Chapter 151: The Booming Dueling Arena

Ticket prices soared, and numbers surged sharply. Operators of Secret Realm entrances across various regions were overjoyed, even going so far as to advertise for Jiang Yan for free in pursuit of profit.

They relentlessly fueled the rivalry between Martial Artists from Tianyuan Star and Blue Star, profiting immensely from it and reveling in their success.

The Martial Artists of Tianyuan Star had truly been ensnared by capital’s schemes.

Yet, because of this, more people genuinely came to understand what had transpired in the Hundred Prisons Hunting Ground.

The central region, richest in resources, was now occupied by Jiang Yan. All major treasure sites were claimed and divided under his banner.

The Dueling Arena became the sole ticket for Martial Artists to access these treasure sites.

An exciting piece of news began circulating online:

“As long as Martial Artists duel three times a day, they can earn one hour of usage time at a treasure site! Regardless of victory or defeat!”

Driven by capital, this news quickly spread across the entire network.

Everyone grew envious.

Why did most people dare not enter the Hundred Prisons Hunting Ground?

Precisely because it was extremely perilous. Martial Artists there lived in a state of daily warfare, akin to licking blood from a blade’s edge.

But now, all it took was three Duels to earn an hour at a treasure site. How could they not be thrilled?

“The Dueling Arena is great! It must stay open!”

“Enough talk. Anyone want to team up and head to the Hundred Prisons Hunting Ground? 1/1000.”

“I’m in! 2/1000.”

“Me too! 3/1000.”

…

The Hundred Prisons Hunting Ground experienced a massive surge in traffic due to Jiang Yan’s actions.

Once notorious for slaughter and danger, the hunting ground had now transformed into a tourist attraction. People’s perceptions of the Hundred Prisons quietly crumbled during this time.

Myriad Pottery Academy, Dragon Soar Academy, Starfall Academy…

The names of these factions appeared on the list of those Jiang Yan had defeated. Everyone viewed these organizations as laughingstocks.

That same day, Myriad Pottery Academy issued an official statement:

“Our Myriad Pottery Academy had no strong defenders stationed at our Hundred Prisons Hunting Ground outpost. Losing to Jiang Yan was only natural.”

“Today, our academy announces that we will dispatch true academy Prodigies to the Hundred Prisons Hunting Ground to investigate!”

“Please stay tuned for further developments.”

Simultaneously, Dragon Soar Academy made a similarly grand promise, their reasoning none other than:

“Not in top form.”

They then declared they would send genuine powerhouses to the Hundred Prisons Hunting Ground to reclaim their outpost.

Currently, only Dragon Soar Academy and Myriad Pottery Academy had stepped forward to speak.

As two of Tianyuan Star’s four major academies, these institutions boasted profound heritage and renowned reputations. Naturally, having their outposts seized by a single individual felt like a blow to their prestige.

Now, the only chance to restore their honor was to send their own academy’s Geniuses, defeat Jiang Yan fair and square, and reclaim their dignity!

Meanwhile, in the Hundred Prisons Hunting Ground…

With a fresh wave of newcomers entering the Secret Realm, Jiang Yan’s Dueling Arena was experiencing unprecedented popularity.

The first wave of subdued Martial Artists had now become cogs in the arena’s machinery, maintaining order and ensuring smooth operations throughout the entire Dueling Arena.

A man with a bruised and swollen face jumped down from the arena platform. Instead of looking dejected from the beating, his face radiated a smug smile.

“Finally finished three matches. Can I exchange for Duel Coins now?”

“Of course you can.”

A sweet-looking girl answered quietly, then led the man to the simply built counter to collect the Duel Coin.

The Duel Coin was engraved with a special magic array pattern, a common anti-counterfeiting method on Tianyuan Star.

The man held the crimson-gold, round Duel Coin in his hand, his face beaming with joy.

“With this, can I enter any cultivation treasure ground within your faction?”

“Yes, sir. However, one Duel Coin only allows for one hour of cultivation, and it cannot be traded. We keep identity records here.”

“Great! Great! Great!”

Overjoyed, the man clutched the Duel Coin and dashed out of the Dueling Arena, not even bothering with the injuries he had sustained during the earlier arena fight.

Enduring three beatings to earn an hour of cultivation time—for these Rogue Cultivator Martial Artists who had long survived on the scraps left by Geniuses, how was this any different from picking up free money?

Moreover, the Dueling Arena strictly forbade killing, allowing Martial Artists to avoid the risk of death. This was a completely different experience compared to the usual life-and-death struggles for cultivation resources.

“Wow, it’s really possible to exchange for Duel Coins. I heard from outside that one Duel Coin can be exchanged for an hour of cultivation time. I want to give it a try too.”

“I’m sorry, sir. The Dueling Arena has reached its maximum capacity. Please wait patiently.”

The staff member smiled, their attitude exceptionally courteous.

No particular reason—just the salary.

No need to fight in the arena, no need to scramble for resources, with a daily wage of one Duel Coin—this was a privilege only for the first batch of Martial Artists Jiang Yan had recruited.

“Hurry, hurry, hurry! I’ll queue up here first. When will it be my turn?”

“Sir, you can scan this QR code to make an appointment. The app will notify you when it’s your turn to enter the arena.”

The staff member took out a QR code, smiling as they addressed the Martial Artist in front of them.

The Martial Artist scanned the QR code and couldn’t help but curse.

“Damn, I’m already number 10,003 in line!?”

“How long will I have to wait for that!?”

“Sorry, sir. The arena is currently being expanded, which may cause some inconvenience.”

The price of explosive popularity was—production capacity couldn’t keep up.

But Jiang Yan didn’t care. The absorption of Battle Intent had a certain range.

The purpose of establishing the Dueling Arena was to absorb Battle Intent. If the range were too large, it would become troublesome, requiring constant movement from place to place.

Jiang Yan’s goal wasn’t to expand the Dueling Arena industry but to absorb Battle Intent. This priority couldn’t be reversed.

If he really wanted to expand, it would have to be built upward and downward. However, Martial Artists possessed immense destructive power, and with limited engineering capabilities, constructing multi-story buildings capable of withstanding their attacks was still somewhat challenging.

The current setup was just fine.

On over a dozen arenas, Martial Artists continuously engaged in battles, allowing Jiang Yan to absorb the pure Battle Intent they emitted at every moment.

Now, the accumulated Battle Intent could condense into two and a half War Ruins Engravings—truly rapid progress!

Once he had absorbed enough Battle Intent, he would retreat to the Heroic Spirit Abundant Domain, which belonged to him alone. Jiang Yan’s comfortable life couldn’t be better.

The next day, the Dueling Arena was as bustling as ever.

However, a commotion of quarreling and uproar caught the attention of the Martial Artists present.

“What kind of lousy Dueling Arena is this? How dare you open a business here without any real strength?”

“Sir, if you wish to make an appointment, please wait patiently. I—”

Slap!

The newcomer swaggered into the service hall, spouting nonsense before slapping the female staff member who had come to greet him without another word.

“Who told you to speak? I’m in a foul mood right now, set up a ring for me immediately so I can blow off some steam!”

“Still making me wait in line? I’m a True Intent Martial Artist, where do I need to queue up?”

The waitress sniffled, forcing herself not to cry.

“Can’t cry, I have a salary to earn, can’t cry…”

“Fuck, still pretending to be pitiful in front of me, you—”

The man raised his hand, about to strike, when suddenly a shadow loomed over him from behind.

A strong, powerful hand gripped his wrist.

The strength of the True Intent Realm was instantly suppressed.

A sinister voice came from behind him.

“I heard… you’re quite something?”