70: Chapter 70 You definitely won't abandon me, right?

"Gu Han?"

Li Jiaojiao's voice suddenly shot up an octave.

Diners at nearby tables all turned their gazes toward them in unison.

"Gu Han? Is that the student who made the Ministry of Education revise the cut-off scores?"

"Good grief, that name has been thunderous in Jiangcheng City lately. Finally got to see the person in the flesh today."

"So this is the brat who caused the cut-off scores to rise!"

"That's so mean. Good thing I wasn't in the same cohort as him, or I wouldn't have made it in."

Hearing the whispers around her, Teacher Qin Lin lifted her chin slightly, her tone revealing undisguised smugness.

"That's right, the student I'm mentoring."

Li Jiaojiao's expression stiffened for a moment, then she let out a scoff.

"He's just a C-rank God Lord who got lucky and took first place. What's there to show off?" Li Jiaojiao looked Gu Han up and down, her tone sour. "No wonder you, as his homeroom teacher, are bringing him out for private tutoring—so you're giving him special treatment. Has Dongjiang University fallen so low that it has to pin its hopes on a C-rank loser? It's laughable."

Teacher Qin Lin crossed her arms and retorted, "Don't bring up Divine Kingdom ratings. Your Jiangcheng University students are all S-ranks, yet weren't they rubbed into the ground by my student?"

This remark hit Li Jiaojiao right where it hurt.

"It was just a scholarship assessment, what does that amount to? Just child's play." Li Jiaojiao snorted and crossed her arms. "I heard this kid also signed up for next month's city-wide professional league? Once he's on the arena floor, he'll understand what a true class gap is."

She leaned forward slightly, staring at Teacher Qin Lin.

"Let me tell you a secret first, I hope you won't lose sleep tonight. Lin Chuxue from our class has an SS-rank Elf Divine Kingdom, and her core believers have already reached Tier 3 Transcendental."

Li Jiaojiao straightened up, her tone haughty.

"After the league ends, Lin Chuxue will be recommended for admission to a top-tier institution in the Imperial Capital."

Teacher Qin Lin almost laughed out loud inside.

Tier 3 Transcendental?

Even when she went all out, and even with all her Level 4 Believers deployed, she still lost to Gu Han.

Teacher Qin Lin remained disdainful: "Is that it?"

Li Jiaojiao frowned: "What do you mean?"

"I mean, Tier 3 Transcendental is nothing special." Teacher Qin Lin held up a finger and wagged it. "Do you dare make a bet with me?"

"Bet on what?"

"Let's bet on who wins the league championship this year." Teacher Qin Lin looked Li Jiaojiao straight in the eye. "I bet Dongjiang University takes the championship. The wager: ten transcendent crystals."

As soon as those words were spoken, the atmosphere at the table instantly froze.

Chen Feng's expression changed. This woman must be crazy!

He grabbed Li Jiaojiao, who was about to speak.

Ten transcendent crystals were not a small amount.

Chen Feng turned his head to look at Gu Han, inspecting him thoroughly.

As the life in a God Lord's Divine Kingdom evolves, the Awakened's own physique receives feedback. Chen Feng discovered that Gu Han's physique was indeed stronger than the average person's, but that was all. There was absolutely no energy fluctuation on Gu Han caused by feedback from transcendental life.

Without even a trace of transcendental aura, it meant that this kid definitely hadn't cultivated even a single Transcendental Believer in his Divine Kingdom.

Chen Feng already had a guess in his mind; perhaps Teacher Qin Lin didn't want to lose face in front of him—that damned competitive nature of women! How ridiculous!

Li Jiaojiao also realized this; she, too, checked Gu Han's status and confirmed that the other party hadn't even touched the threshold of the transcendental.

"What kind of face are you trying to save?" Li Jiaojiao shook off Chen Feng's hand and pointed at Teacher Qin Lin. "Do you really think I'm afraid? The resources the Lin family has poured into Lin Chuxue are more than you could ever imagine. I accept this bet!"

Gu Han sat to the side, actually having no idea what a transcendent crystal was.

But watching Teacher Qin Lin and Li Jiaojiao's squabble, his mind turned rapidly.

