Li Sheng's words were impeccable, causing Chen Kong to feel somewhat embarrassed. "I won't fight you. Since you're going to register anyway, I'll compete with you to see who arrives first. That should work, right?" In fact, in the eyes of the crowd, Li Sheng's move was quite decisive.
Mo Qingkuang has been renowned for his speed since he rose to fame, having won numerous times with his speed alone. It can be said that the foundation of Mo Qingkuang's combat prowess lies in his speed, which far surpasses that of other martial masters at the same level.
If one day Mo Qingkuang's speed isn't enough to gain a significant advantage, can he still maintain the upper hand in battle? The result is obvious: Mo Qingkuang's attacking techniques are not strong. As long as his speed can be matched, he ends up at a disadvantage.
If Li Sheng wins, it means he is superior to Mo Qingkuang in the aspect where Mo Qingkuang excels the most.
Actually, it's like having a fight on the stage, where Mo Qingkuang's speed becomes a disadvantage, being easily caught up by Li Sheng. With Li Sheng's status as an eighth-rank martial master, he can easily defeat Mo Qingkuang.
Mo Qingkuang's speed is indeed fast, but Li Sheng is also renowned for his speed in the academy, albeit not as strong as Chen Kong, Han Kongming, and other top figures.
However, he is known as the fastest legs in the academy, and no one can match his speed except for the chosen ones with spatial attributes.
"Mo Qinkuang?" Chen Kong's tone remained calm; his expression unchanged. But in fact, he felt somewhat guilty. He had specifically intervened to help Mo Qingkuang, but it didn't have much effect, and Mo Qingkuang was still cleverly cornered by Li Sheng.
As for Li Sheng, he harboured quite a bit of resentment towards Mo Qingkuang and had already made up his mind to find an opportunity to give him a good beating to let off steam.
Mo Qingkuang, upon hearing this, did not panic, nor did his face show any signs of difficulty.
If it were a showdown on the stage, facing Li Sheng, an eighth-rank martial master, he indeed had little chance of winning. However, if it was simply a test of speed, his ancestor had told him that, apart from the chosen ones with spatial attributes, he was invincible among the martial masters. And Li Sheng, the senior brother known as the fastest in the academy, was obviously not one of them.
"Alright, since Senior Brother Li has kindly invited me, I can't repeatedly refuse to give face." Mo Qingkuang responded amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd.
"Mo Qingkuang, are you serious?" Han Yan widened her eyes, although she knew that a genius's pride couldn't tolerate any cowardice in their most proficient field, this clearly was not a contest with any chance of winning for him.
Li Sheng still had some home advantage. He had been practising in the academy for several years and knew the terrain like the back of his hand, while Mo Qingkuang had only a bird's-eye view map to find his destination, making his chances of winning even lower.
"It's really like a new calf not fearing the tiger. He actually dares to agree?" Some of the academy disciples around them couldn't help but chuckle discreetly.
"Yeah, does he think this is like dealing with those mediocre outsiders? With his speed, does he think he can toy around as he pleases?" As academy disciples, belonging to the most outstanding group of geniuses in the entire Central Province, they had their pride.
Li Sheng's speed was widely recognized in the academy, and Mo Qingkuang still dared to take on the challenge, it's hard to say if Mo Qingkuang was fearless due to ignorance or arrogant enough to look down on the academy's strength.
Seeing Mo Qingkuang agree, Chen Kong didn't stop him anymore. He had already said his piece, and if Mo Qingkuang backed down and refused the challenge, Li Sheng would be helpless. In front of everyone, especially with him present, Li Sheng wouldn't dare do anything to Mo Qingkuang.
However, he knew that geniuses had their pride, and if they showed cowardice, it could potentially create inner demons and hinder their progress.
"Good!" Li Sheng finally smiled and continued, "Mo Qinkuang, just comparing without any stakes isn't much fun. How about adding a little wager?"
"Wager?"
"That's right, let me explain. We exchange all the resources for cultivation in our academy with points. Points are distributed monthly based on the rankings on the Qingyun Stele, and there are also tasks issued by the academy to earn points."
"We could each put up a thousand points as a bet. The loser will hand over a thousand points to the other. What do you think?" Li Sheng's smile was gentle and friendly as if coaxing Mo Qingkuang.
"Li Sheng! You've planned this in advance!" Han Yan exclaimed angrily, disregarding even the dignified address of "senior brother."
Mo Qingkuang wasn't aware. She had spent some time in the academy, and points were the main currency there, used to exchange for cultivation resources, martial arts techniques, elixirs, and more.
The purchasing power of points was incredibly strong; a hundred points could buy a third-grade elixir, and a thousand points could even get you a slightly inferior earth-grade martial arts technique.
As a martial champion, Mo Qingkuang was directly admitted to the academy and usually received a 'settling-in fee' of a thousand points. The second-place winner received five hundred, and the third place, three hundred.
Therefore, Li Sheng's proposal made sense. If Li Sheng won these thousand points, it would be quite a significant gain. Conversely, for Mo Qingkuang, losing these thousand points would be difficult to earn back for a long time.
With his ranking, even if it was slightly higher than Han Yan's, he wouldn't receive many points monthly. This would significantly delay Mo Qingkuang's progress, making Li Sheng's proposal quite cunning.
Li Sheng's face changed, and he said in a deep voice, "Ninth Princess, these words can't be said casually. I was just making a suggestion. If Mo Qinkuang can't bear it, then consider my words unsaid!" Han Yan was infuriated by Li Sheng's words, her face turning red.
Mo Qingkuang stopped Han Yan and asked in a low voice, "What are these points used for?"
After Han Yan explained, Mo Qingkuang understood the purpose of these points, and his eyes brightened. "So, points have so many uses? Senior Brother Li, if I lose to you, wouldn't I be left with nothing?" Mo Qingkuang looked at Li Sheng with some difficulty.
Li Sheng also knew that winning all of Mo Qingkuang's points in one go was unrealistic, so he changed his tune, "Hmm, a thousand is indeed a bit too much. Let's make it five hundred. How about it now? Do you agree?"
Unexpectedly, Mo Qingkuang shook his head repeatedly. "No, no, no, Senior Brother Li, you underestimate me too much! I'm a risk-taker! I like taking big risks. If we're gambling, let's go all in!"
"That's more like it! Men should go big when they play. Mo Qinkuang, I'm starting to like you." Li Sheng couldn't contain his joy at Mo Qingkuang's words and praised him with a smile.
This Mo Qingkuang, greedy as he was, even wanted to win more from him?
Mo Qingkuang continued, "But you're my senior brother. A thousand points are nothing to you, but for me, it's my entire fortune. That's unfair!"
"Unfair? Then what do you suggest?"
"If I ask you to go all-in as well, it might be unfair. I'm not one to take advantage of others! How about this, Senior Brother Li, you put up two thousand points, and then we'll gamble!"
***
stones~