“Still staring? Hurry up and do as I said!” Zhang Wen impatiently waved his hand.
“Oh! Yes, sir!” Under Zhang Wen’s authority, Zack and Cloud reluctantly suppressed their confusion and resumed their fighting stances.
Although Cloud’s martial arts skills were slightly inferior to Zack’s, he was still at an elite fifth-level standard. The moment Cloud infused his battle energy into the crystal-energy sword, the dark red blade immediately lit up, emitting a buzzing sound. The pressure generated from the sudden burst of battle energy beneath his feet kicked up dust from the training ground.
“Haa!” With an unstoppable momentum, Cloud swung his sword with all his strength while shouting fiercely.
“What are you still looking at? Hurry up and do it!” Zhang Wen impatiently waved his hand.
“Oh! Yes.” Under Zhang Wen’s authority, Zack and Cloud had to suppress their confusion and get back into position.
Although Cloud’s martial skills were not as good as Zack’s, he was still at the top level of the fifth tier. The moment Cloud channeled his combat energy into the crystal sword, the dark red blade immediately lit up with a buzzing sound. At Cloud’s feet, the wind pressure generated by the burst of combat energy sent the dust on the training ground swirling high into the air.
“Ha!” Cloud, with an unstoppable momentum, shouted as he swung his sword with all his might.
Cloud’s extraordinary momentum didn’t draw much attention from Zack. During their usual practice sessions, Cloud’s power when facing Zack had always been like this.
“Hehe!” Zack smiled slightly, very satisfied as he anticipated the trajectory of Cloud’s crystal sword. When Cloud attacked the predetermined position, Zack, as planned, executed the move he had prepared.
Crack! Their crystal swords clashed hard. Zack’s combat energy was slightly stronger than Cloud’s, and the move he used happened to counter Cloud’s “V-Slash.” The result of their swords clashing was, of course, that Cloud couldn’t withstand Zack’s fierce counterattack.
As Zack’s combat energy surged through the point where their crystal swords met, Cloud was instantly flung backward. His right hand, holding the crystal sword, was thrown back, leaving Cloud almost completely defenseless.
Zack, of course, wouldn’t miss this great opportunity for a continuous attack. He immediately followed through with his plan and swung another sword at Cloud. This time, Zack used the fourth move Zhang Wen had taught them, which involved rotating his body and using the force from his waist to make the crystal sword perform a continuous downward slash.
For Cloud, who had just suffered a setback, Zack’s continuous attack was undeniably fierce. He used all his strength to barely block Zack’s move but was also forced to stagger back several steps by the overwhelming combat energy.
The success of two consecutive attacks excited Zack. He quickly followed up, intending to press his advantage and force Cloud to admit defeat. Seeing Zack charging forward with such ferocity, Cloud indeed felt that he was about to lose. However, since he still had his crystal sword in hand, there was no reason for him to surrender voluntarily. So, Cloud instinctively used a thrusting move.
When Amelie saw Cloud being forced to retreat in disarray and then use a thrust, the little beauty also thought Cloud was surely going to lose. Because the counter to this move had just been demonstrated by Zhang Wen using Amelie’s hand. Cloud and Zack should have been the most adept at handling this move. However, what happened next made the little beauty widen her eyes in surprise.
When Zack saw Cloud use the thrust, it was as if he had been bewitched, involuntarily pausing for a moment.
Zack’s hesitation didn’t last long, but he was facing Cloud, who was also at the peak of the fifth tier. When two martial arts masters of the same level face each other, a hesitation of even a tenth of a second can be fatal—this is a maxim that even a three-year-old in the empire can recite.
Although Cloud was also surprised when he noticed Zack’s anomaly, the thrust was a move Cloud had practiced countless times. He didn’t even need to think; his body naturally surged forward.
Thus, in the span of a single breath, the advantage Zack had painstakingly built up was completely wiped out. And when he used the move Zhang Wen had taught Amelie to counter him, he had already missed the best timing. His crystal sword, after being lifted upward, didn’t have enough distance to generate sufficient force before it clashed with Cloud’s crystal sword.
The full-force strike from two fifth-tier masters not only caused a thunderous explosion in the training ground but also generated a violent shockwave from the point where their crystal swords met.
In terms of this single strike, neither Zack nor Cloud gained an advantage. Both were blasted away by the powerful combat energy from the other. They each flipped backward and landed, standing about four or five steps apart.
Cloud, who had regained the upper hand, didn’t wait for Zack to catch his breath and launched another attack. However, this time, Cloud didn’t use his most familiar thrust but another common martial arts technique in the empire—the spinning slash.
“Hehe!” When Zhang Wen saw Cloud use this move, he couldn’t help but smile.
“Teacher Zhang, what are you laughing at? Cloud is so eager to attack that he didn’t even steady himself before using the spinning slash. He can’t even exert half his strength. Isn’t he just asking to be killed?” Seeing Zhang Wen’s smile, Amelie’s curiosity was immediately piqued.
“Hehe. Cloud is smart. He’s found Zack’s weakness.” Zhang Wen shook his head with a smile.
“Weakness?” The little beauty pouted, unconvinced, and turned her gaze back to the two on the training ground.
This time, Zack, as if deliberately cooperating with Zhang Wen, inexplicably hesitated again when Cloud attacked! If Zack’s first hesitation only cost him a chance to win with a single strike, this time, the price he paid was even greater!
By the time Cloud had taken two steps forward and fully extended his spinning slash, Zack hurriedly used the move they had previously studied to counter the spinning slash.
However, due to his earlier hesitation, Zack had already missed the opportunity to suppress Cloud. His move wasn’t even halfway completed when Cloud’s crystal sword slashed horizontally from left to right.
Clang! With a crisp sound, Zack, who had hastily raised his sword to block, was sent flying backward by Cloud’s strike. Cloud, seizing the opportunity, pressed his advantage. His combat energy erupted once more, and with a series of crisp explosions, Cloud leaped into the air, his body tilting, and his sword-wielding right hand raised to his left shoulder.
Zack, already at a disadvantage, became even more flustered when he saw Cloud’s fully charged strike. In desperation, he didn’t use the move Zhang Wen had taught him but instead resorted to his old habit, launching a final counterattack with a thrust.
Boom! The clash of their swords once again produced a deafening explosion. Cloud was forced to retreat several steps by the shockwave, while Zack not only had his crystal sword knocked away but also tumbled several times on the ground.
“You lost!” By the time Zack, dazed and confused, regained his senses, Cloud had already placed his crystal sword against Zack’s neck.
“Ugh! Bad luck! Really bad luck! How could I forget such an important issue!” Zack stood up with a grimace, muttering to himself as he brushed off the dust. Cloud, who had won the victory, also hung his head, looking disinterested.
“Teacher Zhang, what exactly happened? Is there something wrong with the combo we came up with? But during the test earlier, it was clearly… Anyway, Zack lost so strangely! And you said earlier that Cloud saw Zack’s weakness. What exactly is Zack’s weakness?” On the bench by the training ground, the little beauty Amelie couldn’t contain her curiosity and once again clung to Zhang Wen like sticky candy.
“Hehe, it’s actually quite simple.” Zhang Wen stood up, took a deep breath, and shook his head at the little beauty. “The way you handle the Federation’s martial arts isn’t wrong, but your experience is too limited!”
“Experience… experience.” The little beauty softly repeated the key point in Zhang Wen’s words, and a look of sudden realization appeared on her face.
Being able to enter the Almis Academy and become a member of the Mind Arts Department, Amelie was no ordinary talent. With Zhang Wen’s guidance, she immediately understood the crux of the matter.
As Zhang Wen had said, Zack’s failure wasn’t because his method of dealing with Cloud was flawed, but because his “practical experience” in using these moves was far too limited! For a martial arts master, the techniques he uses in combat are often moves that have been honed through countless repetitions and ingrained in his muscle memory. In battle, he doesn’t need to think; he can naturally execute them.
Although Zack and the others had practiced the moves Zhang Wen taught them for quite some time, they were still far from forming conditioned reflexes! This meant that when Zack saw Cloud’s attack, he still had to think about how to counter it.
Cloud had noticed this, which was why he continued to press his attack even before he had fully steadied himself. This way, Zack didn’t get a chance to catch his breath. Each time he hesitated, the opening he left grew larger and larger.
“Teacher Zhang.” Zack and Cloud quickly sheathed their crystal swords and returned to Zhang Wen. From Zack’s slightly dejected expression, it was clear that he had also realized why he had lost the previous battle.
“Teacher Zhang, we…” Cloud stammered halfway through his sentence before Zhang Wen raised his hand to stop him.
“I know what you want to say.” Zhang Wen’s gaze swept over the two worried individuals, and he gradually smiled again. “Alright! Cheer up! Don’t look like a bunch of drowned rats! You’ve realized the problem, and that’s good!”
“But…” Zack hesitated again.
“I know. We only have two days left. With such a short time, it’s impossible to increase your practical experience using conventional methods. So, I’ve prepared a very interesting special training plan for you.” Zhang Wen casually snapped his fingers, but the smile in his eyes made Zack and Cloud involuntarily shiver.
The Kemal Arena—for most citizens of the empire, this was a name so familiar it needed no introduction. For the martial-loving people of the empire, their passion for martial duels could easily be compared to the Romans’ love for gladiatorial combat.
As the largest arena in the empire, the Kemal Arena’s reputation had spread to every corner of the empire. There was even a saying in the empire: In an imperial city, there might be no mayor or police station, but there would always be a Kemal Arena.
