God-Level Arena

Although nominally part of the Ice Prison Royal City, the arena was actually situated on a patch of wasteland outside the city walls.

After all, the elemental density within the Royal City made the land precious; every inch was used to supply powerful god-level cultivation or to build mansions. No one would waste such valuable territory merely for people to fight and duel.

Under Adele's guidance, Barn entered the arena without a hitch—just like entering the city, no tickets were required here.

Barn stood on the tiered stands, swept a glance over the dense crowd, and felt somewhat surprised: "There are far more people here than I expected."

The entire arena was a massive, conical pit carved directly into the earth. The outermost perimeter consisted of several rows of simple tiered seating. The further one went toward the center, the lower the terrain became, and that open space, repeatedly scoured by divine power until it was as hard as iron, was the battlefield where god-level beings dueled.

At this moment, two Lowgods were in the midst of a fierce battle in the center of the arena. The roar of clashing divine power echoed continuously, and various lights flickered incessantly, but the two were evenly matched; after a long struggle, neither could claim victory.

Adele stood beside Barn and explained in a low voice: "Actually, life within the Royal City is very dull. The City Lord's Mansion, the arena, the Trading Market, and the Residential District—these four areas make up almost the entirety of the Royal City."

"The total population of the Ice Prison Royal City is less than ten thousand. Among them, nearly a thousand are Highgods or Midgods. The rest are mostly relatives and dependents brought by these powerhouses. The number of Lowgods who have truly squeezed into the Royal City through their own strength and merit is less than a hundred."

"The Royal City also has a regulation: Sanctuary-level practitioners must be accompanied by god-level relatives to move about the city. This leads to many Sanctuary-level individuals being unable to go out alone."

"Precisely because of this, the only way for residents to pass the time and relieve their boredom is to come to the arena to watch duels. When I was a child, I often pestered my father to take me to the arena to play." Adele looked at the two stalemated figures in the arena and shook her head gently. "However, many duelists are acquaintances within the city. Everyone knows who is strong and who is weak, so they usually hold back when attacking and rarely go for the kill. After a long time, even a duel becomes tiresome to watch."

The two stood on the stands, quietly watching the two Lowgods at the bottom of the pit. They fought for nearly an hour until one of them had exhausted too much divine power and their aura became unstable, forcing them to concede.

Sensing the battle intent gradually rising in Barn, Adele quickly warned: "Hey, you must be careful. The restraint shown between acquaintances in the city doesn't mean they will be polite to a newcomer like you. You have no background and no backing; once you step onto that stage, your opponent will definitely fight to kill."

Barn looked at Adele, then turned back to the empty arena and smiled: "In that case, why don't you recommend a suitable opponent for me?"

Adele nodded helplessly and led Barn toward the registration desk on the side.

The bearded boss in charge of registration was clearly familiar with Adele. After the two exchanged a few words in low voices, the boss readily recorded Barn's name in the register.

"Barn, is it?" The bearded boss looked him over. "Just wait on the stands until they call you. The opponent I've arranged for you this time is also a newcomer who just broke through. If you can't win, just concede; don't force it. Of course, even if you win, don't go for the kill!"

Barn took the number plate and followed Adele back to the stands.

"You're very familiar with the boss here?"

Adele puffed out her chest slightly, carrying a faint trace of pride: "When my father was still a Lowgod, he once achieved a Hundred-Battle Winning Streak, so he still has a bit of face here."

"Your father is truly impressive." Barn praised sincerely.

"That was a long time ago." Adele looked at Barn, her eyes bright. "Captain, good luck. If you can also complete a Hundred-Battle Winning Streak, you'll be able to bring our whole family back to the Royal City to settle down."

"Alright, I will do my best." Barn nodded in agreement.

After waiting through three consecutive matches, it was finally Barn's turn.

His opponent was a youth who appeared quite young, with a dense aura of Dark Divine Power. His presence was slightly erratic, clearly indicating he hadn't been a Lowgod for very long.

Barn stood in the center of the arena and subconsciously scanned the dense crowd in the stands, unable to help but mutter to himself: "These god-level beings are far too idle. They've been watching for so long, yet not a single one has left."

He still hadn't fully adjusted to the long lives and slow pace of the god-level. For them, a single period of seclusion or a bottleneck could last a thousand or ten thousand years; watching a duel for a few months or a year was merely a fleeting moment.

Some would even sit motionless on the stands, as if turned to stone, watching for years at a time.

However, this casual glance of Barn's was interpreted by his opponent as blatant contempt.

The youth's face darkened instantly, clearly thoroughly enraged.

