His initial confusion quickly turned to shock when Zhong Shenxiu opened the door and bluntly stated his purpose: he was there to place bets!

At first, these people thought Zhong Shenxiu was joking with them, but when he produced the high-level M storage card, everyone was dumbfounded! While they didn't possess such a card, they certainly recognized it. Rumor had it that one needed tens of billions in savings to even qualify for ownership of one! Heavens, who was this child? How could he be so wealthy? Instantly, Zhong Shenxiu and Robin were treated as honored guests and were led into a private inner chamber to discuss matters.

Zhong Shenxiu had studied the betting procedures and related details before entering, but he still allowed the responsible staff member before him to explain everything once more. He learned that the odds varied for each academy depending on their strength; academies with less proven ability carried higher odds, yet few people dared to wager on them. Conversely, powerful academies offered lower odds because their probability of winning was high, making them highly favored by bettors! Take, for instance, the "Hikikomori Magic and Martial Academy." It was a relatively well-known institution; although it hadn't secured a top-three finish in several years, its results consistently hovered around the top ten, so its odds weren't excessively high, especially at the start of the competition.

After grasping these rules, Zhong Shenxiu placed his bet straightforwardly, wagering fifty million Diamond Coins on the "Hikikomori Magic and Martial Academy." Because the initial odds were so low, he decided to make a small exploratory wager for now, planning to go big when the real opportunities arose! He hoped, then, that the bookmaker would have enough money to pay out!

Even so, fifty million Diamond Coins was not an insignificant sum for the staff member present. If this deal went through successfully, he stood to earn at least tens of thousands in commission! The procedure was simple: pay the money, receive a voucher from the other party, and the bet was successfully placed! After leaving this establishment, Zhong Shenxiu glanced back at the sign with a meaningful look, a faint smile once again playing on his lips.

Cutting the prelude short, three days passed quickly, finally bringing the official start date of the "Academy Ranking Tournament." Apart from Robin, no one else knew about Zhong Shenxiu’s betting activities. When the competition officially began, Zhong Shenxiu was not seated in the viewing area for the "Hikikomori Magic and Martial Academy." Instead, he moved around, observing the matches in other arenas. He had complete confidence in Anjiefiya and the others, believing they could secure victory even without his presence. The reason he scouted other matches was to gather intelligence; with his observational and deductive skills, he could easily discern the disparity in strength between the various academies. And this information was absolutely crucial for his subsequent wagers!

After a full tour, though he hadn't collected information on every academy, he had gathered data on about half—more than enough for his betting needs! When he eventually circled back, Anjiefiya and the others had indeed won, and judging by their expressions, it seemed to have been an easy victory! Zhong Shenxiu offered them neither encouragement nor post-match guidance. He acted as if he were entirely detached from the affairs, handing over all responsibilities to Elina! Elina had come specifically in the capacity of a supervising teacher, so she offered no complaints! Even if she had any reservations, she certainly wouldn't dare voice them!

In the evening, Zhong Shenxiu and Robin leisurely strolled back to that "Bookmaking" establishment. It was the same staff member who greeted them, and his demeanor was as enthusiastically warm as before! Zhong Shenxiu had only made a small profit in this first round—a mere few million Diamond Coins. Now, having gathered extensive intelligence, he was ready to truly play the game! Thus, Zhong Shenxiu took the match list and began placing bets, making over a hundred individual wagers, each one for fifty million Diamond Coins! The responsible staff member’s shock morphed into delight, his mouth practically splitting into a grin. His service attitude was impeccable; he offered tea and water, having clearly pegged Zhong Shenxiu as his personal source of sustenance!

Since this round of betting involved significantly more money, the processing took some time. However, Zhong Shenxiu was unbothered; he was currently enjoying the game itself, wondering just how long this particular game would last!

The next day, the matches proceeded as scheduled. Zhong Shenxiu followed yesterday's routine, surveying the venues, his eyes flashing with the keen gaze of a hawk. What seemed like a casual glance was, in fact, him searching for prey! This day also passed quickly. That evening, Zhong Shenxiu returned once more to the "Bookmaking" establishment, the same inscrutable smile lingering on his lips. All hundred-plus bets he had placed had won. This time, he reaped a handsome profit. Because some of the winning odds were quite high, his hundred-plus wagers netted him nearly a million Diamond Coins! Ten thousand, million—

The staff member now regarded Zhong Shenxiu as if he were a deity. Incredible! Every single academy he backed had triumphed; it was nothing short of miraculous! This time, the responsible staff member kept a keen eye, meticulously recording every academy Zhong Shenxiu favored. He identified a few with the highest odds, and then—using his own savings—he placed a wager. As he did this, his heart was filled with anxiety, for he had no idea what the results of the next day would bring. Would it be sunshine or a storm?

