Chapter 695

Tian Wangchuan was not a man who dawdled; after stating the rules, he immediately announced the martial contest had begun.

Fang Yue noticed many people leaping onto the nearest arena without hesitation.

"Arena 3, I'm first!"

"I've claimed this arena!"

"Who dares climb up and fight me? The Nine Pigeon Caravan Guild fears no challenge!"

These people were indeed confident; Fang Yue swept his gaze over them—all were either Postnatal Realm or Xiantian Realm, not a single Person-Level warrior in sight.

Fang Yue's expression darkened instantly—he realized they were all just cannon fodder sent out to probe.

Any caravan guild that dared enter the 【Martial Contest】 and hoped to make a name for itself in it could never expect a Postnatal Realm warrior to secure a ranking.

At the very least, they needed Xiantian Realm strength.

The Xiantian Realm warriors meant to close the contest would naturally not be released so early.

Although Person-Level warriors were the true peak combat force of this arena tournament.

But frankly, even across the entire 【Chunuan City】, the number of Person-Level warriors was certainly not large.

Most remained within the top hundred caravan guilds of the 【Tian Shang Alliance】, enjoying high benefits, working for the higher-ranked guilds, and holding onto their positions.

Thus, the number of Person-Level warriors wandering outside was extremely limited.

Fang Yue estimated, including himself, there were at most a dozen or so Person-Level warriors.

That meant, no matter what, he could enter the preliminary round effortlessly—literally just lie down and walk in.

So Fang Yue wasn't in a hurry; he planned to wait until the time was nearly up, then casually climb onto any arena and seize the arena master's position.

Fang Yue wasn't in a rush, but Mang Liuzi was desperate.

Once Yang Hongxia finally finished her fragile social exchanges and returned to the group, before she could speak, Mang Liuzi leapt onto the nearest arena and began fighting.

As he fought, he shouted loudly.

"Guest of the Great Sun Caravan Guild, Mang Liuzi, comes to seek instruction!"

His voice carried tremendous momentum; those unaware might have thought a master had arrived.

Of course, against the Postnatal Realm juniors on the arena, Mang Liuzi—who had just recovered from his injuries—was indeed a master, a Xiantian Realm master!

But he could only bully the juniors.

Within a few moves, Mang Liuzi defeated his opponent with an extremely graceful posture, then bowed with exaggerated flair: "Your courtesy!"

Fang Yue:???

This guy… does he think he's handsome?

As Fang Yue pondered, Yang Hongxia muttered in frustration: "Why did he climb up?!"

Fang Yue asked curiously: "What's wrong with that?"

Since they'd never expected Mang Liuzi to contribute anything meaningful, Fang Yue felt nothing special about his actions—but Yang Hongxia quickly explained.

It turned out that, for caravan guilds ranked outside the top hundred of the 【Tian Shang Alliance】 but still relatively strong, the Alliance had pre-assigned specific arena numbers.

Although the assigned zones were broad—like arenas 5 through 10, pick any one—it did indeed restrict the Great Sun Caravan Guild's mobility.

This wasn't out of fear of the Great Sun Caravan Guild's strength, but to ensure relative balance in combat strength across each arena.

To prevent some arenas from being monopolized by frauds, wasting valuable slots.

Many other guilds, like the Great Sun Caravan Guild, had been privately notified of their assigned arena numbers.

But Yang Hongxia had just begun handling these matters; as a newly appointed Regimental Commander, she was still unfamiliar with many procedures.

She hadn't yet had time to inform Mang Liuzi about this, and he'd already jumped up on his own.

Yang Hongxia clenched her teeth inwardly—the Great Sun Caravan Guild's assigned arena number wasn't Arena 15, but arenas 75 through 80.

Although it was unlikely Mang Liuzi could actually hold an arena, still, he'd unnecessarily offended fellow guilds, leaving her frustrated.

Now that he'd climbed up, they couldn't ask him to forfeit.

"It's fine—I'll just go to Arena 75. I'll secure a slot easily."

Fang Yue said calmly.

As he spoke, those around him felt the temperature drop slightly.

Fang Yue resembled a walking refrigerator with its door open; people nearby glanced at him twice, then silently moved away—only Yang Hongxia remained beside him.

Perhaps because she'd been chilled so often lately, she seemed to have developed much greater tolerance for cold.

"Lord Ye, I certainly believe in your strength. Let's ignore this guy and head straight to those arenas."

"No rush."

Time was still early; fighting now meant defending arenas. Better to wait until time was nearly up, then defeat the current holder and claim victory directly.

Not only Fang Yue thought this way—other powerful caravan guilds thought the same.

And… they thought even deeper than Fang Yue.

For example, if an arena had strong fighters, switch to another and pick the soft targets.

The later you acted, the clearer the situation became—and the better your chance to seize an arena!

As for the 【Tian Shang Alliance】's assigned arena numbers for specific guilds, no one actually followed them strictly.

Yang Hongxia had already spotted several caravan guilds sending fighters to arenas outside their assigned numbers.

It seemed that, before profit, the 【Tian Shang Alliance】's private instructions meant little.

After all, they were only recommendations—not absolute bans forbidding fights on other arenas.

Everyone had to eat; if the rules were truly this strict, Tian Wangchuan would have explicitly included these details in his opening speech.

Seeing other guilds act so casually, Yang Hongxia finally relaxed.

On Arena 15, the battle was now raging fiercely; Mang Liuzi swept through opponents one after another, his reputation rising, firmly holding the arena master's position.

When Mang Liuzi knocked a Xiantian Realm warrior off the arena, a chilling voice sounded beside Yang Hongxia.

"The Regimental Commander of the Great Sun Merchant Caravan — that's hardly fair, is it?"

Yang Hongxia turned to look back, her heart suddenly a little flustered, but feeling the cold aura beside her, she steadied herself.

"Regimental Commander of the Heavenly Net Merchant Caravan, have I done something wrong?"

"... You should know that this side shouldn't be your arena position."

"The arena master's position goes to the capable. My Guest is powerful, so naturally he can stand on this arena."

"Fine! Those are your words. Don't blame me later for not showing consideration to fellow merchants!"

The Regimental Commander of the Heavenly Net Merchant Caravan had a flash of gloom in his eyes, let out a cold laugh, and gradually walked off, coming to the side of a white-haired old man and whispering a few words.

But that old man waved his hand and said with a smile: "No rush."

Clearly, this old man was the Guest invited by the Heavenly Net Merchant Caravan, but his thoughts were probably the same as Fang Yue and his group — waiting until the appointed hour was almost upon them before setting out to settle it once and for all.

Going up now would, one, waste stamina, and two, reveal one's strength — not worth the loss.

However, after being refused, the Regimental Commander of the Heavenly Net Merchant Caravan was clearly somewhat shamed into anger. He growled a few words, making the white-haired old man's face darken.

(End of chapter)