Chen Rui's current strength was equivalent to that of a newly advanced Mid-tier Demon, while Alaux was at least a firmly established High-Rank Demon. In other words, Chen Rui was at the early stage of the middle tier, while Alaux was at the middle stage of the high tier. The difference between them was an entire major realm—a gulf between heaven and earth.
Ever since arriving in the Demon Realm, Chen Rui had been turning the impossible into possible. But until now, he had relied on wit and luck. This time, he would be relying on sheer strength!
"Lord Alaux, I remember now!" Qidun slapped his forehead and spoke up. "This Number 64 is named Agulie. He's the head of a small organization in the city called the Cloak Society."
"The Cloak Society?" Alaux nodded, and his smile grew even more cruel as he looked at Chen Rui. "Good! That gives you another stake: every member of the Cloak Society. If you lose or run away, the heads of every member—including yours—will be hung in the arena."
Chen Rui considered this for a moment. "I admit this challenge is extremely difficult, so from now on, I need intensive training. I don't want anyone disturbing me during that time. I have only one question: after we sign the contract, will my whereabouts be exposed during these two months?"
"The contract makes it clear: the time limit is sixty days from now. For those sixty days, I won't be able to sense your presence."
Chen Rui had no other choice. He took a deep breath, bit his finger, and used his blood to write Agulie's name on the fiery contract. The bloody letters turned into a glittering golden mark and sank into the flames. Alaux did the same, completing the contract.
Qidun stared in shock. He couldn't believe Lord Alaux had signed a War Contract with a Mid-tier Demon. It was practically an insult to his dignity.
With a thought, Alaux made the War Contract disappear, then nodded. "Good! But your strength is nowhere near enough to challenge me right now. Since you say you'll break through the seal between life and death, I'll give you a hand! Blood Hand Langke, your opponent today, was only an early-stage Mid-tier Demon. Your next opponent will be Swift Wolf Jess, the strongest middle-stage Mid-tier Demon in the arena. I'll give you ten days to recover and train. The match will take place at this time ten days from now. If you lose, I won't repeat the consequences."
"I know," Chen Rui said, then shot back without the slightest hesitation, "What if you're the one who loses two months from now?"
In a sense, his delaying tactic and provocation had already worked. What remained was to rely on his true strength. By any ordinary measure, challenging Alaux in two months was impossible. In fact, it would still be impossible even in two years. But Chen Rui possessed the Super System, an existence that defied common sense. And that wasn't all—he also had Pagliu and his newly transformed Heart of the Strong.
Just like his battle with Langke today, people rose to the occasion when pushed. The greater the pressure, the more their potential was unleashed. With no way back, he might as well give it everything he had. Only by facing death could he find a way to survive.
"Me, lose?" Alaux sounded as if he'd just heard the biggest joke in the world. Qidun immediately joined in with a timely sneer. "If you really can break through this so-called seal step by step and defeat me in two months, the arena—and my life—will all be yours! But don't get your hopes up about running away. Even if you flee to the edge of the Demon Realm, I'll still take your head!"
"A true warrior can only die in battle, not while being hunted for running away." Chen Rui said this calmly, then turned to leave.
"I could use a little entertainment. I look forward to personally cutting off your head in the arena two months from now." Alaux's smile grew more cruel, though a hint of approval flashed in his eyes. "Wait!"
Chen Rui turned around and saw the Greater Devil wave his hand. The Fluorescent Shadow Stone sculpture, over a meter tall, rose slowly into the air and floated toward him. Chen Rui quickly caught it with both hands, greatly surprised.
"You've earned it!" Alaux said, then paid him no further attention. He sat down and poured himself a glass of wine.
As soon as Chen Rui had left, Qidun plucked up his courage and asked, "Lord Alaux, you could have killed Agulie easily just now. Why lower yourself by signing a War Contract with such an incompetent weakling?"
Alaux paused with his glass in hand. A look of remembrance passed through his blood-red eyes, but his voice turned icy. "Qidun, you're my trusted aide. You've followed me for nearly a hundred years. You should know what you may ask and what you may not."
The Servant Demon looked frightened. Realizing he'd asked too much, he quickly bowed. "Rest assured, my lord. Qidun understands."
Although it was already late at night and his injuries were serious, the two-month deadline left no room to waste. Chen Rui went straight back to the laboratory, mounted the Wyvern, and flew toward Blue Wave Lake.
On the way, Chen Rui entered the Super System. His experience value had reached 6%, and he finally noticed something unusual about the three-dimensional human figure. The light orb marked "Gang" in a certain indecent area had grown brighter. From that point, strands of light appeared throughout his body, like wisps of smoke, faintly outlining a thin, skeletal shape.
What did this change in his "skeleton" mean? Chen Rui was puzzled. After his fight with Langke, he had clearly felt some changes in himself, as though he could wield his strength more freely. Pagliu had been right: real combat between life and death was the fastest way to improve.
But the trials ahead were still severe. Forget challenging Alaux in two months; even Swift Wolf Jess, whom he'd face in seven days, was a terrifying opponent. Anyone who survived in the arena had been through countless battles and was an experienced powerhouse. Since Alaux had called Jess the strongest firmly established Mid-tier Demon, there was no doubt he lived up to the title.
