Premeditated Provocation and a Life and Death Arena

The Golden Lion Arena had rooms specifically reserved for nobles to rest in.

Chen Mu and William had been staying inside the Golden Lion Arena these past few days.

During the day, Chen Mu continued to participate in three Sparring Fights as usual.

It was not that he did not want to enter more, but strict rules stated that each person could participate in at most three matches a day.

Chen Mu's real combat ability was improving at a visibly rapid pace.

Even William had to marvel at his talent.

By now, the nickname "Lionheart" was already widely known throughout the Golden Lion Arena.

After all, Chen Mu had participated in sixteen Sparring Fights and had yet to lose a single one.

After removing his armor in the changing room, Chen Mu put his outer robe back on.

He stepped out of the changing room and walked along the circular corridor.

Having just finished a Sparring Fight, Chen Mu was preparing to get something to eat.

The next moment, a man walking toward him seemed not to notice him and rammed his shoulder straight into Chen Mu's body.

Chen Mu frowned and instinctively tried to dodge, but he was still struck head-on.

The collision of their shoulders produced a heavy thud.

He did that on purpose.

That was Chen Mu's first thought.

He looked up at the sallow-faced man before him.

"I know you. You're that Lionheart whose name's been getting around lately, aren't you?

What kind of bullshit Sparring Fights are those? They're games for children, especially for a pretty boy like you!"

The man made no effort to conceal his hostility.

His tone and gaze were filled with undisguised contempt.

Chen Mu immediately sensed that something was off. Since coming to the Golden Lion Arena, he had not offended anyone.

Nor did he think he was the sort of protagonist who would get inexplicably provoked while simply walking down the street.

After all, he had been transmigrated for so long, yet this had never happened before.

The man before him was clearly targeting him.

This was premeditated. His purpose was even to provoke Chen Mu.

Chen Mu's first instinct was that his winning streak over the past few days might have affected someone's interests.

"Brat, what the fuck are you looking at? If you've got the guts, come fight me on the Life and Death Stage. Do you dare?"

Seeing that Chen Mu remained silent, the sallow-faced man assumed he was afraid and became even more aggressive.

Upon hearing that, Chen Mu's heart turned cold.

A chilling killing intent rose within him unconsciously, but his expression did not change in the slightest.

Because in his eyes, the man before him was already dead, regardless of who stood behind him.

By then, he had also confirmed that this man had come specifically to provoke him. His goal was naturally to make Chen Mu enter a Life and Death Arena.

"I'll smash your mouth, then beat you to death."

Chen Mu's voice was calm.

He did not ask such idiotic questions as who had sent him.

Since whoever stood behind this man wanted him to enter a Life and Death Arena, Chen Mu would grant that wish.

He just did not know whether that person could bear the consequences.

Chen Mu was not the sort of gentleman who believed revenge could wait ten years. In fact, he was no gentleman at all.

His principle was to repay every grudge, morning or night.

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, the man did not continue provoking him. Instead, he looked at Chen Mu with a trace of pity in his eyes. "I hope your fists are as hard as your mouth when we get on the stage!"

Naturally, Chen Mu was not an impulsive fool who would immediately go register for a Life and Death Arena. Instead, he first sought out William and told him what had happened.

After hearing him out, William's expression did not change in the slightest. He merely nodded lightly and agreed to let Chen Mu participate in a Life and Death Arena.

However, standing very close to William, Chen Mu could clearly sense the change in him.

The atmosphere turned cold and sharp in an instant.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but Chen Mu could even smell blood in the air.

If Chen Mu had to describe what William resembled at that moment, he would say a lone wolf—a lone wolf covered in scars.

Dogs that bite do not bark, and wolves were even more so.

A wolf would silently gnaw all the flesh from your body before crushing your bones between its teeth.

Chen Mu had not forgotten William's nickname: the Greedy Wolf Knight! "Go ahead, Young Master. I'll watch from the stands.

Rest assured, there is only one possible outcome for a Life and Death Arena: his death. As for the person behind him, hehe..."

William spoke with a soft chuckle.

As he spoke, he ran his tongue along the gaps between his teeth.

A Life and Death Arena was different from a Sparring Fight. Not only was the registration process far more complicated, but participants also had to sign their names on a life-and-death waiver.

After signing his name, Chen Mu returned to the changing room without saying a word.

Instead of putting on heavy armor, he removed his outer robe and changed into the unique attire for a Life and Death Arena.

The upper body of this attire was completely bare, without the slightest protection.

Moreover, weapons were not allowed in a Life and Death Arena, so all Chen Mu could rely on were his fists.

Chen Mu closed his eyes as memories related to fighting surfaced one by one in his mind.

His unarmed combat proficiency was even higher than his archery, having reached Proficiency Level.

He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, but there was always a fire in his heart that he could not breathe out.

His rapidly increasing strength, along with fighting while suppressing it, had already caused some things to build up inside Chen Mu.

If those things remained unvented for too long, they could even affect Chen Mu's mental state.

It was like how, if someone suddenly gained power, their first thought would most likely be destruction, crime, or release.

There was a saying in Chen Mu's past life: martial heroes break the law through force. It described precisely this situation.

The power the Simulator had instilled in Chen Mu had also been acquired suddenly. It was not something he had cultivated day by day, so naturally, he harbored such thoughts to some extent.

That was also part of the reason he had agreed to this Life and Death Arena.

Even without this man's sudden provocation, Chen Mu might still have registered for one in the next couple of days.

There was a knock on the changing room door, followed by a respectful voice from outside.

"Mr. Lionheart, you have been assigned to the Third Arena for this Life and Death Arena. Your opponent is Mr. Sickle."

Chen Mu pushed open the changing room door, nodded, and followed behind the attendant.

"Lionheart! Why is he participating in a Life and Death Arena? Hasn't he always been in Sparring Fights?"

"He's far too full of himself. Sparring Fights and Life and Death Arenas are completely different things. It looks like this Lionheart was only a flash in the pan."

"His body is so good. I wonder what he's like in bed..."

As Chen Mu stepped onto the stage designated for Life and Death Arenas, the stands instantly became somewhat noisy.

Because of his consecutive victories in Sparring Fights over the past few days, many of the spectators present had a deep impression of Chen Mu, who went by the nickname Lionheart.

Countless people whispered among themselves, seemingly trying to read something from one another's faces.

Since the distance was not great, Chen Mu could naturally hear their discussions.

Chen Mu's gaze instinctively turned toward William in the front row.

William sat in the very front with an expression as calm as still water. When he saw Chen Mu looking at him, he gave a slight nod.

Chen Mu withdrew his gaze and returned it to the sallow-faced man before him.

As expected, a premeditated Life and Death Arena.

The opponents in a Life and Death Arena were supposed to be randomly assigned.

This man had just provoked him, yet after he registered for a Life and Death Arena, his opponent happened to be that very man. Chen Mu did not believe there had been no manipulation behind the scenes.

The man before him wore a sinister grin, as if his scheme had succeeded.

He looked at Chen Mu like a hunter looking at prey awaiting slaughter.

At that moment, Chen Mu also bared his teeth in a smile.

There was something indescribable and cruel in that smile.

I'm the prey? Then let's see whether you, the hunter, can withstand my fangs!

Please support with Follow-up Reading~ The second chapter will be out this afternoon~