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“Right now, Xiao Wu and Wang Teng are engaged in a spinning top battle—whoever’s top spins the longest wins.”
Wang Sheng explained to everyone.
The crowd’s attention shifted back to the battle arena.
The match was already nearing its end.
Xiao Wu’s “Blast Tiger,” after repeated fierce attacks, had begun to wobble, its trajectory turning erratic.
Yet it stubbornly kept charging toward the center.
Wang Teng’s “Aurora Armor” was still spinning, but its speed had noticeably slowed, looking shaky under the repeated assaults.
“Blast Tiger, keep going!
It’s about to give out!”
Xiao Wu shouted nervously, her eyes fixed without blinking.
All the onlooking students held their breath, staring intently at the two fiercely clashing little tops.
The air was filled only with the hum of spinning metal and occasional clashing sounds.
Finally, after another collision, the blue “Blast Tiger” completely lost its balance and toppled over with a clatter, ceasing to spin.
The green “Aurora Armor,” though spinning slowly, stubbornly remained upright for another dozen seconds before gradually stopping—claiming victory.
“Ah—I lost!”
Xiao Wu stamped her foot in annoyance, but the excitement in her eyes hadn’t faded.
“One more round!
I’ll win this time!”
“This thing is pretty fun!”
Someone in the crowd remarked, their gaze shifting to the wooden box of spinning tops beside Wang Sheng’s feet.
“Hey, Wang Sheng, I see you’ve got a lot here.
Are you selling them?
How much each?”
Wang Sheng had been waiting for this question.
He immediately raised his voice and began promoting: “Listen up, everyone!”
“We’ve got three types of spinning tops here: ‘Blast Tiger’ is attack-type, ‘Aurora Armor’ is defense-type, and ‘Blazing Phoenix’ is endurance-type!”
“Each type comes in three tiers: Basic, Battle, and Premium!”
“Basic is fifty copper soul coins, Battle is one hundred copper, and Premium is five hundred copper!”
“Come take a look and pick whatever style you like!”
“Each type is limited—first come, first served.
Once they’re gone, they’re gone!”
The moment he finished, students started responding.
“I’ll take one!
Basic ‘Blast Tiger’!”
“Give me a Battle-tier ‘Aurora Armor’!”
“One of each type!
All Premium!
Money’s no object!”
The students at Notting Academy ranged from six to twelve years old—exactly the age for playful curiosity.
And with the academy’s routine being rather monotonous, this sudden novelty instantly ignited everyone’s enthusiasm.
The crowd swelled, voices of discussion, inquiry, and selection rising and falling.
Wang Sheng was soon packed in tightly.
Wang Teng and Xiao Wu were even pushed out from beside the box by the enthusiastic throng.
Wang Teng finally managed to squeeze out of the crowd, letting out a long breath.
He’d barely steadied himself when Xiao Wu sidled up to him, stood on tiptoe, leaned close to his ear, and whispered so only he could hear: “Hey, Wang Teng, after you sell all these spinning tops, you’re treating me to a meal.”
Wang Teng whipped his head around, looking at her in surprise.
“What are you staring at?”
Xiao Wu lifted her chin with an “I’ve got you figured out” expression and said, “You used my popularity to advertise your spinning tops just now.”
“Buying me a meal isn’t too much to ask, is it?”
Wang Teng hadn’t expected this usually carefree rabbit to see through his scheme.
But a meal was hardly a big deal.
So Wang Teng nodded and readily agreed: “No problem, Xiao Wu.
Whatever you want to eat, you decide.”
By now, the crowd at the dormitory entrance had grown even larger, the commotion drawing out students who had been resting inside.
With fewer than three hundred students across all six grades at Notting Academy, news spread fast when something new happened.
This novel, competitive game of spinning top battles quickly swept through the dormitory area like wildfire.
The herd effect kicked in—many students didn’t even fully understand the rules, but seeing others buying and playing, they surged forward too, afraid of missing out.
The frenzy lasted about an hour.
When the spinning tops in the wooden box finally ran out, many students who hadn’t managed to buy any looked disappointed.
