The Imperial Arena's circular, stepped seating was jam-packed, the blood-red banners bearing the emblem of Aran fluttering wildly in the wind.

A murderous aura pervaded the parade ground; with thirty-two moving to sixteen, in a large-scale event with worldwide selections, it had become the main feature of the Continent Martial Arts Competition—almost a semi-final.

When the general public tournament is underway, don't be fooled by the intensity of the betting; once it's over, people only remember who came first.

The finals will start at seven o'clock tomorrow night. There will be an intermission show and artistic performance, meanwhile, the sixteen star players will be heavily promoted and packaged. On the evening of September 9th, there will be a betting frenzy with gold coins.

The setting sun was as crimson as blood, sinking into the horizon at the far end of the parade ground, dyeing half the sky a murky reddish-brown. Even the passing clouds were tinged with a rusty halo.

Thirty-two to sixteen, first match: Divine Sword Xiaolong versus Nail Soul Man Fernandez.

Having survived the bloody fourth round, even Xiaolong couldn't take it easy as before; he had to show true skill to win.

As soon as the two appeared in the arena, the already fevered seats reached a boiling point. From now on, there were no dark horses; everyone on the battlefield was a champion candidate.

The best in the world will face the Emperor directly, ascending to official positions overnight. Even those indifferent to fame and fortune, who only come for the love of martial skills, would gain land and treasures if admired by the Emperor for their prowess.

The Sword King's current residence, the Sword Platform in the suburbs of Aran, was also a reward from the Emperor.

The adventurer's guild's publication, "Basic Sword Skills Manual," was edited by Xiaolong. Its sales once topped the charts, making him a star among Hall-level Adventurers.

He hails from the Far East but has been roaming the Western Continent for a long time. His attire has also been assimilated: leather boots, silver and black striped straight trousers, an open-collared plain shirt, hair as black as ink, features impressively handsome, aging around thirty. He radiated an air of "I'm here to save you" without an intimidating presence.

A classic archetype from women's romance novels.

Nail Soul Man Fernandez, on the other hand, hailed from a rare race, a branch of the elves of the Ancient Divine Continent, a Forest Elf, with long and narrow ears and strikingly attractive features.

Due to ancient covenants, the Ancient Divine Continent and the Western Continent do not interact. Elves are of higher status. Though the Dark Elves of Summer Sunset Island have become quite notorious, Forest Elves remain at the top of the despise chain, with a gift that includes steakhouses everywhere.

Over the past few decades, the situation east of the Narrow Sea has been complicated. Aran making a name for itself in the east of the Narrow Sea is quite impressive. With the Great Wetland to the south, and the Barbarian Bay People and Beastmen to the north, it's a chaotic mess. Some Forest Elves originally settled in the east have migrated back to the west of the Narrow Sea.

Currently, Forest Elves are mainly distributed in the Holy Forest north of the Gureg Kingdom.

"Pleased to meet you."

Xiaolong smiled warmly, placing a hand on his shoulder and bending slightly as a gesture. This is the Western Continent, not the Far East; customs differ, so he didn't clench his fists in salute.

He rose from the qualifiers, and not once had he even killed, nor hardly injured his opponents. Either he disarmed his opponent in a single bout, or after a few bouts, his opponents would concede. Yasashi and her mother watched Zhenzi's tape, and "Yasashi, damn it," the flavor even overflowed from the demon crystal video.

Even though surrendering is not allowed, Xiaolong shows true martial virtue, often sparing his opponents, even speaking with ostentation. With today's level of the magic energy industry, human strength cannot match magical constructs, and cultivating martial skills is purely for self-cultivation.

Fernandez was a bit annoyed, as Xiaolong completely showcased himself. Yet he reluctantly returned the salute.

Both had impressive looks; their appearance was a long-term advantageous trait.

Considering the economic system led by today's Aran Military Government, male net celebrities converted their popularity into cash more effectively than females.

The adventurer's guild supported this data. Although they release an "Annual Goddess Manual" each year, bottom-tier adventurers, who are introverted players, essentially lack purchasing power. These "Tiger扑 Goddesses" seem to have fierce reputations but lack commercial ability and sales strength. Only top-tier winners could dominate, like Qili, who had actual skills. Merely relying on looks didn't cut it.

Grassroots adventurers are fancy individuals, military-trained, gambler parasites, and those mixing with the underworld. Although they seem abundant in the Western Continent, they actually form less than five percent of the terrifying population base. Western Continent's ordinary men, repressed by nature, religiously believe in the laborer's all-in theory—saving frugally and living as workhorses, just to support a wife, with no money left for female streamers. It's rare for a Western Continent's Liu Xinxin to lure a workhorse, as it's generally Big Guy A who enjoyed free benefits and Liu even paid Big Guy A back.

However, male net celebrities have remarkably high monetizing abilities. The laborers go all-in for the beautiful girl, whose consumption power is exceptionally high.

The capital of Yalan Castle Province, Duguli, has its booming economy; in military government nations, it ranked among the top in GDP, even though this was Aran, a first-world market filled with luxury goods supported entirely by these women. It's a terrifying market.

The laborer goes all-in for the beauty, the beauty goes all-in for consumerism.

Given the Aran Military Government's seriousness, high officials rise through military merits, and the Yalan Royal Knight Order consists of ruthless killers. Money is about utility; killing effectively earns one the qualification to meet the Emperor, or even open a new department as a Lao Da. Only then can one cover the skies with a single hand, and govern life and death, indulging desires as they see fit.

This phenomenon is rare in Aran but more common in other countries, where much military fundraising and social activities require top-tier heroic Royal Knight Orders to appear and persuade emotionally and logically, ceremoniously drawing out gold coins.

Adventurers are generally rough individuals. Even the skilled ones solemnly follow tasks. There are few good-looking ones, but for handsome Honor Level or Heroic Level adventurers with high personal standards, they also heavily profit from beautiful girls' gold coins.

These adventurers may not be that cultured, but carry a certain rustic long worker and young mistress charm.

Many commissions are extremely absurd: a noble lady claims there are magic beasts near the territory and offers a high bounty, designating some particular hottie adventurer to rush in. Where's the magic beast?

Indeed, there's a magic beast; appeal isn't lust, and Pu Xi isn't cat.

Of course, Rein's previous adventure group didn't have this treatment; they hunted real magic beasts, often risking their lives accidentally.

As soon as Xiaolong stepped onto the parade ground, noble ladies and merchant pearls frantically placed bets, creating an intense atmosphere. The Aran government continuously collected house cut after consultations until they were weary.

Fernandez wasn't an adventurer nor had any prior notoriety, just a recommendation from people back home. He had connections and engaged in some criminal custody work within the Cross Alliance. Only recently arrived from his hometown in the Holy Forest, his friends said his skills were wasted there, so he came to the Continent Martial Arts Competition to try his luck.

Many people in the Continent Martial Arts Competition came from peculiar and unknown backgrounds.

However, with his looks and somewhat "awkward" easily manipulated persona, Fernandez battled through the rounds, amassing a frenzied fan base. Beautiful girls relentlessly placed bets, and even if he lost to Xiaolong today, countless young ladies would still be eager to invite him to their estates to "exterminate magic beasts."

Select your weapon.

After the female host's voice ended.

The first match of the final selection of the bloody fourth round began.

"Please, you first."

Xiaolong came for the peak of swordsmanship, aspiring to be the world's best. Tomorrow, some champions from previous years would attend; the Aran Sword King had quite a reputation. It would be great if he could offer some guidance.

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