Chapter 44

"Thud!" After more than ten minutes of intense battle, a contestant finally collapsed, but he didn't fall like he usually would from being knocked down or pushed off the stage.

Instead, he was so exhausted that he plopped down on the stage, panting heavily and sticking out his tongue, staring at his equally worn-out opponent and admitting defeat.

This is just too much, he thought. He was completely in a daze during the match, and even more terrifyingly, his body seemed to be in a state of flux, sometimes weak, sometimes strong, his battle aura inexplicably weakening by half, his punches becoming soft and powerless. If he continued, he would probably go crazy, so he admitted defeat.

"Oh yeah!" Chen Liu looked at the lottery ticket in Gao Baozhen's hand, celebrating with the others who had bet correctly. The two of them bumped shoulders and shouted, "We guessed right!"

Even Li Jiawei couldn't help but clench her fists, her face slightly flushed with excitement, because the first candidate was the one she had chosen and marked.

" Ning Yi... You seem very calm?" But seeing Ning Yi's calm demeanor, Li Jiawei couldn't help but ask.

"Uh... Am I?" Ning Yi, immersed in his own excitement, hadn't noticed the final winner on the stage. He was almost certain of the result; the one who lost, he had stripped of his battle aura in the last few moments of the match, so it was no wonder he was exhausted.

"Hmph, I bet you were distracted by the beauties on stage?" Li Jiawei glanced at the bikini-clad beauties holding the signs on stage, displeased.

"Cough... Cough... I have a beauty right next to me. Why would I look at those on stage? They're not even as good," Ning Yi complained.

Li Jiawei rolled her eyes at him and turned to talk to Gao Baozhen.

The second match was another Level 3 vs. Level 3, but this time Ning Yi used his mental power to control the energy absorption technique much better than in the first match.

To avoid the contestants noticing too obviously, he chose to use a gradual method, slowly stealing their energy elements until the critical moment when he suddenly drained the battle aura of one side, ensuring the victory of the contestant they had chosen.

The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth matches had no suspense at all; all the contestants they had chosen won.

At the same time, Ning Yi also gained over twenty energy points.

The current energy points were approaching the 50 mark, and he was about to break through to Level 2.

This speed was simply too fast, and he found that the energy absorption technique had already reached 11% in its initial stage, while the mental power technique had risen to 0.25%, indicating that the mental power technique could also be upgraded through practical use.

The seventh match was a Level 5 vs. Level 5 contest. Although Ning Yi had already dealt with Level 4 matches before, he quickly realized that he couldn't handle it this time.

After all, both sides were already close to being formal warriors, and every punch they threw could release a violent battle aura upon impact.

Ning Yi chose the right moment to absorb the battle aura leaking from one side.

Instantly, a surge of energy hit his brain, and his body swayed, almost causing him to sit on the floor.

He felt a slight sweetness in his chest, and his blood rushed.

A mouthful of blood almost spurted out.

Level 5, equivalent to 40 times the energy points of Level 1, was incredibly powerful. A single punch could easily shatter a stone, so both contestants on the stage had to be extremely cautious, using protective battle aura to shield their bodies.

Although Level 5 also meant a body strength far beyond that of an ordinary person, being hit by such a violent force could still easily cause injury.

This uncontrollable force directly broke through Ning Yi's meager battle aura protection, throwing him to the ground.

"Ning Yi, what's wrong?" Li Jiawei, seeing Ning Yi suddenly sit down, gasping for breath and pale, was greatly alarmed. She didn't care about the victory of the contestant they had chosen and hurriedly asked with concern.

"Nothing... nothing..." As he spoke, Ning Yi felt a sweetness in his chest, and a mouthful of blood spurted out.

But then, the Wheel of Fate reminded him.

"Successfully advanced to Level 2... Early Stage Level 2!"

Ning Yi checked and found that he had absorbed 5 energy points in one go, which was why his body couldn't handle it.

Health Index: 94 (Ordinary person: 100)

Strength: 110 (Ordinary person: 100)

Speed: 12.5 (Ordinary person: 15, the lower the number, the stronger)

All physical indices had improved compared to the last time, but the health index... he was now spitting blood, yet he was healthier than before?

"Ning Yi..." In a daze, he felt Li Jiawei supporting his elbow, and his body leaned on hers, so he could clearly feel his shoulder pressing against her soft, full chest.