Wang Teng had ordered two hundred and seventy tops, thinking it would be enough. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
But some wealthier students bought several at once, leaving dozens empty-handed.
“Little brother, they’re all sold.”
Wang Sheng picked up the box, now containing only spare parts, and squeezed over to Wang Teng, lowering his voice.
“Some people still didn’t get any.
Should we place another order at the blacksmith shop?”
Wang Teng glanced at the dispersing crowd and shook his head: “This is enough.”
“If anyone still wants to buy, tell them they can go to that blacksmith shop in town and custom-order their own.”
“Our next step is the next phase of the plan.”
“Alright.”
Wang Sheng nodded, his gaze falling on the box full of coins, unable to suppress a grin.
The brothers carried the heavy “money box,” dodging the lingering students, and quickly returned to Room Seven.
The moment they entered the dorm, Wang Sheng couldn’t wait and poured all the coins from the box onto Wang Teng’s bed with a clatter.
Copper and silver soul coins mingled together, forming a glittering little mountain.
“We’re rich!
Hahahaha!”
Wang Sheng had never seen this much money in his life.
He excitedly threw himself onto the bed, wrapping his arms around the pile of coins, his face beaming.
“Alright, alright, don’t get too carried away.”
Though Wang Teng was also thrilled, he managed to stay calm.
“Let’s count the money first, then we can exchange the copper coins for silver or gold—easier to store.”
“Right, right—count the money!”
Wang Sheng scrambled up and sat cross-legged by the bed.
The brothers faced each other and began carefully tallying the day’s earnings.
The quiet of Room Seven was filled with the clinking of coins.
Luckily, no one else was in the dorm at the moment.
Almost all the students were outside on the field, absorbed in the joy of battling with their new spinning tops.
Otherwise, the sight of a bed full of coins would have caused quite a stir.
The counting went quickly.
The final number came out:
A total of 31,500 copper soul coins.
“31,500…
that’s three gold soul coins and fifteen silver…”
Wang Sheng counted on his fingers, and after the calculation, the excitement on his face faded a little, replaced by slight regret.
“Tsk, converted to gold coins, that’s all?
Our cost was one gold coin, and after all that work, we only made a little over twice that?”
“Making a net profit of over two gold coins is already pretty good.”
Wang Teng, however, was quite satisfied.
He patiently did the math for his brother.
“Big Brother, don’t forget—as work-study students, we earn only ten copper coins a day for our work.”
“These two-plus gold coins are equivalent to both of us working at the academy for over two and a half years.”
From this batch of spinning tops, the net profit came to about two gold and fifteen silver.
Adding the five gold coins from selling the blueprints to the blacksmith owner, Wang Teng now had over seven gold coins in total.
On the Douluo Continent, one gold coin was enough to cover several months of daily expenses for an average family of three.
These seven gold coins meant that during the period before obtaining his first soul ring, Wang Teng’s nutritional supplements, herbal support, and even potential future costs for hunting soul rings were all well secured.
Looking at the pile of coins on the bed, Wang Teng felt a weight lift from his shoulders.
Afterward, evening came.
True to his word, Wang Teng treated Xiao Wu to dinner.
The three didn’t stop at the crowded cafeteria on the first floor but went straight up to the second.
This was where the academy teachers and well-off students usually ate—quieter, with better variety and quality.
Wang Teng, feeling generous for once, ordered several signature dishes, filling the table.
Xiao Wu looked at the fragrant spread, her eyes curving into crescents, clearly satisfied with this “apology feast.”
After a hearty meal, all three were content.
Wang Teng put down his chopsticks, looked at Xiao Wu rubbing her belly, and spoke up: “Xiao Wu, I’ve got a way to make money at the academy.
It’s a bit risky, but the profits are high.”
“Oh?
What kind of way?”
Xiao Wu perked up immediately, curious.
“Here’s the plan: we’re going to hold a ‘Spinning Top Tournament’ at the academy…”
Wang Teng didn’t hold back.
