Chapter 9: Life-and-Death Arena
Bashui Prefecture, though merely one of the one hundred and eight prefectures of Tianyan Province, was still vast in territory.
Within Bashui Prefecture, the Sword Marquis Manor was openly the most powerful, universally recognized as the number one force. But in truth, there was another power in Bashui Prefecture whose standing was even more transcendent than the Sword Marquis Manor's. It was only because this power had always kept a low profile and refused to take part in struggles that the Sword Marquis Manor held the position of Bashui Prefecture's foremost force.
This transcendent power was the Life-and-Death Arena!
The Life-and-Death Arena, it was said, had the backing of the royal family of the Tianzong Dynasty. In every province and every prefectural city of the Tianzong Dynasty, a Life-and-Death Arena could be found—it was the true colossus of the entire dynasty.
At the very center of Bashui Prefecture's prefectural city stood the Life-and-Death Arena.
A white-robed figure with a long sword on his back, a mask covering his face, slowly walked into the Life-and-Death Arena.
"Your Excellency, is there anything our Life-and-Death Arena can do for you?" a servant asked, attending to him.
"I want a wagered duel," Jian Wushuang said.
"A wagered duel?" The servant's brow lifted, though he showed no surprise at all.
The Life-and-Death Arena ran all manner of businesses, and arena wagered duels were one of the most common.
"May I ask Your Excellency's name, and your spiritual power cultivation?" the servant asked.
"My name—just call me Nan. As for my spiritual power cultivation..." Jian Wushuang flicked his wrist, and a surge of spiritual power burst forth.
"Spiritual Path, fourth layer?" The servant gave a faint smile. Countless warriors came to the Life-and-Death Arena to fight solo; one could even see warriors at the Sea Transformation stage, and even experts at the Golden Core stage. A Spiritual Path fourth-layer cultivator was far too ordinary.
"What would you like to wager, Mister Nan?" the servant continued.
"This." Jian Wushuang took out the wooden box and opened it.
"Pill of Spirit Cultivation?" The servant recognized the pill inside the wooden box at a glance. At first he paid it no mind, but his expression quickly changed. "This is... a Grade One Pill of Spirit Cultivation?"
"Mister Nan, let's speak somewhere else. Follow me." The servant lowered his voice.
Jian Wushuang put away the wooden box, nodded, and followed the servant into a secret chamber within the arena. Once there, the servant departed, and the one now attending him was a black-robed steward of considerable standing within the arena.
"Mister Nan, our Life-and-Death Arena spans the whole of the Tianzong Dynasty, north and south. The rules have long been known to all—I trust you are aware of them," the black-robed steward said, looking at Jian Wushuang.
"I understand. A life-and-death wagered duel—each fighter bears responsibility for his own life," Jian Wushuang nodded.
"In that case, I will arrange a suitable opponent for you as soon as possible. As for that Grade One Pill of Spirit Cultivation, it must be entrusted to my keeping for now," the black-robed steward said, watching him.
"Fine." Jian Wushuang had long known the rules of the Life-and-Death Arena. Without hesitation, he handed the Grade One Pill of Spirit Cultivation to the black-robed steward, then asked, "I'd like to know—if I win a match, how many Grade One Pills of Spirit Cultivation do I receive?"
"In our Life-and-Death Arena's wagered duels, the odds are normally one-to-one. Win one match, and you naturally receive only one Grade One Pill of Spirit Cultivation. Of course, if you have enough confidence, you may choose to keep dueling on," the black-robed steward said.
"One-to-one?" Jian Wushuang's brow furrowed, and then he shook his head. "Too slow. I don't have time to duel match by match like this. Is there any other special kind of wagered duel that would let me obtain more Grade One Pills of Spirit Cultivation at once?"
"There is a special kind of duel," the black-robed steward nodded, still smiling. "If you wish to obtain more Grade One Pills of Spirit Cultivation at once, there is only one way—a challenge across realms!"
"In our Life-and-Death Arena, a cross-realm wagered duel, if won, pays out at ten-to-one. In other words, win a single match, and you can receive ten Pills of Spirit Cultivation at once. But a cross-realm challenge is no easy matter. Of the many cross-realm challenges that have taken place in our Life-and-Death Arena, ninety-nine out of a hundred end in failure—and most of those who fail... die!"
