Nonsense, if he wasn't much stronger, would he bully Ethan Brooks? If Ethan Brooks wasn't such a loser, how could he become a target for bullying?

"I say, Young Master Lacy, are you regretting it now? It's just a pair of gloves. With your family's wealth, that's just a drop in the bucket, barely anything at all. Is it really necessary to take back something you've already given away? Look, everyone is watching you—be generous." Ethan Brooks continued to play dumb. He really had no interest in fighting these people right now, since there was nothing to gain...

Wait, something to gain?!

"Stop pretending. If you accept the gloves, that means you accept my challenge, so let's have a match!" Colin shouted angrily. At this point, are you still pretending? What's the point?

"Ahem, I thought you were giving me the gloves as a gift. Looks like it was a misunderstanding. But since you can put aside your pride to challenge me, if I refuse again, it would be disrespectful to you, so I have no choice but to reluctantly accept." Ethan Brooks put on a very troubled expression, as if agreeing to this duel was a huge embarrassment for him.

Seeing Ethan Brooks like this, the onlookers all found it amusing. At the same time, they were puzzled—how did this loser, who was timid and submissive just yesterday, suddenly become so different today? Not only did he dare to toy with Colin, but his whole demeanor had changed. He no longer seemed like the weakling who let others bully and mock him.

Meanwhile, Colin's face grew darker and darker...

"But there's one thing we need to settle first—what are you putting up as a wager?" Ethan Brooks's eyes shone with anticipation as he looked at Colin.

"A wager?!" But Colin was completely confused by Ethan Brooks. He knew what a wager was, but he'd never heard of two people needing a wager for a duel—at most, it was others betting on the outcome.

"If you want me to duel you, of course there has to be a wager. Who would be stupid enough to risk their life for nothing?" Ethan Brooks looked at him as if he was an idiot—did he really need to ask?

"No wager!" Colin snapped. Damn it, what do you think a duel is?

Ethan Brooks flatly refused: "Then forget it. I don't have time to risk my life with you. If I get hurt, I'll have to pay for treatment—what a loss."

Sigh, to be honest, it's actually because I can't afford treatment, so I can't let anything happen to myself. Getting sick or injured is a huge expense—absolutely not allowed!

"You don't get to refuse today! You agreed to the duel, and even if you don't, it's happening anyway." Colin stepped forward forcefully.

From this, it was clear that Ethan Brooks had successfully shifted the focus. Now, it was no longer up to him to decide whether to duel—the onus was on Colin, and Ethan Brooks could use Colin's refusal to agree to his terms as an excuse to back out.

"According to Chapter 2, Article 1 of the school rules, any form of private fighting is strictly prohibited on campus!" At this moment, Ethan Brooks suddenly recited a school rule, leaving everyone confused, but they quickly understood.

"Violators will be expelled and never readmitted. So I'm warning you, if you want to come after me, you'd better wait at the school gate after class. Don't risk your own future as a joke."

This rule was meant to prevent student conflicts from getting out of hand and causing chaos. As a prestigious academy, such order was necessary. Of course, as a magic and martial arts academy, sparring between students was still needed, so there were about a dozen dueling arenas available for everyone to use. Dueling there was allowed and didn't violate school rules.

However, the definition of "private fighting" was rather vague. For example, when everyone used to bully Ethan Brooks, there was plenty of punching and kicking—whether that counted as private fighting was unclear, but the instructors always turned a blind eye.

But if Ethan Brooks fought back now and then told the instructors he was involved in a private fight, it really could be considered one.

Why did Ethan Brooks know this rule? Not because of his memory, but because not far ahead stood two grand statues—one of a mage holding a staff, the other of a warrior with a sword—one of the academy's iconic landmarks.

And on the base of the warrior statue, facing Ethan Brooks, were several large characters carved in stone—the very school rule he just recited...

Colin's face turned from green to white, clearly furious but unable to vent. In the end, he could only say through gritted teeth, "Fine, name your wager."

"Since it's just a wager, let's keep it simple—I'll bet on your money pouch." Ethan Brooks said with a light smile. He knew Colin was a show-off rich kid, and there was no way he carried less than a hundred gold coins.

I'm going to strike it rich!!

Note: 1 gold coin = 10 silver coins = 100 copper coins = 1000 copper pieces. 1 copper piece is equivalent to 1 RMB, for now, for now...

Chapter 7: Eight Trigram Palm

"Fine, just as you say!" Colin said impatiently. "Now, are you satisfied? Then let's go to the A Zone dueling arena. Henry, take him over."

Colin didn't want Ethan Brooks's wager, because all he wanted was to beat Ethan Brooks so badly he couldn't take care of himself. Besides, everyone in the academy knew exactly how much Ethan Brooks was worth—aside from a ninth-grade magic crystal sword, he had nothing.

In the eyes of these young lords and ladies, Ethan Brooks's little courtyard was no better than a doghouse, and that magic crystal sword was given to the Lan family as a reward for merit—no one would ever covet that sword.