The fragrance of the young girl and the perfume she wore wafted into his nose, making him feel a bit lost in thought.

"Are you... okay?" Li Jiawei, not noticing her own state, asked anxiously, "Why did you suddenly spit blood?"

Ning Yi calmed his breathing and adjusted his body, finding that there was actually no serious problem, and he just needed to rest for a moment. He shook his head, "I'm fine, just a bit of gum bleeding..."

"Oh, you scared me." Li Jiawei, feeling Ning Yi's breathing stabilize and his face return to normal, felt relieved but then frowned, "Why would your gums bleed out of nowhere?"

"My gums are not good."

"Who would believe you." Li Jiawei looked at Chen Liu, who had squeezed in, and asked, "Big Black, has this guy ever done this before?"

"No!" Chen Liu shook his head. "Big Black" was a nickname given to him by Gao Baozhen, and although he protested, it was in vain. "Let's not worry about it now, take him to the hospital for a check-up first."

Damn! This is cutting off my source of income! Ning Yi was very anxious but couldn't argue, "I'm fine, why go to the hospital?"

"We must go!" Li Jiawei and Chen Liu said simultaneously.

"But there are still matches, we've already won seven..." Ning Yi shouted, "At least let us finish watching."

"Because we've already won seven, we've broken even, so we need to take you."

Damn, Ning Yi really wanted to spit blood this time. There were still six matches left... But to be honest, of the remaining six, two were Level 4 matches, and the other four were 5 vs. 5, with the last one being a Level 6 vs. Level 6.

Given his current situation, he could barely handle Level 4, but Level 5 was beyond his reach. Reluctantly, Ning Yi had to give up.

He thought, well, he could only absorb Level 4 for now, and there would be other opportunities in the future. He couldn't waste their good intentions.

So he nodded, "Alright, let's go."

Thus, the miserable Ning Yi was dragged away from the fighting arena, but fortunately, there was a hospital nearby.

After entering the hospital and getting checked, they found that there was indeed nothing wrong, so the four of them returned to the entertainment center.

However, when they returned, the matches had already ended. Most of the people who had lost left dejectedly, while the winners started to find various forms of entertainment in the entertainment center.

The four of them looked at each other, but fortunately, they could still check how many they had won and claim their prizes.

The results of the remaining six matches showed that even though they hadn't been there, they had still guessed two of them correctly, winning nine out of thirteen matches.

According to the total prize pool, they received 12,000 yuan, which was twelve times their initial bet.

"We're rich!" Chen Liu and Gao Baozhen were overjoyed. Each of the four would get 3,000 yuan, which was a substantial amount for a high school student.

Li Jiawei was also very excited, but she clearly enjoyed the process more. Money was probably like a cloud to her.

"Ning Yi, you should buy a phone," she suggested with a smile.

"Yeah, Old Yi, you should get a phone so I don't have to relay messages for you," Chen Liu added with a mischievous grin. As soon as he finished speaking, Gao Baozhen grabbed his neck, "Come, let's talk."

Ning Yi and Li Jiawei looked at each other, and Li Jiawei blushed, angry, "What are you looking at?"

The phone store was already closed, so even if they wanted to buy one, it would have to wait until the next day. According to Chen Liu's plan, he had intended to celebrate after winning, even trying to persuade Ning Yi to get a "big health check," but with Li Jiawei and Gao Baozhen around, that was impossible.

So, taking advantage of the early hour, the group decided to go to the beach to enjoy the sea breeze.

It was the transition between spring and summer, but the night was still a bit chilly. However, Lianlan Island was a tourist destination, so the beach was not short of visitors.

They found an open-air café near the beach, ordered two pots of flower tea, a few cups of juice, and some snacks, and enjoyed the sea view through the white fence, feeling the cool breeze on their faces.

"The sea is so calm tonight..." Li Jiawei, with her white, smooth elbow on the table, propped her chin with her fingers and looked at the calm and dark sea, saying curiously.

"Yeah, I also find it strangely calm," Gao Baozhen agreed, suspiciously.

"Hehe, calm before the storm," Chen Liu put down his cup and said with a grin, "I bet something bad is about to happen."

As soon as he finished speaking, a few tourists sitting nearby suddenly exclaimed, "Oh my God, what is that thing..."

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PS: The new urban novel is about to lose its top spot! Fellow readers, please give me your recommendations...

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