Chapter 676: Brother, Calm Down a Little

Inside the VIP box.

Xiao Lian watched Xu Shao's entrance with a mix of amusement and exasperation. She tilted her head and asked,“Is this okay? Just letting him go crazy like that?”

Yao Yue smiled.

“It's fine. It's a bit showy, but he is a Ban Sheng successor after all. No matter how unusual his demands, we have to meet them.”

“After this match, even if we lose the bet, Tian Luo Chang can make up for it in the coming days by leveraging the hype around 'Xu Shao' in other ways.”

Xiao Wan Feng listened to their conversation and felt tempted by the gambling aspect.

He hadn't known about Xu Shao's strength before, but upon learning he was from Jian Zong, who wouldn't want to place a bet?

“Xiao Xin Ge.”

Xiao Wan Feng nudged Xin Gu Gu with his elbow and hesitantly asked, “Aren't you going to bet? I still have two hundred Ling Jing on me. I think we should bet on Xu Shao to win.”

“Bet on Xu Shao?”

Xin Gu Gu was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

He pointed through the window at the girl in the arena whose twin ponytails looked resentful because someone had stolen the spotlight and asked, “Do you know this girl?”

“Mu Xiao Gong?”

Xiao Wan Feng glanced at the player profiles Yao Yue had sent earlier.

He remembered this girl; Xu Shao's expression had been a bit strange when he mentioned her name.

She was a strong contender for the championship.

In the previous match, she had displayed abilities similar to a Wang Zuo despite being at the Xiantian level, drawing significant attention.

But with Xu Shao, a Jian Zong member, in the mix, any championship candidate was just for the next round... Xiao Wan Feng was absolutely certain of that.

“No.”

Xin Gu Gu shook his head seriously. “Her name isn't Mu Xiao Gong; it's Mu Zi Xi, your grandma Mu. If you're betting, bet on her to win!”

“Why?” Xiao Wan Feng was puzzled.

Yao Yue and Xiao Lian both turned their heads simultaneously, their faces filled with curiosity.

“Mu... grandma?”

That title carried some weight!

“Is she acquainted with Xu Shao?” Yao Yue's eyebrow twitched.

More than acquainted... Xin Gu Gu thought to himself. She was the only one who could genuinely influence Xu Shao.

He glanced at Mu Zi Xi in the arena and could already picture the dark look on her face and all the emotions simmering beneath.

She was definitely unleashing a torrent of curses right now, simply because that guy had stolen all the glory from her last match.

Thinking about curses, Xin Gu Gu shuddered.

After traveling together for half a month, he'd had the misfortune of overhearing her muttering to herself a few times, and each time, he was shocked by the endless variety of curses she came up with.

He believed Xu Xiao Shou could hear them too, as that guy's ears seemed even sharper than his own as a Wang Zuo.

But clearly, Xu Xiao Shou had learned to be immune to curses and could remain as still as a stagnant pond.

However, while he could ignore them in daily life, now that the two were on the same stage in a duel, something was bound to ignite.

If nothing happened, Xin Gu Gu would write his name backward—without the surname!

“Bet on her. Just bet on Mu Xiao Gong.”

Xin Gu Gu patted Xiao Wan Feng on the shoulder without further explanation. “You'll understand why when the match ends.”

Xiao Wan Feng hesitated. “What about you, Xiao Xin Ge? Who are you betting on?”

“Me?”

Xin Gu Gu paused.

He thought about the gold card he'd used to rent the building; it still had a large amount of money in it, and Xu Xiao Shou hadn't taken it back.

Xin Gu Gu had never had that much money in his life!

He felt that if Xu Xiao Shou didn't want it, the card was best kept sewn into his chest, never to be taken out.

Why take it out?

What a joke!

Whose money was this? His, Xin Gu Gu's—who dared to touch it?

Xin Gu Gu clutched his chest and shook his head firmly. “Gambling is bad. I don't like gambling.”

“Why?”

Xiao Wan Feng was baffled; it was an obvious win if they bet on Xu Shao.

“I said no bet, so no bet!” Xin Gu Gu sounded a bit irritated.

Who was this guy, trying to get his money out in the open?

Even if it was a 99.99% sure win betting on Mu Zi Xi, what about that 0.01% chance?

That was money for buying a house somewhere else!

Did Xiao Wan Feng even understand the importance of a house?

It meant freedom!

Without that gold card, where would the heavenly first-floor building to protect Xiao Wan Feng come from?

“By the way, why are you still here?”

Once his thoughts settled, Xin Gu Gu frowned and looked Xiao Wan Feng up and down again.

