My Insect Fusion System: Invincibility Begins with a Cockroach

Chapter 103: Jett Gale? Young Master Gale!

"What's up, Jett?" Fly's fingers flew across the screen as he tapped out a reply.

"Fly, did you start a new group chat and pull Dean Sterling, 'Emperor' Valerius, and the others into it?"

"Um... why didn't I get an invite?"

"Are you worried that my strength isn't up to par?"

Jett had always been a straight shooter. Discovering that Fly had created a group chat without inviting him, he just wanted to get to the bottom of it.

"If you're hesitating because you're worried about my strength, please just give it to me straight, Fly."

"I just don't want any misunderstandings between us."

"If you think my Martial Studies skills just don't make the cut, I have nothing to say."

"But if you're leaving me out because of our past beef, then I refuse to accept that!"

Reading the barrage of messages Jett sent over, Fly didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Was this just the unfiltered bluntness of a high schooler?

"How did you know I made a group chat? Did Dean Sterling tell you?" Fly didn't answer Jett's questions right away, instead firing back one of his own.

"No! It's just... I happen to be hanging out with Valerius right now, and I accidentally saw his phone screen. I mean... Valerius didn't tip me off or anything," Jett hurriedly explained.

"You're with Valerius? Did you challenge him to another duel?" Fly teased.

Fly's phone, which had been buzzing non-stop from the incoming texts, finally enjoyed a brief moment of peace.

After a short pause, Jett's next message finally came through.

"Yeah... pretty much. Big bro Valerius is actually a really great guy. Every time he beats me up, he always drops a few pointers afterward. Hehe! [Silly Grin Emoji]"

"Wait! Let's not talk about that right now."

This time, Fly had barely finished reading the message before the next one popped up.

"When I saw that you pulled the teachers, Genevieve, and Valerius into the group, my mind immediately went to The Jade State League."

"Am I right?"

To say that Jett didn't want to participate in The Jade State League would be an outright lie.

Although he didn't know why Fly had excluded him, as long as there was even a sliver of a chance, Jett wasn't going to give up.

Unless, of course, Fly genuinely believed his Martial Studies skills were holding them back.

Looking at the messages Jett sent, Fly couldn't help but feel that the guy was quite genuine and straightforward.

Besides, Fly hadn't completely made up his mind yet about cutting Jett from The Jade State League roster.

After a moment of hesitation, Fly decided to just give Jett a call.

"Fly..." Jett's tone carried a hint of unwillingness to concede, as if he were desperately trying to prove himself.

Hearing Jett's straightforward demeanor, Fly decided not to beat around the bush either. "If the 'beef' you mentioned refers to you giving me trouble on the first day of school, I can only say you're overthinking it. I haven't given that incident a second thought. Me not inviting you to the group chat has absolutely nothing to do with that. Honestly, I was just a bit hesitant..."

"Hesitant about what?"

Fly paused for a moment, let out a sigh, and continued, "Grandmaster Muse didn't actually take me in as his official disciple outright. Instead, he signed a temporary Apprenticeship Contract with me."

"Ugh! Honestly, calling it a contract is a stretch—it's more like a massive gamble. The wager is whether or not I can secure the championship title in The Jade State League."

"If I fail to win The Jade State League this time, not only will Grandmaster Muse sever our master-disciple relationship, but he'll also demand a penalty fee of 1.5 million from me for breaching the contract!"

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"So, this Jade State League is incredibly important to me."

When he heard the words 'Apprenticeship Contract' and 'massive gamble', Jett didn't show much of a reaction.

But the moment he heard that Grandmaster Muse's condition was winning The Jade State League championship, Jett's shriek was so loud it was crystal clear even through the phone speaker. "What?!!"

Even though he knew Fly's talent in Martial Studies was absurd—calling him the number one prodigy since Lysander Thorne wouldn't be an exaggeration—this was The Jade State League they were talking about!

Just how highly did Grandmaster Muse think of Fly to dare make such an outrageous demand?

No...

Grandmaster Muse was clearly just making things deliberately difficult for Fly, wasn't he?

"That's way too out of line!" Jett felt a surge of indignation on Fly's behalf.

But he also quickly understood the reason behind Fly's hesitation.

Looking across all of Star City, Jett knew he wasn't exactly at the absolute pinnacle of high school Beast Warriors. It was only human nature for Fly to have second thoughts.

"I'm sorry, Fly. I totally misunderstood you..."

"I had no idea this Jade State League meant that much to you."

"If my strength is making you second-guess things, I'm willing to bow out."

Jett took a deep breath and blurted all of this out in one go.

Even though he desperately wanted to participate in The Jade State League and test his mettle against the powerhouses from the elite high schools, upon learning about Fly's high-stakes gamble, Jett ultimately chose to step aside for Fly's sake.

