The Deity of War

Seven days had passed since the dueling platform spectacle.

Within a self-cultivation room.

Bam bam!

Bursts of explosions rang out in the air around Qi Ying. He then stood up and stretched his body as a series of cracks and pops erupted from his joints. The muscles on his body were also pulsing and bulging, as if he were a lion who had just awakened from a midday nap.

“Phew… I’ve already cultivated the Dark Wolf Cultivation Method to the final stage using just the internal section!”

Progressing from the Eighth to the Ninth Strength Martial Stage in merely seven days; this was something disciples of the Celestial River Academy didn’t even dare to imagine. However, Qi Ying felt as if it were quite a normal occurrence.

He had extraordinary aptitude. The only way he could slow down in his progress was if he intentionally held himself back.

Furthermore, Qi Ying had seen what true prodigies were like.

The so-called prodigious disciples of the Celestial River Academy couldn’t even hold a candle to them!

His goal was to catch up to and exceed those prodigies as only then would he be able to do the things that he wanted to do.

Qi Ying did some stretches before murmuring to himself. “My cultivation base is progressing quite quickly, but my rate of pill consumption has also become more drastic. Not only have I depleted all of the Energy Containment Pills given to me by Duan Renshan, but I’ve also consumed three of the pill vials I received from the Colosseum. I’m going to roughly need one Energy Containment Pill per day to satisfy my left hand… I’m so poor!”

“I have to prepare for a breakthrough to the Energy Martial Stage as well. Only after reaching that level will I have the right to participate in that event… I need more pills and I also need a suitable Energy Martial Stage Yellow Tier cultivation method, as well as Yellow Tier battle techniques!”

…

In the Colosseum.

In stark contrast to the raucous spectator stands on the first floor, the booths on the second floor of the Colosseum were all very peaceful. Its decor was quite elegant and refined; there were many pieces of renowned calligraphy and artwork hanging on the walls. The entire place gave off an artistic air; it was quite difficult to imagine that the place was so closely connected to the violent and gory Colosseum.

Within one of the booths.

A tall and slender woman took off her purple cloak, revealing her curvaceous figure. The dim light in the room shone upon the side of her face, lighting up a set of gorgeous, foreign features.

The servant beside her hung her cloak on a clothing rack, before setting some aromatic herbs alight and massaging the shoulders of the esteemed guest.

“How long has it been since Madam Lu last paid us a visit? Little Xiang has missed you.” The servant’s voice was very sweet and she said in a wheedling tone, “During your absence, Master Thirteen organized for me to attend to a few male guests… They weren’t very nice to me!”

Madam Lu closed her eyes and a faint smile appeared on her face. “I made a trip to Yun Xiao City. That is a truly grand and spectacular place… You think you’re having a rough time here? Back when I was married off to a wealthy man in the Celestial River County, my husband was quite frail and constantly blighted by illness, but he was an extremely twisted man…”

“Thankfully, he died seven days after the marriage and left me a massive estate. Come to think of it, it’s all thanks to him that I’ve been able to enjoy these thirteen years of my life after my marriage at the age of eighteen.”

“Sigh, how can Little Xiang compare with Big Sister Lu? Big Sister Lu is so beautiful, like a glorious butterfly. In comparison, I am like an unsightly moth.”

“Stop trying to flatter me. All of those noble Young Masters are constantly trying to suck up to me and I’m really sick of all that. Let’s cut to the chase. Are there any decent warriors that are going to be fighting in the Colosseum today?”

“Hmm…” Little Xiang contemplated momentarily before replying, “There’s the ‘Jade-Faced Gentleman’, Yin Yuesheng, and the ‘Xiao Xiang Swordsman’, Lin Pingchao.”

“Yin Yuesheng? I was over him a long time ago. I’ve heard of Lin Pingchao from my sisters before. He’s got decent looks, but he’s a premature ejaculator… Are there any new, interesting warriors? Preferably some younger ones.”