“Uh...” Xiao Wan Feng was caught off guard. “Where should I be? Going to place the bet? So, Xiao Xin Ge, who are you betting on?”

Then Xin Gu Gu's gaze swept over and landed on the tea tray in Xiao Wan Feng's hand, where the tea was aromatic and steaming—the water had just been added.

Xiao Wan Feng's words trailed off, as if he suddenly realized something, and his face began to turn green before their eyes.

Xin Gu Gu shifted his gaze to the window and nodded towards Xu Xiao Shou in the arena without a word.

Xiao Wan Feng's face turned from green to purple...

Xiao Lian and Yao Yue exchanged glances, shocked by this silent pressure: He just asked you to gamble, and you're sending him to his death?

“X-Xiao Xin Ge, n-no, no way, I-I-I... I'll take back what I said. No bet, gambling is bad, I won't bet either!” Xiao Wan Feng was stunned; he swore he would never ask Xiao Xin Ge to gamble again.

“Yao Yue girl, handle the procedures for him... The job of serving tea and water isn't easy; it's worth ten thousand Ling Jing!”

Xin Gu Gu paused, silently cursing in his mind.

Ten thousand Ling Jing!

He didn't even have that...

“Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Several thick iron barriers crashed down from above, slamming heavily into the deep trench in the center of the arena and dividing the entire field into five zones.

The feeling was completely different from being in the box.

Once they entered the arena, the players could fully sense the stage's allure.

No barriers, no cover.

The roars from the audience, powerful enough to tear open the sky, surged like tidal waves through their ears and hammered into their minds.

In an instant, Xu Xiao Shou felt his blood boiling.

In this environment, he was quite affected, his soul seemingly merging with it, and the suppressed violent desires deep in his Ling Tai were on the verge of igniting.

“Violent... I'll suppress it!”

With a quick blink, Xu Xiao Shou restrained the impulse.

He was a bit shocked.

Even before the fight started, in this arena, he felt he could activate “Violent Giant” mode with just a thought!

“Terrifying...”

In his dazed state, he instinctively glanced at his information panel.

The roars that “Perception” couldn't block forced him to shield himself mentally.

But obviously, the information panel didn't care about any of that—as long as it could be “perceived,” whether noise or not, it would all be recorded.

“Under scrutiny, passive value: 9999.”

“Under cheers, passive value: 9999.”

“Under encouragement, passive value: 9999.”

“Under calls, passive value: 9999.”

“Under expectations, passive value: 9999.”

“Crazy!”

Xu Xiao Shou was stunned.

That string of glaring “9999”s left him seeing stars.

Just from entering, he had gained nearly 100,000 passive points?

“This is like cheating! So, this is the real way to activate the passive system?”

Xu Xiao Shou gritted his teeth, feeling like every cell in his body was trembling with excitement, even without any drugs.

“Passive value: 826,161.”

Xu Xiao Shou silently noted this lucky number; he counted it clearly.

It was six digits!

“Ladies and gentlemen—”

The host's voice, even more deranged and frenzied than the players', rang out again.

“Though I know many of you already know the rules, I'll reiterate them!”

“Tian Luo Zhan is fought in five zones, with up to 10,000 participants per match!”

“Northeast, northwest, and center—each zone has 2,000 people!”

“When all zones are down to just 500 left, the barriers will be lifted, removing the zone restrictions.”

“At that point, the remaining 2,500 will enter the final round, vying for the single championship spot.”

“Yes, Tian Luo Zhan doesn't recognize second place, because only the champion gets that incredibly rare Wang Cheng trial qualification.”

“The champion ticket is unique; each person can get only one, and winners are banned from future matches.”

“Anyone else eliminated can join the next Tian Luo Zhan anytime they want!”

“Now, I declare, today's ninth Tian Luo Zhan...”

The host's hoarse roar drew out the suspense, and the over 10,000 spectators held their breath in anticipation.

Under the gaze of those countless frenzied, burning eyes, the entire venue seemed to be set ablaze.

When the host's drawn-out sound reached its peak and finally snapped back, he roared as if he were about to burst his lungs, his voice echoing through the entire Tian Luo Zhan site.

“The match begins!”

“Roar—”

In response came a primal beast roar from the king of beasts, surging up from the ground of Tian Luo Chang and instantly pushing everyone's emotions to the extreme.

In that moment, the bloodshot gazes of the audience and players, full of predatory intent, finally shed all restraints, revealing the most primal savage desires.

“Kill!!!”

“Xu De Yan, show your Ban Sheng successor skills and slaughter them all for me!”

“King of beasts, let that beast roar be your declaration of war—charge!”

“Xu Dad! Xu Dad! Xu Dad!”