At his current strength, equivalent to an early-stage Mid-tier Demon, facing Jess in seven days would be even more dangerous than today's battle.
The sculpture was indeed high quality. Chen Rui didn't finish converting it until he reached the air above Blue Wave Lake. Although the thing had caused him trouble, it had provided a generous amount of Spirit Energy: more than sixteen thousand points. His total Spirit Energy Value had now surpassed twenty-one thousand—plenty to put to good use. The Training Ground was the perfect place to spend it.
For now, he needed to hear the Poison Dragon's opinion before drawing up an emergency training plan.
After dismounting the Wyvern and taking only a few steps, Chen Rui keenly sensed something amiss behind him. He shifted slightly to dodge a sneak attack, then suddenly fell backward. As he fell, he whipped out a hook kick. The person behind him moved faster, grabbing his leg. Chen Rui used the momentum to spring up, twisting through the air around his body as an axis. The other person couldn't keep hold of him, and Chen Rui's other leg swung toward them during the spin. The attacker gave a surprised "Huh?" and retreated two steps, avoiding the unexpected blow.
"Strange. You seem a little stronger." The voice behind him belonged to Pagliu. "Your strength and reflexes have improved a lot, but you were a bit stiff when you spun. Are you injured?"
"You can tell even that? No wonder you're the Poison Dragon—you've got a sharp eye." Chen Rui gave a bitter smile. "I was badly hurt this time. I think I broke two bones, but you know how my body is. I'll probably recover in two or three days."
Pagliu frowned. "Who did you fight? How did you get hurt?"
After Chen Rui told him about the arena, the Poison Dragon immediately started cursing. "You challenged a High-Rank Demon with only the strength of an early-stage Mid-tier Demon? And you signed that damned War Contract? Don't forget, our lives are linked now. Are you trying to drag me down with you?"
"I didn't want to, either. The situation was too urgent; I had no choice." Chen Rui shrugged. "I went to the arena because I wanted to improve my strength as quickly as possible and get to the Gloomy Night Wetland to unlock the Lock of Light and Darkness for you sooner. There's no point regretting it now. Let's make an emergency training plan. In two months, I need to reach at least the strength of a High-Rank Demon."
"Go from an early-stage Mid-tier Demon to a High-Rank Demon in two months?" Pagliu's eyes widened. "If it were that easy, Lesser Devils would be High-Rank Demons all over the place! Put that cunning mind of yours to use! Come up with a way to kill that Greater Devil ahead of time!"
"Pagliu, hear me out. I think this is an opportunity. Didn't you say that actual combat was the fastest shortcut to improvement? You saw for yourself that I'm clearly stronger than I was last night. Alaux has arranged it: in ten days, I'll fight a middle-stage Mid-tier Demon. If I win, he'll keep setting up new opponents, from weaker to stronger, until I'm able to challenge him. These battles will be dangerous, but look at it another way: Alaux is pushing me forward! So I want to take a chance and fight for real."
As Chen Rui spoke, his eyes lit up. "I nearly died in the arena today, but I gained a lot from it. I've truly understood many things. Without courage and fighting spirit, even with a Grandmaster's legacy, I'd spend my whole life as an opportunist, surviving in the cracks through clever tricks. Would I still be able to go to the Gloomy Night Wetland? Would I still be able to find Lola, the Fairy Dragon? This isn't just for you; it's for me, too. I need strength. I want to become a true powerhouse!"
Compared with the many towering peaks ahead, Alaux was only a small mountain standing in Chen Rui's way. If he couldn't conquer even this one, how could he cross the higher and more numerous mountains that lay ahead?
The pressure was immense, but it was also motivation.
The Poison Dragon said scornfully, "Everyone wants to become a powerhouse, but death is always lurking along that road. Very few survive long enough to become strong! Aren't you afraid of dying? Think it through!"
"Pagliu, didn't you make your way here one step at a time, too?" Chen Rui wasn't swayed. "I've made my decision. No matter how many deadly dangers lie ahead, I won't retreat. I don't want to be a puppet of fate anymore. I'm going to grab it by the throat!"
The Poison Dragon's expression gradually settled as he studied the human, who had never been this serious before. He asked coldly, "You reckless fool. Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Humans have a saying: cowards die thousands of times before their actual death, while the brave die only once. I know what you're worried about. Can we find a way to undo the Symbiotic Contract? Even without the contract, I'll still go to the Gloomy Night Wetland and help you break your seal. If you don't believe me..."
"Unless you reach demigod level, the power of the contract can't be undone! Besides, with how cunning and greedy you are, I don't trust you. I'd rather keep the contract!" The Poison Dragon cut him off, sounding thoroughly annoyed. "Since you've made up your mind, Lord Pagliu will take this risk with you! I'll see how you plan to grab fate by the throat! I've only just realized that you're not just cunning and greedy, but a complete lunatic! I can't believe Lord Pagliu ended up with a partner like you!"
"But since you've made up your mind, you can give it a try. If it really doesn't work, I've still got a way to deal with that guy!" the Poison Dragon added.
Pagliu's tone was unpleasant, but he had already shown his trust and support. The word "partner" moved Chen Rui deeply. He knew that this proud Dragon had fully accepted his courage, even if he still put on the same tough front as always.
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