The only arena that could rival the Kemal Arena was the Royal Arena, owned by the imperial family and representing the highest honor for martial artists in the empire.
However, unlike the Royal Arena, which only held one public competition a year and invited only the most elite martial artists, the Kemal Arena’s fame came precisely from its accessibility.
The Kemal Arena had no requirements for those who wished to participate. Whether you were a commoner or a noble, a criminal or an official, even a dog—as long as you could pay the necessary fee, you could become a “gladiator” with official competition status at the Kemal Arena.
For example, Zhang Wen and his group, who had just entered the Kemal Arena. After each paid two hundred imperial shields, they quickly became “apprentice gladiators” at the Kemal Arena.
“Welcome to the Kemal Arena, gladiators. Here are your registration cards; please keep them safe! From now on, any rewards you earn from competitions will be directly deposited into these cards. These cards can be used at any bank or store in the empire.” The female clerk handling their registration handed three beautifully crafted mind arts cards to Zhang Wen—this did not include Zhang Wen’s own card.
In fact, while practicing the Spring Water Technique, Zhang Wen had always considered the Kemal Arena the best place to accumulate practical combat experience. Before he hit a bottleneck in his Spring Water Technique training, Zhang Wen had almost daily sparred with others at the Kemal Arena. In the past six months, he had visited the Kemal Arena over a hundred times.
However, considering the rules of the Almis Academy, Zhang Wen always took great care to disguise his appearance so that no one would recognize him. This was the first time he had walked in openly, which was why the clerk didn’t recognize him.
“Oh? Rewards? You can get rewards for competing here?” After hearing the clerk’s explanation, Zhang Wen, who was already familiar with the arena’s rules, naturally showed no reaction. But Zack, who was visiting such a place for the first time, immediately became a curious child.
Given the Kemal Arena’s reputation in the empire, its rules were almost as well-known as the emperor’s name. Frankly, if someone else had asked this question, the clerk would have rolled her eyes in exasperation.
However, looking at Zack and Cloud’s handsome faces that could make women scream, and Zhang Wen’s mature, manly aura, the clerk’s eyes were filled with stars. Not only did she not mind Zack’s somewhat silly question, but she would probably have answered even if he had asked her the color of her underwear that day.
Sure enough, the clerk, with stars in her eyes, patiently explained to Zack: “Yes, after becoming a gladiator at our Kemal Arena, you can indeed earn rewards. And the rewards are quite substantial! Hehe! Just making it into the top sixty-four in our annual rankings will earn you a million imperial shields each! And if you win the annual finals and earn the title of ‘Kemal’s Strongest Gladiator,’ the rewards you can get are probably beyond your imagination!” The clerk winked mysteriously at Zack as she said the last part.
Although Zack’s father, the commander of the Shinra Army, was a high-ranking noble in the empire, the strict upbringing of the Shinra family had always left Zack with very little pocket money. So much so that Zack, the popular handsome guy at Almis Academy, hadn’t even dared to get a girlfriend yet. Now that he had a chance to improve his financial situation, Zack was overjoyed.
“So, if we win the match later, we’ll get a reward too?” He eagerly asked with a smile.
“I’m afraid not.” Seeing Zack’s eagerness, the clerk immediately smiled and said, “Our Kemal Arena’s rewards are substantial, so we must have corresponding rules to prevent cheating. You’ve just registered at our Kemal Arena today, so you only have the most basic ‘apprentice gladiator’ status. Before you can be promoted to a bounty gladiator, you won’t be able to receive any rewards.”
“How can that be?” Zack’s face fell, but he quickly smiled again with anticipation. “So, to get rewards, we just need to become bounty gladiators, right? What does it take to become a bounty gladiator?”
“You want to become a bounty gladiator?” The clerk looked at Zack and Cloud again, smiling and shaking her head. Although the clerk tried to hide her disdain, the curl of her lips betrayed her true feelings—just looking at their faces, it was clear these two youngsters couldn’t be martial arts masters!
The clerk looked down on Zack in her heart, but because of Zack’s handsome face, she was more than willing to explain further: “Our Kemal Arena is different from other small arenas in the empire. Here, the number of bounty gladiators in each arena is fixed! See that wall over there?” The clerk pointed to a stone wall in the center of the arena’s main hall.
“I see it.” Zack nodded.
In fact, when Zack and the others had first entered the Kemal Arena’s building with Zhang Wen, they had already noticed the stone wall prominently placed at the entrance.
The stone wall was about two meters high and three meters wide. The material wasn’t anything special—just ordinary marble. However, on both sides of the wall, there were four armed guards standing watch. On the front of the wall, there were neatly carved rows of square indentations, most of which were filled with identity plaques made of different materials.
“Those identity plaques are the symbols of our Kemal Arena’s bounty gladiators.” The clerk said to Zack, her eyes filled with pride. “Each plaque corresponds to a bounty gladiator. Currently, there are one hundred and twenty bounty gladiators in this arena. If you want to become a bounty gladiator, you must challenge them.”
“Then what are we waiting for? Arrange it for me!” Zack was eager and excited again.
“Hehe, don’t be in such a hurry. Challenging a bounty gladiator isn’t that simple! According to our Kemal Arena’s rules, bounty gladiators are divided into five levels: Imperial Gladiator, Galactic Gladiator, Planetary Gladiator, Elite Gladiator, and Honorary Gladiator. To challenge a higher-level gladiator, you must first obtain the qualification to challenge the level below. So, the only one you can hope to challenge right now is an Honorary Gladiator.” The clerk said, smiling and raising an eyebrow at Zack. “But as you can see, we only have fifty-one Honorary Gladiators here. And there are over a thousand apprentice gladiators. If everyone could just apply to fight an Honorary Gladiator, they would be exhausted. So, before you can challenge an Honorary Gladiator, you must first obtain the corresponding qualification.”
“Got it! Got it! Let me fight other apprentice gladiators already! What are you waiting for?” Before the clerk could finish, the impatient Zack couldn’t help but shout.
“Then follow me.” The clerk casually waved her hand and finally led Zhang Wen’s group toward the core area of the arena’s first floor.
“Hehe!” Zack smiled slightly, watching attentively and confidently for the trajectory of Cloud’s crystal-energy sword. As Cloud reached the predetermined position, Zack executed a pre-prepared move exactly as planned.
Crack! Their crystal-energy swords clashed head-on. Zack’s battle energy was slightly superior to Cloud’s, and the technique he used was precisely effective against Cloud’s “V-cut.” Naturally, the result of their swords meeting was Cloud being unable to withstand Zack’s fierce counterattack.
As Zack’s battle energy surged through the point of impact between their swords, Cloud was instantly pushed backward. His right arm, gripping the crystal-energy sword, was flung backward, leaving Cloud almost completely defenseless at that moment.
Zack naturally wouldn’t miss such a great opportunity for consecutive attacks. Immediately following his previous plan, he launched another strike at Cloud. This time, Zack executed the fourth move Zhang Wen had taught them: rotating his body to utilize his waist strength, delivering a continuous downward slash with the crystal-energy sword.
For Cloud, who had just suffered a setback, Zack’s consecutive attacks were merciless. He barely managed to block Zack’s attack with all his strength, but was simultaneously forced backward in several staggering steps by the overwhelming battle energy.
Successfully landing two consecutive attacks, Zack became extremely excited. He quickly followed up, attempting to press the advantage and force Cloud to concede defeat. Watching Zack charge forward aggressively, Cloud indeed felt like he was destined to lose. However, since his crystal-energy sword was still in hand, he naturally had no intention of surrendering voluntarily. Thus, Cloud instinctively executed a thrusting maneuver.
When Amelia saw Cloud being forced backward and then launching a thrust, the pretty young lady also believed Cloud was surely going to lose. After all, Zhang Wen had personally demonstrated the countermeasure for this very move using Amelia’s hands earlier. Naturally, Cloud and Zack should have been most proficient in handling this technique. However, what happened next left Amelia astonished, her beautiful eyes widening in surprise.
When Zack saw Cloud execute the thrust, he seemed to be under some sort of spell, involuntarily hesitating for a moment.
Zack’s hesitation wasn’t long, but his opponent at this moment was Cloud, who was equally at the peak of the fifth level. When two martial artists of equal rank engage in battle, even a tenth of a second’s hesitation can be fatal—in the Empire, this saying was something even a three-year-old could recite.
Although Cloud was also momentarily surprised when he noticed Zack’s hesitation, the thrust was a move he had practiced countless times. He didn’t even need to think; his body naturally surged forward instinctively.
In just the span of a single breath, the advantage Zack had painstakingly built up earlier vanished into thin air. And when he tried to use the move Zhang Wen had previously demonstrated to Amelia to counter himself, he had already missed the optimal timing. His crystal-energy sword, after lifting upward, collided with Cloud’s before it could gain sufficient distance for a proper swing.
The full-force clash of battle energy from these two fifth-level masters not only caused a thunderous explosion across the training ground but also generated a violent shockwave of air pressure radiating from the point of impact between their crystal-energy swords.
In terms of this single strike alone, neither Zack nor Cloud gained any advantage. Both were blasted backward by the immense force from their opponent. They each flipped backward to land about four or five steps apart.
Cloud, having regained the upper hand, didn’t wait for Zack to catch his breath before launching another attack. However, this time Cloud didn’t use his usual thrusting maneuver but instead executed another commonly used imperial martial arts technique—the spinning slash.
“Hehe!” When Zhang Wen saw Cloud execute this move, an involuntary smile crept across his lips.
