Chapter 672: You Want Him to Fight in the Arena?

Xu Xiaoshou was frozen on the spot.

He had never imagined that the top power on the mainland would take extra risks for such a practical matter, leaving him speechless for a moment.

"I know that's all I can tell you. If Young Master Xu needs the location where the Void Token was dug up, I can draw a detailed map for you," Xiao Wanfeng offered.

"Um, okay..."

By this point, Xu Xiaoshou still hadn't fully processed it.

This was ridiculous!

People often say that even a penny can stump a hero, but he had never truly experienced it until now, when the predicament of Shengshen Hall gave him a real eye-opener.

And indeed, if they truly wanted to set up a spirit array covering the entire Yunlun Mountains while ensuring fairness for the trial participants and protecting the contestants from unrelated threats—like being killed by some Wangzuo sneaking in under the guise of chaos—it would require an immense investment of manpower, resources, and funds. It was probably even more complicated than the grand array on the Bai Ku Li Sword Prairie, almost impossible to quantify!

"No money, no money..."

Xu Xiaoshou murmured to himself, finally realizing just how terrifying the financial power he controlled truly was.

Perhaps for Shengshen Hall, they had plenty of real estate across various regions, and if they liquidated it, they could certainly scrape together the funds.

But in terms of readily available liquid assets in a short time...

Maybe he alone could match most of what the Shengshen Hall branch in Dongtian Wangcheng had left.

"You take your time to draw that map!"

Xu Xiaoshou waved his hand, completely losing the desire to continue the conversation.

The thought of the Wangcheng Trial starting right in the eye of that storm made his first instinct one of dread. If he really had to participate, he would have to steer clear of that cursed place no matter what.

The two of them left the cultivation room.

By then, Xintian Gugu had already returned with someone and seemed to have been waiting in the hall for a while.

"Go find Xiao Xin and have him show you around the layout of Tian Shang First Tower, including where you can go and where you can't," Xu Xiaoshou said to Xiao Wanfeng, pointing at Xintian Gugu. "From now on, you'll be in charge of serving tea and water at Tian Shang First Tower."

"Understood," Xiao Wanfeng nodded in agreement.

He had come here precisely to find a temporary shelter, like an umbrella, to shield himself from anyone who might learn about that day's events and come looking for trouble.

Xintian Gugu, having received the instructions, led the way with Xiao Wanfeng. As they went, he pulled out beds, chairs, and other furnishings from his ring, beginning to arrange Tian Shang First Tower.

"Miss Xiao Lian."

Xu Xiaoshou turned his attention to the woman who had come with Xintian Gugu—it was Xiao Lian, the one who had handled his reception at Duojin Shanghang last time.

"Young Master Xu."

Xiao Lian curtsied with a smile and handed over a bundle of rings. "These are all the materials you need for alchemy. The merchant guild instructed me to deliver them personally into your hands."

"So many?" Xu Xiaoshou stared in astonishment at the dozen or so spatial rings.

"That's right," Xiao Lian replied with a laugh. "Gathering that many portions of medicinal herbs at once isn't simple, and there's no way one ring could hold it all."

"You've worked hard. In the future, you can just hand things over to him directly—no need to come all the way here," Xu Xiaoshou said as he took the rings, gesturing with his eyes toward the busy Xintian Gugu.

"It seems he's quite favored by you, Young Master Xu..."

Xiao Lian nodded slightly and withdrew her gaze, not lingering on Xintian Gugu any longer.

This time, she had mentally prepared herself, determined not to act as flustered in front of Xu Xiaoshou as she had last time.

"Actually, I came in person today because there's another very important matter I need to discuss with you, Young Master Xu."

"Oh, what is it?"

Xu Xiaoshou responded absentmindedly while using his spiritual sense to inspect the rings.

He was first overwhelmed by the mountains of spiritual herbs inside.

And when he reached the last few rings, he was even more impressed by the massive, sturdy cauldrons they contained.

He couldn't help but marvel—in comparison to a true financial giant like Duojin Shanghang, Shengshen Hall was utterly insignificant.

Look at how they managed it: in just one day, they had assembled thousands or even millions of portions of medicinal herbs.

Meanwhile, certain other powers were still struggling with a lack of funds, turning potential risks into actual disasters.

Tsk tsk...

"From inside sources, the location for Shengshen Hall's trial this time has been finalized and will be announced soon."

Xiao Lian casually dropped this valuable intel before asking, "I wonder if Young Master Xu plans to participate in this Wangcheng Trial?"

"Yes, I do," Xu Xiaoshou replied, looking up. "Where is it set to take place?"

So it really is Yunlun Mountains?

He sighed and pressed on, "Do you know the details of the trial and the final location?"

"That's not something I know," Xiao Lian shook her head.

