Tampering

Butcher Girl stopped before the entrance to the Underground Arena and looked up at the pitch-black iron gate.

Fan Lang noticed and stopped as well, turning back to ask, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to look at the entrance. I used to be locked up inside. I didn't get out for years," Butcher Girl answered. She was still wearing her evil ghost mask, so her expression could not be seen.

"You used to be a gladiator, but today you're a guest. Relax. Forget all those unpleasant things from the past."

"Some pain can make a person stronger. I won't forget it, and I can't forget it anyway."

"Suit yourself."

Fan Lang was no life coach. He had no interest in feeding Butcher Girl comforting platitudes, so he turned and walked into the Underground Arena.

The moment he entered, he heard a noisy clamor. This was the norm in the Underground Arena.

Fan Lang found Dou Bin and had him arrange a duel for him.

"The Big Boss gave the word yesterday. From now on, the Big Boss will personally arrange all your duels. I can't make that decision. Go wait in the lounge first. I'll notify you when there's news," Dou Bin said as he puffed clouds of smoke from his large pipe.

"Fine. As long as there's someone to fight, it doesn't matter who arranges it," Fan Lang said indifferently.

After that, Fan Lang headed for the lounge with Butcher Girl.

On the way, they ran into another gladiator. He had yellow hair and an unremarkable face.

When the yellow-haired man saw Butcher Girl, he grinned. "Butcher Girl, I heard someone won you and set you free. Why are you back here? Don't tell me you came back looking for me?"

"Shut your filthy mouth, Yellow Lightning. Where I go is my business. It has nothing to do with you," Butcher Girl said coldly.

"You still have that rotten temper. It's so lovable. Remember when I dueled you and grabbed you once? That felt really good! Hahaha!" Yellow Lightning said with a broad laugh.

Fan Lang frowned at the words. Yellow Lightning's smug face irritated him immensely.

He raised his hand, Mystic Power flowing through his arm and gathering there.

Butcher Girl noticed something was off with Fan Lang. She raised a hand to press down his arm and whispered, "The Underground Arena has rules. Don't act recklessly. He isn't worth turning against the Underground Arena over. Let's go."

Rules!

Every place and every group had rules, and some rules were beyond Fan Lang's ability to break for now.

Fan Lang forced down his anger and walked past with a grim face. Butcher Girl followed behind him.

Yellow Lightning guessed that the two of them did not dare make a move, so he added a few more offensive remarks before leaving with a laugh.

Once they reached the lounge, Fan Lang sat down, composed himself, and put the earlier displeasure out of his mind.

The room was silent for a while before Butcher Girl suddenly said, "I'm still a virgin."

"Huh?" Fan Lang was taken aback. The topic had come up rather suddenly.

"I had an agreement with the Underground Arena. As long as I obediently served as a gladiator, they wouldn't force me to give up my virginity. So I'm still a virgin."

"Why tell me this all of a sudden?"

"Yellow Lightning said something improper earlier. I was afraid you might misunderstand. No woman would like that kind of misunderstanding."

"I see." Fan Lang laughed awkwardly.

The topic was somewhat suggestive. After explaining herself, Butcher Girl said nothing more and sank into a long silence.

After a while, Dou Bin sent someone over to say that Fan Lang's opponent had been arranged. The opponent was a Mystic Spirit, slightly stronger than the Wind Fire Brothers.

Before the battle, Dou Bin reminded Fan Lang to show some restraint and not kill his opponent. Fan Lang agreed to the request.

Fan Lang's odds for this duel were very low. Even betting on his victory would not earn much, yet enthusiasm for betting on Fan Lang was still high.

Relying on the skills he had recently learned, along with all sorts of cheating advantages, Fan Lang won rather easily. The opponents arranged for him afterward were all Mystic Spirits, and he fought three matches in a row.

The three duels in which he challenged opponents above his level allowed Fan Lang to level up once more, reaching level five Mystic General!

The fourth duel.

Fan Lang faced another Mystic Spirit opponent. He had just leveled up and grown stronger, so the fight was even easier than before. He completely suppressed his opponent and utterly crushed him.

Inside a luxurious private room.

The owner of the Underground Arena watched Fan Lang's fighting form with narrowed eyes and suddenly said, "How strange. His performance in this match is clearly stronger than in the last one. In less than half a day, his strength has improved so quickly."

"Could he have hidden his true strength before and only revealed it now?" Dou Bin analyzed from beside him.

"I watch people duel and kill each other all day. My eye is sharp, and I won't be mistaken. His strength really did increase by a great deal within half a day."

"That's far too abnormal."

"That's why I said this kid is strange."

The Big Boss once again used the word strange to describe Fan Lang.

Dou Bin looked toward Fan Lang in the Duel Arena and found the description increasingly fitting. When something was abnormal, there had to be something sinister behind it. A freak like Fan Lang truly could be called strange!

"For the next duel, have him fight Yellow Lightning. Before it starts, add a little something to his water. Understand? Over the past two days, he's made the Underground Arena lose quite a lot of money. I need to win it back through him, and incidentally make him lose once. He's won too much," the Big Boss said casually.

Although Fan Lang was special, he was ultimately still a gladiator. Every duel concerned the Underground Arena's interests.

"Add a little something to his water."

The meaning of those words was already obvious. It was one of the methods the Underground Arena used to manipulate the outcome.

Dou Bin grinned and nodded. "Leave it to me. I'll handle it right away."

With that, he bowed and withdrew.

At the same time, wave after wave of cheers rose from the Duel Arena, signaling that Fan Lang had already won.

"Invincible Wanderer!"

"Invincible Wanderer!"

"Invincible Wanderer!"

The crowd shouted those four words themselves hoarse.

Fan Lang left the arena amid the cheers and returned to the lounge. He checked his stats and calculated how many more people he would need to fight before leveling up.

A waiter knocked and entered, bringing water and food. The Underground Arena had never been stingy in that regard.

Fan Lang grabbed the cup and took a huge gulp.

Not long after the water entered his stomach, a system prompt suddenly appeared.

The player accidentally consumed the poison Weakening Powder and entered a weakened state. Mystic Power will be greatly reduced, and the player can use at most half of their Mystic Power. Duration: 40 minutes.

The player accidentally consumed the poison Vision Obscuring Water. Double images will gradually appear before the player's eyes, lowering accuracy. Duration: 60 minutes.

Poisoned!

And it was two fucking poisons!

The moment Fan Lang saw the prompts, his brows shot up. He could guess with his toes that the Underground Arena had to be responsible for this!

Both poisons were the kind that weakened one's strength and were difficult to detect. After being poisoned, it would already be good enough to use half one's strength.

The Underground Arena had previously asked Fan Lang several times to throw matches, but he had refused every time. So they had resorted to this underhanded trick and tampered with his drinking water.

"Looks like the Underground Arena is determined to force me to lose!"

A cold smile appeared on Fan Lang's face. He would not let them have their way!