“Teacher Zhang, why are you smiling? Cloud is rushing his attack so recklessly—he hasn’t even steadied himself yet before using the spinning slash. He can’t even exert half his strength. Isn’t that just asking for a beating?” Seeing Zhang Wen’s smile, Amelia’s curiosity was immediately piqued.
“Hehe. Cloud is clever. He’s discovered Zack’s weakness.” Zhang Wen smiled and shook his head.
“What are you still looking at? Hurry up and do it!” Zhang Wen waved his hand impatiently.
“Oh! Right.” Under Zhang Wen’s authority, Zack and Cloud had no choice but to suppress their confusion and resume their stances.
Although Cloud’s martial skills weren’t as good as Zack’s, he was still at the top of the fifth level. The moment Cloud infused his combat energy into the crystal sword, the dark red blade immediately lit up with a buzzing sound. At Cloud’s feet, the wind pressure generated by the burst of combat energy kicked up dust in the training field.
“Ha!” Cloud shouted with unwavering determination, putting all his strength into a single swing.
Cloud’s extraordinary momentum didn’t catch Zack’s attention much. During their usual practice sessions, Cloud’s power when facing Zack had always been like this.
“Heh heh!” Zack smiled slightly, very satisfied as he anticipated the trajectory of Cloud’s crystal sword. When Cloud’s attack reached the predetermined position, Zack executed the move he had prepared earlier, just as planned.
Crack! Their crystal swords clashed hard. Zack’s combat energy was slightly stronger than Cloud’s, and the move he used happened to counter Cloud’s “V-Slash.” The result of their swords crossing was, of course, that Cloud couldn’t withstand Zack’s fierce counterattack.
As Zack’s combat energy surged through the point where their swords clashed, Cloud was instantly pushed back. His right hand, gripping the crystal sword, was flung backward, leaving Cloud almost completely defenseless.
Zack naturally wouldn’t miss this great opportunity for a continuous attack. He immediately followed through with his plan and swung another strike at Cloud. This time, Zack used the fourth move Zhang Wen had taught them—a spinning motion that utilized the waist’s force to create a continuous downward slash.
For Cloud, who had just suffered a setback, Zack’s continuous attack was undeniably fierce. He exerted all his strength to barely block Zack’s move, but he was still forced to stagger back several steps by the overwhelming combat energy.
The success of two consecutive attacks excited Zack. He quickly followed up, intending to press his advantage and force Cloud to admit defeat. Seeing Zack charging forward with such ferocity, Cloud indeed felt that he was about to lose. However, since he still had his crystal sword in hand, there was no reason for him to surrender. So, Cloud instinctively used a thrusting move.
When Amy saw Cloud being forced into a retreat and then using a thrust, she also thought Cloud was surely going to lose. After all, Zhang Wen had just demonstrated how to counter this move using Amy as an example. Cloud and Zack should have been the most adept at handling this technique. However, what happened next made the little beauty widen her eyes in surprise.
When Zack saw Cloud use the thrust, it was as if he had been cast under some spell, involuntarily freezing for a moment.
Zack’s hesitation didn’t last long, but he was facing Cloud, who was also at the peak of the fifth level. When two martial arts masters of the same level face off, even a split second of hesitation can be fatal—a saying even a three-year-old in the Empire could recite.
Although Cloud was also surprised when he noticed Zack’s odd behavior, the thrust was a move Cloud had practiced countless times. He didn’t even need to think; his body naturally surged forward.
In just a breath’s time, the advantage Zack had painstakingly built up was completely wiped out. When he tried to use the move Zhang Wen had taught Amy to counter him, he had already missed the best timing. His crystal sword, after being lifted upward, didn’t have enough distance to generate sufficient force before it clashed with Cloud’s sword.
The full-force strike from two fifth-level masters not only created a thunderous explosion in the training field but also generated a violent shockwave from the point where their swords collided.
In this single exchange, neither Zack nor Cloud gained the upper hand. Both were sent flying by the powerful combat energy from the other. They each flipped backward and landed about four or five steps apart.
Cloud, who had turned the tide, didn’t give Zack a chance to catch his breath and immediately launched another attack. However, this time, Cloud didn’t use his most familiar thrust but another common martial technique in the Empire—the Spinning Slash.
“Heh heh!” When Zhang Wen saw Cloud use this move, he couldn’t help but smile.
“Teacher Zhang, what are you laughing at? Cloud is so eager to attack that he didn’t even steady himself before using the Spinning Slash. He can’t even exert half his strength. Isn’t he just asking to be killed?” Seeing Zhang Wen’s smile, Amy’s curiosity was immediately piqued.
“Heh heh. Cloud is smart. He’s discovered Zack’s weakness,” Zhang Wen said with a smile, shaking his head.
“Weakness?” The little beauty pouted, unconvinced, and turned her gaze back to the two on the training field.
This time, Zack seemed to deliberately cooperate with Zhang Wen, inexplicably hesitating again when Cloud attacked! If Zack’s first hesitation only cost him a chance to win in one strike, this second hesitation cost him even more!
By the time Cloud had taken two steps forward and fully extended his Spinning Slash, Zack was only just hurriedly using the move they had previously studied to counter the Spinning Slash.
However, due to his earlier hesitation, Zack had already missed the chance to suppress Cloud. Before he could even complete half of his move, Cloud’s crystal sword was already slashing horizontally from left to right toward Zack.
Clang! With a crisp sound, Zack, who had hastily raised his sword to block, was sent flying backward by Cloud’s strike. Cloud, seizing the opportunity, unleashed his combat energy once more. With a series of sharp cracks, Cloud leaped into the air, his body tilting, and his sword-wielding right hand raised to his left shoulder.
Zack, already at a disadvantage, became even more flustered when he saw Cloud’s fully charged attack. In desperation, he didn’t use the move Zhang Wen had taught him but instead resorted to his old habit—a thrust to launch a final counterattack.
Boom! The clash of their swords once again created a deafening explosion. Cloud was forced to retreat several steps by the shockwave, while Zack not only had his crystal sword knocked out of his hand but also tumbled several times on the ground.
“You lost!” By the time Zack, dazed and confused, regained his senses, Cloud had already placed his crystal sword at Zack’s neck.
“Ugh! Unlucky! So unlucky! How could I forget such an important thing!” Zack stood up with a grimace, muttering to himself as he dusted himself off. Cloud, who had won the match, also hung his head, looking somewhat disinterested.
“Teacher Zhang, what exactly happened? Was there a problem with the combo we came up with? But during the earlier test, it clearly… Anyway, Zack lost so strangely! And you said Cloud saw Zack’s weakness. What exactly is Zack’s weakness?” On the bench by the training field, the little beauty Amy couldn’t resist her curiosity and once again clung to Zhang Wen like a piece of sticky candy.
“Heh heh, it’s actually quite simple,” Zhang Wen stood up, took a deep breath, and shook his head at the little beauty. “Your method of dealing with Federation martial arts isn’t wrong, but your experience is too limited!”
“Experience… experience,” the little beauty repeated the key point in Zhang Wen’s words, and her expression suddenly lit up with understanding.
Being able to enter the Almis Academy and become a member of the Mind Arts Department, Amy was no ordinary talent. With Zhang Wen’s guidance, she immediately grasped the crux of the matter.
As Zhang Wen had said, Zack’s failure wasn’t because his method of dealing with Cloud was bad, but because his “practical experience” in using these moves was far too limited! For a martial arts master, the techniques he uses in combat are often moves that have been honed through countless repetitions and ingrained in his muscle memory. In battle, he doesn’t need to think; he can naturally execute them.
Although Zack and the others had practiced the moves Zhang Wen taught them for quite some time, they were still far from forming a conditioned reflex! This meant that when Zack saw Cloud’s attack, he still had to think about how to counter it.
Cloud had noticed this, which was why he continued to attack relentlessly, even when he wasn’t fully steady. This way, Zack couldn’t catch his breath, and the flaws in his thinking process accumulated, growing larger and larger.
“Teacher Zhang,” Zack and Cloud quickly sheathed their crystal swords and returned to Zhang Wen. From Zack’s slightly dejected expression, it was clear that he had also realized why he had lost the previous match.
“Teacher Zhang, we…” Cloud stammered halfway through his sentence before Zhang Wen raised his hand to stop him.
“I know what you want to say,” Zhang Wen’s gaze swept over the two worried faces, and he gradually smiled again. “Alright! Cheer up! Don’t look like a couple of drowned dogs! You’ve realized the problem, and that’s good!”
“But…” Zack started to speak but stopped again.
“I know. We only have two days left. With such a short time, it’s definitely too late to increase your practical experience through conventional methods. So, I’ve prepared a very interesting special training plan for you,” Zhang Wen snapped his fingers casually, but the smile in his eyes made Zack and Cloud shiver involuntarily.
The Kemal Arena—for most citizens of the Empire, this was a name so familiar it was almost mundane. For the martial-loving people of the Empire, their passion for martial duels could easily be compared to the Romans’ love for gladiatorial combat.
As the largest arena in the Empire, the Kemal Arena’s reputation had spread to every corner of the Empire. There was even a saying in the Empire: In an Imperial city, there might not be a mayor or a police station, but there would always be a Kemal Arena.
The only arena that could rival the Kemal Arena was the Royal Arena, owned by the Imperial family and representing the highest honor for martial artists in the Empire.
However, unlike the Royal Arena, which only held one public competition a year and invited only the most elite martial artists, the Kemal Arena’s fame came precisely from its accessibility.
