Becoming evil makes you ten times stronger, but becoming a demon gives you hundredfold strength

(Two Chapters Combined)

Match thirteen.

Meng Yu's betting odds were a little higher than the annual interest rate on a bank deposit, but the girl's odds were ninety to one (for a kill)!

These were the official odds, even higher in the illegal markets.

Nobody thought the girl could win.

The day before each match, after the pairing was decided, all kinds of data were presented to everyone. Many people snorted at the girl's past combat records, dismissing them as pathetic. Lin Yuyan practiced the White Egret Swordsmanship, known for its light and swift techniques. Among her peers, she was considered outstanding, but in the grand competition, she was at the bottom, a weakling. And up against Meng Yu, that was like a mouse facing an elephant!

But there were actually bets on Meng Yu winning? Were the bookies out of their minds?

Hurry, hurry, tonight

The match started just as everyone had guessed.

But also not as everyone had guessed.

For instance, many people thought Meng Yu would simply end the match with one strike, but he didn't even draw his Red Maple Wooden Sword. Instead, he dodged the girl's sword with his bare hands!

"Rigged, rigged!"Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Those cries of outrage were already coming from outside the domain; they had bet on Meng Yu killing his opponent in seconds!

They saw the odds as a surefire bet, like Argentina winning a match without conceding a goal to the Saudi Team—no, they saw the bet that Meng Yu would kill Lin Yuyan in a short time at the start of the match, and the odds were as low as 0.1 to 1. They had gone all in!

Well, certainly, the bookies over there wouldn't tell these people that interstellar signal transmission was very expensive, and cross-star streaming cost even more. Hence, they would selectively present to everyone only certain truths during the broadcast, including the text line that Meng Yu and Lin Yuyan had attended the same school. However, they would never relay the Immortal Sect TV stations' heated discussions about whether Meng Yu had a romance with Lin Yuyan, or how many moves he would spare Lin Yuyan.

Broadcasting costs a fortune, and information is money, isn't it?

Of course, Meng Yu himself had no idea about these events happening tens of thousands of light years away—or even further. But still, he kept fishing...

The girl's sword gleamed like water, becoming lines that weaved into a net. She used all her might, displayed a complete set of the White Egret Swordsmanship: it was a feast for the eyes and won applause from the audience.

But by the time she finished her last move, she hadn't touched even a thread of Meng Yu's clothing.

From beginning to end, Meng Yu just dodged effortlessly, never drawing his sword, allowing her to make her moves. But to her, it was like trying to catch a slippery fish in the water; ungraspable, untouchable, and absolutely out of reach. There was nothing she could do.

It was incredibly frustrating, like her cat that wouldn't let her pet it, always staying just out of reach, forever evading her grasp!

She really wanted to stroke that cat's tail!

"Okay, okay, here comes my unique skill; I'm going to use it, so you have to let me finish, okay?"

She took a deep breath and began to prepare her ultimate move.

This strike would bring forth twelve variations, then amidst an assault like a sudden gale, everything would converge to one point, executed with a technique resembling the Sword Control Technique.

This was the unique skill within the White Egret Swordsmanship, but her instructor had said that if she faced an opponent far stronger than her, it was best not to use it.

This strike required a bit of time to prepare, and if the initial blow failed, she would be left defenseless.

She treated this move as her ace in the hole, just like many high school students who secretly prepare what they believe could turn the tables. But against Meng Yu, the big fish, she had already lost hope.

The gap between them was too wide.

Let this strike be the most glorious moment in her high school league experience.

She could even imagine how she would lose: right after she executed the move, Meng Yu would still dodge it, smiling at her, and she would, of course, surrender.

Thank you, Little Swallow, for leaving me with so much dignity.

Then, she thrust with her sword.

The sword light split into strands, then suddenly converged into one.

In high school, this strike would have defeated any peer, but against this scoundrel...

"Eh!"

Her sword aimed straight for Meng Yu's chest, but to her surprise, he didn't block or dodge; instead, he took her thrust squarely!

This was absolutely impossible, yet it happened right there in the arena.

"You, you, you..."

She truly hit Meng Yu's chest, and his blood began to gush out. The girl's face turned pale with fright as she dropped the sword and attempted to help stop Meng Yu's bleeding, only to see blood spouting like a fountain.

The attack, imbued with Sword Qi, had shattered Meng Yu's heart.

She had forgotten that this was a virtual world; all she knew was that he preferred to die himself rather than lifting his sword against her!

"Little Swallow, I'd rather die than draw my sword against you."

"Little Swallow, I told you, I would never harm you."

"I'm so glad to have met you."

Meng Yu spoke softly, took her hand, then closed his eyes and fell into her arms, dead.

The boy's body was motionless but still holding her hand.

She knew all too well his feelings for her.

A girl of sixteen or seventeen, no matter how tomboyish, could sense the hormones of adolescence. This boy had always looked at her silently and was interested in her.

Several times, she had seen him about to speak, then blush with embarrassment and fall silent. She had also heard about fights he got into over her, with others slandering her, claiming something happened between them, and so on.

"We are classmates, just classmates."