Gu Han immediately stopped Teacher Qin Lin, his brows slightly furrowed, his tone carrying just the right amount of panic and hesitation.

"Teacher Qin, let it go. What if we lose? Let's not bet."

He turned to look at Li Jiaojiao and waved his hands repeatedly.

"Teacher Qin is just joking, we won't bet."

Seeing Gu Han's guilty appearance, the last bit of doubt in Li Jiaojiao's heart completely vanished.

This kid is scared! Want to back out now? Too late! I'll show you for putting on an act!

Li Jiaojiao pulled the handheld device she carried from her bag, quickly brought up the electronic agreement interface, and hardened her heart: "Ten transcendent crystals? That's nothing. I'm raising the stakes! Fifteen! Aren't you acting so tough? Do you dare accept, Teacher Qin Lin? Let's sign the wager agreement right now!"

Teacher Qin Lin suppressed the smile at the corners of her mouth, feigned being provoked, slammed the table, and stood up.

"Sign it then! Do you think I'm afraid of you!"

The two handheld devices touched, and with a beep, the wager agreement officially took effect.

With the agreement generated, Li Jiaojiao put away her handheld device with satisfaction and looked down at the two of them.

"Teacher Qin Lin, just wait to lose everything."

After saying this, she hooked her arm into Chen Feng's and, like a victorious rooster, strode out of the Poseidon Pavilion restaurant.

Once their figures had completely disappeared outside the restaurant entrance, Teacher Qin Lin's tense shoulders instantly slumped, and she started laughing so hard she shook.

"Hahahaha, I'm dying of laughter, fifteen transcendent crystals! That big idiot Li Jiaojiao really hasn't changed a bit!"

"What is a transcendent crystal?" Gu Han asked at the right moment.

Teacher Qin Lin was glowing, sat up straight, and lowered her voice to explain.

"A transcendent crystal is the ultimate cultivation resource for Divine Kingdom life after they break through to the Transcendental tier. As long as you let a believer absorb it, they can completely ignore bottlenecks and rapidly increase their Transcendental level."

It actually had such an effect; Gu Han immediately thought about whether he could use the transcendent crystal to feed his Ant-men directly to help them break through to the Transcendental tier.

Teacher Qin Lin continued, "You can't buy this stuff on the open market at all; the Huaxia authorities control it very strictly. It only circulates occasionally on the underground black market. The current market price is about five million credit points each."

Five million each? Fifteen of them—that's seventy-five million credit points!

"Work hard! I believe in you! Once you take the championship and get these fifteen transcendent crystals, they're all yours."

Gu Han raised an eyebrow. "All for me? You don't want them?"

"What would I want with that stuff? My Tier 4 Orcs currently need combat experience; popping crystals to level up won't get them to Demigod." Teacher Qin Lin waved her hand generously. "Besides, as a senior teacher, the Ministry of Education issues me one every year as a benefit."

Gu Han looked into Teacher Qin Lin's eyes. "Then if you lose, do you have fifteen to pay her?"

Teacher Qin Lin spread her hands, feeling perfectly justified. "I don't, I don't even have one."

Gu Han was stunned. "Then why did you dare sign the wager agreement with her?"

"That's because I have confidence in you!" Teacher Qin Lin leaned in with a smile, "Li Jiaojiao's family is in the mining business; they're loaded. She can definitely come up with these fifteen transcendent crystals. If you win, we make a profit for nothing. If you lose..."

Teacher Qin Lin shrugged and said playfully, "I did this for you, after all. If we lose, you surely won't ignore me, right?"

Gu Han was speechless, but Teacher Qin Lin's wager reward was indeed all for him, and transcendent crystals were truly rare—he wanted them very much, though he felt a bit cornered.

Oh well, since he had to place anyway, he might as well just take the championship.

———— (The update volume dropped slightly today, but it's no big deal, maybe everyone is busy on Monday. Being busy is good. Thanks to the brothers who sent power and small gifts. I'm squeezing out time to write, and in the background, I can only see your comments urging for updates and likes. Whenever I see your support, I feel full of motivation.)