She paused for a moment, her eyes sparkling with a playful glint as she smiled. "If you do plan to join, Young Master Xu, Dongtian Wangcheng doesn't offer guaranteed trial spots for people from the Northern Domain. Do you have a trial qualification yet?"

Xu Xiaoshou: ...

That caught him off guard.

Trial qualifications—if he were still with Tian Sang Spirit Palace, he would naturally have one.

But since he had decided to completely break away from the palace, he couldn't use their spot.

And getting one on his own...

"Young Miss Xiao Lian, no need to beat around the bush. How much does a trial spot cost? I can buy one," Xu Xiaoshou said with a wave of his hand, acting as if it were no big deal.

"Hee-hee."

Xiao Lian covered her mouth and chuckled. "Oh, Young Master Xu, a trial qualification isn't something you can just buy with money. Otherwise, wouldn't all the spots in Dongtian Wangcheng be monopolized by the top powers from various regions?"

"What do you mean?" Xu Xiaoshou knew she had more to say.

Xiao Lian stepped forward, counting on her fingers as she explained, "In Dongtian Wangcheng, there's a place called Tianluo Field. It used to be the most famous underground arena in the city, but recently, it's been taken over by Shengshen Hall."

"From the beginning of the month until the day before the Wangcheng Trial starts, there will be ten 'Tianluo Battles' each day, each corresponding to one trial spot. They're open only to those at Zongshi level or below."

As she spoke, she blinked at him. "You get what I mean, right?"

"A tournament?" Xintian Gugu, who had just set down a table and chair, chimed in from the side.

"Mm-hmm, something like that," Xiao Lian nodded.

"Pfft!"

Xintian Gugu burst out laughing but quickly stifled it. Pointing at Xu Xiaoshou, he said, "You're suggesting he go fight in a tournament?"

"Well, yes. Is there a problem?" Xiao Lian asked, puzzled. "I just checked—Young Master Xu is at the Xian Tian level, which meets the participation requirements."

"Ha-ha-ha..."

Xintian Gugu doubled over in laughter, his eyes wide. "So, everyone competing is at Zongshi or below? Zongshi can't enter? What about Wangzuo—can they join?"

Xiao Lian sized up Xintian Gugu for a moment before responding seriously, "Zongshi aren't allowed, so how could Wangzuo possibly participate?"

"Then why would he go?" Xintian Gugu was practically in stitches, staring at Xu Xiaoshou. After holding back, he finally blurted out, "Him going would just be bullying people!"

Xiao Lian: ???

They're both at Xian Tian—why are you so confident in your Young Master Xu?

You have to realize that this is for the top talents from major powers across the entire Eastern Domain who want to join the Dongtian Wangcheng Trial but don't have a guaranteed spot.

With only ten spots a day, divided into ten battles, that means you have to win your battle to claim a spot.

It's one in a million, and most competitors are those who came close to winning in previous rounds but lost due to a small mistake—prime candidates for the title.

The later the battles go, the more accumulated talents there are.

Today is already halfway through the month since it started.

That means half a month of buildup has created hundreds, if not thousands, of these prime candidates!

Where does this subordinate get the nerve to be so confident?

"I also think it might be a bit like bullying..."

Xu Xiaoshou muttered to himself. He hadn't expected getting a trial spot to be this troublesome.

Participating? On the surface, he's at Xian Tian, but if he goes all out, he might accidentally take down even a Wangzuo.

If he ends up seriously injuring some genuine "Xian Tian experts," wouldn't that stir up a whole wave of enemies?

Wait... enemies?

Xu Xiaoshou, who had been about to ask if there were other ways to get a spot, suddenly brightened up. "So, what's the situation with Tianluo Field? Tell me more about the competitors' levels."

"It's Tianluo Field!"

Xiao Lian firmly corrected his misnomer before warning, "Young Master Xu, don't underestimate how desperately the major powers covet these spots."

"It's not just within the Eastern Domain—even forces that already have guaranteed spots are eyeing these extras."

"And as for those who traveled from other Wangchengs to compete, they're the elite among elites, each with the ability to fight above their level!"

"Above their level?" Xintian Gugu asked with a smirk. "How many levels above? Could they reach Wangzuo?"

"Uh..."

Xiao Lian was taken aback, her eyes widening.

Does this guy have a misunderstanding about fighting above levels?

"Zongshi!" she replied firmly. "Basically, the prime candidates there all have strength on par with Zongshi."

"Pfft... cough, cough."

Xintian Gugu laughed so hard he choked, then wiped the spit from his mouth and shook his head, deciding to go back to moving tables and chairs.

Xiao Lian: ???

Completely baffled, she turned to Xu Xiaoshou with a look of confusion.