The Kemal Arena had no requirements for the qualifications of its combatants. Whether you were a commoner or a noble, a criminal or an official, even a dog—as long as you could pay the necessary fee, you could become a “warrior” with official competition rights in the Kemal Arena.
For example, Zhang Wen and his group, who had just entered the Kemal Arena. After each paying 200 Imperial Shields, they quickly became “apprentice warriors” of the Kemal Arena.
“Welcome to the Kemal Arena as our warriors. Here are your registration cards; please keep them safe! In the future, your competition rewards will be directly deposited into these cards. These cards can be used in any bank or store in the Empire,” the female clerk handling the procedures said, handing three beautifully crafted Mind Arts cards to Zhang Wen—this didn’t include Zhang Wen’s own card.
In fact, while practicing the Spring Water Technique, Zhang Wen had always considered the Kemal Arena the best place to accumulate practical combat experience. Before hitting a bottleneck in his Spring Water Technique training, Zhang Wen had come to the Kemal Arena almost every day to spar with others. In the past six months, he had visited the Kemal Arena over a hundred times.
However, considering the rules of the Almis Academy, Zhang Wen always made sure to disguise his appearance so that no one would recognize him. Today was the first time he had walked in openly, which was why the clerk didn’t recognize him.
“Oh? Rewards? You can get rewards for competing here?” After hearing the clerk’s explanation, Zhang Wen, who was already familiar with the arena’s rules, naturally had no reaction, but Zack, who was visiting such a place for the first time, immediately became a curious child.
Given the Kemal Arena’s reputation in the Empire, its rules were almost as well-known as the Emperor’s name. Frankly, if anyone else had asked this question, the clerk would have rolled her eyes in exasperation.
However, looking at Zack and Cloud’s handsome faces, which could make any woman scream, and Zhang Wen’s mature charm, the clerk’s eyes were filled with stars. Not only did she not mind Zack’s somewhat silly question, but she would probably have answered even if he had asked her the color of her underwear today.
Sure enough, the clerk, with stars in her eyes, patiently explained to Zack: “Yes, after becoming a warrior of our Kemal Arena, you can indeed receive rewards. And the rewards are quite generous! Hee hee! Just making it into the top 64 of our Kemal Arena’s year-end rankings earns each person a million Imperial Shields! And if you can win the year-end finals and earn the title of ‘Kemal’s Strongest Warrior,’ the rewards you can receive are probably beyond your imagination!” The clerk winked mysteriously at Zack as she said the last part.
Although Zack’s father, the commander of the Shinra Army, was a high-ranking noble in the Empire, the strict upbringing of the Shinra family had always left Zack with very little pocket money. In fact, Zack, the popular handsome guy at Almis Academy, hadn’t even dared to get a girlfriend yet. Now that he had a chance to improve his financial situation, Zack was overjoyed.
“So, if we win a match later, we’ll get a reward?” He quickly asked with a smile.
“I’m afraid not,” the clerk, seeing Zack’s eagerness, immediately smiled and said, “Our Kemal Arena’s rewards are generous, so we have to set corresponding rules to prevent cheating. You’ve just registered with our Kemal Arena today, so you only have the most basic ‘apprentice warrior’ status. Before you can be promoted to a bounty warrior of the arena, you won’t receive any rewards.”
“How can that be?” Zack’s face fell, but he quickly smiled again with hope. “So, to get rewards, we just need to become bounty warriors, right? What does it take to become a bounty warrior?”
“You want to become a bounty warrior?” The clerk looked Zack and Cloud up and down again, smiling and shaking her head. Although the clerk tried to hide her disdain, the corner of her mouth betrayed her true feelings—just looking at their faces, it was clear these two youngsters couldn’t be martial arts masters!
The clerk looked down on Zack in her heart, but because of Zack’s handsome face, she was more than willing to explain further: “Our Kemal Arena is different from other small arenas in the Empire. Here, the number of bounty warriors in each arena is fixed! See that wall over there?” The clerk pointed to a stone wall in the center of the arena’s main hall.
“I see it,” Zack nodded.
In fact, when Zack and the others had first entered the Kemal Arena’s building with Zhang Wen, they had already noticed the stone wall prominently placed at the entrance.
The stone wall was about two meters high and three meters wide. The material wasn’t anything special—just ordinary marble. However, on both sides of the wall, there were four armed guards standing watch. On the front of the wall, there were neatly carved rows of square indentations, most of which were filled with identity plaques made of different materials.
“Those identity plaques are the symbols of our Kemal Arena’s bounty warriors,” the clerk said to Zack, her eyes filled with pride. “Each plaque corresponds to a bounty warrior. Currently, there are 120 bounty warriors in this arena. If you want to become one, you must challenge them.”
“Then what are we waiting for? Help me arrange it!” Zack was eager and excited again.
“Heh heh, don’t be in such a hurry. Challenging a bounty warrior isn’t that simple! According to our Kemal Arena’s rules, bounty warriors are divided into five levels: Imperial Warrior, Galactic Warrior, Planetary Warrior, Elite Warrior, and Honorary Warrior. To challenge a warrior of a higher level, you must first obtain the qualification to challenge the level below. So, the only one you can hope to challenge right now is the Honorary Warrior,” the clerk said, raising an eyebrow at Zack with a smile. “However, as you can see, we only have 51 Honorary Warriors here, and there are over a thousand apprentice warriors. If everyone could just apply to fight an Honorary Warrior, they would be exhausted. So, before you can challenge an Honorary Warrior, you must first obtain the corresponding qualification.”
“Got it! Got it! Hurry up and let me fight other apprentice warriors! What are you waiting for?” Before the clerk could finish, Zack, impatient, couldn’t help but shout.
“Then follow me,” the clerk casually waved her hand and finally led Zhang Wen’s group toward the core of the arena’s first floor.
This time, Zack seemed to intentionally cooperate with Zhang Wen’s words, mysteriously hesitating again as Cloud attacked! If Zack’s first hesitation merely caused him to miss an opportunity for a decisive strike, then this second hesitation cost him dearly!
As Cloud had already taken two steps forward, fully committing to the spinning slash, Zack hurriedly executed the move they had previously devised to counter the spinning slash.
However, due to his earlier hesitation, Zack had already missed the timing to contain Cloud. His technique was only halfway executed when Cloud’s crystal-energy sword came slashing horizontally from left to right toward Zack.
Clang! With a crisp sound, Zack, hastily raising his sword to block, was immediately sent flying backward from the impact. Cloud, however, seized the opportunity to press his advantage. His entire body’s battle energy erupted once more, accompanied by a crisp crackling sound, as Cloud launched himself into the air, tilting his body sideways while raising his right arm, which held the sword, to the level of his left shoulder.
Already at a disadvantage, Zack, seeing Cloud’s fully powered strike, became even more flustered. Desperately, he abandoned the techniques Zhang Wen had instructed and, just as he used to, directly launched a final counterattack with a simple thrust.
Boom! Their swords clashed once more, the surging battle energy exploding with another tremendous sound. Cloud was blown backward, forced to retreat several steps, while Zack was not only knocked his crystal-energy sword away but also tumbled several times on the ground.
“You lose!” By the time Zack, dazed and confused from his fall, regained his senses, Cloud had already placed his crystal-energy sword at Zack’s throat.
“Ah! Unlucky! So unlucky! How could I forget such an important point!” Zack stood up with a gloomy expression, muttering under his breath while brushing dust off himself. Meanwhile, the victorious Cloud also hung his head, looking rather dispirited.
“Teacher Zhang, what exactly happened? Was there something wrong with the consecutive techniques we devised? But just now during practice, everything seemed fine… Anyway, Zack’s loss was so strange! Also, you mentioned earlier that Cloud noticed Zack’s weakness. What exactly is Zack’s weakness?” Sitting on a bench at the edge of the training ground, the pretty young Amelia couldn’t contain her curiosity any longer and, like a piece of chewing gum, stuck to Zhang Wen once again.
“Hehe, actually, it’s very simple.” Zhang Wen stood up, exhaled deeply, and shook his head at the pretty young lady. “Your methods for countering the Federation’s martial arts techniques are not wrong, but your experience is far too limited!”
“Experience… experience.” Amelia softly repeated the key point from Zhang Wen’s words twice, suddenly comprehending.
“What are you still looking at? Hurry up and do it!” Zhang Wen impatiently waved his hand.
“Oh! Right.” Under Zhang Wen’s authority, Zack and Cloud had no choice but to suppress their confusion and once again assumed their stances.
Although Cloud’s martial skills were not as good as Zack’s, he was still at the top level of the fifth tier. The moment Cloud infused his combat energy into the crystal energy sword, the dark red blade immediately lit up with a buzzing sound. At Cloud’s feet, the wind pressure generated by the burst of combat energy sent the dust on the training ground swirling high into the air.
“Ha!” With an unstoppable momentum, Cloud shouted and swung his sword with all his might.
Cloud’s extraordinary momentum didn’t draw much attention from Zack. During their usual practice sessions, Cloud’s power when facing Zack had always been like this.
“Hehe!” Zack smiled slightly, very satisfied as he accurately judged the trajectory of Cloud’s crystal energy sword. When Cloud’s attack reached the predetermined position, Zack, as planned, unleashed the move he had prepared earlier.
Crack! Their crystal energy swords collided head-on. Zack’s combat energy was slightly stronger than Cloud’s, and the move he used happened to perfectly counter Cloud’s “V-Slash.” The result of their swords clashing was, of course, that Cloud couldn’t withstand Zack’s fierce counterattack.
As Zack’s combat energy surged through the point where their swords met, Cloud was instantly flung backward. His right hand, gripping the crystal energy sword, was thrown back, leaving Cloud almost completely defenseless.
