Chapter 40: Tian Lin vs. Yu Tian Heng (Part 1) - Douluo's spirit bead sword

Chapter 40: Tian Lin vs. Yu Tian Heng (Part 1) "Place your bets! Place your bets!" "The heir of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's Sword Douluo versus the successor of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Come on, everyone, get your bets in." The Heaven Dou Imperial Academy was buzzing with excitement today. News of Tian Lin's challenge to Yu Tian Heng had spread throughout the entire academy. As future leaders of the world's second and third largest sects, the match between them instantly became a hot topic. Ao Si Luo and Yu Feng even set up a makeshift betting booth. "Hey, Ao Si Luo, what are the odds for each of them?" asked a curious noble. Though money wasn't an issue for the students of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, the thrill of betting was hard to resist. Winning on one's own bets was always more satisfying than relying on family wealth. "Well, both are two-ring Great Spirit Masters with similarly high-quality martial spirits, making it tough to call. They're both top-tier martial spirits, so the odds are determined by their levels. Tian Lin is at level twenty-two, while Yu Tian Heng is at level twenty-six, a significant difference of four levels. Thus, in my expert judgment, Tian Lin stands at 1:2 odds, while Tian Heng is at even odds." The crowd nodded in agreement. They trusted Ao Si Luo's close acquaintance with both fighters for an accurate assessment of their strengths. The odds appeared fair. "I'll put a thousand gold soul coins on Yu Tian Heng!" Immediately, someone placed a bet, triggering a wave of followers. The bettors heavily favored Yu Tian Heng, considering the notable four-level disparity and his likely greater combat experience due to his age. "These two are actually betting on my match with Tian Heng," said Tian Lin, watching Ao Si Luo and Yu Feng's actions in silent bemusement. Predictably, Ao Si Luo was involved, but what was Yu Feng doing, exhibiting such mischief alongside him? Tian Lin smiled slightly, turning to Ye Ling Ling beside him, "Ling Ling, would you like to con them a little?" "Very much so. What's your plan?" Ye Ling Ling, known for her ruthless efficiency and succinct speech, was definitely game for ambushing her teammates this way. Tian Lin drew a golden card. "This is a gold soul coin card given to me by Uncle Ning before I left the sect. It has roughly a hundred thousand gold soul coins. You take it and bet it all on me winning. After we win, we'll split the two hundred thousand gold soul coins fifty-fifty." "The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect truly is the wealthiest sect around. Just look at your allowance. But are you so confident? Tian Heng is tough. Be careful you don’t lose everything!" Ye Ling Ling accepted the golden card, though she couldn't help but question Tian Lin's optimism, aware of Yu Tian Heng's formidable strength. "Relax, my boss is unbeatable at the same level," Gu Ran appeared behind them, exuding confidence surpassing even Tian Lin himself. "Sister Ling Ling, I have a card too, from my master. It has about thirty thousand gold soul coins. Bet it all on my boss as well. Same terms, we split the winnings." "Deal!" Ye Ling Ling took their cards to Ao Si Luo, "Totaling one hundred and thirty thousand gold soul coins on Xiao Tian." "Whoa, Ling Ling, where did you get all that money?" Ao Si Luo was stunned, never imagining that the usually quiet Ye Ling Ling was so wealthy. "Don't worry about it, just place the bet for me," Ye Ling Ling left the cards and departed directly. Only she could place such a bet for them. If Tian Lin and Gu Ran did it, Ao Si Luo would surely suspect they had some guaranteed win up their sleeves, ruining their plan to trick him. By midday, the match attracted widespread attention. Not only were the bettors congregating; even those who hadn't placed bets, along with academy teachers and the three board elders, came to watch. They were eager to witness the skills of both fighters and were also prepared to intervene should the bout get out of hand. After all, both were future hopes of their respective sects. If one were harmed here, the furious retaliation from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's grandfather or the pair of Sword and Bone Douluos would be catastrophic for the academy. "Xiao Tian, I've anticipated this day for a long time. Today, I'm going to prove that the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is in no way inferior to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. Hai-yah!" With a fierce roar, Yu Tian Heng's body manifested a gigantic thunder dragon, radiating formidable might. "So, that's the world's premier beast martial spirit, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon? Let’s see which of our martial spirits truly holds dominion." Tian Lin's martial spirit manifested without the dazzling display, simply transforming into a sword in his hand, but its accompanying yellow and purple spirit rings left everyone gaping in disbelief. "A thousand-year second ring, am I seeing this right?" Bai Bao Shan rubbed his eyes vigorously, wondering if his recent weight gain had pushed fat against his retinas, impairing his vision. "No, I see the same. Incredible! Our Heaven Dou Imperial Academy has indeed produced a genius!" Meng Shen Ji was ecstatic. Among the thousands of students he taught, never had he witnessed a second spirit ring at a millennium's level. Tian Lin's talent had certainly broken through conventional norms. "Oh no, I might have been duped by Ling Ling. She must have known something to place such a large bet," Ao Si Luo collapsed inwardly, having never expected Tian Lin's strength to perhaps bridge even a four-level difference. A thousand-year spirit ring against a hundred-year one was enough to nullify that disparity, turning the outcome of this match unpredictable. "A thousand-year second ring, no wonder the Sword Douluo said what he did back then." Yu Tian Heng grew earnest, now viewing Tian Lin not as a younger schoolmate but as a rival equal in prowess. "First spirit ability, Thunder Dragon Claw!" Yu Tian Heng opened with his first spirit ability, underscoring his earnest respect for Tian Lin’s abilities. Tian Lin smiled slightly, "Good, as it should be. First spirit ability, Condensing Cold Snow!" Not one to fall behind, he unleashed his first spirit ability. Both were support-type abilities; Thunder Dragon Claw enveloped Yu Tian Heng’s hand in lightning, significantly boosting attack power while imparting a potent piercing effect—a hallmark of lightning, known for its violent and penetrative nature. Tian Lin’s Condensing Cold Snow concentrated ice power onto his sword, similarly boosting attack while infusing a formidable freezing ability. "Tian Heng, here I come. Brace yourself! Lunar Frost Cuts the River!" Tian Lin launched his attack with a leap, sword thrusting forward. "Bring it on; here comes my Thunder Dragon Breaks the Wind." Yu Tian Heng raised his dragon claw, meeting Tian Lin's strike head-on. In a flash, sword clashed with claw. Sparks flew as Yu Tian Heng's claw managed to catch Tian Lin's blade, mitigating the ice power's effect significantly. In this exchange, Yu Tian Heng gained a slight advantage and rapidly unleashed six consecutive claw strikes at Tian Lin, each blow precise, swift, and fierce. Luckily, Tian Lin's mastery of the Shu Mountain Sect’s footwork allowed him to narrowly evade the attacks, though Yu Tian Heng's claws still left five rents in the fabric across Tian Lin's chest.