Chapter 148: Dueling Rules

“Bro Jiang, what should we do next?”

Since Yang Qing was willing to stay, he had genuinely decided in his heart to follow Jiang Yan and accomplish something great.

Although he was a True Intent Realm Martial Artist, he had already graduated for two years, and his Talent was far inferior to those Prodigies who had achieved a Breakthrough to the True Intent Realm during their university years.

Yang Qing had always harbored a sense of frustration, long weary and trapped in this situation of being neither outstanding nor completely mediocre.

The most miserable students in this world were not the low achievers, nor those high-and-mighty top students.

It was students like him, Yang Qing—caught in the middle, able to easily surpass ordinary people without much effort, yet unable to cross the threshold of super Prodigies even with all his might!

If he could truly make a name for himself alongside Jiang Yan in the Hundred Prisons Hunting Ground, then Yang Qing would consider his life well-lived.

“Didn’t I say it last night? At the latest, I will start attacking other strongholds and seizing treasure lands tomorrow.”

Jiang Yan replied leisurely, showing no particular reaction to Yang Qing’s change of heart.

The Hundred Prisons Hunting Ground was merely a transitional phase; the Dueling Arena was just a stepping stone for him to grow stronger. Jiang Yan didn’t care about issues of loyalty in the people he used.

As long as they were useful, that was enough.

This applied to Yang Qing, to Xue Han, and to everyone else as well.

“Bro Jiang, now that you’ve won over the hearts of the stronghold, is the next step to gather them and attack other strongholds?”

Yang Qing was eager and excited, his face flushed red, showing a hint of impatience for quick success.

With Jiang Yan leading, could Yang Qing be considered a soldier under the marshal’s command?

“Who said I won them over to attack strongholds together?”

Unexpectedly, Jiang Yan’s answer took Yang Qing completely by surprise.

“Then you…”

“The Dueling Arena needs manpower to operate, and they happen to be suitable.”

Yang Qing nodded, thinking his reasoning made sense, but quickly realized something.

“Then who will attack the strongholds?”

Jiang Yan: “Me.”

Yang Qing: “Me?”

Jiang Yan shook his head: “Not you.”

Yang Qing: ʕ(ⓛ–ⓛ)ʔ

“Bro, are you really going to fight alone? I thought you were rallying people to do something big, but in the end, it’s still just you going into battle?”

Jiang Yan stood up: “Of course, we’re going to do something big. The Dueling Arena must be built to accommodate at least ten thousand people or more!”

The faction doesn’t necessarily have to be large, but the Dueling Arena must be big, very big!

Night.

The usage time for the Heroic Spirit Abundant Domain ended.

The people inside were politely ushered out one by one by Yang Qing.

The Martial Artists wore smiles on their faces. Although they were somewhat reluctant to leave the Heroic Spirit Abundant Domain, they also felt that Jiang Yan had already treated them well enough, and staying any longer would be excessive.

…Mainly because they couldn’t defeat Jiang Yan.

At the exit of the Heroic Spirit Abundant Domain, a crowd had already gathered.

“Bro Jiang, say no more. Just for keeping your word on this matter, I, Wang Chong, will follow you!”

“Wow, that was amazing. It’s the first time I’ve stayed in the Heroic Spirit Abundant Domain for so long. Damn, what kind of miserable life was I living before?”

“The Wraith Essence in this large Heroic Spirit Abundant Domain is extremely abundant. I cultivated for a day and felt my Spiritual Power has greatly improved. I’m afraid it won’t be long before I can Breakthrough to the Cave Heaven Realm!”

“If only we could use the Heroic Spirit Abundant Domain every day.”

“Nonsense, be content with using it for a day. How could anyone keep such a precious treasure land open all the time?”

The crowd murmured in discussion, all marveling at the wonders of the Heroic Spirit Abundant Domain. Amid their admiration, they did not forget to praise Jiang Yan, with words of acclaim echoing endlessly.

Jiang Yan stood at the forefront of the crowd, waiting for the discussion to subside before speaking up.

“Everyone, today’s free usage time has been exhausted. Please return next time.”

After saying this, he closed his mouth and quietly observed the reactions of the Martial Artists.