Zack naturally wouldn’t miss this golden opportunity for a continuous attack. He immediately followed through with his plan and swung another sword at Cloud. This time, Zack used the fourth move Zhang Wen had taught them—a spinning motion that utilized the power of his waist to make the crystal energy sword deliver a continuous downward slash.
For Cloud, who had just suffered a setback, Zack’s continuous attack was nothing short of ferocious. He mustered all his strength to barely block Zack’s move, but at the same time, he was forced to stagger back several steps by the overwhelming combat energy.
The success of two consecutive attacks excited Zack. He quickly followed up, intending to press his advantage and force Cloud to admit defeat. Seeing Zack charging forward with such ferocity, Cloud indeed felt that he was about to lose. However, since he still had his crystal energy sword in hand, there was no reason for him to concede voluntarily. So, Cloud instinctively used a thrusting move.
When Amelie saw Cloud being forced into a retreat and then using a thrust, the little beauty also thought that Cloud was surely going to lose. After all, Zhang Wen had just demonstrated how to counter this move using Amelie’s hand. Cloud and Zack should have been the most adept at handling this move. However, what happened next made the little beauty widen her beautiful eyes in surprise.
When Zack saw Cloud use the thrust, it was as if he had been bewitched—he involuntarily froze for a moment.
Zack’s moment of hesitation wasn’t long, but he was facing Cloud, who was also at the peak of the fifth tier. When two martial arts masters of the same level face off, even a 0.1-second hesitation can be fatal—this is a maxim that even a three-year-old in the Empire can recite.
Although Cloud was also surprised when he noticed Zack’s unusual behavior, the thrust was a move Cloud had practiced countless times. He didn’t even need to think; his body naturally surged forward.
Thus, in the span of a single breath, the advantage Zack had painstakingly built up was completely erased. And when Zack used the move Zhang Wen had taught Amelie to counter his own attack, he had already missed the optimal timing. His crystal energy sword, after being lifted upward, didn’t have enough distance to generate sufficient force before it clashed with Cloud’s crystal energy sword.
The full-force strike from two fifth-tier masters not only created a thunderous explosion in the training ground but also generated a violent shockwave from the point where their swords met.
In terms of this single strike, neither Zack nor Cloud gained an advantage. Both were blasted away by the powerful combat energy from the other. They each flipped backward and landed, standing about four or five steps apart.
Cloud, who had turned the tide, didn’t give Zack a chance to catch his breath and immediately launched another attack. However, this time, Cloud didn’t use his most familiar thrust but another common martial arts technique in the Empire—the Spinning Slash.
“Hehe!” When Zhang Wen saw Cloud use this move, a smile involuntarily appeared at the corner of his mouth.
“Teacher Zhang, what are you laughing at? Cloud is attacking so recklessly. He hasn’t even steadied himself before using the Spinning Slash. He can’t even muster half his strength. Isn’t he just asking to be killed?” Seeing Zhang Wen’s smile, Amelie’s curiosity was immediately piqued.
“Hehe. Cloud is smart. He’s discovered Zack’s weakness,” Zhang Wen said with a smile, shaking his head.
“Weakness?” The little beauty pouted, unconvinced, and turned her gaze back to the two on the training ground.
This time, Zack seemed to deliberately cooperate with Zhang Wen, as he inexplicably hesitated again when Cloud attacked! If Zack’s first hesitation only cost him a chance to win in one strike, this second hesitation cost him even more!
By the time Cloud had taken two steps forward and fully extended his Spinning Slash, Zack was only just frantically using the move they had previously studied to counter the Spinning Slash.
However, due to his earlier hesitation, Zack had already missed the opportunity to suppress Cloud. Before he could even complete half of his move, Cloud’s crystal energy sword was already slashing horizontally from left to right toward Zack.
Clang! With a crisp sound, Zack, who had hastily raised his sword to block, was immediately sent flying backward by Cloud’s strike. Cloud, seizing the opportunity, pressed his advantage. His combat energy erupted once again, and with a series of sharp cracks, Cloud leaped into the air, his body tilting to the side, his sword-wielding right hand raised to the level of his left shoulder.
Zack, already at a disadvantage, grew even more panicked when he saw Cloud gathering his strength for a powerful strike. In desperation, he didn’t use the move Zhang Wen had taught him but instead resorted to his old habit—a thrusting move for a final counterattack.
Boom! The clash of their swords once again produced a deafening explosion. Cloud was forced to retreat several steps by the shockwave, while Zack not only had his crystal energy sword knocked out of his hand but also tumbled several times on the ground.
“You lost!” By the time Zack, dazed and confused, regained his senses, Cloud had already placed his crystal energy sword against Zack’s neck.
“Ugh! Bad luck! Really bad luck! How could I forget such an important issue!” Zack stood up with a grimace, muttering to himself as he brushed off the dust. Cloud, who had won the match, also hung his head, looking rather disinterested.
“Teacher Zhang, what exactly happened? Was there a problem with the combo we came up with? But during the test earlier, it clearly… Anyway, Zack lost so strangely! And you said earlier that Cloud saw Zack’s weakness. What exactly is Zack’s weakness?” On the bench by the training ground, the little beauty Amelie couldn’t contain her curiosity and once again clung to Zhang Wen like sticky candy.
“Hehe, it’s actually quite simple,” Zhang Wen stood up, took a deep breath, and shook his head at the little beauty. “The way you countered the Federation’s martial arts wasn’t wrong, but your experience is too limited!”
“Experience… experience,” the little beauty softly repeated the key point in Zhang Wen’s words, and a look of sudden realization appeared on her face.
Being able to enter the Almis Academy and become a member of the Mind Arts Department, Amelie was no ordinary talent. With Zhang Wen’s guidance, she immediately understood the crux of the matter.
As Zhang Wen had said, Zack’s failure wasn’t because his method of countering Cloud was flawed, but because his “practical experience” in using these moves was far too limited! For a martial arts master, the techniques he uses in combat are often moves that have been honed through countless repetitions and ingrained in his muscle memory. In battle, he doesn’t need to think; he can naturally execute them.
As for the moves Zhang Wen had taught them, although Zack and the others had practiced them for quite some time, they were still far from forming a conditioned reflex! This meant that when Zack saw Cloud’s attack, he still had to think about how to counter it.
Cloud had noticed this, which was why he continued to attack relentlessly, even before he had fully steadied himself. This way, Zack couldn’t catch his breath. The flaws in his thinking process would accumulate and grow larger and larger.
“Teacher Zhang,” Zack and Cloud quickly sheathed their crystal energy swords and returned to Zhang Wen. From Zack’s slightly dejected expression, it was clear that he had also realized why he had lost the previous match.
“Teacher Zhang, we…” Cloud started to speak hesitantly, but Zhang Wen raised his hand to cut him off.
“I know what you want to say,” Zhang Wen’s gaze swept over the two worried individuals, but he gradually smiled again. “Alright! Cheer up! Don’t look like a pair of drowned rats! You’ve realized the problem, and that’s good!”
“But…” Zack started to speak again but stopped.
“I know. We only have two days left. With such a short time, it’s definitely too late to increase your practical experience using conventional methods. So, I’ve prepared a very interesting special training plan for you,” Zhang Wen casually snapped his fingers, but his smiling gaze made Zack and Cloud involuntarily shiver.
The Kemal Arena—for most citizens of the Empire, this was a name as familiar as it could get. For the martial-loving people of the Empire, their passion for martial duels could easily be compared to the Romans’ love for gladiatorial combat.
As the largest arena in the Empire, the Kemal Arena’s reputation had long spread to every corner of the Empire. In fact, there was even a saying in the Empire: In an Empire city, there might not be a mayor or a police station, but there would definitely be a Kemal Arena.
The only arena that could rival the Kemal Arena was the Royal Arena, owned by the Imperial family and representing the highest honor for martial artists in the Empire.
However, unlike the equally famous Royal Arena, the Kemal Arena wasn’t a place that only hosted one public competition a year and only invited the most elite martial artists. On the contrary, the Kemal Arena’s fame came precisely from its accessibility.
The Kemal Arena had no requirements for the qualifications of its combatants. Whether you were a commoner or a noble, a criminal or an official, even a dog—as long as you could provide the necessary fee, you could become a “gladiator” with official competition rights in the Kemal Arena.
For example, Zhang Wen and his group, who had just entered the Kemal Arena. After each of them paid 200 Empire Shields, they quickly became “apprentice gladiators” of the Kemal Arena.
“Welcome to the Kemal Arena as our gladiators. Here are your registration cards; please keep them safe! From now on, all your competition rewards will be directly deposited into these cards. These registration cards can be used in any bank or store in the Empire,” the female clerk handling their registration said as she handed three beautifully crafted Mind Arts cards to Zhang Wen—this didn’t include Zhang Wen’s card.
In fact, while Zhang Wen was practicing the Spring Water Technique, he had always used the Kemal Arena as the best place to accumulate practical combat experience. Before he hit a bottleneck in his Spring Water Technique practice, Zhang Wen would come to the Kemal Arena almost every day to spar with others. In the past six months, he had definitely come to the Kemal Arena over a hundred times.
However, considering the rules of the Almis Academy, Zhang Wen always made sure to disguise his appearance whenever he came to the arena to avoid being recognized. Today was the first time he had walked in openly, which was why the clerk didn’t recognize him.