The next moment, he whipped out a dark brown wooden staff, his figure darting out like a ghost, bringing with it violent Dark Divine Power as he smashed it down toward Barn's head!

Barn's expression remained calm. He didn't dodge or evade, but simply raised his palm and traced a smooth semicircle in the air.

Water Profound Mystery—Circle Softness.

A gentle yet resilient force instantly coiled around the staff, effortlessly deflecting that violent strike to the side.

He had come to the arena not to pursue victory or defeat, and certainly not to immediately rush for a Hundred-Battle Winning Streak. In his view, his current strength was still a bit short of securing a Hundred-Battle Winning Streak with absolute certainty.

The core purpose of his trip was to find an opportunity for law fusion through actual combat.

Therefore, as soon as the battle began, Barn deliberately suppressed most of his strength, using only two powers—

The Circle Softness of the Water Profound Mystery, and the Trajectory Distortion of the Fate Law.

However, relying solely on these two defensive and control-oriented laws to defeat a Lowgod who had become a god through their own efforts was clearly not easy.

The youth's strike had been deflected with such nonchalance that his anger grew even more intense. He violently retracted his staff, stomped his feet heavily on the ground, and gripped the staff with both hands, swinging it wildly.

Countless staff shadows instantly enveloped Barn, and the Dark Divine Power howled and raged.

Barn still refused to engage in a hard clash. His palms fluttered continuously, the power of Circle Softness spreading in layers, doing his utmost to deflect and divert the attacks, while occasionally interspersing the use of the Fate Law to make his opponent's attacks move in unpredictable directions.

Time ticked away.

An hour later.

The youth was already panting, his divine power heavily depleted. After such a long period of fierce attacks, he had only managed to land a few hits on Barn, causing almost no damage at all. His opponent was like a pool of soft water; no matter how hard he smashed, he was always gently deflected.

Finally, the youth could no longer endure this sense of powerlessness. He abruptly pulled back and flew away, shouting at the bearded boss at the registration desk: "Boss! I request a draw! There's no point in continuing like this; it's too boring!"

The bearded boss yawned and looked lazily at Barn: "Contestant Barn, do you agree to end this in a draw?"

"That's fine." Barn nodded indifferently.

The first match ended in a draw.

As soon as he returned to the stands, he headed straight back toward the registration desk.

"Boss, I want to sign up again."

The bearded boss glanced at him, looking helpless: "You kid, can't you show some passion when you duel? Watching you fight almost puts me to sleep!"

Barn just chuckled, offering no explanation or rebuttal.

Facing his next opponent, he repeated his old tricks—no attacking, no killing, no bursts of power; he only used Circle Softness to deflect force and Trajectory Distortion to shift paths, spending the entire match maneuvering, defending, and probing.

Five duels in a row, and Barn ended them all in a draw.

Every single time, his opponent would fight until they were physically and mentally exhausted, unable to do anything about Barn, and would eventually choose to settle for a draw.

The audience throughout the arena was starting to look weary.

The bearded boss was so angry he was huffing and puffing, and when Barn came to sign up for the sixth time, he finally lost his patience and sternly blocked him: "That's enough! Don't come back! If I let you keep competing, all my customers will run off! You aren't welcome at this arena this year! Come back next year."

Barn rubbed his nose and retreated, feeling somewhat awkward.

On the way back, Adele looked at him helplessly: "Why bother? The boss is angry now and said he won't let you come back."

"I just wanted to specifically hone the Fate Law," Barn explained. "If the opponent is too strong, I have to go all out and can't let my Fate Clone manifest; if they're too weak, there's no point."

Adele shook her head gently and said earnestly: "You're wrong to do that. Although I'm not as strong as you, I once heard the true powerhouses in the Royal City say—the path of cultivation is full of accidents and coincidences. Every battle, every spar, must be faced with your full effort and your best state to handle every possibility; only then do you have a chance to seize that fleeting opportunity for a breakthrough."

"Many people like to play it smart, hide their strength, and keep trump cards, refusing to act until they have a hundred percent certainty. People like that lack the heart of a powerhouse and will never truly break through in battle."

Barn was silent for a moment, carefully ruminating on Adele's words, then nodded slowly: "You make sense. I was being too deliberate."

"When I return to the arena next year, I won't hold back anymore."

Adele immediately reminded him: "Don't be careless! Everyone has noticed how you intentionally forced draws and hid your strength in these matches. The next time the boss arranges an opponent for you, it definitely won't be some ordinary newcomer; he will certainly arrange the strongest, most ruthless guy for you!"