God-Level Arena

Although the Colosseum nominally fell within the bounds of Ice Prison Royal City, it had actually been built separately on a barren stretch of land beyond the city walls.

After all, the elements were dense within the Royal City, and land was precious. Every inch was used for the cultivation of powerful Godlevels and the construction of mansions. No one would waste such valuable space on a place for people to fight and duel.

Under Adele's guidance, Barn entered the Colosseum without a hitch. Just like entering the city, no ticket was required.

Standing on the tiered stands, Barn glanced around at the densely packed crowd and said, a little surprised, "There are a lot more people here than I expected."

The entire Colosseum was a huge, cone-shaped pit dug straight into the earth. Several rings of simple tiered seats lined the outer edge. The farther in one went, the lower the ground became, leading to a clearing hardened like iron by repeated blasts of Divine Power—the battlefield where the Godlevels fought.

At that moment, two Lowgods were locked in a fierce battle at the center of the arena. The thunder of colliding Divine Power rang out continuously, and light of every color flashed without pause. But their strength was evenly matched, and even after a long struggle, neither had gained the upper hand.

Standing beside Barn, Adele explained softly, "Life in the Royal City is actually very dull. The City Lord's Mansion, the Colosseum, the Trading Market, and the Residential District—those four areas make up almost the entire Royal City."

"The Ice Prison Royal City has a population of fewer than ten thousand. Nearly a thousand of them are Highgods and Midgods. Most of the rest are relatives or followers brought here by those powerful figures. Fewer than a hundred Lowgods have earned their way into the Royal City through their own strength and achievements."

"The Royal City also has a rule that Sanctuary residents must be accompanied by a Godlevel relative if they want to move around inside the city. As a result, many Sanctuary residents can't go out on their own."

"That's why, in their free time, the residents have little to do besides come to the Colosseum to watch duels. When I was little, I often begged my father to bring me here." Adele watched the two fighters locked in a stalemate and gently shook her head. "But many of the duelists know each other. Everyone knows who's stronger, and they usually hold back. It's rare for anyone to truly fight to the death. After a while, even the duels get boring."

The two stood on the tiered stands and quietly watched the Lowgods below. The fighters battled for nearly an hour before one of them ran low on Divine Power and began to falter. In the end, he had no choice but to admit defeat.

Sensing the fighting spirit gradually rising from Barn, Adele hurriedly warned him, "Hey, you'd better be careful. Just because familiar faces in the city hold back against each other doesn't mean they'll go easy on a newcomer like you. You have no background or backing. Once you enter the arena, your opponent will definitely fight to kill you."

Barn looked at Adele, then toward the empty dueling ground, and smiled. "In that case, could you recommend a suitable opponent for me?"

Adele nodded helplessly and led Barn over to the registration desk.

The Bearded Boss in charge of registration was clearly acquainted with Adele. After the two exchanged a few quiet words, he readily wrote Barn's name in the register.

"Barn, right?" The Bearded Boss glanced up at him. "Wait in the stands until they call you. I've set you up against another newcomer who only recently broke through. If you can't win, just admit defeat. Don't push yourself. And even if you do win, don't fight to kill!"

Barn took his number tag and followed Adele back to the stands.

"You know the boss here well?"

Adele raised her chest slightly, a faint hint of pride in her voice. "Back when my father was still a Lowgod, he once achieved a Hundred-Battle Winning Streak. So he still has a little clout here."

"Your father really is impressive," Barn said sincerely.

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

"All right. I'll do my best." Barn nodded.

After three more matches, it was finally Barn's turn.

His opponent was a young man who looked quite youthful. Dark Divine Power surged around him, and his aura seemed a little unsteady. He had clearly become a Lowgod only recently.

Standing in the arena, Barn instinctively glanced around at the densely packed spectators and couldn't help thinking, These Godlevels have way too much free time. They've been watching for so long, and not a single one has left.

He still wasn't used to the long lives and slow pace of the Godlevels. For them, a retreat into seclusion or a bottleneck could last a thousand or even ten thousand years. Watching a duel for a few months or a year was no more than the blink of an eye.

Some people even sat motionless in the stands, as if turned to stone, watching for years at a time.

But to his opponent, Barn's casual glance around looked like blatant contempt.

The young man's expression immediately darkened. He was clearly furious.

