"Who is truly the strongest freshman in Star City?" Jude looked at Gideon King as he walked onto the arena and spoke slowly.

  Although he felt that Ironpeak Academy's methods were somewhat dishonorable, he had to admit that both Gideon King and Fly were the top freshmen standing at the peak of their respective high schools.

  The outcome of their battle would determine who would take home the championship of this Freshman Invitational.

  "Fly." Gideon King walked with calm and steady steps, arriving in front of Fly.

  The two locked eyes, different sparks flashing in each of their gazes.

  "Show your Beast Totem!" Fly said in a low voice. He didn't want to waste his breath at this moment; he just wanted to engage in battle quickly.

  "Don't be so impatient." Gideon made a friendly gesture. He didn't mind Fly's urgent mood, nor did he rush to reveal his own Beast Totem.

  "Do you want to make a deal?" Gideon lowered his voice deliberately.

  "A deal?" Fly raised an eyebrow.

  "Exactly," Gideon began to rattle on. "How much is the prize money for the champion of this Freshman Invitational? Only thirty thousand. And you have to split it with others. What's more, your prize money has been halved now."

  Gideon stroked his chin and chuckled lightly. "You fight tooth and nail to win this championship, but apart from venting some anger and gaining some empty fame, the actual benefit isn't much."

  "Every man must look out for Number One."

  "As long as you cooperate with me and deliberately lose this match, I'm willing to give you one hundred thousand."

  "How about it?"

  "This is dozens of times the prize money you'd get for winning the championship normally."

  "Moreover, my conditions don't stop there."

  "As long as you agree, I will share some resource benefits with you every month during high school in the future."

  "In case things are exposed, I can also use my connections to help you transfer to Ironpeak Academy."

  "I'll cover you for your future life."

  "What do you say? Think about it."

  The corners of Gideon's mouth rose slowly, looking as if victory was already in his grasp.

  Boos filled the audience seats, and coupled with the fact that Gideon kept his voice very low, no fourth person on the scene could hear their conversation except for Referee Carlos.

  And Carlos very "sensibly" turned his head away, pretending not to hear these words.

  Although Carlos also looked down on Gideon's practice of undermining the fairness of the competition, due to the power and connections of Gideon's family, he couldn't interfere too much.

  Fly also didn't expect Gideon to openly propose this kind of transaction.

  "Oh?"

  For a moment, a look of seeming interest appeared on Fly's face. "You mean, you want me to cooperate with you to throw the match?"

  "Throw the match? Heh, don't make it sound so ugly," Gideon waved his hand amiably. "Fly, I know your family situation very well."

  Gideon smiled and continued, "Your parents are both ordinary working-class people. They have to pay mortgages and car loans every month. They can't provide you with much help in the cultivation of Martial Studies."

  "And you, however, have outstanding talent."

  "But you also know that on the path of Martial Studies cultivation, talent alone is not enough; investment in resources is also required."

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  "If you had the same background as me, perhaps you would truly surpass all predecessors and become the most powerful Beast Warrior in the history of Star City."

  "It's a pity... all this is just a hypothesis."

  "By the time you reach sophomore or junior year, you will be firmly suppressed and left far behind by those children from wealthy families who have massive resource investments. There are too many such examples."

  "Even if you are being key-cultivated by Star City High now, won't those wealthy children with excellent talents also receive key cultivation from the school? In school, students with similar rankings receive similar cultivation resources; the difference lies in the resources provided by their families."

  "People, the most important thing is to find a patron for themselves. I really can't bear to see you follow in the footsteps of those commoner geniuses, so I intend to give you a bright future."

  Gideon said with a serious face, "As long as you cooperate with me and lose this match, you can get everything I just promised."

  Although he had used his family connections to limit the venue for Fly's performance slightly.

  But thinking of Fly's elusive figure and astonishing speed, Gideon still didn't have absolute confidence that he could defeat him head-on.

  And once he was defeated here, not only would he and the school lose face, but his mother's prestige would probably also be affected.

