Chapter 175: Hundred Battles, Hundred Victories

"I, Xi Ka Liu Si, win a hundred battles!"

The gladiator in the arena raised his greatsword and shouted loudly.

The crowd's enthusiasm was reignited by him, pushing the excited atmosphere to a peak, and they shouted in unison: "Xi Ka Liu Si, win a hundred battles!"

Lei En sat on the private box sofa, using his Soul Eye to observe the majestic gladiator.

A powerful soul was revealed before his eyes.

"No Blood Soul Curse, and not a transcendent, indeed not human," Lei En judged from the gladiator's soul strength; the opponent was not a legend, his power comparable to a level‑7 to 8 transcendent, yet his soul contained a surprising number of Elements—fifteen!

Intelligent races beyond humans cannot fuse with demonic souls; their Elements usually have two sources.

One is innate, called a racial talent.

The other forms in the soul through continual learning and training, mastering a certain ability or technique.

Lei En quickly identified the gladiator's Elements.

Level‑5 Strength, Level‑2 Enduring Stamina, Level‑3 Resilience, Unyielding Willpower, Level‑1 Self‑Healing, Level‑4 Charge, Level‑2 Power Burst, Keen Sight, Precise Throw, Level‑3 Heavy Strike, Reverse Slash, Level‑3 Whirlwind Slash, Swift Shadow Thrust, Lightning Counter…

These Elements are common, yet extremely comprehensive, and each has been greatly amplified after intensive training.

Strength, Defense, Technique, Ranged Attack.

The multitude of Elements combined makes the gladiator an almost perfect warrior!

The only drawback may be slightly slower speed, a weakness of his massive body that is hard to compensate for later.

Nevertheless, Lei En was still amazed; this gladiator is not a transcendent, each Element was earned through training, and it's hard to imagine how much sweat and effort he expended.

Of course, the gladiator's innate talent is also far beyond ordinary humans and many races.

Even legendary berserkers among humans may not have so many Elements.

"Hm?"

Lei En examined the gladiator's soul Elements one by one; when he reached the last, a question mark flashed in his mind, because he did not recognize that Element.

The Element's rune was very unfamiliar, looking complex, and its level was unknown.

He opened the Book of Thousand Souls on his phone, and after searching and comparing, confirmed that this was an unknown Element with no recorded data.

"Interesting…"

Lei En stroked his chin, narrowed the Soul Eye's view, magnified the Element's shape, and began to sense it carefully.

Because the distance was relatively far, the sensing was not perfectly clear, but he still obtained partial information and roughly understood the Element's function.

When the information entered his mind, Lei En's eyes flickered slightly, and his whole body shivered.

This Element allows the gladiator to select a target whose physique resembles his own, gaining part of the target's bodily attributes—strength, defense, speed, and so on—but not the target's spells or techniques; it is a pure physical augmentation that stacks onto his own, persisting as long as the target is not changed.

Lei En was unsure whether this Element had any usage restrictions or effects on the target, but it was certainly a very rare Element.

"So that's the effect!"

"This Element is slightly weaker than the Trickster's 'Mimicry', but 'Mimicry' usually only lasts for a short time unless one obtains the target's soul to sustain it long‑term."

"'Mimicry' is a supreme Element; this Element is probably not supreme, merely rare, certainly the top‑tier among rare Elements."

"I wonder if this is his unique Element or his racial talent? If it's a racial talent…"

Lei En's mind instantly filled with many thoughts.

Various applications of this Element formed in his mind, and as he watched the gladiator in the arena, his gaze grew eager.

"Fa Bi An, do you know this gladiator's background?" Lei En asked offhand.

The Wind Elf replied at once: "Sir, Xi Ka Liu Si is a Makuraga from Sai En Gao Yuan. A few years ago he signed a contract with the Great Hammer Arena, became a gladiator, won a hundred battles without defeat, and has held the annual champion title for three consecutive years!"

"So he's a Makuraga," Lei En thought, enlightened.

Sai En Gao Yuan lies in the western Empire, its area as vast as half the Empire; the climate is cold, mountains crisscross, and west of the plateau lies the Shi Jie Shan Mai.

On this frigid plateau live many powerful yet scarce races, mostly barbarians.

Among barbarian tribes there are also racial differences, with bloodlines of varied origins.

Some barbarians resemble humans, possessing highly developed civilizations; others are completely uncivilized, feeding on flesh and blood, barely different from beasts, making communication with outsiders difficult.

Based on differing bloodlines, cultures, and beliefs, there are over twenty types of barbarians on Sai En Gao Yuan.

Makuraga are one of them.

Lei En searched his phone library for information on Makuraga; this barbarian tribe is very small, perhaps only a few thousand, residing in a rugged mountain area at the foot of the Shi Jie Shan Mai called Makuraga Mountain. Like other barbarians, they are born with powerful physiques and strength.

Makuraga are extremely martial, beginning combat training at three years old.

Every adult Makuraga is an excellent warrior, strong in melee and also possessing superb javelin‑throwing skill.

