Four Straight Wins

On the second floor of the stands, inside a private box.

A brocade-clad young man waving a folding fan narrowed his eyes, lightly tapping the railing with his fingertips as he said in a low voice:

"After three bouts, this Rakshasa looked overbearing and brutal in his moves, yet there was finesse within the roughness. He struck fast and viciously. Clearly, he had tempered his killing methods through countless life-and-death battles. Who would have thought he'd lose so quickly?"

"I don't think... it was luck."

His companion beside him commented, "That old man's footwork was too steady, too slick, and too clean. It must be some secret technique we've never seen before!"

The brocade-clad young man pondered for a moment. "It cost me five thousand taels."

Meanwhile, on the top floor.

Before a window overlooking the arena, a slightly plump, lavishly dressed middle-aged man sat in a rosewood grandmaster's chair. His brows and eyes were smooth yet sinister. After coldly watching the battle through to its end, he spoke:

"Tian Shatong, did you figure out that old fellow's background?"

Standing at his side was none other than the gambling house's owner, Tian Shatong. Tian Shatong had a sharp, capable look, and after managing this hidden arena for over a decade, he had seen every sort of desperate outlaw.

Upon hearing this, Tian Shatong plastered a smile across his face. He personally filled the seated guest's teacup, then lowered his head and bowed.

"In reply to Master Fu, this 'Overlord' strikes extremely fast, and his movement technique is highly practiced. That inch force of his is seasoned and precise. I've spent all these years in the Inner City, yet I've never seen this footwork before. He must have come from the Outer City..."

The man seated in the chair was Qian Fu, one of Master Pang's four great stewards—"Glory, Splendor, Wealth, and Honor."

In the Inner City, who did not know that Glory, Splendor, Wealth, and Honor could turn the clouds and overturn the rain?

Qian Fu raised his hot tea, lifting his eyelids slightly as he coldly watched Lu Li on the arena below. His tone was lazy, yet every word struck true.

"There's something wrong with this newcomer. He doesn't look like an old man to me. At first, I thought he had disguised himself..."

His gaze locked onto Lu Li's calm eyes on the arena, carrying a trace of scrutiny.

"But his attacks were restrained cleanly. He stirred no gusts of force and revealed no internal breath. Moreover, he kept his composure... That isn't the steadiness a young man should possess."

Qian Fu slowly rubbed the rim of his cup with his fingertips, a sharp glint flickering in his eyes.

"The precision of his evasions was flawless down to the slightest fraction. His movement technique was bizarre to the extreme—no sluggishness when changing direction, no trace when evading. He happened to avoid Rakshasa's edge, then used the moment he lost his balance to circle to his side and unleash inch force. He won far too cleanly..."

Tian Shatong stood to one side with his head lowered, quietly listening and nodding repeatedly. Qian Fu was inspecting the arena today, so he did not dare show the slightest negligence.

Qian Fu set down his teacup, the corners of his mouth curving into a sinister smile.

"Master Pang often says that in Blackwater City, what he likes most are desperate outlaws who hide their strength deeply and remain as still as quiet water."

He raised his eyes and gave a cold order:

"Once he leaves the arena, arrange for two experienced hands skilled at tracking and concealment to follow him and probe his background."

"Understood." Tian Shatong bowed to accept the order.

At the end, Qian Fu added:

"If he can be brought under our command, that would be best."

"The victor has been decided. The winner... Overlord!"

Mo Tiezhen's voice rang out across the entire venue like a bronze gong.

Countless gamblers turned ashen-faced and beat their chests in frustration. More than half had lost their wagers, and complaints rose from every side.

"What happened!?"

"How did Rakshasa die so fast?"

"I didn't even see how that old fellow made his move..."

"Evil stuff. His steps were too slick. Can't figure them out, can't figure them out..."

Lu Li stood quietly on the arena, his expression calm and without the slightest hint of pride. Earlier, he had deliberately concealed the traces of his movement technique. To outsiders, it only seemed that Rakshasa had underestimated him, made a mistake, thrown himself into disorder, and been defeated by luck.

He glanced at Mo Tiezhen and left the arena unobtrusively.

Ignoring the clamor around him and the unceasing stares, he took his betting slip to find the manager from before.

"Congratulations, sir, on claiming your first victory."

The manager wore a flattering smile. "My name is You Dian'e. I serve as an arena manager. Here are one hundred and eighty-five taels of silver."

