In the VIP viewing area.
Su Mu stroked his beard and laughed heartily. This boy Wang Hao had truly exceeded all his expectations, actually using an aphrodisiac to attack his opponent. But this only served to prove how sharp and quick-witted Wang Hao was, never succumbing to panic or chaos in the heat of battle. With just a little guidance and training, he would undoubtedly develop into an exceptional combatant.
Meanwhile, the minds of the principals from the other major high schools were all racing. From the Peak Perfection footwork Wang Hao had displayed earlier, it was clear he was a prodigy with even greater innate talent than Wang Tianyi himself. His current cultivation level might be low, but his raw talent spoke for itself. When they put it all together, the reason for Su Mu's visit to Earth was self-evident.
That meant once Su Mu finished watching Wang Hao's match, he would likely have little interest in sitting through the Hundred Academy Battle. It seemed they would have to find a way to make the Hundred Academy Battle more compelling, to give Su Mu a reason to keep a close eye on Wang Hao—and thus stay for the entire tournament.
…
On the arena stage.
Wang Hao watched as Lin Tingbai's eyes turned increasingly bloodshot, clearly on the verge of losing control entirely.
"Ladies, since you can't seem to agree among yourselves, let's settle this with an auction!" Wang Hao stood at the edge of the arena, a playful smile on his face.
"Who the hell do you think you are? What gives you the right to auction off my prince charming?"
"That's right! You're nothing but a shameless degenerate, Wang Hao! Who do you think you are?"
"My prince is a human being, not a piece of merchandise!"
…
Wang Hao shrugged his shoulders, feigning innocence. "If none of you want to bid, then I'll just knock him out and end the match right here."
"Wait!"
The female students screamed in unison, stopping him at once. If Lin Tingbai was knocked out cold, their dreams of marrying into a wealthy family would be shattered before they even began!
"Wang Hao, this is an arena tournament, not an auction house." The referee's face was thunderous as he snapped at him.
Wang Hao shot back, his expression icy, "You're just the referee. Your only job is to declare the winner and loser. What the hell I do is none of your damn business. Stop sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."
"That's right! Why is the referee sticking his nose into things that aren't his business?"
"Your only job is to call the match! No one gave you the authority to police this!"
"Damn, this is shameless as hell, but he's right."
"Hell yeah, we stand with Wang Hao!"
"The referee's overstepping his bounds!"
"Even though Wang Hao's a degenerate scumbag, he's got a point. The referee's way out of line here."
…
The students below the arena erupted into a chorus of jeers and cheers. For the male students, any man who was more handsome and more popular with women than them was an enemy. What's more, Lin Tingbai had always been insufferably arrogant. Now that he was being auctioned off by Wang Hao, he'd never be able to show his face again.
As for the female students, they all had their sights set on marrying into the wealthy Lin family. There was no way they'd let this opportunity slip through their fingers so easily.
The referee could only take deep, ragged breaths to steady his rage. He wanted nothing more than to march forward and punch Wang Hao square in the face. Not only had the boy used a biochemical weapon in the match, he was now auctioning off a fellow student like a piece of meat. He was the most insufferable little bastard he'd ever met.
"I bid a thousand credits!"
"A thousand? You think that's enough for a night with our prince? I bid three thousand!"
"I'm going all in today! Ten thousand credits!"
…
"I bid a hundred thousand credits."
A deep, booming voice suddenly rang out, and a large, heavyset young woman with a stocky build strode forward, a bag of potato chips in her hand, munching away as she walked.
"Holy shit! It's Gao Damei!"
The male students around her stared in shock, then broke into snickers of schadenfreude. This Gao Damei was a legend at Number Eleven High School. Barely eighteen years old, she weighed over three hundred pounds. But what made her truly formidable was her family's immense wealth and power. Her father was the CEO of Gaoxiong Electronic Technology Group, and her mother was a member of the Earth Government Council. With ties to both politics and business, there were few people on Earth who dared to cross her.
"Gao Damei, what are you doing here?" The other female students stared at her with clear fear and apprehension in their eyes.
"My dad's been nagging me to get married after graduation, but no one wants me. What else am I supposed to do but buy a husband?" Gao Damei's loud, booming voice echoed across the field. She shot a glance at the other girls around her, and not a single one dared to meet her gaze.
When Lin Tingbai saw Gao Damei, he shuddered violently. With the last of his fading consciousness, he raised his hand and stammered, "I surren—"
Boom!
Before he could finish the word, Wang Hao's boot slammed into his face, cutting him off mid-sentence. At the same time, he slipped the Electromagnetic Ring off Lin Tingbai's finger and pocketed it.
"Poor bastard."
The male students below looked away, unable to watch, each offering a silent three minutes of mourning for Lin Tingbai in their hearts. He'd gone up against Wang Hao, only to get dosed with an aphrodisiac, auctioned off like cattle, have his incredibly expensive Electromagnetic Ring stolen, and worst of all, end up sold to Gao Damei. It was a fate worse than death.
Yet at the same time, every single one of the male students felt a twisted sense of satisfaction. This was what happened to rich, handsome, arrogant overachievers who were better than them in every way.
"A hundred thousand is too little. The minimum bid is a million credits." Seeing no one else dared to bid, Wang Hao raised the price without a second thought.
Gao Damei agreed without hesitation. "No problem. I'll transfer the million to you in a minute. Honestly, though, I'm way more interested in you. If you become my man, you'll be the CEO of Gaoxiong Electronic Technology Group from now on."
Wang Hao shuddered violently, shaking his head so hard he looked like he was about to snap his own neck. What the hell was she talking about? There was no way in hell he had the courage to get involved with a woman of her stature.
"Sigh. What a shame." Gao Damei looked genuinely disappointed, but she quickly perked up again.
Wang Hao kicked Lin Tingbai off the arena and straight into Gao Damei's waiting arms, then turned to snap at the referee, "He's fallen off the stage now. Hurry up and declare me the winner! What kind of referee are you, anyway? You stay quiet when you're supposed to speak, and run your mouth nonstop when no one asked you to."
The veins on the referee's forehead bulged with rage. "The winner is Wang Hao! He advances to the quarter-finals!"
Wang Hao held his head high and strode off the arena like a conquering hero. But when he saw Lin Tingbai, delirious and writhing in Gao Damei's arms, a cold shiver ran down his spine from the soles of his feet all the way to the top of his skull, and goosebumps broke out all over his body.
"Ding Dong. Congratulations to the Host for successfully selling a virtuous young man. Your level of depravity is truly appalling. Awarded 10,000 Villain Points."
Wang Hao's eyes lit up. Selling a guy had earned him cold hard cash, a powerful piece of equipment, and a mountain of Villain Points. Best of all, he'd maintained world peace in the process. He couldn't help but pat himself on the back for a job well done.
Suddenly, Wang Hao felt a thick wave of bitter resentment hanging in the air. He turned to see the female students all staring after their beloved prince charming, tears streaming down their faces.
"I think it's best I make myself scarce." Wang Hao sighed, deciding it was time to lay low again, and let his accomplishments speak for themselves.
Not far from where Wang Hao had walked off, Xi Rongxuan of the DY Terror Organization nodded his head in satisfaction. This Wang Hao was a born villain through and through. He was perfect for the DY Terror Organization.
What Xi Rongxuan didn't notice, however, was Su Mu staring at him with a deep frown on his face. "That aura… it belongs to the DY Organization. What are these rats doing here? They can't possibly be setting their sights on Wang Hao, can they!?"