In the first round, lifting a three-hundred-jin boulder was no easy feat. Dozens of participants had already tried and failed, making everyone acutely aware of the difficulty.
Now, soone had finally succeeded.
Not only that—he had hoisted the boulder with one hand, casually resting the other on his hip, and lifted it cleanly above his head. The ease of it drew gasps and cheers.
"It’s the Mu family’s second son!"
"That’s right! Aside from Mu Xianling, he’s the Mu family’s next biggest talent!"
"I heard he’s already a nine-star Elite, just one step from becoming an Upper Elite!"
"The Mu family is really rising this year!"
The Mu family’s second son set the boulder down, then deliberately glanced toward Ryan. With a mocking grin, he raised his thumb—then slowly turned it upside down.
A clear provocation.
The crowd roared in approval.
Ryan could only laugh helplessly. He hadn’t said a word, hadn’t done a thing, yet provocation seed to rain down on him from all sides.
Just for being exempted.
"So this is what ’keeping a low profile’ gets you," Ryan thought wryly.
He had wanted to refuse the exemption at first. Now, refusing or not mattered no longer. In the eyes of everyone present, he had already beco a target.
Enemies, one after another.
Ryan smiled softly, completely unconcerned.
If they wanted to challenge him, then so be it.
At that mont, a soft, familiar sound brushed against his ear.
"ow~"
Along with that soft cry, Ryan felt sothing brush against his ankle.
He lowered his head and found Xiao Hei right at his feet, rubbing against his trouser leg with practiced skill, tail swaying like a small banner of grievance.
"Xiao Hei?" Ryan blinked in surprise. "Why are you here?"
Ever since he had brought Xiao Hei ho, he’d kept the little fellow hidden away, rarely letting it appear in public. Yet sohow, it had slipped out and tracked him all the way here.
"ow~"
Xiao Hei lifted its head, big watery eyes blinking pitifully at Ryan, the expression screaming accusation.
It was clearly saying: You went out to play and left behind. I’m bored to death.
Ryan coughed lightly, rubbing his nose with faint embarrassnt. "Alright, alright. Next ti I go out, I’ll take you with . Happy now?"
Xiao Hei was no ordinary beast. It was a Golden Blood Tiger, a creature that could one day stand at the peak as a Beast Deity. Coaxing it properly was not optional; it was necessary.
Hearing Ryan’s promise, Xiao Hei nodded vigorously, its tiny head bobbing in an almost comically human way. Satisfaction spread across its face.
At that mont, a clear, surprised voice rang out.
"Oh! What a cute little beast! What kind of monster is that?"
Mu Xianling stared at Xiao Hei with shining eyes.
Despite her proud, peacock-like deanor, she was still a girl at heart. Faced with sothing this fluffy and adorable, her defenses crumbled instantly. Her gaze burned with enthusiasm, as if she wanted to snatch the little tiger on the spot.
Xiao Hei felt that intense stare and instinctively slid behind Ryan’s legs, peeking out with only two cautious eyes. Its small brain worked overti.
This human looks strange... Why is she staring at like that?
Could she be planning to eat ?
Thinking this, Xiao Hei bared its not-so-threatening little teeth and let out a fierce-sounding "ow," trying very hard to look terrifying.
Unfortunately, in Mu Xianling’s eyes, this only made it even cuter.
Her affection skyrocketed.
"Uh... Xiao Hei, don’t act up." Ryan sighed, bending down to scoop the little tiger into his arms.
Xiao Hei was still in its juvenile stage, its body no larger than a kitten’s, making it easy for Ryan to hold. Once lifted, it imdiately buried its head into Ryan’s chest, pretending the outside world didn’t exist.
"This is your pet?" Mu Xianling asked, her eyes never leaving Xiao Hei.
"Yes," Ryan answered calmly.
"How much?" Mu Xianling said bluntly.
Ryan froze. "How much... what?"
"I’ll buy it." She pointed straight at Xiao Hei. "Na your price."
Ryan laughed softly, a cold edge in that sound.
Buy it?
This was a future Beast Deity, a King-rank monster even in its childhood. No amount of money in Fengyue City could afford it.