After all, a man couldn't be too selfish.

His own desires weren't the only things that mattered in the world.

Besides, this was ultimately a consequence of his own lack of strength. He couldn't go around blaming others for that.

Fly hadn't expected Jett to back down so cleanly. He thought for a second and quickly stopped him, "Wait a sec!"

"Is there something else?" Just as Jett asked the question, a realization suddenly hit him. After all, Fly was famously known throughout the school as an absolute hustler when it came to making money.

"Fly... are you looking for a sponsorship?"

"Don't sweat it. We're classmates. Even though I can't compete, I'm not a petty guy. I'll have a good chat with my old man and get him to sponsor your team."

Fly: "???"

What Fly originally wanted to say was that he was still on the fence about the decision.

He had heard from Genevieve before that there were a few other freshmen slightly stronger than Jett. However, if the gap between Jett and them wasn't too massive, Fly wouldn't actually mind letting Jett join the League roster.

Who would have thought there'd be such an unexpected windfall!

"Jett, just how much wealth is your family sitting on, exactly?" Fly raised an eyebrow. The moment money was mentioned, his interest was instantly piqued.

He had occasionally heard bits and pieces about Jett's family from Dean Sterling.

Jett's family ran a martial arts dojo.

Was running a dojo really that lucrative these days?

Dropping a sponsorship at the drop of a hat.

Last time they sponsored the Freshman Invitational, and now, bringing up a sponsorship for their Jade State League run didn't even make Jett blink.

Anyone with half a brain knew that the funds required for Martial Studies cultivation were basically a bottomless pit. Without incredibly deep pockets, an average business wouldn't dare throw the word 'sponsorship' around so lightly.

"I'm honestly not too sure about the exact numbers... I think I heard my old man mention that last year's revenue was somewhere around a few hundred million," Jett mumbled. He had poured all his focus into his Martial Studies cultivation and barely paid any attention to the family business.

"How much?" Fly was momentarily stunned. "No way. I thought it was just a figure of speech. Are dojos really pulling in that kind of cash nowadays?"

Even though revenue had to be subtracted by operating costs to calculate actual profit, a revenue in the hundreds of millions meant they were, without a doubt, a massive enterprise raking in nine figures a year.

He had heard Jett's family was wealthy, but Fly never really had a concrete grasp on how wealthy they actually were.

Good lord. Turns out the real tycoon was right beside him all along!

"Ah, no... my family runs a chain of dojos. We don't just operate in Star City and Sovereign City. We even have dojos set up in other states," Jett explained.

Good lord.

A dojo franchise?

Since when could you franchise a martial arts dojo?

Just how many Warriors did they have to recruit, and how massive of a faction had they cultivated?

No wonder his family had the guts to straight-up sponsor the Freshman Invitational last time.

"Wait, that doesn't make sense, Jett. If your family is rolling in cash, why didn't you go the Gideon King route and get yourself a custom set of top-tier Warrior Gear?"

Although Gideon King's talent wasn't exactly top of the line, he had brute-forced his way into upgrading his Beast Totem into a Mythical Species by purely relying on his family's wealth and connections. On top of that, he even had custom-made Warrior Gear perfectly tailored to his abilities.

If Fly hadn't managed to pinpoint his weakness in time, he might have actually wiped out during the Freshman Invitational.

That alone was enough to showcase the terrifying power of wealth!

"Well... I don't really want to rely on my family. I want to prove that I am the one who is strong, not the family faction backing me. Blindly throwing money around just to level up—that is not my Martial Art," Jett stated with absolute seriousness.

Right before the Freshman Invitational, his family had indeed brought up the idea, but he had sternly rejected it.

Fly mentally muttered 'good lord' three times in a row.

Jett wasn't just some rich kid—he was a rich kid with aspirations.

"Jett, are you willing to do whatever it takes to participate in The Jade State League?" Fly's voice suddenly sounded like the whispering of a demon.

"Whatever it takes?" Jett was taken aback at first. But then he remembered this was The Jade State League—the most prestigious Martial Studies tournament in the entire Jade State!

If he could unleash his full might on that stage and utterly defeat the top-tier Beast Warriors from the elite high schools, wouldn't that be the absolute best opportunity to prove his strength?

"I'm willing!"

Jett gritted his teeth. "Whatever the cost, I'll pay it."

"As long as I can participate in this Jade State League, I'm willing to work ten times harder than anyone else! Even if I have to wake up at 4 A.M. every single day to cultivate, I won't utter a single complaint!"

Jett declared his unwavering resolve to Fly.

"Good."

"Very good."

"Crazy good."

"Unbelievably good."

"Then all it takes is..."

Fly took a deep breath. "...Go ask your dad for money."

Jett: "???"