Chu Xiong did not even know how he had lost.

All he saw was a flash of crimson, followed by searing pain.

The next instant, he found himself standing outside the Human Emperor Arena.

Although confused, he knew the Human Emperor Network never made mistakes.

He had lost, and he had lost decisively.

A throbbing ache lingered deep within his soul.

The Human Emperor Network was so incredibly realistic that it could perfectly simulate even soul-level pain.

"So it was a soul attack. Just what kind of background does this kid have?"

"There aren't many human cultivators who specialize in soul attacks. This is getting interesting."

"Brat, you ruined my winning streak. Just wait until we cross paths again. I'll make sure you pay for this."

Lin Moyu's fighting style had thoroughly piqued Chu Xiong's interest.

Casting one last glance at the Human Emperor Arena, Chu Xiong turned and left.

The aura surrounding him surged, breaking through the Transcendent God realm and advancing into the True God realm.

It continued climbing until it finally stabilized at the God King realm.

Chu Xiong was a God King.

Just as he had claimed, he had not come to complete missions, but to crush weaker opponents.

Instead of bullying a newbie, he had ended up becoming the victim.

The result left him grinding his teeth in frustration.

Lin Moyu knew nothing about the inner workings of the Human Emperor Arena.

The only thing that mattered was that his opponent was a 3rd tier Transcendent God.

The moment the battle began, he raised a hand and cast Time Curse.

The triple-layered soul attack, coupled with an instantaneous burst of power, was more than enough to kill an opponent of the same tier in a single strike.

[Mission completed. Please return to your Mission Center to submit the mission.]

Lin Moyu withdrew his consciousness from the Human Emperor Network and returned to the Mission Center.

After submitting the mission, he smoothly earned 100 points.

[Regular match mission completed. Points +100]

After reading the notification, Lin Moyu immediately accepted another arena mission—a consecutive match mission.

[Consecutive match mission: beginning with an opponent of the same tier as yourself, each successive opponent will be stronger than the last. Rewards are granted for every victory. All rewards accumulate and will be distributed once the mission ends.]

[Matching opponent... Please wait.]

Unlike the previous mission, this one did not specify the rewards.

Lin Moyu guessed that the rewards scaled according to how many opponents he defeated.

Returning to the mission room, he closed the door and quietly waited.

A minute later, another notification appeared.

[Suitable opponent found. The match will begin in 5 minutes.]

[Please find a suitable location, enter the Human Emperor Network, and teleport to the Human Emperor Arena.]

It was almost identical to the previous prompt. Had the mission details been different, Lin Moyu might have mistaken it for the same mission.

Upon entering the Human Emperor Network, he appeared directly outside the Human Emperor Arena.

Since completing his previous mission, everything remained unchanged.

Stepping into the arena once more, he found himself standing on the same empty stage, with rows of vacant spectator seats surrounding him.

Transcendent God realm matches simply weren't attractive enough to draw an audience.

If spectators were going to spend points, they naturally preferred watching higher-realm battles that offered far greater insight.

Just as Lin Moyu was about to look away, a figure suddenly appeared in the spectator stands.

"It's him..." He was surprised.

He had not expected Ren Qiang to come and watch.

Ren Qiang waved enthusiastically, making it obvious that he had come specifically for Lin Moyu's match.

Sound could not travel between the arena and the spectator stands, ensuring outside interference would never affect the participants.

Unable to speak, Ren Qiang could only wave.

Understanding his intentions, Lin Moyu responded by raising a clenched fist, signaling that he understood.

At the opposite end of the arena, another figure gradually materialized amid flickering light.

It was a middle-aged man with a lean build. Though he looked unremarkable physically, his presence was noticeably stronger than Chu Xiong's.

[Zhuang Bi—3rd tier Transcendent God.]

Like Chu Xiong before him, Zhuang Bi was also a 3rd tier Transcendent God.

However, Lin Moyu could immediately tell that this opponent was considerably stronger, likely standing at the very peak of the 3rd tier Transcendent God realm.

He was only a single step away from becoming a 4th tier Transcendent God.

Although the rules stated that the first opponent would always be at the challenger's level, strength still varied greatly within the same realm.

The Human Emperor Arena always selected the strongest cultivators available within each tier.

Zhuang Bi sized Lin Moyu up before sneering, "You've got terrible luck, running into me in your very first match."

"Go on—tell me how you want to die. I'm in a good mood today, so I'll let you choose."

Lin Moyu couldn't help but chuckle.

Chu Xiong had said almost the exact same thing earlier.

Did they rehearse this together?

Zhuang Bi frowned, "What are you smiling at?"

Suppressing his smile, Lin Moyu replied, "Nothing. A man named Chu Xiong said the exact same thing a little while ago."

"Oh, that loudmouthed idiot Chu Xiong?"

"So, what did you choose?"

Knowing Chu Xiong's personality, he wasn't surprised in the slightest.

"I didn't choose." Lin Moyu answered, shaking his head.

"You didn't? Then that brute must've tortured you before killing you."

Lin Moyu shook his head again, "He never got the chance. I killed him."

"Huh?" Zhuang Bi froze for a moment before bursting into booming laughter, "What did you just say? You killed Chu Xiong? That idiot died at your hands?"

Lin Moyu frowned. This Zhuang Bi seemed more than a little unhinged.

After laughing for quite some time, Zhuang Bi finally exclaimed, "Well done! That guy was always bragging about winning a hundred matches in a row. In the end, he got taken out after barely a dozen."

"So you're Lin Moyu? Nice work. I think we could've been friends."

"I'm from the Vermilion Bird Planet No. 10-1. If you ever make it there, come find me."

"That said, business is business. Out of respect, I'll make your death quick. No torture.”

Lin Moyu ignored him. The man was clearly out of his mind and not worth responding to.

As the countdown reached zero, a sword appeared in Zhuang Bi's hand.

His figure blurred into a streak of light as he shot straight toward Lin Moyu.

Lin Moyu merely extended a finger.

Fused law art: Time Curse!

A crimson radiance instantly engulfed the arena in all directions, sealing the sky and the ground alike with nowhere to escape.

Zhuang Bi was forced out of the streak of light, slammed into the ground, and vanished.

He was dead.

Just a moment earlier, he had been laughing wildly and promising Lin Moyu a painless death.

The next, he had been eliminated cleanly and effortlessly.

Watching from the stands, Ren Qiang stood frozen in disbelief.

Unlike others, he knew the truth behind these arena matches.

Zhuang Bi was no ordinary 3rd tier Transcendent God.

People like him weren't there to complete missions like Lin Moyu.

They were powerful cultivators who deliberately suppressed their cultivation realm to act as arena guardians.

Zhuang Bi's true cultivation was undoubtedly far beyond the 3rd tier Transcendent God realm.

He might have been a True God, or perhaps even a God King.

Even with their cultivation suppressed, their combat prowess remained vastly superior to that of ordinary cultivators at the same realm.

That was precisely why so few people could clear the Human Emperor Arena.

Without the ability to fight cross realms, success was virtually impossible.

This was especially true for the consecutive match mission.

Yet Lin Moyu had won the very first battle with overwhelming ease.

It wasn't even a contest.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.