Chapter 210: Chapter 209: What if I Want to Fight in the Ring? (Please Subscribe)
"A quick way to earn points?"
Chen Fan looked skeptical.
There is no such thing as a free lunch. If there were, it would be a trap.
However, he didn’t choose to leave immediately, but instead asked curiously, "What way? How fast?"
"Brother, you’ll know if you come with us. Don’t worry, we won’t do anything to you because the place we’re going is within the association, specifically, the underground level of the association," said the tall, thin man.
"That’s right. Once you get there, you’ll understand. There are many people, all awakeners in the association. If you want to leave, no one will stop you," echoed the short, fat man.
Chen Fan furrowed his brows and said, "You two, you’re not even telling me what to do, and you want me to leave with you? Isn’t that a bit too optimistic?"
"Please step aside, I have other matters to attend to."
"Hey."
The two men exchanged glances. The tall, thin man quickly said, "Okay, brother, actually, it’s not a secret. You can ask around the association and you’ll find out."
"Yeah, brother, don’t rush to leave. Wait until we’re done explaining and then refuse if you want."
"Fine, go ahead."
"Brother, what’s your name?"
"Li Ping."
"So it’s Brother Li." The tall, thin man introduced himself, "I’m Zhang Jun, he’s Liao Yue. The two of us haven’t been in the association for long..."
"Let’s get to the point."
Chen Fan furrowed his brows, showing no interest in what these two men were called, as there would likely be no future connection with the Stone City Awakened Association.
"Alright, alright. Brother Li, you seem to be quite impatient."
Zhang Jun smiled and looked around before saying, "Brother, you just arrived. You might not know this, but the association has a platform for dueling. Awakeners duel each other, but you have to bet points. The winner takes the opponent’s points."
"You mean you want me to duel?" Chen Fan was somewhat surprised, but his heart stirred.
He felt that with his current strength, even facing a C-level Awakened wouldn’t be daunting. Once he understood the opponent’s superpower, defeating them wouldn’t be difficult.
In small cities, the strongest would be C-level Awakened. If he went to duel, wouldn’t it be a guaranteed way to earn points?
He was just worried about his insufficient 100 points.
Little did he know, Zhang Jun and Liao Yue both laughed after hearing Chen Fan’s words.
"Brother Li, do you think we’re the type of people who don’t know the consequences? You’re a newcomer. If we let you duel with others, wouldn’t that be hurting you?"
"Exactly, do we look like that type?" Liao Yue also laughed. "Dueling to earn points is fast. If you win consecutively, there are additional rewards. But think about it, anyone confident enough to duel is skilled. For newcomers like us, it’s better to forget it."
"Then what do you mean?"
"We mean another method," Liao Yue looked around and lowered his voice, "Betting, have you heard of it?"
"Betting?" Chen Fan’s pupils contracted.
"That’s right. Three minutes before each duel starts, we can bet on the two participants. If we bet correctly, the points can multiply several times. Once, someone in the association turned 100 points into more than ten times!" Liao Yue said excitedly.
"My highest was tenfold, turning 100 points into 1,000 in less than half a day! Brother Li, isn’t that fast?"
"It’s much faster than doing tasks."
The two sang in harmony.
"Isn’t that just gambling?"
Chen Fan frowned, "Does the association allow this?"
Zhang Jun and Liao Yue smirked meaningfully.
"It’s not allowed openly, but everyone knows the deal."
"Rest assured, the association won’t bother you because of this."
The two spoke one after the other.
Actually, the biggest beneficiary of this is the local association.
Because they not only get a share of the dueling points but also act as the biggest bookmaker, gaining a profit by adjusting the odds.
The general association initially banned such gambling activities until they found it useless.
Because awakeners in the association would gamble privately, causing deaths. It’s better to do it within the association’s base.
To truly eliminate such behavior, there’s only one way: not permitting free circulation of points. But that would harm the interests of many awakeners.
So, they eventually turned a blind eye, allowing this scheme while boosting the combat abilities of awakeners.
"Is that so?"
Chen Fan hatched a plan.
Despite the previous boasts, it was clear that most participants would end up losing everything. Only the association controlling the odds and a few awakeners would profit greatly.
However, he could capitalize on the fact that they were unaware of his strength to make a big profit!
Then, he could return to the base and buy the True Qi Pill Formula. How wonderful would that be?
"What if I want to duel?"
Chen Fan asked.
The atmosphere instantly turned silent. The two men in front of him widened their eyes, looking like they had seen a ghost.
After a while, Zhang Jun opened his mouth, "Brother Li, are you joking with us? You’re a newcomer, dueling would just be gifting points, wouldn’t it?"
"Exactly, the minimum requirement for dueling is 50 points, no upper limit. With your 100 points, they’ll be gone in the blink of an eye. If you’d bet, you could place five bets with ten points each."
"I just want to try it."
