Fifth Candidate Selection

Xu Bo had just finished gathering the most critical information and was itching to share it, so he immediately lowered his voice with keen interest to explain to Jiang Yue:

"Brother Jiang, you don't know—this kind of arena isn't just an ordinary gamble. It's a grudge match set up in the Veteran Camp specifically for settling blood feuds or irreconcilable conflicts of interest!"

"The rules are simple: both sides agree on the participants, the time, and the stakes."

"To prevent anyone from reneging afterward or triggering a larger camp brawl, this kind of betting pool has to be witnessed by that ruthless character, Butcher."

"Once Butcher gives the nod, this arena is life or death, no exceptions, absolutely protected by the underground rules. Even the Supervision Team usually can't be bothered to interfere!"

Jiang Yue nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the towering pile of merit chips not far away. "So how are the stakes calculated?"

"That's the most thrilling part!"

Xu Bo swallowed hard, a fervent gleam for wealth flashing in his eyes. "Shen Qing won too much a few days ago and pissed off a veteran interest group. Their core members happen to be five people. So for this grudge match, the rule was set: fight all five rounds!"

"Each side staked a full two hundred points of military merit as the base pool!"

"The winner takes all, walking away with the entire four hundred points! And on top of that, since this is the only life-or-death betting pool open in the whole venue tonight, every new and old veteran is frantically placing bets. The winning side also gets to draw a hefty appearance fee from Butcher's total betting pool!"

At this point, Xu Bo sighed with emotion. "But the cost is just as brutal."

"The losing side not only loses everything but also has to lie in the Medical Pod for a long time, and might even end up with permanent internal injuries in their martial arts that prevents any further progress!"

A two-hundred-point base stake, plus a venue-wide appearance fee cut.

Hearing that number, even Jiang Yue couldn't help but feel his interest stir.

"Fight all five rounds..."

Jiang Yue forcibly suppressed the faint green glow rising in his eyes, keeping his tone calm as he asked, "Since the other side has five people, who else is fighting on Shen Qing's side? In his current state, there's no way he can last through the last round."

In Jiang Yue's view, since it was a five-on-five setup, after Shen Qing fought four rounds, the last one should naturally be taken by a teammate.

But Xu Bo raised an eyebrow sharply at the question, his tone carrying a shock as if he were looking at a madman:

"There's no one!"

"No one?" Jiang Yue frowned.

"That's right! Just him alone!"

Xu Bo spread his hands, marveling incredulously. "That kid's usually just a martial arts fanatic who only knows how to train. He has no real connections. In a life-or-death grudge match like this that offends an entire veteran interest group, what fool among the new recruits would dare stick their neck out for him?"

"So... from the moment he signed the contract, this lunatic planned to take on all five opponents by himself!"

Xu Bo clicked his tongue, staring at the swaying figure on the stage. "He's really insane! If he actually manages to take down all five in a row, it won't just be about the money. The entire veteran group at The Boundary will probably feel like their faces have been ground into the dirt, and they won't be able to sit still anymore!"

One man, taking on five battle-hardened veterans!

Hearing this, Jiang Yue's deep gaze shifted back to the arena.

He saw Shen Qing standing alone under the spotlight, biting down on a bloodstained strip of cloth with his teeth, wrapping it layer by layer around his already fractured fist.

He wasn't looking at anyone in the audience. His bloodshot eyes were fixed on the last two veterans from the opposing camp who had yet to step up, like a lone wolf backed into a corner, ready to fight to the death.

"I see..."

Jiang Yue instantly saw through Shen Qing's motive.

This lunatic wasn't fighting this hard for those merit points at all.

He was using these five rounds of unreserved life-or-death pressure to forcibly temper his will, pushing his body to the brink of death to break through that Gene Lock and the martial chasm!

"Using the false to cultivate the true—now that's a ruthless man. With a mindset like that, no wonder One-Eye the instructor took notice of him."

Jiang Yue gave him a high appraisal in his mind.

But appraisal aside, the rational Jiang Yue still shook his head. "Still, the cost of two hundred points plus half a life as trial and error... isn't cheap."

"Winning five in a row? That's going to be tough."

This wasn't just a matter of willpower; it was the objective reality that his body was on the verge of collapse.

What Shen Qing wanted was that fleeting moment of martial refinement between life and death.

"Fifth round—prepare!"

The referee's emotionless, grating voice echoed across the metal arena.

His scarred face swept across the crowd below. "Next, who's stepping up from your side?"

As the words fell, the veteran interest group that had initiated this five-round grudge match now had only two men left—the veterans nicknamed Red Hair and Baldy.

The two exchanged glances, cold sweat beading on their foreheads, their legs rooted to the spot like lead. For a moment, neither dared to answer or step onto the stage.

They were afraid.

Shen Qing on the arena was drenched in blood, swaying on his feet, looking like a spent force that a gust of wind could knock over.

But that's exactly what Old Cripple had thought before stepping up in the third round!

And what happened?

Old Cripple's defenses were torn apart in an instant by that bizarre burst of force. He didn't even last ten exchanges, and now he was lying like a dead dog in the emergency pod, his fate unknown.

That utterly unreasonable deathbed counterattack and life-or-death explosion had completely shattered the psychological defenses of these two battle-hardened veterans, Red Hair and Baldy.

Just as the two were stuck in a dilemma, a gruff, raspy voice like a broken gong suddenly rang out from the back of the veteran crowd.

"So, are you going to consider my proposal or not?"

As the voice rang out, the crowd was roughly shoved aside, and a giant of a man strode forward, standing a full two meters tall, his muscles knotted like an iron tower.

A hideous, dark red scar curled across the right side of his face, like a centipede clinging to his skin, radiating an oppressive, murderous aura.

Scar looked down at Red Hair and Baldy from his height, opening his mouth wide like a lion: "All the appearance fees go to me. As for the two hundred points you bet in the pool, if I win, I only take half. Fair enough, right?"

Hearing this, Baldy's face flushed crimson. He gritted his teeth and snapped, "Scar! That greenhorn is already spent, about to collapse from exhaustion! You're just swooping in for an easy score, and you want to take most of our money?! That's way too ruthless!"

"Easy score?"

Scar didn't get angry at the words. Instead, he threw back his head and let out a deafening roar of laughter.

He crossed his arms—thicker than most men's thighs—over his chest and sneered mockingly, "Yeah, he's dying, can barely stand. Since it's so easy—why don't you two go up there yourselves?"

"You!" Baldy was choked speechless.

Beside him, Red Hair stared fixedly at Shen Qing's bloodshot eyes on the stage. The image of Old Cripple's carotid artery being snapped by a single kick flashed through his mind, and he shuddered violently.

No matter how important the money was, you had to be alive to spend it!

With their half-baked close-combat skills, going up there might just make them cannon fodder for this Ancient Martial Arts madman!

To protect the remaining principal and his own hide, Red Hair gritted his teeth, stomped his foot, and made the call: "Fine! We'll do it your way!"

Hearing this, Scar's grin widened.

He suddenly raised both arms, his two iron fists, each the size of a cauldron, crashing together with a sickening, teeth-grinding thud.

"This one accepts!"

Scar turned his head, looking at the referee on the stage, and bellowed, "Fifth match—I'm up!"