The subsequent day proved his decision correct. The institutions backed by Zhong Shenxiu once again won without exception, their success rate being almost as if it had been pre-arranged.

That evening, the staff member personally waited outside, anticipating that Zhong Shenxiu and Robin would arrive at this time. Sure enough, after waiting for about ten minutes, two small figures emerged from the distance down the street—it was Zhong Shenxiu and Robin! Zhong Shenxiu showed no great enthusiasm for the staff member's welcoming gesture; in fact, he seemed rather cold. However, the staff member didn't mind at all. These two were now his gods of wealth; they must be served well! As usual, Zhong Shenxiu simply demanded the match list, placed his bets, and left, never wasting words. The amount Zhong Shenxiu was now wagering per bet was five hundred million Diamond Coins, several times the initial amount. Yet, this was still not his true major move; he was waiting for one specific opportunity! He sensed this opportunity was not far off!

The staff member continued to follow Zhong Shenxiu's lead; where Zhong Shenxiu ate meat, he got the soup. It was precisely because of his greed that he failed to report Zhong Shenxiu’s activities, ultimately leading the "Stacy Family" close to financial ruin!

The "Academy Ranking Tournament" raged on, and Zhong Shenxiu continued his daily betting routine! In less than a week, he had amassed over one hundred and seventy billion Diamond Coins! This was no small sum! However, because his bets were scattered, they did not attract the attention of relevant authorities. And the staff member handling his transactions, motivated by self-interest, turned a blind eye, delaying reports as much as possible! He had come to a realization: the money he earned daily surpassed years of his combined salary and bonuses. If he could just hold out a few more days, he would be content even if he were fired later! Money—it was doubling every day. Only a fool would report such a situation!

Another day passed, and the opportunity Zhong Shenxiu had been waiting for finally arrived. It was only a minor opportunity, though the truly massive one was still brewing! During his inspection rounds, he spotted a dark horse—an academy with little reputation, but among its contestants were several individuals whose strength was exceptionally formidable. Although they tried their best to conceal it, it did not escape Zhong Shenxiu’s sharp, piercing gaze! The reason this qualified as an opportunity was that in the next day's match, this academy was set to face the third-place finisher from last year's "Academy Ranking Tournament!" Due to the apparent disparity in strength, the odds offered were one to twenty!

This time, Zhong Shenxiu still placed a hundred bets, but on this "dark horse," he directly staked fifty billion Diamond Coins. It wasn't that he refrained from betting more money; he feared that wagering too heavily might draw the attention of the "Stacy Family," and if that academy were bribed into throwing the match, it would ruin his plan! Fifty billion Diamond Coins, while a huge sum, was still not enough to alert the "Stacy Family." At the very least, Zhong Shenxiu knew that if no one higher up came to investigate, the current staff member would keep quiet, perhaps even helping him conceal the transaction!

As expected, the staff member divided Zhong Shenxiu’s fifty billion Diamond Coins into several smaller bets, making it appear as if multiple people were wagering, thus further minimizing attention. After Zhong Shenxiu and Robin left, the staff member gritted his teeth, made a firm decision, and placed all his accumulated earnings and savings onto this "dark horse!" He was intelligent enough to recognize this as a rare chance; odds of one to twenty! If this paid off, he would be secure for life, perhaps even able to take his wife and children on a perpetual honeymoon! Moreover, as the "Bookmaking" progressed to fever pitch, such secrecy could not be maintained indefinitely. The higher-ups would inevitably find out, and they would surely implement countermeasures, making it impossible to profit like this again!

The next day, the staff member took a half-day off specifically to watch the match that would determine his future fortune! After a sequence of breathtaking contests, the vast audience was stunned—first by the match's brilliance, and second, by the fact that an obscure academy had managed to defeat last year's third-place finisher! What an unexpected turn! Truly unexpected! The staff member, however, was overwhelmingly thrilled. He knew he had gambled correctly; those two little gods of wealth had created another miracle for him! Meanwhile, Zhong Shenxiu reacted with only a slight smile, showing little excitement! For him, this was still not stimulating enough. He had to wait for an even greater opportunity, one that would allow him to strike a truly decisive blow. Though it felt somewhat unfair to the "Stacy Family," anyone engaging in this line of business must be prepared to shoulder the risk! That ultimate opportunity was not far now.