“Oh? Rewards? You can get rewards for competing here?” After hearing the clerk’s explanation, Zhang Wen, who was already familiar with the arena’s rules, naturally had no reaction. But Zack, who was visiting such a place for the first time, immediately became a curious child.
Given the Kemal Arena’s reputation in the Empire, its rules were almost more well-known than the Emperor’s name. Frankly, if someone else had asked this question, the clerk would have probably rolled her eyes.
However, looking at Zack and Cloud’s handsome faces that could make women scream, and Zhang Wen’s mature manly aura, the clerk’s eyes were filled with stars. Not only did she not mind Zack’s somewhat silly question, but she would probably have happily told him the color of her underwear if he had asked.
Sure enough, the clerk quickly, with unparalleled patience, explained to Zack: “Yes, after becoming a gladiator at our Kemal Arena, you can indeed receive rewards. And the rewards are quite substantial! Hehe! Not to mention, just making it into the top 64 of our Kemal Arena’s year-end rankings will earn you a million Empire Shields each! And if you can win the year-end finals and earn the title of ‘Kemal’s Strongest Gladiator,’ the rewards you can get are probably beyond your imagination!” The clerk winked mysteriously at Zack as she said the last part.
Although Zack’s father, who was the commander of the Shinra Army, was a high-ranking noble in the Empire, the strict upbringing of the Shinra family had always kept Zack’s allowance tight. So much so that Zack, the popular handsome guy at Almis Academy, still hadn’t dared to get a girlfriend. Now that he had a chance to improve his financial situation, Zack was overjoyed.
“So, if we win a match later, we’ll get a reward?” He quickly asked with a smile.
“I’m afraid not,” seeing Zack’s eagerness, the clerk immediately smiled and said, “Our Kemal Arena’s rewards are substantial, so we must have corresponding rules to prevent cheating. You’ve just registered at our Kemal Arena today, so you only have the most basic ‘apprentice gladiator’ status. Before you can be promoted to a bounty gladiator, you won’t be able to receive any rewards.”
“How can that be?” Zack’s face fell, but he quickly smiled again with anticipation, “So, to get rewards, we just need to become bounty gladiators, right? What do we need to do to become bounty gladiators?”
“You want to become a bounty gladiator?” The clerk looked at Zack and Cloud again, smiling and shaking her head. Although the clerk tried to hide her disdain, the corner of her mouth betrayed her true feelings—just looking at their faces, it was clear that these two youngsters couldn’t possibly be martial arts masters!
The clerk looked down on Zack in her heart, but because of Zack’s handsome face, she was still very willing to explain further: “Our Kemal Arena is different from other small arenas in the Empire. Here, the number of bounty gladiators in each arena is fixed! See that wall over there?” The clerk pointed to a stone wall in the center of the arena’s main hall.
“I see it,” Zack nodded.
In fact, when Zack and the others first entered the Kemal Arena’s building with Zhang Wen, they had already noticed the stone wall at the most prominent spot at the entrance.
The stone wall was about two meters high and three meters wide. The material wasn’t special—just ordinary marble. However, on both sides of the wall, there were four fully armed guards. On the front of the wall, there were neatly carved rows of square indentations, most of which were filled with identity badges made of different materials.
“Those identity badges are the symbols of our Kemal Arena’s bounty gladiators,” the clerk said to Zack, her eyes filled with pride. “Each badge corresponds to a bounty gladiator. Currently, there are 120 bounty gladiators in our arena. If you want to become a bounty gladiator, you must challenge them.”
“Then what are we waiting for? Hurry up and arrange it for me!” Zack was eager to try.
“Hehe, don’t be in such a hurry. Challenging a bounty gladiator isn’t that simple! According to the rules of our Kemal Arena, bounty gladiators are divided into five levels: Empire Gladiator, Galaxy Gladiator, Planet Gladiator, Elite Gladiator, and Honor Gladiator. To challenge a higher-level gladiator, you must first obtain the qualification to challenge the level below. So, the only one you can hope to challenge right now is the Honor Gladiator,” the clerk said, smiling and raising her eyebrows at Zack. “However, as you can see, there are only 51 Honor Gladiators here, but there are over a thousand apprentice gladiators. If everyone could casually apply to fight an Honor Gladiator, they would be exhausted. So, before you can challenge an Honor Gladiator, you must first obtain the corresponding qualification.”
“Got it! Got it! Hurry up and let me fight other apprentice gladiators! What are you waiting for?” Before the clerk could finish, the impatient Zack couldn’t help but shout.
“Then follow me,” the clerk casually waved her hand and finally led Zhang Wen’s group toward the core of the arena’s first floor.
As Zhang Wen had said, Zack’s defeat wasn’t because his methods for countering Cloud were inadequate, but because his “practical combat experience” in executing these techniques was severely lacking! For a martial artist, the techniques used in battle are often moves that have been refined through countless repetitions and memorized by the body itself. During combat, there’s no need for any thought; the moves naturally emerge.
The techniques Zhang Wen had taught them, although practiced by Zack and others for quite some time, were still far from the level of reflexive execution. This meant that when Zack saw Cloud’s attacks, he still needed to think about what countermeasure to use.
Cloud noticed this precisely and, regardless of whether he had steadied himself yet, continuously launched attacks. This way, Zack had no chance to catch his breath. Each hesitation in his thinking accumulated, growing larger and more significant.
“Teacher Zhang.” Soon, Zack and Cloud sheathed their crystal-energy swords and returned to stand before Zhang Wen. From Zack’s slightly dejected expression, it was clear he had already understood the reason for his loss in that previous battle.
“Teacher Zhang, we…” Cloud hesitated, beginning to speak, but was interrupted by Zhang Wen raising his hand.
“I know what you want to say.” Zhang Wen’s gaze swept over the two troubled figures before him, gradually softening into a smile. “Alright! Cheer up! Don’t look so pitiful, like a drowned dog! You’ve recognized the problem, which is very good!”
“But…” Zack hesitated again, clearly wanting to say something.
“I know. We only have two days left. With such a short time, it’s definitely impossible to increase your practical combat experience using conventional methods. Therefore, I’ve devised a very interesting special training plan for you two.” Zhang Wen casually snapped his fingers, his gaze filled with laughter causing Zack and Cloud to involuntarily shiver.
Kemal Arena—for most citizens living in the Empire, this was a name so familiar it couldn’t be more so. For the martial-loving people of the Empire, their passion for duels between warriors was comparable to the ancient Romans’ love for gladiatorial combat.
As the largest arena in the Empire, Kemal Arena’s reputation had spread to every corner of the Empire. In fact, there was even a joke within the Empire: “In any city of the Empire, there might be no mayor or police station, but there will definitely be a Kemal Arena.”
The only place that could rival Kemal Arena was the Royal Arena, which belonged to the Imperial family and represented the highest honor for warriors in the Empire.
However, unlike the Royal Arena, which was just as famous, Kemal Arena wasn’t a place that held public competitions only once a year and invited only the most elite warriors. On the contrary, Kemal Arena’s reputation stemmed precisely from its accessibility to the common people.
There were absolutely no requirements for the qualifications of those participating in the arena battles. Whether commoners or nobles, criminals or officials—even a dog could become an officially registered “fighter” at Kemal Arena, as long as sufficient fees were paid.
For example, Zhang Wen’s group now entering Kemal Arena. After each of them paid 200 Imperial Marks, they quickly became “apprentice fighters” at Kemal Arena.
“What are you still looking at? Hurry up and do it!” Zhang Wen impatiently waved his hand.
“Oh! Yes.” Under Zhang Wen’s authority, Zack and Cloud had to suppress their confusion and once again took their stances.
Although Cloud’s martial arts were not as good as Zack’s, he was still at the top level of the fifth tier. The moment Cloud infused his combat energy into the crystal sword, the dark red blade immediately lit up with a buzzing sound. At Cloud’s feet, the wind pressure generated by the burst of combat energy sent the dust on the training ground swirling high into the air.
“Ha!” Cloud, with an unstoppable momentum, shouted and swung his sword with all his might.
Cloud’s extraordinary momentum didn’t draw much attention from Zack. During their usual practice sessions, Cloud’s performance in battles against Zack had always been like this.
“Heh heh!” Zack smiled slightly, very satisfied as he anticipated the trajectory of Cloud’s crystal sword. When Cloud attacked the predetermined position, Zack, as planned, unleashed the move he had prepared.
Clash! Their crystal swords collided head-on. Zack’s combat energy was slightly stronger than Cloud’s, and the move he used perfectly countered Cloud’s “V-Slash.” The result of their swords clashing was, of course, that Cloud couldn’t withstand Zack’s fierce counterattack.
As Zack’s combat energy surged through the point where their swords met, Cloud was instantly flung backward. His right hand, holding the crystal sword, was thrown back, leaving Cloud almost completely defenseless.
Zack, of course, wouldn’t miss this excellent opportunity for a continuous attack. He immediately followed through with his plan and swung his sword at Cloud again. This time, Zack used the fourth move Zhang Wen had taught them, which involved rotating his body and using the force from his waist to make the crystal sword perform a continuous downward slash.
For Cloud, who had just suffered a setback, Zack’s continuous attack was undeniably fierce. He exerted all his strength to barely block Zack’s move, but at the same time, he was forced to stagger back several steps by the overwhelming combat energy from Zack.
The success of two consecutive attacks excited Zack. He quickly followed up, intending to press his advantage and force Cloud to admit defeat. Seeing Zack charging forward with such ferocity, Cloud indeed felt that he was about to lose. However, since he still had his crystal sword in hand, there was no reason for him to surrender voluntarily. So, Cloud instinctively used a thrusting move.