He laid out the whole plan—the tournament, the betting setup, everything—just as he and Wang Sheng had discussed.
He even revealed his secret ability to subtly influence other spinning tops.
Bringing Xiao Wu, the formidable “big sister,” into his camp was an important safeguard.
After laying out the plan, Wang Teng fell silent, quietly watching Xiao Wu, waiting for her decision.
Xiao Wu’s dark eyes darted around for a moment.
Then she suddenly slammed her palm on the table, rattling the dishes.
“Let’s do it!”
She said decisively, “If we can win without getting caught, we’ll make a killing.”
“And if we slip up and get found out, there’s bound to be a good fight…”
“Heh heh, either way, I don’t lose!”
The more Xiao Wu thought about it, the more she liked it, nodding to herself.
Seeing her agree, Wang Teng relaxed and smiled: “It’s settled then.”
“Big Sister Xiao Wu, we need you to use your authority to ‘notify’ the other students at the academy.”
“The tournament will be tomorrow afternoon at the playground.”
“Three-person teams.
Six matches per day, and the whole tournament will stretch over half a month.”
“Registration fee is ten copper coins per participant.
The champion takes all the registration fees as prize money.”
“Ten copper coins registration?”
Xiao Wu blinked, puzzled.
“Isn’t that too low?
The total prize money won’t be much.”
Wang Sheng nodded beside her, sharing the same question.
“Keeping the registration fee low is to attract more participants.”
Wang Teng lowered his voice and explained, “Our real profit isn’t from registration fees.”
“The real money is off the field: we’ll open betting for the wealthy students to wager on the outcomes.”
“I’ll ‘guide’ the results appropriately based on the situation.”
“We take a cut as the house—that’s where the quick money comes from.”
“So that’s it!”
Xiao Wu’s eyes lit up with understanding, a sly grin spreading across her face.
“Sounds even more interesting now.”
“I’m good with it too.”
Wang Sheng also grasped his brother’s scheme and nodded in agreement.
With the plan settled, the three left the cafeteria together and returned to the dormitory.
That night, inside Room Seven.
As usual, Wang Teng sat cross-legged on his bed, clearing his mind and beginning to meditate.
He quietly perceived the energy of heaven and earth in the air.
However, tonight felt slightly different from usual.
An hour later, he emerged from his meditative state.
“Strange…”
Wang Teng pondered silently.
“Tonight’s meditation seemed unusually smooth.
The speed of soul power condensation felt a tiny bit faster than usual?”
He closed his eyes, carefully revisiting the sensation.
Then, a thought sparked in his mind like a firework.
“Could it be because of those hundreds of spinning tops sold at the academy today?”
In a sense, those metal spinning tops could be considered an “extension” or “symbol” of his own “Blast Spinning Top” martial soul.
As they spread throughout the academy, carried and used by many students, had they inadvertently created an extremely faint, crude “simulated environment” within Notting Academy—one particularly suited for cultivating his specific martial soul?
“Never mind, I’ll stop thinking about it.”
After a while, Wang Teng set the thought aside.
At this stage, he had neither the means to verify nor the ability to reinforce this possible “field.”
Dwelling on it was pointless—better to focus on cultivation.
After all, breaking through to level ten and obtaining his first soul ring as soon as possible was what mattered most.
With that settled, Wang Teng stopped distracting himself, regathered his focus, and re-entered meditation.
Another hour passed before he slowly withdrew, lay down, and rested.
The night passed quietly.
The next morning, Xiao Wu got up early.
After a quick wash, she dashed out of Room Seven, charging down to the lower floors.
As the “big sister,” she went from dormitory to dormitory, “notifying” (or, more accurately, semi-coercing) the other students: be at the playground this afternoon for the spinning top tournament.
The work-study students of Room Seven had already been informed the night before.
Meanwhile, Wang Teng and Wang Sheng went to class as usual.
Throughout the morning, the hallways and classrooms buzzed with excited talk about the afternoon’s tournament.
The snippets of conversation kept drifting into Wang Teng’s ears, and as the hours passed, a faint, barely perceptible smile crept across his lips.