet was only ten thousand. But 300,000? That was a gold mine.
"Haha, Tiger Boss is really bold. Where do you want to place the bet?"
Tiger Boss replied, "30 minutes!"
Boss Jin froze for a moment. Was Tiger Boss giving away money? The Soul King had never been able to last longer than 30 minutes in a fight.
"Looks like Tiger Boss really trusts his big brother. Alright, let's make it official. 30 minutes, 300,000 Gold Soul Coins."
As soon as the words were out, a crowd gathered to watch and discuss.
"Isn't this the little brother of the Soul Giving Boy? Betting 300,000 on his own brother to last 30 minutes. He's bold!"
"30 minutes? Has Soul Giving Boy gotten a bit too cocky?"
"Wait, I have a bad feeling about this."
"Stop talking nonsense. Soul Giving Boy has never lasted 30 minutes against a Soul King. There's no way he can win this time!"
No one believed that Jiang Xiaofeng could last 30 minutes, but Jiang Xiaofeng was determined to put that pressure on himself.
Soon, it was time for his match.
The referee called out, "This match will be between Masked 31st-Level Soul Master and Long Hai, 41st-Level Soul King. Please take the stage."
Jiang Xiaofeng calmly walked up.
But his opponent, Long Hai, was eager, leaping straight onto the stage.
"Both of you are veterans of the arena, so let me remind you of the rules: No killing. If you do, the consequences are yours to bear."
Jiang Xiaofeng nodded, and Long Hai quickly followed suit.
"Referee, hurry up! I bet I can defeat him in under 5 minutes!"
The referee raised an eyebrow. While he couldn't place bets himself, he also didn't think it was possible to surpass 5 minutes. After all, the difference between Soul King and Soul Master was immense.
The gap between a Great Soul Master and a Soul Master wasn't that big and was relatively easy to overcome. But the difference between a Soul Master and a Soul King was drastic, with the latter able to make huge leaps in power.
As expected, Jiang Xiaofeng's chances of winning were low, so no one thought he could last more than 20 minutes, and no one was willing to bet on that uncertain outcome.
Jiang Xiaofeng nodded and said, "I'm really looking forward to what you're about to show me."
Long Hai laughed, "**I'll give you a show, then. Martial Spirit, Golden Headed Lion!"
A massive lion appeared behind Long Hai, its power clearly beyond that of a Soul Master.
But instead of frowning, Jiang Xiaofeng became more excited.
"Let's start!"
"As you wish!"
The way Jiang Xiaofeng fought was simple: he used his opponent's strongest attacks against him, waiting for the moment when his opponent would give in.
"Golden Headed Lion's first soul skill, Rampage!"
**"Golden Headed Lion's second soul skill, Beast King's Arrival!"
Without hesitation, Long Hai charged forward.
Jiang Xiaofeng raised his hands to protect his chest, activating his Immortal Body technique, starting his endurance test for today.
Perhaps because it was Jiang Xiaofeng's first time facing a Soul King, he was knocked back immediately, pain searing through his chest.
"Cough, not bad. Let's go again!"
Long Hai laughed, "Then I won't hold back. Here I come!"
Onlookers saw Jiang Xiaofeng injured on the first attack and thought the match would likely end within the 5-minute mark.
"Go Long Hai! Beat him!"
"If you can't beat Soul Giving Boy in 5 minutes, you have no place in this arena!"
"A Soul King is a Soul King. There's no way a Soul Master can beat them. And he's only just entered the Soul Master stage. Boss Jin is probably going to go bankrupt."
At this moment, Boss Jin was looking extremely grim. It felt like they were clearly trying to scam him. Was it because he made too much money last time and didn't share enough?
"If I had known, I would've shared some of my winnings. This Soul Giving Boy is too much!"
However, as time passed, Jiang Xiaofeng was still enduring, and there was no sign he was going to fall.
As the five-minute mark approached, Boss Jin breathed a huge sigh of relief, while those who had bet on 5 minutes began to complain.
"Long Hai, what's your problem? You're a Soul King, and you can't take down a Soul Master in 5 minutes? Pathetic!"
"Long Hai, are you doing this on purpose? Pay up!"
"Damn it, Long Hai, you can't win this fight? After the match, just dig yourself a hole and bury yourself!"
Tiger Boss and his brothers were getting excited. They had bet 300,000 Gold Soul Coins on 30 minutes, and at first, they almost had a heart attack, thinking he wouldn't last even one minute. Now, they finally relaxed.
On the stage, Jiang Xiaofeng was burning with energy. Facing the attacks from Soul King, they couldn't use killing moves, so the attacks were somewhat constrained.
Long Hai was getting frustrated. He dared not use his full strength, but he was still holding back. Even at 90% of his strength, he couldn't defeat Soul Giving Boy.
Finally, in a fit of rage, he used all his strength except for killing moves.
Jiang Xiaofeng's expression was darkening. The Immortal Body technique was being tested by the Soul King's blows, and the pain could only be endured by Jiang Xiaofeng himself.
As Jiang Xiaofeng broke through to Soul Master, the Immortal Body had shown signs of improvement, and after enduring these attacks, the feeling of breakthrough became even stronger.
Jiang Xiaofeng yelled, "Long Hai, have you not eaten?"
Long Hai's face turned pale. He had given everything, but Soul Giving Boy's defense was just too ridiculous.
"Then you'd better hold on!"
"Come on! What's taking you so long? Hit me!"
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(End of Chapter)