Chapter Fifty: The Stake! The Soul Bone! Davis in Command!

Watching Lu Yu’s stance, the geniuses of the Tiandou Empire exchanged glances, feeling both exhilaration and a subtle sense of unease. Although Lu Yu was a prodigy, he stood alone. If the talents of the Xingluo Empire set aside their pride and attacked him en masse, even his formidable strength might not withstand the overwhelming odds.

On the Xingluo Empire’s side, everyone’s expressions darkened. Only Zhu Zhuqing furrowed her brows, watching Lu Yu with a thoughtful gaze.

“If this is a friendly match, where’s the fairness in overwhelming one opponent with many?”

At that moment, Davis stepped forward confidently, smiling. “Lu Yu, though I’m a few years your senior, we’re both Spirit Masters of the fourth ring. It’s only fair we spar one-on-one. How about it?”

Lu Yu narrowed his eyes, looking at the finely dressed Davis. Suddenly, he said, “Your Highness, since this is a sparring match, why not raise the stakes with a wager? That way, no one can claim it’s a petty quarrel between us, and it won’t sound bad if it gets out.”

“What do you think, Your Highness?”

Lu Yu’s smile was sly, like a fox patiently leading its prey into a trap.

Davis’s eyes lit up upon hearing this. He clearly knew Lu Yu was setting a trap, but he thought Lu Yu was too arrogant! Despite Lu Yu’s pride being somewhat justified, there was an eleven-year age gap between them. Davis’s spirit power was stronger, and he wielded the elite Beast Spirit, the Evil-Eyed White Tiger. Victory in this battle was assured!

With that in mind, Davis said bluntly, “Then let’s do as you say, brother Lu! You decide the wager!”

The people from Xingluo Empire smirked mockingly, while those from Tiandou Empire silently cursed Davis for his shamelessness. How could he claim he wasn’t taking advantage of Lu Yu? An eleven-year difference! If they were the same age, Lu Yu wouldn’t even need to unleash his spirit weapon to easily defeat him single-handedly.

Yet, as the team leader and top talent of Tiandou Empire, no one dared openly question Lu Yu’s decision.

Lu Yu smiled calmly. “Your Highness is indeed straightforward. Then let’s wager a spirit bone as the stake!”

“Fine! As you say...” Davis nodded without hesitation, but halfway through his sentence, he suddenly widened his eyes. “What did you say?!”

Lu Yu blinked, feigning surprise. “Surely, Your Highness, as a grand prince of the Xingluo royal family, you have at least one spirit bone, don’t you?”

Everyone else felt a chill down their spine, frozen in place.

Good heavens! What audacity! A spirit bone was a treasure coveted by countless Spirit Masters! Any single spirit bone was enough to spark a bloody upheaval in the Spirit Master world. Even those titled Douluo rarely possessed one.

It was well known that spirit bones almost never appeared from century-old or millennium-old spirit beasts. The chance of obtaining one from a ten-thousand-year-old beast was also astronomically low.

Only spirit beasts older than a hundred thousand years would definitely produce a spirit bone upon death.

But across the entire Douluo Continent, how many Spirit Masters could slay a hundred-thousand-year-old spirit beast? Even for the Xingluo royal family, every spirit bone was a national treasure. Davis was only a grand prince, not yet crown prince. How could he possibly produce one?

Moreover, everyone knew Lu Yu was originally an orphan, only valued by Tiandou’s royal family and academy for his prodigious talent. Even so, before he matured and was fully bound to the Tiandou royal family, it was impossible for them to bestow such a precious spirit bone upon him.

This led many to believe Lu Yu had named a wager he couldn’t fulfill, though he was supremely confident in his own strength, seemingly trying to win without putting anything up.

“Brother Lu speaks in jest. Our Xingluo royal family can certainly produce a spirit bone, but you...” Davis chuckled dryly, implying the rest without stating it outright.

He was confident but would never let Lu Yu win a bet without risk.

Lu Yu smiled and extended his right hand. A dark golden claw sheath suddenly enveloped his palm, radiating waves of spirit power.

“By chance, I once obtained a right arm bone. If Your Highness wins, I am willing to sever my arm and offer the spirit bone!”

His tone was calm, but these words shocked everyone once more.

A prodigy, yes, but also possessing a spirit bone?!

This was outrageous—how were others his age supposed to compete?

All the young geniuses from the two empires had heard of spirit bone extraction, so they didn’t think much of it, simply focusing their attention on Davis.

If an orphan like Lu Yu could produce a spirit bone, then the grand prince of Xingluo Empire could hardly afford to lose the wager before a single fight—it would be a laughingstock.

They didn’t know that only after reaching the Douluo title level could one safely extract a spirit bone without risking life, and even then, only from the limbs.

The process was simple: sever the limb, and the spirit bone naturally separated from the body.

Since none present had reached that level, they only saw Lu Yu as someone brave enough to bet by threatening to sever his own arm.

Davis’s face clouded with unease, cold sweat rolling down his forehead.

His once favorable position had been disrupted by the sudden emergence of Lu Yu, and now he was completely on the defensive.

Lu Yu had a spirit bone, but he did not.

Though the royal family could provide one, if Davis lost, surrendering his spirit bone to Lu Yu would be disastrous!

The Xingluo royal family would honor the bet for face’s sake, but he, as grand prince, would become a pariah.

His seemingly assured path to the crown prince position would be fraught with complications.

Yet feeling the pulsing spirit power from Lu Yu’s right hand and the overwhelming strength emanating from the claw sheath, Davis’s heart burned with ambition.

He sensed that this spirit bone’s power resonated well with his Evil-Eyed White Tiger and his spirit weapon.

If he could obtain it, his strength would soar, potentially breaking through the level fifty threshold in one leap!

No one had heard of a Spirit King participating in past Spirit Master tournaments.

Gaining a ten-thousand-year spirit ring meant a qualitative leap in power. With the spirit bone’s amplification, Davis was confident he could sweep the younger generation and claim the championship.

As grand prince of Xingluo Empire, he had heard rumors that the Spirit Hall might offer a spirit bone as the tournament’s grand prize.

If so, he could possess two spirit bones at once.

With these thoughts, Davis saw before him a broad, glorious path to power.

At the road’s end stood a figure identical to him, surrounded by nine spirit rings, radiating overwhelming aura, beckoning him onward...

His eyes reddened, teeth clenched. “Fine! I agree! The wager shall be the spirit bone!”

With that, he stamped hard on the ground and leapt onto the arena.