"A cross-realm challenge, then?" Jian Wushuang's face darkened.
He was currently at Heaven-Treading, fourth layer. If he challenged across realms, his opponent would have to be a warrior of the Spiritual Path, fifth layer—and moreover, one who dared come to the Life-and-Death Arena to fight to the death.
"Though I am only at the fourth layer, the power of the Great Heaven Creation Art far exceeds that of my peers, and my spiritual power eruption can rival that of an ordinary warrior at the peak of the Spiritual Path's fourth layer. There is still a considerable gap compared to a fifth-layer cultivator, but I also hold a great advantage in martial techniques!"
Jian Wushuang had absolute confidence in his swordsmanship.
"My swordsmanship should be able to make up for this gap in spiritual power. And besides, I still have my trump card!" Jian Wushuang's eyes gleamed sharply, and at last he made up his mind.
"Very well—a cross-realm challenge it is. Go arrange it for me!"
...
Within the Life-and-Death Arena, a middle-aged man in a loose purple robe walked in.
"Supervisor!"
"We greet the Supervisor."
Every steward he passed bowed in salute, each one exceedingly humble.
"Are there any exciting life-and-death battles or arena matches in the arena right now?" the purple-robed middle-aged man asked a steward.
"You've come at just the right time, my lord. A rather special life-and-death battle is about to begin. In this battle, one fighter is at the fifth layer of the Spiritual Path, while the other is only at the fourth layer—and it seems he only broke through recently," the steward replied.
"Oh? A cross-realm challenge?" The purple-robed man's brow lifted, and he nodded, his interest apparently piqued. "I'll go take a look."
At the center of the massive arena stood a bluestone battle platform. Seated densely around the platform was a huge crowd of spectators, all drawn by this cross-realm challenge. The middle-aged man in the loose purple robe casually found a seat in the stands, gazing toward the center, where the bluestone battle platform stood.
The area around the bluestone platform was packed densely with spectators, the atmosphere chaotic. But when a man with unkempt hair and swarthy skin stepped onto the platform, the entire arena immediately erupted into an uproar.
"Spear Demon!"
"Spear Demon!"
Countless people throughout the arena cheered and howled.
Standing on the platform, the swarthy-skinned man held a long spear in his hand. His eyes, as large as bronze bells, swept across his surroundings, and he abruptly broke into a grin—as if a wild beast had bared its white teeth, full of savagery.
The Spear Demon was a powerful expert who had risen in this Life-and-Death Arena in recent days. At the Spiritual Path's fifth layer, he had previously fought two successive life-and-death battles against other fifth-layer Spiritual Path cultivators, killing both opponents—and by extremely brutal means. Because his spear technique was so ferocious, and when unleashed it seemed like that of a mad demon, he had earned the title of Spear Demon.
On the other side of the platform stood Jian Wushuang, long sword on his back, mask on his face, standing calmly. His exposed eyes were fixed on the opponent before him. This wild, savage opponent pressed down on him with tremendous force.
Jian Wushuang's expression was quite grave.
He knew that this man before him had not only already broken through to the fifth layer of the Spiritual Path, but had also managed to win two consecutive life-and-death battles in this madly murderous Life-and-Death Arena—his strength was certainly even greater.
If it weren't necessary, he would not have wanted to cross blades with this man, let alone fight to the death. But the reality was that he had no other choice.
After all, his time was short. Moreover, his identity was special, and the sword techniques of the Sword Marquis Manor were all too easy to recognize. He simply could not fight match after match in this Life-and-Death Arena. He had no choice but to take a desperate gamble with a cross-realm challenge. If he won, he could obtain a sufficient supply of Grade One Pills of Spirit Cultivation all at once.
"Masked boy, I've never heard of you before. Looks like this is your first time fighting in the Life-and-Death Arena. For your very first battle to run into me, the Spear Demon—your luck is truly terrible." The Spear Demon's icy eyes stared at Jian Wushuang, like a fierce beast fixing its gaze on prey.