  To ensure nothing went wrong, Gideon considered it again and again before deciding to ask Fly to fix the match.

  It had to be said that Gideon didn't look like a pure warrior, but rather more like an ambitious careerist.

  As long as Fly lost, what was a mere one hundred thousand?

  For Gideon, this deal was a sure profit with no loss.

  Even...

  In Gideon's view, such a huge temptation was simply impossible for a high school freshman from an average family to refuse.

  "You have just defeated Gareth and Skaar, proving your talent."

  "And we are both the number one figures of our respective schools; losing to me is also reasonable."

  "More importantly, you also saw the Beast Totems and Warrior Gear of Gareth and Skaar, right?"

  "As long as you agree to my request, I can give you ten times what they have!"

  Gideon said further.

  If he could really rope in a talent like Fly, and even have him transfer to Ironpeak Academy later, not only could he fill the positions of Gareth and Skaar.

  More importantly, with this shift in balance, Ironpeak Academy could completely suppress Star City High in the competition of this batch of students.

  If handled properly later, they could even ensure that Star City High would never have a chance to turn things around, reducing it to a second-rate Martial Academy in Star City from then on.

  "Think about your parents. Sometimes, a person should consider themselves more," Gideon continued.

  Since just now, Fly had remained silent. In Gideon's view, this was a sign that Fly's heart was wavering and he was carefully considering his conditions.

  "Those are really good conditions." The corners of Fly's mouth rose, revealing a smile.

  "Compared to the prize money of the competition, your one hundred thousand indeed helps me more. It could even cover my cultivation expenses for this entire semester, no, even an entire academic year."

  "For a student like me from an average family, it is indeed a huge help."

  Fly nodded, expressing agreement with what Gideon said.

  Seeing this, Gideon also revealed a satisfied smile. "As expected of the number one freshman of Star City High, you know the score."

  However, in the next second...

  "I refuse your request." The smile on Fly's face came to an abrupt halt, replaced by a seriousness and earnestness never seen before.

  Gideon: "???"

  "What... did you say?" Gideon's eyes widened, suspecting he had heard wrong.

  "One of my absolute favorite things to do is to say 'no' right to the faces of people like you—people who think they're high and mighty—just when they think they've won." Fly put his hands in his pockets, and a terrifying and unparalleled sense of oppression released from his body, crushing towards Gideon.

  Fly refused very decisively. In his view, a treacherous villain like Gideon, no matter how big a pie he painted in the sky, was not worthy of trust. Moreover, Fly was definitely not the kind of person who would betray his faith and justice.

  "Better family conditions?"

  "More resources?"

  "Wider connections?"

  "Don't make me laugh. If you really have the ability, show your Beast Totem and fight me with real swords and spears."

  "If you don't even have this courage, then hurry home and find your mommy."

  Hearing this, Gideon froze on the spot.

  Not only him, but even Referee Carlos on the side couldn't help but admire Fly.

  You know, that was one hundred thousand!

  Even if not used for cultivation, one could live a pretty good life for a while.

  In the online world, everyone is a millionaire, and perhaps many people look down on one hundred thousand. But in the real world, one hundred thousand is really not something ordinary people can take out casually.

  Especially for a kid like Fly, one hundred thousand could definitely be called a huge sum of money.

  Yet he refused so decisively.

  "You bastard!" Veins popped out on Gideon's forehead, and his fists clenched tight.

  From childhood to adulthood, whether in school or participating in activities, he had always been the focus of everyone's attention.

  Let alone him speaking up actively, just sitting there would have many people rushing to flatter him.

  As a result, this Fly from an ordinary background dared to refuse him!

  This guy, does he really think he is invincible?

  "You're courting death!"

  In an instant, Gideon could no longer control his emotions and revealed his Beast Totem.

  A terrifying wind pressure swept out in all directions. Even the iron sheets covering the newly paved metal arena under their feet were rolled up, rattling in the wind.

  Even Referee Carlos was forced to retreat a few steps by this terrible wind pressure.