The silence in the plaza was deafening. Hundreds of eyes darted between the ragged commoner boy and the icy, voluptuous instructor standing on the stairs.
Kai didn't blink. He held Li Hua's gaze, his dark eyes burning with a mixture of arrogance and hunger.
"Your 'elite' students have been spoon-fed spiritual pills and coddled by their clans since birth," Kai declared, his voice cutting through the air. "They are soft. They are porcelain. I am iron forged in the mud. That is why you are scared, Instructor. You know that if a 'nobody' like me surpasses them, it makes your entire system look like a joke."
For a second, Li Hua looked stunned. Then, she threw her head back and laughed.
It was a cold, sharp sound, but watching her was a visual feast. Her laughter shook her entire frame. Her massive breasts heaved against the blue silk, threatening to pop the buttons with every breath. Her hips swayed as she composed herself, wiping a tear of mirth from her eye.
"Surpass them?" Li Hua sneered, stepping down until she was looming over him. She was tall, and her heels put her eyes level with his. "You barely passed the entrance evaluation. You are the scrapings at the bottom of the barrel, and you dare to speak of surpassing dragons?"
She leaned in, her riding crop poking painfully into Kai's chest.
"You are delusional, boy. A worm cannot dream of flying."
Kai grabbed the end of the riding crop. The crowd gasped. He didn't pull it away; he just held it firm, connecting them.
"Then let's make it interesting," Kai said, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous growl. "Three months. The New Disciple Grand Tournament. I will enter. And I won't just participate. I will defeat your precious Rank 1, Ye Feng. I will take the top spot."
Li Hua stared at him. The sheer audacity was intoxicating.
"You? Defeat Ye Feng?" She smirked, a cruel, beautiful expression. "Ye Feng is already a 5th Stage Mortal Realm cultivator. You are a bug who just learned to crawl."
"Are you scared to bet?" Kai taunted.
Li Hua's eyes narrowed. Her pride was her weakness, and Kai had just slapped it.
"Fine," she hissed. "I accept your foolish challenge. When you lose—and you will lose—I will have you stripped naked in this plaza. I will have you whipped for your insolence, and then I will throw your broken body out of the city gates myself."
"And if I win?" Kai asked, stepping closer. He was so close he could see the pulse jumping in her neck.
Li Hua laughed again, shaking her head. "If you win? It's impossible. It's a fantasy."
"If I win," Kai interrupted, his voice steel, "You will do anything I say. Anything."
Li Hua looked at him with utter contempt. In her mind, the sun had a better chance of rising in the west than this peasant had of beating Ye Feng.
"Done," she scoffed, waving her hand dismissively. "If you achieve the impossible, I will grant any request you have. I'll become your servant. I'll be your dog. Whatever your twisted little mind wants. Because it will never happen."
She turned her back on him, her long black ponytail whipping through the air.
"Now, get out of my sight," she commanded, walking back up the stairs, her hips swaying with a mesmerizing, hypnotic rhythm. "The Academy opens its doors tomorrow. Until then, take your ugly face and your delusions elsewhere. You clutter my air."
Kai watched her ascend. He watched the way the silk skirt tightened over her ass with every step. He watched the power radiating off her.
Laugh while you can, you arrogant bitch, Kai thought, his tongue running over his teeth. Three months. Just three months. When I win, I won't just ask for a reward. I'm going to break you. I'm going to bend you over that podium and fuck you like a cheap whore until you forget you were ever a teacher.
He turned on his heel and walked away, the crowd parting for him in stunned silence. He wasn't just the boy who barely passed anymore. He was the madman who challenged the Ice Queen.
[Ding!]
[Quest Generated: The Queen's Gambit][Objective: Place 1st in the New Disciple Grand Tournament.][Secondary Objective: Defeat Ye Feng (Rank 1).][Time Limit: 90 Days.][Difficulty: Hell.]
[Reward: 500 XP.][Reward: Title "King of Rookies" (+5 All Stats).][Special Reward: Ownership of Li Hua (The Bet).]
[Failure Penalty: Expulsion, Public Humiliation, System Deactivation.]
Kai read the screen as he walked out of the heavy iron gates. The stakes were lethal. System Deactivation meant death in this world. But the reward...
"Ownership," Kai whispered, tasting the word.
He had a lot of work to do. He needed XP. He needed to cultivate. And he needed to do it fast.
"Home first," Kai decided. "I need to plan. And I need to see if Mrs. Lin has calmed down... or if she needs another visit."