“Speaking of the younger warriors, there actually is a noteworthy newbie.”

“What’s his name?” Madam Lu was intrigued.

“I don’t know what his name is, but everyone calls him the Nameless Warrior. Master Thirteen issued strict orders to keep his identity confidential, but everyone knows that he’s no more than twenty years of age. He always wears a mask at the Colosseum, so no one knows what he looks like. Some people say he’s hideous, but others say that he’s too handsome and they’re afraid that the beasts wouldn’t want to attack him if they saw his face.”

“Interesting… Is he powerful?”

“No one knows that either. At times, he’ll take a long time to defeat an ordinary beast, but on other occasions, he was able to defeat a Yellow Tier beast in the blink of an eye. In any case, what we do know is that he has freakish strength.”

Madam Lu opened her eyes, revealing a pair of shimmering blue pupils. “Then I really do want to see just what kind of a man this ‘Nameless Warrior’ is. If he really is a brave warrior and not just a pretty body, I wouldn’t mind sleeping with him for a night.”

Little Xiang smiled. “Then he truly is a lucky man. It’s the dream of every male in the Celestial River County; no, in the entire world, to sleep with Big Sister Lu!”

“Whether he’s going to be a lucky man or not will be decided when I see him.”

…

“Attention, everyone. Tonight, we will be hosting five colosseum battles for the Bronze rank Nameless Warrior to rise to Silver rank! The Nameless Warrior was only an Iron rank warrior when he first became a contracted warrior seven days ago. However, he defeated a Yellow Tier Fourth Rank Demonic Blood Wolf with his bare hands seven days ago, and just three days have passed after he defeated a Yellow Tier Third Rank Fierce Flame Bull, as well as a Yellow Tier Fourth Rank Lightning Panther. All with his bare hands!

“As such, the Colosseum has already elevated the Nameless Warrior to a Bronze rank warrior! But today, the Nameless Warrior has announced that he wants to rise up to Silver rank. We have organized five colosseum battles for him, with his opponents consisting of five beasts from Yellow Tier Third Stage to Yellow Tier Seventh Stage. As long as he secures victory in all five battles, he will advance to Silver rank.”

“Before we begin this thrilling string of five colosseum battles, we now have the ‘Xiao Xiang Swordsman’, Lin Pingchao up against a Yellow Tier Third Rank beast…”

In the waiting area.

Yin Yuesheng made his way over to the Nameless Warrior and sat down beside him. “My apologies for coming to a premature judgment about you. When I first saw you, I thought you were just a hot-blooded rookie who was going to get himself killed. Looks like I could not have been more wrong.”

The masked Qi Ying shrugged. “That’s alright. I actually have to thank you for your words of caution. The Colosseum is actually just a commercial game and many things have been organized in advance behind the scenes. The fact that I encountered that Demonic Blood Wolf on that day is proof of these shady dealings. I wonder if that was set up as just a publicity stunt, or if someone had placed a large bet on the Demonic Blood Wolf.”

“It’s a pity that I only understood all this later on…” A forlorn smile appeared on Yin Yuesheng’s face, “Back then, Master Thirteen saw my looks as a selling point and wanted to promote me as a superstar of the Colosseum. However, I was scared of beasts and didn’t dare to fight Yellow Tier beasts… Gradually, I became known as the Jade-Faced Gentleman who used his looks to earn income.”

“I would love to use my looks as a source of income. It’s a shame that our roles were not reversed…”

Yin Yuesheng patted Qi Ying on the shoulder. “That’s alright, not everyone in this world judges others based on their looks. If you put up a good performance tonight, not only will you be able to become a Silver rank warrior, there might even be an unexpected surprise waiting for you.”

“An unexpected surprise? What do you mean?” Qi Ying was perplexed.

Yin Yuesheng turned toward the booths on the second floor. “You’ll know when the time comes.”