Hub Arena

[Welcome to the Hub Arena!]

[You have been transported to the Waiting Area. Matching you with a suitable opponent.]

[Estimated waiting time: ten minutes...]

A cheerful voice rang by his ear as Lu Li stepped out of the flames.

Zhao Jin and the villa had both vanished. He now stood in a fifty-square-meter space.

Everything in sight was milky white, as though the entire space had been cast as a single seamless whole.

Seeing no one around, Lu Li calmly brought up his Data Panel and sent a message each to Xu Xiao and Lin Qinfeng.

The message to Xu Xiao reminded her to stay on guard against Zhao Jin.

After all, he had just provoked the Zhao Family. If Zhao Jin went mad and sought revenge, it would be bad if innocent people got dragged into it.

The other message asked Lin Qinfeng how the collection was going.

The messages had barely been sent when Xu Xiao showed no response, while Lin Qinfeng replied first:

"Time was a little tight. Including the Lin Family's existing reserves, we've only collected a total of 700 kilograms of gold so far."

"That's pretty efficient..."

Lu Li nodded slightly and replied:

"That's enough. Trade this gold to me first, then continue collecting. It'll only benefit the Lin Family."

Just a day ago, when Lin Qinfeng traded Lu Li the Origin Crystals dug up by the Burrowing Bees, she received an order—

Collect gold.

Although Lin Qinfeng had no idea what this order was about, she still followed it.

After all, she had been the one to swear that everyone in the Lin Family would serve Lu Li as their master.

Besides, now that the apocalypse had broken out, collecting gold was not particularly difficult.

But when Lin Qinfeng saw that Lu Li wanted the Lin Family to keep collecting gold and said it would only bring them benefits, she could no longer suppress her curiosity.

Lin Qinfeng cautiously sent a message:

"Mr. Lu, may I ask what exactly you're collecting gold for?"

Lin Qinyue was stuffing potato chips into her mouth when she happened to see what her eldest sister was typing in the chat box. She said indignantly:

"What other purpose could there be? Lu Li's just a poor miser..."

Lin Qinfeng frowned and scolded her:

"Qinyue! No matter what, Mr. Lu is the Lin Family's Benefactor. If you continue being so rude, don't blame me for using family discipline!"

Hearing that, Lin Qinyue shrank her neck and stopped talking. She merely grabbed a huge handful of potato chips and stuffed them into her mouth as though venting her frustration.

Lu Li replied:

"I can't tell you the exact purpose for now. Just keep an eye out for it; there's no need to go out of your way."

"Also, keep an eye on Zhao Jin for the next couple of days. If he makes any major moves, remember to tell me promptly."

"Alright, but unfortunately, the Lin Family is weak right now. All we can uncover is surface-level information. Mr. Lu, please don't be impatient."

After sending that message, Lin Qinfeng suddenly felt a little regretful.

Although the Lin Family had nominally acknowledged Lu Li as their master, and Lu Li had promised to resolve the troubles facing the Lin Family—

In the end, however, the Lin Family's vengeance should still be carried out by the Lin Family.

Lu Li was strong, but he was ultimately only one person.

Would it be asking too much to make him bear the burden of a conflict between families?

Yet Lu Li's response greatly shocked Lin Qinfeng.

"Have a little faith in your master. I guarantee that within three days, Zhao Jin's branch of the Zhao Family will completely disappear from Yong City."

One person standing against an entire family!

It was something Lin Qinfeng had never dared to imagine.

"Maybe he really can do it."

Lin Qinhua suddenly spoke up, bringing up her Data Panel for Lin Qinfeng to see:

"Big Sis, you've been busy collecting gold these past two days and haven't checked the Ranking List. Take a look at who's in first place now."

Lin Qinfeng focused her gaze. "It's Lu Li, but the Ranking List isn't a combat power ranking. That doesn't prove..."

Before she could finish, the eldest daughter of the Lin Family's mouth fell open into an O.

She had seen Lu Li's level.

"Level 15? How is that possible?!"

"That's why I'm saying it—the Lin Family has really latched onto a powerful backer this time~~ And such a handsome powerful backer too~~~"

Lin Qinhua rested her chin in both hands, her eyes filled with hearts...

Lu Li closed the chat window and suddenly sneezed.

He rubbed his nose and muttered to himself, "Someone's cursing me? It's probably Zhao Jin. Just wait—once I get out, I'll scatter your ashes to the wind..."

In truth, it wasn't that Lu Li couldn't defeat Zhao Jin.

With his current Soul Points, he could summon 100 Lv.3 Soul Soldiers and 2 Lv.5 Soul Guards.

Combined with the various talents he had acquired through devouring, Lu Li's combat power could already be described as terrifying.

The reason he had temporarily avoided the confrontation was because Zhao Jin had mobilized all his forces.

If they truly fought to the death, Zhao Jin could be killed, but Lu Li also risked dying.

To Lu Li, there was absolutely no need for that.

Time was precious in the early stages. He had to seize every opportunity to grow stronger!

After all, Zhao Family was far from the only name on Lu Li's revenge list.

There were even stronger factions and more terrifying existences he needed to deal with!

He had to proceed steadily and plan every step with care.

Just as Lu Li was talking to himself, flames rose once more within the enclosed space he occupied.

A ragged figure covered from head to toe in black soot stumbled out of the flames, hit the ground, and let out a pained cry.

Lu Li's gaze fell on the beast ears of the other party, and he could not help but feel surprised.

"A Palu... Looks like the Hub Arena rated my combat power quite highly..."

As its name implied, the Hub Arena was the central hub connecting the various Star Domains.

Players from different planets could use an [Arena Ticket] to teleport to this area.

[Arena Tickets] were further divided into two types.

The first type was the blue ticket, which could directly teleport its user to the spectator stands.

There was no danger involved in the entire process. Players could watch battles in the arena, exchange intelligence, and even trade items.

The second type was the red ticket, the kind Lu Li had used earlier.

However, Lu Li's ticket had come from a Challenge Chest and bore golden trim.

This ticket would teleport Players to a Waiting Room, where they would be matched against opponents of comparable strength.

Arena matches were divided into three modes.

They were Solo Battle, Duo Cooperation, and Five-Person Team.

The specific mode could be determined from the color of the Waiting Room.

Black meant Solo Battle, white meant Duo Cooperation, and gray meant Five-Person Team.

Fighters using a ticket for the first time would be randomly assigned a mode by the Hub Arena.

Lu Li had happened to receive Duo Cooperation this time.

Before the soot-covered Palu could climb to his feet, the entire milky-white space suddenly trembled.

In the most conspicuous location, three rules slowly appeared:

[Hub Arena Match Rules (Duo)]

[1. There are no restrictions in a match. Once you enter the Waiting Area, you must participate in the match. The match cannot end unless victory or defeat has been decided.]

[2. After the match begins, the Player's Data Panel will be temporarily locked. Players cannot use the panel for chatting, trading, allocating Four-Dimensional Attributes, or other activities.]

[3. Bribing or attacking the referee is forbidden during the match. If a violation occurs, the referee may immediately kill the Players in the match.]

Seeing these rules, Lu Li raised a brow, and the tension in his heart finally eased.

Just like in his previous life, the rules had not changed.

That meant Lu Li could carry out his plan before the match began...