87: Chapter 87 Challenge the Freshmen and Rank First

After Han Ming came out of seclusion, he did not return to his dormitory. He took out his Modu Martial Arts University identification badge and opened the freshman ranking list directly.

The number one spot was still held by Nangong Li, a 3-star Martial Ancestor with a Trial Tower record of 58 levels.

"As expected."

The corners of Han Ming's mouth curled up slightly.

During the few days he was in seclusion, Nangong Li hadn't been idle either; not only had he achieved a Breakthrough to a 3-star Martial Ancestor, but he had also cleared the 58th level.

He could roughly estimate the difficulty of the 58th level; it would require at least the combat power of a normal 9-star Martial Ancestor to pass.

However, this suited him perfectly. If the opponent were too weak, it would be boring.

He tapped on Nangong Li's name and pressed the challenge button directly.

Nangong Li on the other end agreed quickly.

【Freshman Han Ming has initiated a challenge against freshman Nangong Li! The challenge will begin in thirty minutes; please ensure both parties arrive at the challenge arena on time.】

This message was instantly pushed to all freshmen through the badge System.

The entire freshman district exploded in an uproar.

"Han Ming is directly challenging the number one, Nangong Li? Is he crazy?"

"Nangong Li is a 3-star Martial Ancestor! He has the Heavenly Fire God Body! Two layers of Fire True Intent! He cleared the 58th level of the Trial Tower! What does Han Ming have to fight with?"

"Wait, look at Han Ming's ranking information. Has he already achieved a Breakthrough to a 3-star Martial Ancestor?"

"What? A 3-star Martial Ancestor? Wasn't he just a 1-star Martial Ancestor seven days ago?"

"A Breakthrough of two minor Realms in seven days? How is that possible!"

"Is he cheating?"

"The badge is a Heaven Rank treasure refined personally by the Principal; who could cheat? Han Ming has truly achieved a Breakthrough to a 3-star Martial Ancestor!"

"Even as a 3-star Martial Ancestor, he might not be a match for Nangong Li, right? Nangong Li has an SSS-grade Heavenly Fire God Body; he's an invincible existence within the same Realm."

"Han Ming isn't bad either—dual SS-grade spiritual bodies, three layers of Wind and Thunder True Intent, and he's also grasped Ice True Intent. It's hard to say who will win or lose."

The news spread rapidly. In less than fifteen minutes, the area around the challenge arena was crowded with people. It wasn't just freshmen; many seniors and even instructors had heard the news and rushed over.

A challenge from the fourth-ranked freshman against the first-ranked is the most eye-catching event at Modu Martial Arts University.

In the crowd, a youth in a cyan robe directed a dozen or so students to move tables and chairs into the middle of the challenge arena square.

"The betting is open! Odds for Han Ming winning are one to two, Nangong Li winning are one to one point five, and a draw is one to five! You can bet with points or resources. The Qian Family guarantees credibility; we treat everyone fairly!"

His name is Qian Tong, a direct descendant of the Modu Qian Family and a third-year senior. Although the Qian Family isn't one of the five top families in Modu, when it comes to wealth, the five big families combined cannot compare to them.

The Qian Family's businesses are spread across the thirty-six major base cities of the Great Xia Alliance, and they even have operations in the five major war zones along the borders of the Great Xia Alliance where they defend against exotic beast attacks.

He certainly wouldn't miss this opportunity to make money from the fourth-ranked freshman challenging the first-ranked.

"I bet on Nangong Li, one thousand points!"

"I also bet on Nangong Li, five hundred points!"

"Although Han Ming is fierce, Nangong Li is SSS-grade after all, so I'm betting on Nangong Li too."

People were betting one after another, and the vast majority bet on Nangong Li.

Qian Tong watched from the side with a smile, while a dozen helpers methodically recorded every bet.

He was secretly calculating the odds in his mind.

If Han Ming won, he would make a huge profit; if Nangong Li won, he wouldn't lose anything either.

Just then, the crowd suddenly became restless and automatically cleared a path.

Han Ming, dressed in black martial attire, walked over with a calm gait. Li Xuewei, Lin Fan, and Gong Shuting followed behind him.

He walked straight to Qian Tong's betting table, glanced at the odds, and a smile curled the corner of his mouth.

"I'm betting on myself to win, three million points."

As he said this, he slapped his identification badge onto the table.

The entire scene fell silent.

Everyone looked at Han Ming with shocked expressions.

Three million points? What a huge sum.

Does he really have the confidence to win?

Qian Tong's smile froze as well; he stared wide-eyed at the balance on Han Ming's badge—3.41 million points, clear as day.

"What, aren't you taking it?" Han Ming raised an eyebrow.