Makuraga worship the 'God of Loyalty and Glory' Ji Li Man, but this deity was severely wounded by an Abyssal evil god in the previous era, fell into slumber, and has not answered prayers for thousands of years; even the 'Glory' priesthood has been lost, leading some to suspect Ji Li Man fell long ago.

Lei En saw that Xi Ka Liu Si's flame of faith was very weak, almost extinguished.

This situation is similar to dwarf Zuo Er Tan, both suffering from issues with their deity.

At that moment, amid the crowd's cheers, the arena host used amplification technique to announce a hunting exhibition.

Ten large iron cages were pushed out from the entrance.

Each cage contained a terror wolf that had been starving for days; its fur was brown‑yellow, its body length reached three meters, its deep eyes glowed with bloodlust, and a stream of saliva dripped from its massive fanged maw.

Terror wolves are low‑rank demon beasts; they possess high intelligence and understand coordinated combat.

Ten terror wolves can form a small pack; even a high‑rank transcendent would find the outcome unpredictable if surrounded.

At the host's command, the ten iron cages were opened simultaneously.

The terror wolves quickly surged out of the cages, but did not attack immediately; instead they lowered their bodies and circled Xi Ka Liu Si, forming an encirclement.

Xi Ka Liu Si showed no fear, switched his greatsword to his left hand, and drew a javelin from behind.

"Whoosh!"

A sharp, whistling sound rang out; the steel‑forged javelin in his hand became a black flash, moving so fast the audience could barely follow, and they only saw a terror wolf pierced by the javelin, stuck firmly into the ground.

The remaining nine terror wolves surged forward, attacking from all directions.

Xikaliusi's hands never stopped; within a few breaths, he threw all the javelins, killing six terror wolves, and one javelin skillfully pierced two of them.

After throwing the javelins, the four surviving terror wolves had already charged forward.

Xikaliusi raised his greatsword, using his right foot as an axis, spun like lightning, and the broad blade whipped up a terrifying vortex that swept the four terror wolves inside.

Puff puff puff…

The greatsword, like a meat grinder, easily sliced the terror wolves' bodies; in the blink of an eye, it cut them into fragments.

A spray of wolf blood drenched Xikaliusi, staining him crimson.

Hundred battles, hundred victories!

Xikaliusi raised his greatsword and roared, his towering figure standing in the arena, treading on massive wolf carcasses, a sight that set hearts ablaze.

The audience, spurred by the blood, shouted along, each wave of sound louder than the last.

Xikaliusi, hundred battles, hundred victories…

In the box seat, Lei En rose and clapped in appreciation, "To go three years unbeaten in the arena truly is not an empty reputation."

The fight seemed simple, ending in under ten seconds, yet it revealed Xikaliusi's exceptionally refined combat skill; whether throwing javelins or delivering the final whirlwind slash, Xikaliusi remained unhurried, perfectly seizing every moment.

If he himself were to fight, he might not be this deft.

In terms of combat skill, Lei En wouldn't claim to surpass Xikaliusi, but with his terrifying physical strength and the dual aid of a phone gyroscope and Truth Willpower, defeating this barbarian would be no problem for him.

Amid the cheers, Xikaliusi made a glorious exit, continuing his unbeaten record.

Other battles then took turns to unfold.

It was Lei En's first time in the arena, and he watched with great interest.

In the Empire's arena, gladiators are generally below the legendary rank; those above legendary wield too much destructive power for the arena's protective barriers to endure.

Moreover, legendary champions hold high status and rarely agree to fight for money.

Gladiators mainly specialize in melee, contesting close‑combat techniques; this sword‑and‑blade flesh‑fighting especially excites the audience's senses.

Fights involving casters are hard for ordinary people to follow; sometimes they end inexplicably, lacking spectacle.

The Great Hammer Arena hosts not only one‑on‑one duels but also three‑on‑three, five‑on‑five team battles, and twenty‑person skirmishes.

Each battle mode is ranked by win rate; each month a monthly champion is decided, receiving a hefty prize.

Over a yearly cycle, the twelve monthly champions face off, and the ultimate victor becomes the annual champion!

The annual champion will receive a massive prize.

Many transcendants and exotic elites form teams to compete for the prize.

Lei En watched several three‑on‑three matches, all quite spectacular; none of those daring to be gladiators are mediocre, their strength far surpasses that of equal‑rank transcendants.

Today's winners consisted of a human greatswordsman, a male wood elf druid, and a blood‑elf female assassin; they won three matches in a row, clearly stronger than their opponents, coordinated flawlessly, winning easily, yet the scene was thrilling, drawing endless cheers from the audience.

Lei En also enjoyed it immensely, casually taking out several Gold Shields and tossing them into the arena as tips.

When the sun shifted westward, the arena's performance ended.

The audience gradually left, and Lei En finally met the person he was to see today: a tall wood elf entered the box seat, bowed and said, "Greetings, my lord, I am Tuosai Delin, the proprietor of the Great Hammer Arena."

(End of chapter)