When Amelith saw Cloud being forced to retreat in disarray and then using a thrust, the little beauty also thought Cloud was surely going to lose. After all, Zhang Wen had just demonstrated how to counter this move using Amelith’s hand. Cloud and Zack should have been the most adept at handling this move. However, what happened next made the little beauty widen her eyes in surprise.
When Zack saw Cloud use the thrust, it was as if he had been bewitched, involuntarily pausing for a moment.
Zack’s hesitation didn’t last long, but he was facing Cloud, who was also at the peak of the fifth tier. When two martial arts masters of the same level face off, a hesitation of even a tenth of a second can be fatal—this is a maxim that even a three-year-old in the empire can recite.
Although Cloud was also surprised when he noticed Zack’s anomaly, the thrust was a move Cloud had practiced countless times. He didn’t even need to think; his body naturally surged forward.
Thus, in the span of a single breath, the advantage Zack had painstakingly built up was completely erased. When Zack tried to use the move Zhang Wen had taught Amelith to counter him, he had already missed the best timing. His crystal sword, after being lifted upward, didn’t have enough distance to generate sufficient force before it clashed with Cloud’s crystal sword.
The full-force strike from two fifth-tier masters not only created a thunderous explosion in the training ground but also generated a violent shockwave from the point where their swords met.
In terms of this single strike, neither Zack nor Cloud gained any advantage. Both were blasted away by the powerful combat energy from the other. They each flipped backward and landed, standing about four or five steps apart.
Cloud, who had turned the tide, didn’t give Zack a chance to catch his breath and immediately launched another attack. However, this time, Cloud didn’t use his most familiar thrust but another common martial arts technique in the empire—the spinning slash.
“Heh heh!” When Zhang Wen saw Cloud use this move, a smile involuntarily appeared at the corner of his mouth.
“Teacher Zhang, what are you laughing at? Cloud is so eager to attack that he didn’t even steady himself before using the spinning slash. He can’t even exert half his strength. Isn’t he just asking to be killed?” Seeing Zhang Wen’s smile, Amelith’s curiosity was immediately piqued.
“Heh heh. Cloud is very smart. He’s discovered Zack’s weakness.” Zhang Wen shook his head with a smile.
“Weakness?” The little beauty pouted, unconvinced, and turned her gaze to the two on the training ground.
This time, Zack seemed to deliberately cooperate with Zhang Wen, inexplicably hesitating again when Cloud attacked! If Zack’s first hesitation only cost him a chance to win in one strike, then this time, the price he paid was even greater!
By the time Cloud had taken two steps forward and fully extended his spinning slash, Zack hurriedly used the move they had previously studied to counter the spinning slash.
However, due to his earlier hesitation, Zack had already missed the opportunity to suppress Cloud. Before he could even complete half of his move, Cloud’s crystal sword was already slashing horizontally from left to right toward Zack.
Clang! With a crisp sound, Zack, who had hastily raised his sword to block, was immediately sent flying backward by Cloud’s strike. Cloud, seizing the opportunity, pressed his advantage. His combat energy erupted once more, and with a series of crisp explosions, Cloud leaped into the air, his body tilting to the side, his sword-wielding right hand raised to his left shoulder.
Zack, already at a disadvantage, became even more flustered when he saw Cloud’s fully charged strike. In desperation, he didn’t use the move Zhang Wen had taught him but instead resorted to his old habit, launching a final counterattack with a thrust.
Boom! The clash of their swords once again created a deafening explosion. Cloud was forced to retreat several steps by the shockwave, while Zack not only had his crystal sword knocked away but also tumbled several times on the ground.
“You lost!” By the time Zack, dazed from the fall, regained his senses, Cloud had already placed his crystal sword at Zack’s neck.
“Ugh! Unlucky! So unlucky! How could I forget such an important issue!” Zack stood up with a grimace, muttering to himself as he brushed off the dust. Cloud, who had won the victory, also hung his head, looking somewhat disinterested.
“Teacher Zhang, what exactly happened? Was there a problem with the combo we came up with? But during the test earlier, it was clearly… Anyway, Zack lost so strangely! Also, you said earlier that Cloud had discovered Zack’s weakness. What exactly is Zack’s weakness?” On the bench by the training ground, the little beauty Amelith couldn’t resist her curiosity and once again clung to Zhang Wen like a piece of sticky candy.
“Heh heh, it’s actually quite simple.” Zhang Wen stood up, took a deep breath, and shook his head at the little beauty. “The methods you used to counter the Federation’s martial arts weren’t wrong, but your experience is too limited!”
“Experience… experience.” The little beauty softly repeated the key point in Zhang Wen’s words, and a look of sudden realization appeared on her face.
Being able to enter the Almis Academy and become a member of the Mind Arts Department, Amelith was no ordinary talent. With Zhang Wen’s guidance, she immediately understood the crux of the matter.
As Zhang Wen had said, Zack’s failure wasn’t because his methods for countering Cloud were bad, but because his “practical experience” in using these moves was far too limited! For a martial arts master, the techniques he uses in combat are often moves that have been honed through countless repetitions and ingrained in his muscle memory. In battle, he doesn’t need to think; he can naturally execute them.
Although Zack and the others had practiced the moves Zhang Wen taught them for quite some time, they were still far from forming a conditioned reflex! This meant that when Zack saw Cloud’s attack, he still had to think about how to counter it.
Cloud had noticed this, which was why he continued to press his attack even when he wasn’t fully steady. This way, Zack didn’t get a chance to catch his breath. The flaws in his thinking process kept accumulating, becoming larger and larger.
“Teacher Zhang.” Zack and Cloud quickly sheathed their crystal swords and returned to Zhang Wen. From Zack’s slightly dejected expression, it was clear that he had also realized why he had lost the previous battle.
“Teacher Zhang, we…” Cloud stammered halfway through his sentence before Zhang Wen raised his hand to stop him.
“I know what you want to say.” Zhang Wen’s gaze swept over the two worried individuals, and he gradually smiled again. “Alright! Cheer up! Don’t look like a bunch of drowned dogs! You’ve realized the problem, and that’s good!”
“But…” Zack hesitated again.
“I know. We only have two days left. With such a short time, it’s definitely too late to increase your practical experience through conventional methods. So, I’ve prepared a very interesting special training plan for you.” Zhang Wen casually snapped his fingers, but the smile in his eyes made Zack and Cloud involuntarily shiver.
The Kemal Arena—for most citizens living in the empire, this was a name so familiar it needed no introduction. For the martial-loving people of the empire, their passion for martial duels could easily be compared to the Romans’ love for gladiatorial combat.
As the largest arena in the empire, the Kemal Arena’s reputation had long spread to every corner of the empire. In fact, there was even a saying in the empire: In an imperial city, there might not be a mayor or a police station, but there would definitely be a Kemal Arena.
The only arena that could rival the Kemal Arena was the Royal Arena, owned by the imperial family and representing the highest honor for martial artists in the empire.
However, unlike the Royal Arena, which was only open once a year and invited only the most elite martial artists, the Kemal Arena’s fame came precisely from its accessibility to the common people.
The Kemal Arena had no requirements for the qualifications of its combatants. Whether you were a commoner or a noble, a criminal or an official, even a dog—as long as you could pay the required fee, you could become a “gladiator” with official match qualifications in the Kemal Arena.
For example, Zhang Wen and his group, who had just entered the Kemal Arena. After each paying two hundred imperial shields, they quickly became “apprentice gladiators” of the Kemal Arena.
“Welcome to the Kemal Arena as our gladiators. Here are your registration cards; please keep them safe! All your match rewards from the arena will be directly deposited into these cards. You can use this registration card at any bank or store in the empire.” The female clerk handling the procedures said as she handed three beautifully crafted Mind Arts cards to Zhang Wen—this did not include Zhang Wen’s card.
In fact, while Zhang Wen was practicing the Spring Water Technique, he had always used the Kemal Arena as the best place to accumulate practical combat experience. Before he hit a bottleneck in his Spring Water Technique training, Zhang Wen would come to the Kemal Arena almost every day to spar with others. In the past six months, he had definitely visited the Kemal Arena over a hundred times.
However, considering the rules of Almis Academy, Zhang Wen always took great care to disguise his appearance so that no one would recognize him. Today was the first time he had walked in openly, which was why the clerk didn’t recognize him.
“Oh? Rewards? You can get rewards for matches here?” After hearing the clerk’s explanation, Zhang Wen, who was already familiar with the arena’s rules, naturally had no reaction. But Zack, who was visiting such a place for the first time, immediately became a curious child.
Given the Kemal Arena’s reputation in the empire, its rules were even more widely known than the emperor’s name. Frankly, if someone else had asked this question, the clerk would have probably rolled her eyes in exasperation.
However, looking at Zack and Cloud’s handsome faces, which could make women scream, and Zhang Wen’s mature charm, the clerk’s eyes were filled with stars. Not only did she not mind Zack’s somewhat silly question, but she would probably have happily answered even if he had asked her the color of her underwear today.
Sure enough, the clerk quickly, with unparalleled patience and eyes full of stars, explained to Zack: “Yes, after becoming a gladiator at our Kemal Arena, you can indeed receive rewards. And the rewards are quite generous! Hehe! Just making it into the top 64 of our Kemal Arena’s year-end rankings will earn you a million imperial shields each! And if you can win the year-end finals and earn the title of ‘Kemal’s Strongest Gladiator,’ the rewards you can get are probably beyond your imagination!” When the clerk said the last sentence, she deliberately winked mysteriously at Zack.
