Underground Duel Arena

The next day, morning.

Lu Hao was still practicing his blade techniques as usual, familiarizing himself with the Big Ring Blade while looking forward to the trial his mother had mentioned.

In the afternoon, he received a call from his mother.

Upon arriving outside his home, a pink Maserati appeared before his eyes. This was his mother's vehicle, which his father had bought for her to commemorate their tenth wedding anniversary.

Opening the car door, he skillfully sat in the passenger seat.

"Mom, where are we going?"

"You'll know when we get there. Don't blame your mother for being heartless once we arrive. No one there will know your identity, and I will have them treat you according to the standards of a top-tier martial arts university student. Knowing this, do you still want to go?"

Although Bai Qiuyao spoke with cold indifference, her heart was filled with worry.

"I'm going. I won't give up. This is the path I chose, and I will definitely see it through."

Seeing the firm look in Lu Hao's eyes, Bai Qiuyao said nothing more. In any case, with her watching over him, there was no way any accidents would happen.

The car drove all the way to the outskirts of Magic City.

Finally, the car stopped in front of a large courtyard gate.

"Alright, get out. This is the place."

Hearing this, Lu Hao immediately stepped out to observe his surroundings. The area was quite desolate, a stark contrast to the downtown area of Magic City, and he could even see farmland nearby. The courtyard where the car was parked wasn't a high-rise building, though the yard itself was quite large.

However, nothing could be discerned from the outside, though two burly men stood on either side of the main gate. One look at them was enough to know they were not to be trifled with.

The burly men opposite saw Lu Hao get out and didn't say anything, merely glancing at him a few times. However, they stopped looking once Bai Qiuyao stepped out of the car.

"Let's go, inside."

As Bai Qiuyao spoke, she led Lu Hao inside. He didn't see her show any credentials, and the two burly men didn't stop her; it seemed they knew his mother.

They walked deep into the courtyard until Bai Qiuyao stopped in front of a guarded door.

She asked the burly man guarding the entrance, "Are there any death matches today?"

The burly man looked at Lu Hao's youthful face and grinned, "There are. Tickets are 10,000 per person! Since when did Bureau Chief Bai start bringing in rookies?"

Bai Qiuyao didn't respond to him, casually tossing over an ordinary Blood Vitality Pill.

The man took a look, nodded slightly, and said, "Go on in!"

And just like that, Lu Hao followed Bai Qiuyao into this so-called place of trial.

Once inside, Lu Hao realized there was more to it than met the eye. The interior was not as small as it looked from the outside, and they were currently heading downward, which meant the main facility was underground, while the structure above was merely a facade.

After winding through several doors, Lu Hao finally heard the noisy commotion ahead.

"Mom, what is this place? We're already here, you don't need to hide it anymore, right?"

Lu Hao asked curiously.

"This is the Underground Duel Arena. There are all kinds of martial artists fighting here; it will definitely help you learn a lot."

"Uh... Mom, isn't this illegal?"

Lu Hao looked at Bai Qiuyao beside him, as if to say that a Detective Bureau chief shouldn't be condoning crime.

"Not exactly. This place exists in a semi-public, semi-underground state. We have our own people from the Detective Bureau inside. There are many disputes between martial artists, and we don't encourage them to fight to the death in public."

"Thus, these places came into being. Those with grudges, those who want to make money, those looking to train, and those who want to see blood all come here. This is also the final stop for many martial arts students before they take on their missions."

"Therefore, seeing as these places allow those top-tier martial arts students to see blood and are relatively safe, the Detective Bureau won't be taking action against this place for now."

Lu Hao nodded. So that was it—a place specifically set aside for martial arts students to get used to bloodshed, while also allowing restless martial artists to resolve their issues here.

Just then, the sounds ahead became clearer to Lu Hao.

"Kill him! Iron Fist, kill him already!"

"You trash, get up! I bet five hundred thousand on you, get up!"

"Haha, I bet on Iron Fist! Iron Fist is invincible!"

Listening to the voices ahead, Lu Hao felt quite nervous, even though he had been mentally prepared.

"You won't be entering the ring for the next two days. You'll just be watching their matches here, seeing some blood, and gaining experience. Once you get used to it, you'll have to go up and fight for real."

Lu Hao nodded. His Slaughter Points were bottoming out, and he didn't know how he'd get by if he didn't replenish them. So, although Lu Hao was nervous, he wasn't overly so; when the time came, he would just treat his opponent like the pigs he used to slaughter, and he would be able to strike.

The two crossed a threshold, and what came into view was a massive arena surrounded by spectator stands.

Lu Hao looked over to see the stands filled with cheering spectators—men, women, young, and old. After all, this was where one could witness the most primal form of combat.

Lu Hao looked toward the ring, where two people were fighting. However, one of them had already been knocked to the ground and appeared to have no strength left to resist.

The opposing martial artist showed no intention of stopping. Instead, amidst the cheers of the surrounding crowd, he delivered a full-force blow to his opponent's head, and in an instant, flesh and blood exploded outward.

Watching this scene, Lu Hao felt a wave of nausea rise up. Although he had seen many pigs die under his hand in this manner, the person on the other side was, after all, a human being.

Watching a living person beaten to death right before one's eyes would cause physical and psychological discomfort in any normal person.

A stench of blood began to spread; an ordinary person would likely have vomited the moment they smelled it.

However, Lu Hao did not vomit. After all, the smell of blood at the slaughterhouse was even heavier than this. Lu Hao was currently very grateful that he had spent a month working there; he wasn't exactly numb to the scent, but he could at least tolerate it.

Bai Qiuyao glanced at Lu Hao beside her. Seeing that he hadn't vomited, she was somewhat surprised, though she didn't say much. After all, if one couldn't even accept this, they certainly weren't cut out to be a martial artist.

"Let's go. This is the Life-Death Arena; it's perfectly normal for people to die here. Spend these next two days getting familiar with the place. Afterward, you'll start by fighting in the Standard Match, and only then will you proceed to the Life-Death Arena."

"Once you've completed this entire process, I won't stop you from taking on missions anymore."

"Don't worry, Mom. I'll definitely pass."

As she spoke, Bai Qiuyao led Lu Hao toward the backstage area.

They hadn't walked many steps before arriving at the back, where a middle-aged man with an imposing aura was already waiting.

"What wind blew Director Bai here today? I was just wondering what good fortune was coming my way; it is a supreme honor to have you visit us."

"Cut the chatter."

Bai Qiuyao had no intention of making small talk and spoke cleanly and decisively.

"Him. Use the same regimen you have for your most talented martial arts university students on him."

"Him? Fine, then let him start by working in the Corpse Room for two days," the middle-aged man replied.

"Come, Xiao Li, take this young brother to the Corpse Room. When someone dies later, have him go out and collect the body. Oh, and leave him alone in the Corpse Room."

Just then, a young man trotted over.

Listening to the burly middle-aged man's arrangements, Lu Hao hissed—how vicious. Sending someone to watch over corpses and collect them? He glanced at his mother, only to see that she had already sat down to the side and was no longer speaking.

Gritting his teeth, Lu Hao followed the young man toward the back.