As the betting matches went on, as the intangible thing called "fate" was thrown into the martial arena, the atmosphere grew ever more feverish.
Even people who were normally calm found themselves inexplicably swept up in a frenzy.
"Small bets are good for the spirit."
"Playing once in a while isn't bad." Before they knew it, they had stepped into it.
In Lu PingAn's eyes, it made no difference how much they bet. As long as they placed a wager and staked their gambling luck on the fighter they supported, they had already entered the arena themselves.
Even stranger, as the wagers increased, the fighters bestowed with "wealth luck" and "fortune" also grew stronger in bizarre ways.
Their attacks became smoother, inspiration suddenly struck them, they randomly received external conditions better suited to them—or their opponents simply fell over.
All these strange events ultimately formed a massive ritual, a coward's game where anyone who dared to bet could win.
"The ritual was right. Aside from the god himself, everyone is on the gambling table, all practicing his rule of 'Fight Everything, Win Everything.'"
The victors were the executors of the ritual. They would continually be strengthened and buffed by one wager after another, until they eventually collided with each other. As always, the winner took everything.
No wonder Big Cat had said, "The Martial Arts Ritual is very interesting. You can often gain plenty of extra benefits from it." Perhaps even Big Cat herself had not known what she gained back when she had been a victor.
It was foreseeable that the winners would experience explosive growth.
Most directly, the hardest parts of advancing were awakening a specified supernatural ability, receiving further inspiration, and gaining guidance regarding one's weaknesses. All of those could be solved through martial fortune.
For Professionals,