After the minor incident, Flender and the others successively placed their bets. However, their financial power couldn't compare to Chu Chengzhou, who had robbed Dai Mubai.
The smallest bet was 200 gold soul coins, while the largest was 20,000. Combined, the eight of them didn't even reach half of Chu Chengzhou's total.
The smallest amount—200 gold soul coins—was Xiao Wu's bet. This little rabbit truly didn't have much money, even less than Ma Hongjun and Oscar.
Because they knew their own capital wasn't sufficient, these two borrowed 900 gold soul coins each from Chu Chengzhou as seed money, agreeing to repay 1,800 gold soul coins after one week.
As for the largest bet—20,000—it was Flender's.
Chu Chengzhou strongly suspected that Flender had misappropriated public funds "borrowed" from the underworld forces in Suotuo City.
This kind of behavior was something Chu Chengzhou looked down upon. It was no different from embezzling public funds to gamble—it would eventually get him into trouble!
The main arena of the Suotuo Great Spirit Arena had five fighting platforms: two one-on-one main platforms, two two-on-two main platforms, and a central team battle platform.
Although all five platforms belonged to the main arena, they were not located in the same venue.
The central team battle platform wasn't open to ordinary spectators. Instead of having large seating areas, it only had a few hundred VIP boxes.
The one-on-one and two-on-two main platforms were similar to the sub-arenas' platforms, except their diameters were slightly larger.
Chu Chengzhou's match was a solo Spirit Fight, so naturally, it took place on one of the two one-on-one main platforms.
In order to give the betting counters ample time for wagers, the schedule for matches in the main arena was much looser than in the sub-arena.
More than an hour later, it was finally time for Chu Chengzhou's match.
At this moment, above the fighting platform, a young host dressed in a suit, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and sporting a pair of black eagle wings on his back, held a microphone and announced loudly: "Ladies and gentlemen, the fourth match of our second one-on-one main arena will now begin. The participants are two Soul Grandmasters with impressive records.
On one side is the 'Summoner,' wielding the True Spirit Flag weapon soul, undefeated with six consecutive victories. On the other side is 'Iron Fist,' a Silver Spirit Fighter with the Mighty Ape Beast Martial Soul, boasting five consecutive wins.
Will the 'Summoner' continue his glorious undefeated streak, or will the Silver Spirit Fighter 'Iron Fist' achieve his sixth consecutive victory? Let's wait and see!
Now, please welcome the two Soul Grandmasters onto the stage!"
Amidst cheers and the illumination of soul-guided spotlights, Chu Chengzhou and a burly young man stepped onto the fighting platform.
"The match begins!"
Once both competitors were in position, the referee announced the start of the match, then flapped his black eagle wings and exited the platform.
"Soul, attach! My name is Iron Fist, 29th-level Soul Grandmaster. Please!"
With the attachment of the Mighty Ape martial soul, his muscles swelled, his arms transformed into sharp claws, and two yellow soul rings of optimal configuration shone brightly. Now resembling a massive black-furred gorilla, 'Iron Fist' addressed Chu Chengzhou.
"Please!"
A flash of soul power illuminated Chu Chengzhou's hand as his True Spirit Flag martial soul materialized. Two disguised yellow soul rings glowed, and Chu Chengzhou responded politely.
"Haa~ Second Soul Skill, Iron Fist Divine Strength!"
'Iron Fist' let out a low growl, his second soul ring glowing brightly. His already explosive muscles swelled even further, and his fist-sized hands grew even larger, increasing his aura by leaps and bounds.
'A strength-enhancing soul skill similar to White Tiger Vajra Transformation?'
Chu Chengzhou raised an eyebrow but didn't slow his movements. Swinging his True Spirit Flag martial soul, now transformed into a large banner, he activated his second soul ring as well.
As soul power surged, the second summoning occurred—Light Lion abruptly materialized beside him.
"Little Bai, go!"
Patting the summoned Light Lion on the head, Chu Chengzhou pointed at 'Iron Fist.'
"ROAR—!"
Little Bai let out a mighty roar, its powerful limbs propelling it forward as it charged straight at 'Iron Fist.'
"Come on, First Soul Skill, Mighty Ape Fist!"
Having gathered intelligence on his opponent before the match, 'Iron Fist' knew the fighting style of the 'Summoner.' His first soul ring lit up, and his dense black-haired fists shimmered with golden light as he actively met the charging Light Lion.
BANG—!
The clash of lion claws and ape fists sent Little Bai flying backward, crashing heavily onto the platform.
Meanwhile, 'Iron Fist' merely took a step back before stabilizing himself.
In the first exchange, it appeared that Little Bai was at a disadvantage.
However, this was not because Little Bai, a thousand-year summon, was weaker than 'Iron Fist,' a 29th-level offensive-type Beast Soul Master.
If it came down to raw strength, even Dai Mubai, with his top-tier White Tiger martial soul and 35th-level Soul Elder status, could barely hold his ground against Little Bai. How could 'Iron Fist,' whose martial soul was merely a high-quality Mighty Ape, compare? Even with his offensive soul skill activated, it made no difference.
After all, his soul skills were only three to four centuries old. While their power might be formidable, they weren't extraordinary.
In reality, this was all part of Chu Chengzhou's deliberate strategy.
Fighting in the Great Spirit Arena to make money required tactics.
The gamblers placing bets at the counter might be reckless, but most weren't fools.
If Chu Chengzhou consistently crushed his opponents in overwhelming fashion every match, only a handful of brainless fans or those hoping for miracles would bet on his opponents.
If every gambler bet on him to win, the odds would plummet to absurdly low levels, potentially even resulting in losses. How could he continue making money?
Throwing matches was beneath Chu Chengzhou's dignity, and doing so without strong backing carried risks—it could lead to trouble.
But feigning weakness posed no problem.
Even if someone saw through it, they wouldn't call him out. Instead, they'd likely join in silently profiting.
Every time he fought, Chu Chengzhou won by only a slim margin of strength over his opponents. This ensured that the betting odds for his victories wouldn't collapse entirely. Even if they eventually did, it wouldn't happen too quickly.
Pretending to be a powerhouse required skill, but pretending to be weak? That was easy.
Moreover, as a summoner, Chu Chengzhou didn't need much acting ability. After stepping onto the stage, he simply stood aside like a bystander while Little Bai suppressed its true strength, charging forward recklessly to fight his opponent head-on.
"ROAR—!"
Shaking its head, Little Bai pretended to be weaker but tougher-skinned, standing up again before charging once more.
Meanwhile, 'Iron Fist,' a two-ring Soul Grandmaster, had already used his only offensive soul skill. He couldn't land another powerful blow on Little Bai.
One 'ape' struggling to hold on, one lion feigning weakness—for a time, the two exchanged blows back and forth, creating quite the spectacle.
To those like Flender, who knew Little Bai's true strength, it was clear that Little Bai was deliberately showing weakness. However, to the other soul masters in the audience—and the majority of spectators who weren't soul masters—this "lion vs. ape" battle appeared highly competitive and entertaining.
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