“...Damn!”

“Xu De Yan! Xu De Yan! Xu Dad! Xu Dad!”

“...How annoying, Mu Xiao Gong, you little loli, charge for me! Take down that Xu surname guy—I'll let you tie another ponytail!”

“Luo Yin Da Ji Ba, take them out—you're the champion! What Ban Sheng successor? He's just a pretty boy; one punch! Hammer them all to pieces... Hammer them to bits!”

“Kill!!!”

The deafening roars nearly overwhelmed Xu Xiao Shou's clear mind again.

By the time he snapped back, the entire north zone had turned into a bloodbath—flying blood everywhere!

Severed heads, limbs, red bones, flesh...

Weapons clashing, Ling Yuan raging...

Water, metal, wood, earth, wind, fire, thunder, lightning...

Bare hands against swords and knives, people impaled into human skewers by spears from behind...

Friends and acquaintances beating lone players, only to be blasted into charred meat piles by a distant Lei Dian Fa Wang...

Hidden assassins striking with daggers, only to be dragged out and torn apart by five horses by burly men...

“Holy crap, they're serious?”

This scene of utter bloodshed left Xu Xiao Shou utterly stunned, inside and out.

When he first entered this place, in the resting area, he had seen the later stages of Tian Luo Zhan after major eliminations.

By then, everyone was tired, and after seeing blood, they had regained some composure.

But now, at the start of the match, this raw, heart-wrenching spectacle was like a bucket of ice water, ruthlessly waking him from his initial pursuit of passive points!

“This... is reality?”

“Is this the true essence of this world?”

From a novice in Ling Gong, from the great escape from Bai Ku, from nothing to now.

Every time Xu Xiao Shou thought he had grown, matured.

Reality always told him, you're still green!

In Ling Gong, with elders protecting and rules in place, he thought being force-fed a seed or assassinated by fellow disciples was the height of depravity.

Until the encounters in Cheng Zhu Fu and Bai Ku made him realize Ling Gong was child's play.

Those Gui Shou, Wang Zuo, Zhan Dao, even Tai Xu—they were the real nightmares; the schemes of Sheng Ren were the terrifying vortices that controlled fates.

But now, reality told him again.

Even those he knew were still the refined ones, the mature and composed elite.

In this world, there were the true underclass.

They were stripping away all their usual facades, fighting naked, offering blood to heroes, all for a mere Wang Cheng trial spot.

“A dream...”

Xu Xiao Shou felt like he was dreaming.

Those flying fingers and remnants seemed so unreal; the blood raining down was still warm in the air, radiating heat.

Yet lives were vanishing one by one right before him.

“A dream?”

Xu Xiao Shou realized it wasn't a dream.

Instead, from this impulsive, heated scene, he saw the most essential, calm truth: if not for their own dreams, why would they be doing this?

“Kill—”

The frenzied fighters didn't care about someone in the midst who was suddenly lost in thought because of the blood.

In their eyes, Xu De Yan's dazed state meant he was a newbie, shaken by the gore.

That was common.

And it also meant one less competitor soon.

Whoosh!

A spiritual light slowly enlarged before his eyes.

It was a five-finger eagle claw strike, nails caked with dirt and blood, wrapped in Ling Yuan, clearly aimed at his neck's artery.

Xu Xiao Shou could even glimpse through the gaps in the five fingers the face of the eagle claw's owner—a blood-smeared, grinning, ferocious, and confidently mad face!

A stranger.

But he wanted to kill me?

“Die—”

The attacker was extremely fast—at least, that's what he and those around him believed.

That “Tian Xuan Jin Ying Zhua” was a Xiantian peak Ling Ji!

Gold element, a naturally superior attribute force, renowned as the strongest for attacks, bar none.

Using such a technique on a stunned rookie was purely because the opponent had those eight light screens broadcasting him, because...

This guy was surnamed Xu, the Xu of Ban Sheng successor Xu De Yan!

Slap!

A crisp slap shattered the fantasy of bloodshed.

Xu Xiao Shou blinked at the guy who had been slapped to the ground, then squatted down to his level. “Brother, calm down.”

The man was dazed, his head tilted.

He saw several of his companions who had suddenly gone quiet; they were midway but had stopped. Why?

“Brother?” Xu Xiao Shou patted his face, which was already swelling.

“Ah—”

The eagle claw guy finally reacted, roaring in anger, turning his head to see the face right in front of him.

Opportunity!

“Give me s...”

Slap!

Another crisp slap.

The eagle claw guy's head tilted again.

He saw his companions' frozen expressions, like when they played “one, two, three, wooden man” as kids, freezing because he turned his head.

“What happened?”