Qian Tong swallowed hard, then grinned: "I'll take it! Why wouldn't I? Junior Han has great spirit; I, Qian Tong, accept your three million points!"

He personally recorded the entry in the ledger with a flourish: Han Ming, betting on Han Ming to win, three million points, odds one to two.

Li Xuewei bit her lip and stepped forward: "I'm betting on Han Ming to win, 200,000 points."

Lin Fan and Gong Shuting also took out their identification badges and bet 300,000 and 100,000 points respectively on Han Ming to win.

They still had confidence in Han Ming, so they figured they might as well earn some points.

These points were all earned from challenging the Trial Tower over the past few days.

The surrounding students were completely stunned.

Are these four from Jiangbei crazy? Betting everything on Han Ming to win? This is their entire net worth!

After a brief silence, the crowd exploded again.

"Han Ming is betting three million points on himself? Is he that confident?"

"Lin Fan and Li Xuewei also bet everything; those are all their points!"

"Does Han Ming really have a chance to beat Nangong Li?"

"The odds are one to two! If he wins, he doubles it! If Han Ming wins, three million becomes six million—a massive profit!"

"But what if he loses? If he loses, all three million is gone!"

"The fact that he dares to bet three million means he has absolute confidence. Fortune favors the bold; I'm betting on Han Ming too!"

"I'm betting on Han Ming too! One thousand points!"

"I'm betting five hundred!"

...

The number of people betting on Han Ming to win suddenly increased. Although the individual amounts weren't large, the sheer volume meant that in the blink of an eye, the total bet on Han Ming to win exceeded ten million points.

Beads of sweat broke out on Qian Tong's forehead. He looked at the betting ratio; if Han Ming really won, he would have to pay out quite a lot of points.

But the betting was already open, and Qian Tong's rule was to never turn anyone away; no matter how large the bet, he had to take it.

He could only force a smile and record all the bets one by one.

In the crowd, a youth in white walked over from afar with a steady gait and a cold expression. Faint phantom images of flames swirled around his body, and the air slightly distorted wherever he passed.

Nangong Li.

He saw Han Ming beside the betting table and heard the surrounding discussions. A flicker of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he quickly returned to a calm demeanor.

He didn't place a bet; he walked straight up to the challenge arena, crossed his arms over his chest, and closed his eyes to rest.

Han Qingyue had also arrived. She had originally heard that Han Ming had come out of seclusion and was planning to ask him to meet, but she hadn't expected the message about Han Ming challenging Nangong Li to pop up on her badge.

She hurried over and happened to see the moment Han Ming placed his bet of three million points.

"Is this guy really that confident he can win?"

She bit her lip, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

Nangong Li was her cousin, and she knew better than anyone how strong he was. Although she had also achieved a Breakthrough to a 2-star Martial Ancestor and it seemed like she was only one minor Realm lower than Nangong Li, the difference in strength was worlds apart.

The Nangong Family and the Han Family were Family friends with intermarriages; one was her cousin, the other her cousin (paternal), and she didn't want to see either of them get hurt.

"Qingyue, you're here too?"

A voice filled with surprise came from behind. Han Qingyue turned her head and saw a tall, handsome youth walking over quickly, a flicker of eagerness in his eyes as he looked at her.

It was Ye Yunfeng, who had been defeated by Han Ming.

"Yes!"

Han Qingyue nodded at him as an acknowledgement, then turned her head to continue looking at the arena.

Ye Yunfeng followed Han Qingyue's gaze to the arena and saw Han Ming; his expression darkened slightly.

"Hmph, overestimating his own capabilities, daring to challenge Nangong Li directly!"

He snorted coldly, his tone carrying a hint of unwillingness.

Han Qingyue did not answer, her gaze remaining fixed on the arena.

Ye Yunfeng gritted his teeth, walked to Qian Tong's betting table, and took out his badge: "I'm betting on Nangong Li to win, 500,000 points."

He was betting on Nangong Li, not Han Ming.

This was his final stubbornness; he wanted to prove that Han Ming couldn't win.

Qian Tong took the badge and recorded the bet with a smile.

"Is there anyone else betting? The challenge is about to start!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

On the arena, Han Ming had already walked up and stood facing Nangong Li.

The two stared at each other, and it felt as if sparks were flying in the air.

"I heard you bet three million points on yourself? Are you that confident you can win?"

Nangong Li looked at Han Ming, his tone cold. This was also the first time he had begun to regard Han Ming seriously.

When Han Ming defeated Wang Peng with one palm, he hadn't taken Han Ming seriously.

But in just a few short days, Han Ming had achieved a Breakthrough to a 3-star Martial Ancestor, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with him, and had even grasped three types of True Intent, which forced him to take notice.