Chen Fan laughed.
"Alright then."
The two men stopped persuading him.
As long as Chen Fan was willing to go, they would receive their commission fee.
As for what happened afterward, they didn’t care.
The three walked towards the elevator. After the elevator door opened, they stepped inside.
Zhang Jun pressed the button for the negative first floor, turned, and looked at Chen Fan, "Brother Li, I advise you to think twice. There were newcomers like you who were confident, but ended up losing miserably."
"And wasting 50 points. If you bet ten points each time, you could place five bets."
Chen Fan smiled and asked, "Can I bet if I go up to duel?"
Zhang Jun and Liao Yue exchanged glances.
"Brother Li, you wouldn’t...?"
Chen Fan nodded, "That’s right. I plan to bet my remaining 50 points on myself winning."
Zhang Jun and Liao Yue fell silent again.
They didn’t know where this newcomer’s confidence came from.
With a "ding," the elevator door opened, and a strong smell of liquor wafted over.
About thirty meters away from the elevator, there was a platform where two people were fiercely battling. One seemed to have awakened the earth element superpower, as a stone wall occasionally rose from the platform.
The other seemed to have awakened the wind element superpower, constantly launching palm-sized wind blades that hit the opponent’s stone wall.
At this moment, there were at least a hundred people around the platform, shouting loudly.
"Go up! What’s the point of passive defense? I bet fifty points on you!"
"Don’t panic. Du Fei looks fierce, but one is attacking, the other is defending. Whoever uses more spiritual power is clear. When Du Fei runs out of spiritual power, he’ll definitely lose!"
"Nonsense! Du Fei hasn’t used his full strength yet. You’ll see soon."
Most people focused on the battle, but a few noticed Chen Fan and gave meaningful looks.
"Didn’t expect a newcomer."
"Is it Zhang Jun and Liao Yue who fooled him?"
"I was also tricked by them initially, lost all my 100 points."
"Then why are you still here?"
"Isn’t this fun? Doing tasks is nowhere near as interesting."
After a few words, they turned their heads back.
"Brother Li, you see? Those on the platform are D-level Awakened, very strong," Zhang Jun glanced at Chen Fan, "There’s still time to regret."
Chen Fan shook his head and asked, "You haven’t answered my question in the elevator yet."
Beside him, Liao Yue said helplessly, "Betting on yourself is allowed, but only betting on your win."
"Understood."
Chen Fan nodded, pleased with the answer.
"How can I get on the platform, then?"
"Come with us. We were going to take you there."
Leading Chen Fan, the two approached a man wearing sunglasses. After whispering to him, the sunglasses man occasionally glanced at Chen Fan, his mouth curving slightly.
Then he walked towards Chen Fan, asking with interest, "Newcomer, are you sure you want to participate in the duel?"
"Yes," Chen Fan nodded, "I heard the minimum bet is 50 points?"
"That’s correct."
"Then I’ll bet another 50 points on myself winning," Chen Fan said.
"You’re quite courageous."
The sunglasses man seemed unsure if he was being complimentary or sarcastic.
New blood joining is always good, even if it’s just a rookie.
"Follow me to register your information."
Next to them, Zhang Jun and Liao Yue watched Chen Fan’s back, shaking their heads and sighing.
At this point, regretting would be too late for Li Ping.
What a pity.
Reality will teach him a harsh lesson.
"Brother, let’s go over there. Maybe another newcomer will come soon?"
"There was only one newcomer today; the next one won’t come so quickly." Zhang Jun pointed to the platform, "We just got 50 points. Once this round ends, we’ll bet. If we’re lucky, we can multiply it several times."
"Okay, but this time you must listen to me, no random bets."
"What are you talking about? When did I ever make a mistake?"
"Nonsense! Last time you lost all the points. If you insist again, we should go separate ways in the future."
"Alright, alright. I’ll listen to you."
The two headed towards the platform.
"Li Ping, joining the association today, E-level Awakened, superpower is Speed Enhancement, bet 50 points, and another 50 points to bet on himself winning, correct?" The sunglasses man asked over the computer, without looking up.
"Correct."
Chen Fan nodded.
A hundred points were merely worth a million yuan. Even if he lost all of them, it didn’t matter.
Not to mention, the chance of losing was zero.
After transferring points, the sunglasses man turned and handed over a number plate, "When your number is called, step up. If you feel you can’t win, you can concede at any time. Don’t worry, we’re all part of the association, no one will kill.
But if you’re unlucky and get injured, don’t complain. It’s normal. The points from your bet and wager will be automatically credited after the duel if you win."
He glanced at Chen Fan, eyes beneath the sunglasses showing mockery.
"Alright."
Chen Fan took the number plate, number 16.
He looked towards the fiery battle on the platform, anticipation in his eyes.
Ignoring the points aspect, he was eager to test his skills against other awakeners.