Although Zack’s father, who was a commander in the Shinra Army, was a prominent noble in the empire, the strict upbringing of the Shinra family had always left Zack with very limited pocket money. So much so that Zack, the popular handsome guy at Almis Academy, hadn’t even dared to get a girlfriend yet. Now, with a chance to improve his financial situation, Zack was overjoyed.
“So, if we win the match later, we’ll get a reward?” He quickly asked again with a smile.
“I’m afraid not.” Seeing Zack’s eagerness, the clerk immediately smiled and said, “Our Kemal Arena’s rewards are generous, so we must set corresponding rules to prevent cheating. You’ve just registered at our Kemal Arena today, so you only have the most basic ‘apprentice gladiator’ qualification. Before you can be promoted to a bounty gladiator, you won’t receive any rewards.”
“How can that be?” Zack’s face fell in disappointment, but he quickly smiled again with hope. “So, to get rewards, we just need to become bounty gladiators, right? What do we need to do to become bounty gladiators?”
“You want to become a bounty gladiator?” The clerk looked at Zack and Cloud again, smiling and shaking her head. Although the clerk tried to hide her condescension, the curl of her lips betrayed her true feelings—just looking at their faces, it was clear these two youngsters couldn’t be martial arts masters!
The clerk looked down on Zack in her heart, but because of his handsome face, she was still very willing to explain further: “Our Kemal Arena is different from other small arenas in the empire. Here, the number of bounty gladiators in each arena is fixed! See that wall over there?” The clerk pointed to a stone wall in the center of the arena’s main hall.
“I see it.” Zack nodded.
In fact, when Zack and the others had first entered the Kemal Arena’s building with Zhang Wen, they had already noticed the stone wall at the most prominent spot at the entrance.
The stone wall was about two meters high and three meters wide. The material wasn’t anything special—just ordinary marble. However, on both sides of the wall, there were four heavily armed guards. On the front of the wall, there were neatly carved rows of square indentations, most of which were filled with identity plaques made of different materials.
“Those identity plaques are the symbols of our Kemal Arena’s bounty gladiators.” The clerk said to Zack, her eyes filled with pride. “Each plaque corresponds to a bounty gladiator. Currently, there are 120 bounty gladiators in this arena. If you want to become one, you must challenge them.”
“Then what are we waiting for? Arrange it for me right away!” Zack was eager and excited again.
“Heh heh, don’t be in such a hurry. Challenging a bounty gladiator isn’t that simple! According to our Kemal Arena’s rules, bounty gladiators are divided into five levels: Imperial Gladiator, Galactic Gladiator, Planetary Gladiator, Elite Gladiator, and Honorary Gladiator. To challenge a higher-level gladiator, you must first obtain the qualification to challenge the level below. So, the only level you can hope to challenge right now is the Honorary Gladiator.” The clerk said, smiling and raising her eyebrows at Zack. “But as you can see, we only have 51 Honorary Gladiators here. There are over a thousand apprentice gladiators. If everyone could just apply to fight an Honorary Gladiator, they would be exhausted. So, before you can challenge an Honorary Gladiator, you must first obtain the corresponding qualification.”
“Got it! Got it! Let me fight other apprentice gladiators right away! What are you waiting for?” Before the clerk could finish, Zack, impatient, couldn’t help but shout.
“Then follow me.” The clerk casually waved her hand and finally led Zhang Wen’s group toward the core area of the arena’s first floor.
In fact, when Zhang Wen was cultivating the Spring Water Technique, he had always regarded Kemal Arena as the best place to accumulate practical combat experience. Before his Spring Water Technique cultivation hit a bottleneck, Zhang Wen almost visited Kemal Arena every day to spar with others. In the past six months alone, he had definitely visited Kemal Arena more than a hundred times.
However, considering the school regulations of Almeyth Academy, Zhang Wen always took great pains to conceal his appearance whenever he visited the arena so others wouldn’t recognize him. This was the first time he had walked in so openly. Therefore, the female clerk handling the procedures didn’t recognize him.
“Oh? Rewards? You can actually get rewards for competing here?” After listening to the clerk’s explanation, Zhang Wen, who was already well-versed in the arena’s rules, naturally had no reaction. However, Zack, who was visiting such a place for the first time, immediately turned into a curious child.
With Kemal Arena’s reputation throughout the Empire, its rules were practically more widely known than the Emperor’s name himself. Honestly speaking, if anyone else had asked such a question, the clerk might have already rolled her eyes in annoyance.
However, looking at the handsome faces of Zack and Cloud in front of her, faces so attractive they could make women scream, and the mature masculine presence of Zhang Wen, the clerk’s eyes sparkled with stars. Not only was Zack’s question somewhat naive, but even if he had asked the clerk what color underwear she was wearing today, she would probably have blushed and obediently told him.
Sure enough, the clerk quickly, with stars in her eyes, patiently explained to Zack: “Yes, indeed! Once you become a fighter at Kemal Arena, you can definitely receive rewards. And the rewards are quite generous! Haha! To say nothing of other things, just making it into the top sixty-four of Kemal Arena’s annual rankings will earn each person a prize of one million Imperial Marks! And if you can win the annual final and earn the title of ‘Kemal’s Strongest Fighter,’ the rewards you receive would probably be beyond your imagination!” The clerk winked mysteriously at Zack when she said the last sentence.
Although Zack’s father, the commander of the Shinra military, was considered a high-ranking noble in the Empire, the strict family discipline of the Shinra family had always kept Zack’s allowance very tight. It even reached the point where Zack, the popular heartthrob at Almeyth Academy, hadn’t dared to have a girlfriend yet. Now, presented with the opportunity to improve his dire financial situation, Zack was overjoyed.
“So, does that mean if we win our matches later on, we’ll also get prize money?” He eagerly asked with a smile.
“That might not be possible,” the clerk replied with a smile, noticing Zack’s eagerness. “The rewards at Kemal Arena are indeed generous, so we must set corresponding rules to prevent cheating. Since you’ve only just registered at Kemal Arena today, you currently only have the most basic ‘apprentice fighter’ status. Before you can be promoted to a bounty fighter at the arena, you won’t be eligible to receive any rewards.”
“How come?” Zack frowned in disappointment but quickly smiled with renewed hope. “If that’s the case, all I need to do is become a bounty fighter, right? So, what are the requirements to become a bounty fighter?”
“You want to become a bounty fighter?” The clerk looked Zack and Cloud up and down again, smiling as she shook her head. Although the clerk tried her best to hide her disdain, the upturned corner of her mouth still revealed her true thoughts—just by looking at their faces, it was obvious these two young men couldn’t possibly be martial arts experts!
Although the clerk mentally looked down on Zack, she was still quite willing to explain further for the sake of his handsome face: “Kemal Arena is different from other small arenas in the Empire. Here, the number of bounty fighters in each arena is fixed! Do you see that wall over there?” As she spoke, the clerk pointed toward a stone wall standing in the central hall of the arena.
“I see,” Zack nodded.
In fact, when Zack and the others followed Zhang Wen into the Kemal Arena building, they had already noticed that stone wall standing at the most prominent location at the entrance of the building.
The stone wall was about two meters high and approximately three meters wide. The material wasn’t rare, just common marble. However, on both sides of the wall, there were four guards armed with loaded guns standing watch. On the front of the wall, neatly carved were dozens of rows of square-shaped indentations of similar size. Most of these indentations contained identity plaques made from various materials.
“Those identity plaques are the symbols of the bounty fighters at Kemal Arena,” the clerk said to Zack, her eyes filled with pride. “Each identity plaque corresponds to a bounty fighter. Currently, there are exactly one hundred and twenty bounty fighters in this arena. If you wish to become a bounty fighter, you must challenge them.”
“What are we waiting for then? Hurry up and arrange it for me!” Zack became excited again, eager to proceed.
“Hehe, don’t be in such a hurry. Challenging a bounty fighter isn’t that simple! According to the rules of Kemal Arena, bounty fighters are divided into five ranks: Imperial Fighter, Galactic Fighter, Planetary Fighter, Elite Fighter, and Honor Fighter. To challenge a higher-ranked fighter, you must first obtain the qualification to challenge the lower rank. Therefore, the only rank you can currently hope to challenge is the Honor Fighter.” As the clerk spoke, she raised her eyebrows at Zack with a teasing smile. “However, as you can see, we only have fifty-one Honor Fighters here at Kemal Arena. But there are thousands of apprentice fighters. If everyone could just randomly request a match against an Honor Fighter, they’d be worn out from exhaustion. Therefore, before challenging an Honor Fighter, you must first obtain the corresponding challenge qualification.”
“Right, right! Please continue!” Zack excitedly nodded.
“Hehe! Don’t underestimate the Honor Fighters at Kemal Arena just because they’re the lowest rank among the bounty fighters. They’ve all fought their way through countless battles,” the clerk couldn’t help but purse her lips in amusement at Zack’s excitement. “Alright. If you really want to challenge them, you must win at least ten out of the next fifteen matches against other apprentice fighters. Only then can you earn the right to challenge an Honor Fighter. Also, I should mention that if your challenge fails, you will automatically lose your apprentice fighter status. If you want to challenge again, you’ll have to pay another 200 Imperial Marks registration fee and start from the beginning.”
“Got it! Got it! Hurry up and let me fight against other apprentice fighters! What are you waiting for?” Before the clerk had even finished speaking, the impatient Zack couldn’t help but shout out.
“Then follow me,” the clerk shrugged indifferently, finally leading Zhang Wen’s group toward the core area of the arena’s first floor.
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