Feng Lingtian initially signed up for a few matches and won relatively quickly, but he noticed a problem—after each match, his physical strength was greater than expected.
Most of the opponents in the Slaughter City are madmen who fight recklessly, and even if he wins, he will have to pay a heavy price.
If you continue at this pace and finish with 100 wins, your performance will definitely decline later on.
A change had to be made, so Feng Lingtian began to observe other players' playing styles. After watching a round, he found that Tang Yin's rhythm was the most stable—he didn't get carried away, didn't fight desperately, and kept each match to a minimum in the shortest possible time.
Therefore, for a period of time afterward, Feng Lingtian did not rush to register, but instead watched several of Tang Yin's matches, carefully observing Tang Yin's response to the forbidden Soul Skill environment.
Tang Yin has two playing styles. Sometimes he doesn't move, standing in the center of the field waiting for others to make their moves, and only starts cleaning up the mess when the threat on the field has decreased to a certain extent.
Feng Lingtian had carefully observed Tang Yin's rhythm changes from the stands—it wasn't that he didn't attack, but rather that he chose to attack at the right time to avoid unnecessary losses.
However, in another scenario, if everyone is more composed than him and the situation becomes deadlocked with no one making the first move, Tang Yin will take the initiative.
Tang Yin acted swiftly and decisively. He quickly chose the easiest opponent to eliminate and took them down. Once one fell, the balance among the others was broken, and the situation naturally descended into chaos.
Feng Lingtian noted down both strategies. Remaining still to conserve energy, or taking the initiative to break the stalemate—each has its own applicable scenarios, the key is to determine when to use which one.
Having formulated a strategy in mind, Feng Lingtian continued to register for competitions. For his first match back on the field, Feng Lingtian decided to try the first strategy before even entering the arena—standing at the edge of the field and not rushing to make a move.
After the others tested each other a few times, a melee ensued. Feng Lingtian only attacked when they got close to him, pushing them away without pursuing them, always maintaining his position on the field.
When only four people remained on the field, he assessed the condition of the others—three of them were injured and their physical strength was clearly depleted.
Only then did he take the initiative. His first opponent was noticeably a beat slow; after dodging the attack, he was even too slow to counterattack.
Feng Lingtian delivered a clean and swift strike to the man's back. He continued to attack the second and third opponents with the same steady rhythm, never letting his guard down despite their weakness.
When he was the only one left standing on the field, he confirmed that his physical exertion had decreased significantly compared to before.
This battle was very fruitful. He confirmed that Tang Yin's strategy of waiting for the opponent to wear him down first was indeed effective here, and it was very suitable for his current situation—not to actively provoke trouble, but to let the troubles be digested by each other first.
But the situation was different in the next match. All nine people on the field stood still, none of them willing to make the first move, and the atmosphere became tense.
Feng Lingtian waited for a while and found that no one would make the first move. He judged that dragging out this stalemate would only be a waste of time, so he mentally chose the opponent who was closest to him and looked the weakest.
He crouched low and quickly approached, a gust of wind slicing across the man's neck. Before the man could react, he was already down. The others only snapped out of their daze the moment he fell, and the situation suddenly became tense.
Feng Lingtian quickly switched from the role of an assassin back to normal combat mode, taking advantage of the time difference before the others could react to eliminate the second and third.
He ultimately won, but his approach differed from the previous match—the key this time lay in judging "when to wait" and "when to move."
Through these fights, Feng Lingtian analyzed and confirmed the pattern of the upcoming battles in his mind: conserving energy is the key, but the stalemate cannot wait; he must break the deadlock himself.
Feng Lingtian didn't deliberately count how many matches he had played, but his victories were accumulating faster than he had expected.
Most participants in the Slaughter City rely on instinct and brute force; there are few who are truly skilled. As long as he remains calm and makes accurate judgments, his chances of winning will not be low.
One evening, when Feng Lingtian came out of the venue, he saw Tang Yin standing in the passage near the exit, with a masked woman standing next to her.
Feng Lingtian recognized her at a glance—it was Hu Liena. He didn't look at her much and continued walking forward, but Tang Yin called out to him.
" Feng Ling."
Feng Lingtian stopped in his tracks.
Tang Yin walked over. "Let me introduce you. This is my friend. He's already won 100 games. I've also won 99 games, and I'll have won 100 after the next game."
We agreed to brave Hell Road together. How's your run going? Want to join us? The three of us should have a better chance of winning."
Feng Lingtian looked at him and shook his head. "No need. I'm still a bit far from being a hundred-win, so I won't keep you any longer. You go ahead and try."
Tang Yin didn't try to persuade him further, "Alright, be careful."
"Okay, I wish you all the best," Feng Lingtian said.
As Feng Lingtian walked out of the Hell Arena, the bell rang behind him, signaling the start of Tang Yin's final match.
The match lasted shorter than he had expected, and soon a low cheer came from afar— Tang Yin had won.
Feng Lingtian sat in the shadows of a corner, looking up towards the direction of the Hell Slaughter Arena. A dark red pillar of light shot up from the sky, causing the ground of the entire Slaughter City to tremble slightly. He withdrew his gaze, closed his eyes, and remained silent.
For the next three days, Feng Lingtian did not go to the Hell Slaughter Arena. He found a secluded corner to rest and conserve his strength.
On the evening of the third day, he returned to the Hell Arena and registered with the guards. After registering and receiving the iron token, Feng Lingtian turned and walked towards the arena.
He had only taken a few steps when the guard behind him turned to his companion and whispered, "A couple of days ago, those two undefeated Slaughter God decided to challenge the Hell Road. The King of Slaughter opened the Hell Road, and many people died. Now we have to gather new people."
A companion chimed in, "I heard that the blue-haired guy tried to tamper with Hell Road, but the King of Slaughter discovered it and threw him out."
"Is that so?"
"That's right. I've been here for so many years, and this is the first time I've heard of anyone daring to do something like that."
Feng Lingtian didn't stop walking, but he had already taken in those two sentences completely.
Based on the information he heard, Feng Lingtian confirmed in his mind that Tang Yin and Hu Liena had already completed the Hell Road.
Tang San had indeed made his move earlier, attempting to destroy the Hell Road. And the warning he had given to the King of Slaughter of Slaughter through the guide beforehand had clearly worked.
After registration reopened, Feng Lingtian's victories progressed even faster. With the absence of two strong contenders, Tang Yin and Hu Liena, the remaining participants were of varying skill levels, making him more composed in his approach.
One evening, as he came out of the stadium, he silently counted his wins in his mind—ninety-eight wins, just two more to go.