Lu Li accepted the silver handed to him. It felt faintly cool in his hand. After weighing it, he tucked it away close to his body.

Lu Li considered it inwardly. Sure enough, wealth was sought amid danger. He had earned ninety-five taels in a single bout; working at the Road Division yamen, he only earned seventy-two taels a year.

He was not worried that the gambling house would cheat him of his silver. This was money earned by risking one's life. If the gambling house lost its rules so casually, it would not have stood in Blackwater City for over a decade.

Tonight's probing was more or less enough, and he prepared to slip away quietly.

Just then, You Dian'e continued with a smile:

"Sir, would you be willing to fight another round? All of your wagers today will be settled at one-to-one odds."

You Dian'e's heart tightened. This was an order Tian Shatong had just issued, telling him to keep Lu Li around for several more bouts at all costs, so they could gauge the depth of his abilities.

Lu Li focused and thought it over for a while. He would have to come to this arena often in the future, so it was necessary to build a good relationship with the gambling house.

One-to-one odds—how could just one bout be enough? If possible, he could even fight until the gambling house went bankrupt.

Of course, that would be a little too shocking... But if he kept within certain limits, ten bouts would not be excessive, right?

More importantly, he was desperately short of money right now... Lu Li thought for a moment, then asked tentatively:

"It's not impossible. But... Manager You, the money I earn by trading my life for it—surely the gambling house won't swallow it, right?"

You Dian'e relaxed inwardly and hurriedly replied:

"Rest assured, sir. Our gambling house has always treated arena participants as honored guests. That is precisely why martial artists come every night without end to enter the arena. After all, we earn the gamblers' money. Wouldn't you agree?"

Lu Li nodded faintly and pondered briefly.

"If that is the case, then let's have another bout!"

You Dian'e hid his excitement and casually asked:

"May I know how to address you, sir?"

"Lu Renjia," Lu Li answered just as casually.

When traveling outside, with one's life balanced on a blade's edge, how could one use one's real name?

The commotion from the swift first victory gradually subsided, and the gamblers below were quickly drawn to new arena matches.

In the second bout, Lu Li's opponent was likewise an old man wielding a spear at Fourth Skin Tempering. Short blade against long spear, Lu Li deliberately held back this time, pretending they were evenly matched before narrowly winning in the end.

The third bout was against a short man skilled in the Ground-Sweeping Blade, also at Fourth Skin Tempering. He specialized in attacking the lower body, and his blade techniques were sinister and venomous.

Lu Li used the same old trick and continued to hold back, fighting through peril after peril. In the end, amid a tooth-aching crack, Lu Li dislocated his opponent's joints and wrist bones.

The Ground-Sweeping Blade fell to the ground. Lu Li drove a hand chop into the Hollow of Heaven at his opponent's throat, resolving the opponent by the narrowest of margins.

After three straight victories, Overlord's reputation soared like a sparrow taking flight, and he gained a group of fanatical gamblers.

In the fourth bout, he faced a woman wielding twin blades, still at Fourth Skin Tempering. Her blade techniques were dense and seamless, like water poured over her that could not penetrate.

Lu Li twisted, turned, and leaped about, learning as he fought. In the end, one blade sealed her throat, stunning the entire venue.

By the time the fifth bout came around, fighting was not difficult for Lu Li, but acting was becoming a little tiring.

By then, his betting silver had accumulated to one thousand five hundred taels. After one more bout, it would total three thousand and five taels.

Three thousand taels in one night—he was drawing ever closer to the twenty thousand taels needed for the main medicine to improve his innate physique. Lu Li's fighting spirit was burning fiercely.

He had gained a great deal from today's four arena bouts. It was not merely silver; under such extreme life-and-death combat, both his battle experience and his horizons had been exploding in growth.

Including, but not limited to, all manner of shameless underhanded fighting methods...

An hour later, the fifth arena bout.

Lu Li stood on the arena, without the slightest ripple visible in his eyes.

"The fourteenth match, a Deathmatch Arena bout! Overlord versus Tiger Guard!"

Tiger Guard entered the arena, his eyes icy to the extreme as he looked at Lu Li on the platform as though looking at a dead man.

The crowd below erupted. They had followed Lu Li tonight and were nearly back to even, but then Tiger Guard, the "Executioner" with ten consecutive victories, suddenly took the stage, leaving them maddened and torn.

"Overlord is at Fourth Skin Tempering, with odds of forty percent. Tiger Guard is at Fifth-Level Skin Tempering, with odds of twenty-six percent."