The next moment, he suddenly pulled out a dark brown wooden staff and darted forward like a ghost. Dark Divine Power roared around him as he swung the staff down at Barn with all his might!

Barn remained calm and didn't dodge. He simply raised a hand and drew a smooth semicircle in the air.

Water Profound Mystery—Circle Softness.

A gentle yet resilient force instantly wrapped around the staff and effortlessly diverted the violent blow to one side.

Barn hadn't come to the Colosseum to win, much less to immediately pursue a Hundred-Battle Winning Streak. In his view, his current strength still wasn't enough to secure such a streak reliably.

His main purpose in coming here was to find an opportunity to fuse laws through actual combat.

So from the start, Barn deliberately held back most of his strength and used only two abilities—

Circle Softness of the Water Element, and Trajectory Distortion of fate.

But relying on only these two defensive, controlling laws clearly wouldn't make it easy to defeat a Lowgod who had ascended through his own efforts.

His first strike had been casually deflected, and the young man grew even angrier. He yanked back the staff, stomped hard on the ground, gripped it in both hands, and began swinging wildly.

Countless staff shadows instantly shrouded Barn as Dark Divine Power howled around him.

Barn still didn't meet him head-on. His hands moved constantly, layers of Circle Softness spreading out as he did everything he could to deflect and redirect the attacks. Every so often, he also used the Law of Fate, making the opponent's attacks veer unpredictably in other directions.

Time passed bit by bit.

An hour later.

The young man was already panting, his Divine Power nearly spent. After such a prolonged assault, only a handful of his attacks had actually hit Barn, and they had done little damage. Barn was like a pool of soft water; no matter how hard the young man struck, his blows were simply diverted.

At last, unable to bear the helplessness any longer, the young man abruptly leaped backward and shouted toward the Bearded Boss at the registration desk, "Boss! I'm calling for a draw! We'll never decide a winner this way. This is no fun!"

The Bearded Boss yawned and looked lazily at Barn. "Contestant Barn, are you all right with ending the match in a draw?"

"Sure." Barn nodded indifferently.

And so, his first match ended in a draw.

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

"Boss, I'd like to sign up again."

The Bearded Boss shot him a glance, looking utterly exasperated. "You brat, could you show a little passion when you fight? Watching you fight is putting me to sleep!"

Barn only chuckled. He neither explained nor argued.

Against each of his next opponents, he used the same approach. He didn't attack, kill, or unleash his strength. He only used Circle Softness to deflect force and Trajectory Distortion to redirect attacks, moving around the arena to defend and test his opponents.

Barn ended all five of his matches in draws.

Every time, his opponent fought until he was mentally and physically exhausted, unable to do anything to Barn, and finally chose to call for a draw.

The spectators throughout the Colosseum were starting to grow bored.

The Bearded Boss was so furious his mustache bristled. When Barn came to sign up for the sixth time, he finally lost patience and stopped him sternly. "All right, that's enough! Don't come back! If I let you keep competing, all my customers will leave! The Colosseum doesn't welcome you this year. Come back next year."

Barn rubbed his nose and sheepishly backed away.

On the way back, Adele looked at him helplessly. "Why did you do that? The boss is angry. He said he won't let you compete anymore."

"I just wanted to specifically hone my Law of Fate," Barn explained. "If my opponent is too strong, I have to use my full strength and can't let my Fate Clone fight. If they're too weak, there's no point."

Adele shook her head gently and said seriously, "That's not right. I may not be as strong as you, but I've heard the truly powerful people in the Royal City say that the path of cultivation is full of unexpected turns and chance encounters. In every battle and every sparring match, you have to give it your all and face every possibility in your best condition. Only then will you have a chance to seize that fleeting opportunity to break through."

"Many people are always trying to be clever, hiding their strength and keeping something in reserve. They refuse to act unless they're a hundred percent sure. People like that have no heart of a true powerhouse, and they'll never truly break through in battle."

Barn fell silent for a moment, carefully considering Adele's words, then slowly nodded. "You're right. I was being too calculating."

"Next year, when I return to the Colosseum, I won't hold back anymore."

Adele immediately warned him again, "Don't get careless! Everyone saw that you deliberately settled for draws and held back your strength in those matches. The next time the boss arranges an opponent for you, it definitely won't be an ordinary newcomer. He'll give you the strongest, most ruthless fighter he can find!"