Urban Extraordinary Immortal Doctor
Chapter 948: Step Forward to Battle!

Chapter 948: Chapter 948: Step Forward to Battle!

Hou Ziping understood in his heart that his victory over Yang Wei, which allowed him to hold his head high in front of numerous Inner Court disciples and wipe away the humiliation of his past, would have been utterly impossible without the help of Fang Bai. Therefore, he was filled with gratitude toward Fang Bai.

If it weren’t for the many Inner Court disciples watching around him, Hou Ziping would have already respectfully fist-and-palmed and bowed deeply to Fang Bai as a sign of his thanks.

"Senior Brother Hou, congratulations to you!"

Seeing Hou Ziping’s slightly red eyes, Fang Bai knew he was moved, and he smiled as he fist-and-palmed him in return.

Huang Miao also fist-and-palmed, smiling sweetly as she said, "I also congratulate Junior Brother Hou."

In the past, Hou Ziping’s strength ranked towards the end among the Inner Court disciples; he had to wear a smile when facing anyone, being a head shorter than them. However, from the moment he defeated Yang Wei, he knew his status among the Inner Court disciples would rise rapidly, and no one would dare to look down on or bully him ever again.

Even when facing Huang Miao, who ranked second in the Inner Court disciples’ strength ranking, he could now stand tall, fearless in his heart.

From the watching Inner Court disciples’ eyes around him, Hou Ziping also saw a hint of awe.

This feeling was truly sublime!

Hou Ziping took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement in his heart, and made an effort to remain calm as he fist-and-palmed back to Fang Bai and Huang Miao with modesty, saying, "It was just luck that I could beat Junior Brother Yang."

"Come on, Junior Brother Hou, a win is a win, don’t be so humble. I wonder who you plan to challenge next?"

Huang Miao giggled, her eyes shimmering as she carefully observed Hou Ziping in front of her.

The Martial Artist Aura that Hou Ziping emitted was strong, but still a bit weaker than Huang Miao’s, which gave her some reassurance that Hou Ziping isn’t likely to challenge her anytime soon.

Even if he did challenge her, Huang Miao was confident in keeping her second position on the Inner Court disciples’ strength ranking.

The Inner Court disciples’ strength ranking was very important for each Inner Court disciple; those who made it on the list received respect from their peers and attention from the higher-ups of the Martial Academy, which in turn meant more benefits than other disciples.

Especially those ranked high among the Inner Court disciples were prime targets for the Martial Academy’s leaders to cultivate. They not only received more support in Cultivation Resources but also had the opportunity to listen to the Martial Academy’s leaders expound on the Martial Dao, an enviable treatment among many Inner Court disciples.

Therefore, even Huang Miao, who was well-regarded for her character and reputation among the Inner Court disciples, paid great attention to the ranking of the strength ranking.

When Huang Miao inquired who Hou Ziping’s next challenge would be, it was a bit of a teasing probe.

The surrounding Inner Court disciples also pricked up their ears, wanting to hear how Hou Ziping would respond.

Hou Ziping was momentarily taken aback, then smiled ruefully as he shook his head, "I haven’t yet considered continuing to challenge others. My strength has only just improved a bit, and I need to calm down and consolidate it. Blindly issuing challenges might actually be detrimental."

Huang Miao said with a smile, "Junior Brother Hou saying that does relieve us upper-ranked Inner Court disciples."

Hou Ziping replied, "Senior Sister Huang is joking."

Thinking about how he now qualified to speak on equal terms with Huang Miao, who ranked second on the Inner Court disciples’ strength ranking—an impossible scenario in the past—Hou Ziping couldn’t help feeling a rush of excitement again.

"Senior Sister Huang, a bet is a bet, right? When can you give me the Essence Stones and Elixirs I won?"

Fang Bai laughed and said.

Huang Miao gave Fang Bai a reproachful look, pretending to be angry, "Well, you, Junior Brother Fang, do you think your senior sister would renege on a debt?"

Fang Bai laughed heartily, "I dare not! I dare not! If Senior Sister Huang cannot pay now, I can wait. Your reputation in the Inner Court is illustrious; I still trust you!"

Huang Miao retorted, "You are clearly making fun of me!"

After a pause, she said, "Don’t worry, I’ll give you the Essence Stones and Elixirs I owe you, but let’s talk after your duel with Junior Brother Yang Lin. I will try my luck again later; who knows, I might win?"

Upon hearing Huang Miao’s words, some of the Inner Court disciples suddenly remembered that today’s agreed fight was between Fang Bai and Yang Lin; the recent clash between Hou Ziping and Yang Wei was just an unexpected interlude.

With this in mind, some Inner Court disciples began to rub their hands together in anticipation, preparing for the next round of betting.

Yang Lin checked on his cousin Yang Wei’s injuries, knowing that without two or three months of recovery, his strength would hardly return to its peak, his anger flared up intensely.

"Hou Ziping, as fellow disciples, shouldn’t we spare each other in our sparring? Aren’t you afraid of being punished by the Martial Academy’s higher-ups?"

Yang Lin stood up, walked over to Hou Ziping with a face full of rage, and stared at him with a gaze as sharp as a sword.

If looks could kill, Hou Ziping would have been run through with a sword by now, dead beyond any doubt.

Yang Lin called out Hou Ziping by name, his deep hatred evident, making it clear that they were archenemies from now on.

A few days ago, Hou Ziping might have still been intimidated when facing Yang Lin, but his easy victory over Yang Wei had given him immense confidence, and he no longer feared Yang Lin.

"Yang Lin, are you joking?"

In response to Yang Lin’s questioning, Hou Ziping sneered, "Three days ago, your cousin Yang Wei gravely injured me with a heavy hand. Why didn’t I see you speak of punishment from the higher-ups then? Do you think I, Hou Ziping, am still as easy to bully as I used to be?"

Yang Lin, far from angry, replied with a smile, "Don’t think that a little progress means you can look down on everyone! In my eyes, you, Hou Ziping, are still scum! Defeating you would be as easy as flipping my hand!"

Having been mocked and ridiculed for years, Hou Ziping had grown accustomed to it, so when Yang Lin called him scum, he didn’t get angry. Instead, he replied with a smile, "Yang Lin, don’t forget, your opponent today is not me, but Junior Brother Bai Fang. Defeating me is nothing surprising, let’s see if you can defeat Junior Brother Fang first! However, I don’t think you stand a chance!"

Yang Lin glanced at Fang Bai with contempt and chuckled, "Heh, from the sound of it, Bai Fang is stronger than you? I don’t believe it; a newcomer to the Inner Court, no matter how extraordinary his talent is, can’t be that powerful."

With that, he turned and strode into the open space of the Practice Battle Arena, beckoned to Fang Bai, and called out loudly, "Junior Brother Fang, come forward and battle!"

Fang Bai stepped forward two paces, then suddenly halted and solemnly said to Hou Ziping, "Senior Brother Hou, may I trouble you with something: if someone wants to bet with you, place a wager for me—ten thousand Essence Stones and one hundred bottles of Elixirs on my victory! After I win this duel, I will repay you."

Hou Ziping hadn’t expected Fang Bai to be so fond of gambling and was somewhat amused, yet he was still very confident in Fang Bai’s victory, "Junior Brother Fang, I only have a couple thousand Essence Stones and a few dozen Elixirs on hand. You see..."

"Then borrow from others! This is a great opportunity to earn Cultivation Resources; don’t miss out! You couldn’t borrow before, but now, surely someone will lend to you!"

After finishing these two sentences, Fang Bai turned and walked toward Yang Lin.