"Don't mind him—he's just a lunatic," Xu Xiaoshou said with a bright smile that mirrored Xintian Gugu's. He asked, "How many spectators are there? This should be quite the event in Wangcheng, right?"

"Oh, absolutely!" Xiao Lian clenched her fist enthusiastically.

She could tell these two were typical spoiled young masters from influential families and their subordinates—totally clueless about the brutal scene at Tianluo Field.

"The spectator seats alone can hold over ten thousand people, not to mention those who couldn't get seats and are standing outside to watch."

Xiao Lian tried to convey the bloody intensity of the place, her voice turning stern. "The people sitting in those seats are usually the cream of the crop among Xian Tian cultivators, but even they don't dare to enter the fights. That should give you an idea of how 'fierce' the competitors are, Young Master Xu!"

Xiao Wanfeng quietly set down the chair he was holding and walked over.

He knew a bit about the situation.

Although Xu Xiaoshou had kicked a Wangzuo flying earlier, that was just a subordinate who might have played along.

But the people at Tianluo Field were man-eaters!

Xu Xiaoshou was handsome and had a decent build, but compared to those burly fighters, he'd be outmatched in an instant.

Coming from a half-saint family didn't matter there—those folks didn't care about status.

So, Xiao Wanfeng couldn't help but voice his concern: "That's right, Young Master Xu, Tianluo Field..."

"This bed is for Si Ren mister—come help move it!" Xintian Gugu called out.

"Oh, oh."

Xiao Wanfeng scurried back but couldn't resist adding over his shoulder, "If you really go, Young Master Xu, be careful. I've watched a few matches there... that place is brutal!"

"Receiving concern, passive value +1."

"Receiving warning, passive value +1."

The system notifications flashed by, but Xu Xiaoshou didn't even glance at them. His mind was still echoing with Xiao Lian's mention of "ten thousand people."

A arena that could hold ten thousand spectators?

And even more standing outside?

With all competitors being... well, Xian Tian experts?

"Are there really ten thousand people watching?" Xu Xiaoshou confirmed.

Xiao Lian thought he must be scared and smiled reassuringly. "You don't need to be too nervous, Young Master Xu. After all, you're from a half-saint family. Your foundation in spiritual techniques alone could crush most people. I think it's worth trying."

"Are there at least ten thousand viewers?" he asked again.

"Uh..."

Xiao Lian didn't understand why he was so fixated on the number, but she didn't dare downplay it. "Even if I wanted to understate it for you, ten thousand is already a conservative estimate..."

"Are they all Ling cultivators?" Xu Xiaoshou started breathing heavily.

"Well, of course... uh, yes," Xiao Lian almost let slip her true thoughts.

It's a world of revelry for Ling cultivators—who else would dare go and risk their lives?

A single battle shockwave could obliterate your soul!

"Is there some kind of protective array or barrier that could block all sounds and messages?" Xu Xiaoshou recalled the "Fengyun Domination" at Tian Sang Spirit Palace.

"Well..."

Xiao Lian hesitated before saying, "If you're worried about being distracted by others, I could reach out to the organizers and arrange for a protective barrier during your match."

"What nonsense!"

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes suddenly gleamed green. "Do I look like that kind of person? If there's a barrier, have it removed!"

Passive value!

How could my passive value be blocked?

Indeed, every cloud has a silver lining. He had just closed up shop that morning and thought he'd lost a few million, but now it seemed like a smart move!

A crowd of a few thousand? That was nothing compared to ten thousand spectators!

"When can I fight at Tianluo Field?" Xu Xiaoshou asked.

"It's Tianluo Field..."

Xiao Lian corrected him weakly. She couldn't figure out why his face had suddenly turned green—was he really that terrified?

"The battles for today aren't finished yet; there are still two left tonight..."

"Let's go! Head to Tianluo Field!" Xu Xiaoshou interrupted her.

"It's Tian—"

Xintian Gugu, who had somehow finished his tasks, came over and patted Xiao Lian on the shoulder with a knowing look. "Young lady, you're still young and don't understand. This Tianluo Field is about to get a new name."

Xiao Lian: ???

"Xiao Wanfeng, stop what you're doing," Xintian Gugu called out.

"What?"

Xiao Wanfeng actually wanted to join them, but as just a tea server, he didn't feel qualified to go to Tianluo Field.

Yet Xintian Gugu's voice rang out again: "Hurry up and get the finest tea and teapots we bought from Duojin Shanghang... You have a ring, right? I just gave you one. Go boil some water there—you're starting work today."

"What do you mean?" Xiao Wanfeng was confused.

"Watching the show, got it?" Xintian Gugu turned back, shaking his head in disappointment. "Young Master Xu is putting on a performance—aren't you tired of it? Your job is to serve tea and water, and on your first day, you're already thinking of skipping?"