"Not for sale," Ryan replied without hesitation.
"You—!" Mu Xianling gritted her teeth, clearly irritated by his refusal, yet her eyes still clung to the little tiger with undeniable longing.
After a brief pause, she spoke again, voice firm. "Then let’s make a bet."
"A bet?" Ryan raised an eyebrow.
"In the third round," Mu Xianling said decisively. "If you lose, you give that little beast. If I lose..."
She paused, then lifted her chin. "If I lose, you can na the condition."
Ryan didn’t answer imdiately.
Instead, his gaze slowly swept over Mu Xianling, from head to toe, then back up again, unhurried and blatant.
"Pervert!" Mu Xianling snapped, hurriedly hugging her chest and glaring at him. Her face flushed with anger. This shaless bastard!
Only then did Ryan speak. "Alright. Deal. If I lose, Xiao Hei is yours. If you lose..."
He smiled faintly. "Be my servant for three years."
"What?" Mu Xianling exploded. "You dare suggest that? What gives you the right? You’re betting a beast against !"
"You were the one who said I could na the condition," Ryan replied indifferently. "If you don’t like it, forget the bet. I don’t care either way."
Mu Xianling pointed at Ryan, her fingers trembling with fury.
She had actually known this fellow since childhood. Back then, he was the famous waste of the Li Clan, timid, silent, and easy to bully. She herself had teased him more than once.
But the man standing in front of her now was completely different.
Calm. Unyielding. Sharp.
Even the examiner of Western Mansion had granted him an exemption.
There was no way he was still that powerless waste.
Mu Xianling clenched her fists. She was clever enough to realize that Western Mansion wouldn’t favor soone without reason. He must have awakened his talent, must have gained strength.
Even so...
She refused to believe he could defeat her.
She had cultivated since childhood. She was already an Upper Elite, a recognized genius of Fengyue City. How could soone who had only recently begun cultivating surpass her?
After a long silence, Mu Xianling finally spoke, each word firm.
"Fine. I accept."
Her eyes burned with determination. "Three years as a servant, if you win..."
"Uh..."
Ryan hadn’t expected Mu Xianling to actually agree.
Three years as his servant?
His gaze swept over her once more, then calmly withdrew, expression unreadable.
So she really walked into this herself, Ryan thought with a faint inward chuckle. No one to bla but you.
Before he could say anything else, Fan Wei scoffed from the side. "Xianling, why waste ti betting with this trash? He might not even survive to et you in the third round. Soone else will knock him out long before that."
Su Sidao followed with a laugh. "Exactly. And it’s just a pet, right? Sister Xianling, if you like little beasts, stick with . I’ll get you as many as you want."
Yuan Qiong rely shook his head, contempt clear in his eyes.
Mu Xianling’s brows knit together. She turned sharply, her tone icy. "The two of you can shut up. My business has nothing to do with you. As far as I’m concerned, you’re no different from Li Wei. In the end, you’ll all lose to ."
She lifted her chin, pride blazing. Like a peacock spreading its feathers, she looked down on everyone equally.
Su Sidao frowned, still unwilling to give up. "Xianling, this bet isn’t fair at all. A beast for you? Why lower yourself like this?"
"I like it," Mu Xianling replied flatly. "Any problem with that? Or are you saying I’ll lose to soone like Li Wei?"
"Of course not!" Su Sidao answered imdiately.
"Then that’s settled."
Her tone left no room for discussion.
Su Sidao could only grit his teeth, shooting Ryan a hostile look, wishing he could erase him on the spot.
Mu Xianling then turned back to Ryan. "It’s decided. You lose, I take the little beast. I lose, I’ll serve you for three years."
Ryan nodded calmly. "Deal."
Outwardly, he remained composed. Inwardly, a single thought surfaced: Looks like I just gained a servant.
The wager was sealed just like that.
Years later, whenever Mu Xianling recalled this mont, she would beat her chest in regret, cursing Ryan as a scher who had tricked her out of three full years of her youth.
But for now, she knew none of that. All she could think about was the little beast nestled in Ryan’s arms, already marked as hers in her mind.
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