Chapter 74 - Fighting Arena
Chapter 74 of "Inverse Sword Mad God" begins with suspense: Yunlan City, the largest town in Yunzhou, was bustling beyond compare.Lin Xuan and Ye Qing... Donât stop reading!
Yunlan City, the largest town in Yunzhou, was bustling beyond compare.
Lin Xuan and Ye Qing alighted from their Spiritual Crane twenty li away from the city gate and made their way toward Yunlan City on foot.
From a distance, they could see the pitch-black city walls of Yunlan City, which were over a dozen zhang high, built entirely out of obsidian, and incredibly solid.
At the city gate stood two rows of guards clad in heavy armor, each radiating a powerful aura far beyond that of Lin Xuan and his friends.
Lin Xuan estimated that these guards were around the Eighth Rank of Pulse Condensation, which would place them within the top thirty if they were in the Xuantian Sect.
Of course, this was not to say that the disciples of Xuantian Sect were weak, given the considerable age difference between the two groups.
Disciples of the Xuantian Sect were all teenagers around sixteen or seventeen, brimming with potential, whereas these guards were about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, nearly a decade older than the sect disciples.
Not only was the strength of Yunlan City formidable, but the entry fee was also staggeringly high.
Lin Xuan and Ye Qing paid three hundred low-grade spiritual stones to get through.
Upon entering the city, the surroundings became lively with pedestrians coming and going, half of whom were martial artists.
Among them were sect disciples and wandering martial artists from various lands, too numerous to count.
âFollow me!â Ye Qing pulled Lin Xuan towards the center of the city.
In the city center stood a grand hall that led directly underground.
Nearby, a large stele bore three big characters: Fighting Arena!
Lin Xuan noticed that those entering and leaving the arena were either cultivators of profound cultivation or affluent scions of prominent families; ordinary people would not venture here.
âExcuse me, do you have a Fighting Token?â a guard in a blood-red robe asked, blocking Lin Xuan and Ye Qing.
His aura was as strong, if not stronger, than that of the guards at the city gate.
âWe donât have Fighting Tokens, but Luo Qingshan is our senior, and you can charge any fees to his account,â Ye Qing said smoothly, clearly not her first time here.
âOh, you are Senior Luoâs sect mates.
Please, go ahead!â the guard said with a smile.
âIt seems Senior Luo is quite renowned!â Lin Xuan grew even more curious about this yet-to-be-seen senior brother.
âThat he is.
Not only is Senior Luo an Inner Sect Disciple of the Xuantian Sect, but he is also a member of one of the Four Great Families.
I heard that their family owns part of this Fighting Arena, so mentioning Senior Luoâs name here is very useful.â
Lin Xuan was surprised to learn of Senior Luoâs notable background, but then he felt relieved as this could only benefit him.
The Fighting Arena was spacious inside, divided into many levels, though extended downward.
The first level functioned as a lobby, with many areas for rest.
On one of the walls, there was a screen formed by a high-level array formation, displaying moving figures.
Curiously peering over, Lin Xuan saw two cultivators fighting, their moves ruthless as if they were engaged in a battle to the death.
Nearly the entirety of the people in the lobby was watching the match, with many placing bets on the cultivator they favored.
Several young women clad in light veils were serving exquisite beverages, moving through the crowd.
âThis isâŚâ Lin Xuan looked at the figures on the screen and asked.
âItâs similar to the Spirit Space inside the Cultivation Tower, and a high-level array formation displays the battle scenes,â Ye Qing explained.
The difference was that the two individuals inside were real cultivators and not virtual beings.
Lin Xuan suddenly understood.
No wonder it was called a Fighting Arena.
Fighting within this type of spiritual virtual space did not result in actual death, merely some mental fatigue.
However, the benefits gained in the spirit space could fully transfer to oneâs body, meaning one could engage in numerous life-and-death battles to unlock their potential without fearing death.
âIndeed, this is a great place!â Lin Xuan couldnât help but get excited.
How to make your strength grow quickly?
Is it just through retreat and cultivation?
Except for some special races and extraordinary talents, other people find that spending too long in retreat doesnât increase their strength.
On the contrary, it might even backfire.
However, there is one path suitable for all mankind, which is battle!
Battles with the equally strong, cross-level battles, life and death battles!
All these can stimulate cultivatorsâ potential and thereby, garner immense power.
âYou shouldnât get too excited yet; itâs very expensive here, costing two mid-grade spirit stones per day!â Ye Qing warned.
âTwo mid-grade spirit stones!â Lin Xuan exclaimed.
Mid-grade spirit stones were vastly superior to low-grade spirit stones, with an exchange rate of one to a thousand.
This meant that just by doing nothing for a day in the Fighting Arena, it would cost two thousand low-grade spirit stones!
âDamn!
Itâs indeed steep!â Lin Xuan rubbed his chin and then said, âBut if you win the competition, the rewards must be substantial, right?â
âAbsolutely!
That is if you can win,â Ye Qing candidly retorted.
âCome on, Iâll take you to meet Senior Luo.â
Lin Xuan followed Ye Qing downstairs to the underground first level.
Much like the situation in the hall, this underground level was also a resting place, but the people here clearly belonged to a higher tier.
âAh Fei!
Where is Senior Luo?â Ye Qing asked a young steward.
âItâs Ye Qing!
Wait here, Iâll fetch Mr.
Luo,â replied the steward, Ah Fei, who then quickly disappeared.
Lin Xuan and Ye Qing found a comfortable spot and sat down.
Shortly after, a beautiful maid brought over food and drinks.
Ye Qing lazily leaned back in her chair and started eating a spirit fruit.
Lin Xuan, however, turned his attention to a screen on the wall where two cultivators, one red and one blue, were fiercely battling.
Although he couldnât sense their auras, the intensity of their spiritual power emitted allowed Lin Xuan to infer that both were Seventh-Level cultivators from the Mystical Realmâmuch stronger than ordinary disciples like Shi Kun.
The use of their spiritual power and the precision of their moves were commendable.
A spark flashed through Lin Xuanâs eyes, as he appeared to forget everything.
At that moment, a handsome and valiant young man, about seventeen or eighteen years old, approached rapidly.
He had the features of a warriorâbrow sharp as a sword and starry eyes, surrounded by a faint halo as if he was a war god.
The young man didnât purposely release his spiritual power, but his aura was still striking.
âYe, why are you here?â the young man asked in a deep voice.
âSenior Luo!â Ye Qing, hearing his voice, jumped up happily.
âInstructor Murong recently accepted another disciple, and Iâve brought him here to visit.â
âOh?
I have a new junior?â Senior Luo asked with a smile.
âLin Xuan, come over and greet Senior Luo!â Ye Qing called.
But Lin Xuan seemed not to hear her, his gaze fixed intensely on the screen.
This made Ye Qing pout, wishing she could smack him.
âNo worries!â Senior Luo stopped Ye Qingâs movement and then walked over.