“Ah, as expected, we can’t enter anymore—huh? Wait, what did he say?”

“Next time! He said next time!”

“Does that mean we still have a chance to cultivate in such a treasure trove?”

“A good man! A truly great man!”

“If what Jiang Yan says is true, I, Qian Duo, am willing to follow him to the death!”

Seeing their reactions align with his expectations, Jiang Yan shifted his gaze to Yang Qing.

Yang Qing understood instantly and stepped forward.

“Everyone, Bro Jiang intends to establish a Dueling Arena—well, that flat ground you dug up this morning.”

“As long as you participate in the Dueling Arena and reach a certain Rank Tier, you will earn a currency called [Duel Coins].”

“With these coins, you can exchange for usage time in treasure troves like the Heroic Spirit Abundant Domain, among other things.”

…

Yang Qing rambled on at length, explaining the rules of Jiang Yan’s Dueling Arena and the currency exchange system to the group in detail. Finally, he stopped and, together with Jiang Yan, observed their reactions.

As expected, this novel combat model piqued the curiosity of these Martial Artists, who spent their days embroiled in battles over various territories.

They debated the feasibility of the Dueling Arena and eventually reached a conclusion—

It was feasible—or perhaps not.

A logically clear young woman was pushed forward by the Martial Artists to publicly question Jiang Yan.

“You say that with Duel Coins, we can exchange for usage time in various treasure troves. But in all matters, strength reigns supreme. If most weaker individuals can’t reach the Rank Tier you mentioned, wouldn’t they never get to enjoy these treasure troves?”

“Could it be that you’ll lower the Rank Tier restrictions so ordinary Martial Artists like us can also reach the corresponding tiers and earn Duel Coins?”

Jiang Yan looked at the young woman and smiled. “No.”

He added, “Moreover, advancing in Rank Tier will be very difficult.”

The crowd’s mood immediately turned somber.

If advancing in Rank Tier was difficult, it meant higher tiers would be monopolized by the strong. How would that differ from the current situation in the Hundred Prisons Hunt?

“But—”

What Jiang Yan said next reignited everyone’s excitement.

“As long as you participate in three or more Duels every day, regardless of victory or defeat, you will receive a guaranteed one Duel Coin.”

“And one Duel Coin can be exchanged for one hour of usage time in the Heroic Spirit Abundant Domain!”

Boom!

These words were like a bomb dropped into the crowd, stirring up a whirlwind of emotions in everyone’s hearts.

“One hour!”

“That’s right, one hour. I, Jiang Yan, mean what I say.”

Jiang Yan spread his arms wide, speaking with boldness and grandeur. His upright figure seemed godlike in the eyes of the crowd.

Having enjoyed a day of free usage in the Heroic Spirit Abundant Domain, these people now held an unusually high level of trust in Jiang Yan.

Thus, even though his words sounded too fantastical, many still took them to heart.

Everyone was a gambler.

“What if? What if what he says is true?”

This thought lingered persistently.

“When will the Dueling Arena open? I want to participate!”

“I want to participate too!”

Jiang Yan looked at their reactions with satisfaction, as if he could already see vast amounts of Battle Intent flowing in.

If the Dueling Arena grows large, the entire Hundred Prisons Hunting Ground will become Jiang Yan’s Battle Intent containment facility!

At that time, Jiang Yan’s Combat Power will experience a sharp increase.

“We’ll start as soon as the Dueling Arena is built.”

“By the way, I have another question—if so many of us use the Heroic Spirit Abundant Domain at the same time, will it really be enough?”

The girl’s question dampened the crowd’s fighting spirit, forcing them to think calmly.

“That’s right, if we all share one Heroic Spirit Abundant Domain, it’ll be used up in at most a month. Wouldn’t that mean this Dueling Arena can only last about a month?”

Such doubts arose in their minds.

Jiang Yan looked approvingly at the girl who had asked such a tricky question, thinking to himself that in a past life, she would have been an excellent straight man in a comedy duo.

“Treasure lands—I’ll naturally go and seize them.”

“Not only will I use them, but you’ll all have your share to use as well!”