"Even Wang Han lost — died right there in the arena."
"This kid is too ruthless! He doesn't know the meaning of mercy!"
"All-Out Effort Gu really is powerful…"
Outside the arena, the crowd buzzed with discussion.
Fang Yuan had kicked through the water prison with a flying strike, then charged forward and slammed into the blue-robed giant, killing him on impact. The battle ended abruptly.
The blue-robed giant's chest had caved in completely, pale ribs jutting out. Before long, blood had stained the arena floor red.
The presiding Gu Master stepped onto the field and publicly declared Fang Yuan the victor.
The blue-robed giant's corpse, however, was left unattended for the moment.
Retrieving the Vine Message Gu from the presiding Gu Master, Fang Yuan probed it with his mind and saw that he now had seventeen victories and zero defeats.
After all, this was merely the arena district of the Fifth Inner City, where Second Transformation Gu Masters made up the vast majority. Fang Yuan's cultivation gave him a clear advantage. With All-Out Effort Gu in hand, aside from the first few bouts, every remaining fight was decided in just a handful of rounds.
These victories had brought Fang Yuan a great deal of Yuan Stones.
Winning a match in the arena not only meant claiming the opponent's Gu Insects, but also earning a Yuan Stone reward from the arena itself.
The more spectators there were, the greater the Yuan Stone reward.
"Li Ran, here are fifty thousand Yuan Stones. I'm handing them over in front of everyone so you can't deny it later." Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Fang Yuan produced a pile of Yuan Stones.
Li Ran pushed through the crowd, and under countless envious gazes, pocketed the Yuan Stones with a grin.
"Fang Zheng, you really are a man of your word. Eighty thousand before, fifty thousand now — that's a hundred and thirty thousand total." He cupped his fists, said his piece, and took his leave.
The crowd erupted once more.
"This Fang Zheng — eighty thousand before, fifty thousand now. Where does he get so much money?" Someone was puzzled.
"Not surprising. Over the past half month or so, he's been winning streak after streak in the arena. The name of All-Out Effort Gu has drawn huge crowds to watch. Each fight earns him at least several thousand Yuan Stones. After a few fights, that adds up to tens of thousands." Someone answered, their tone sour.
"That's not all. This kid is cruel and ruthless — he kills his opponent in almost every match. Hardly anyone escapes unscathed. So every fight he nets two or three Gu Insects, and selling those off is yet another pile of money." Someone snorted coldly, exposing Fang Yuan's brutality.
"This Fang Zheng has gone too far — he's climbing over our corpses to get ahead!" Someone was furious.
Someone sighed, "We're all Demonic Path Gu Masters. Why must we slaughter each other? Alas…"
Others mused, "Then again, Fang Zheng does have his merits. He promised Li Ran two hundred thousand Yuan Stones, and he actually followed through. Honestly, if it were me…"
At those words, the crowd fell silent.
But someone quickly shot back, "Two hundred thousand Yuan Stones — hasn't he only paid part of it? Wait until he's paid in full before saying things like that."
Watching Fang Yuan's retreating figure, some in the crowd sneered, "This kid's good days are numbered. In five days, Li Hao will forcibly challenge him."
"Li Hao? Didn't he move up to the Fourth Inner Arena already?"
"Almost, but not quite. Hmph — I'm looking forward to the show!"
"Heh heh, this kid is way too arrogant. Let Li Hao teach him a good lesson."
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
Inside his Empty Orifice, tides rose and fell. The pale silver True Essence sea churned, sending up crest after crest of spray.
The Steel Tendon Gu drifted through the sea, ceaselessly absorbing the pale silver True Essence while emanating an eerie black glow.
The Steel Tendon Gu resembled an earthworm. Its entire body was jet black, but unlike the soft surface of an earthworm, it was covered by a tough, glossy shell.
The dim light it radiated passed through the Empty Orifice and shone directly into every corner of Fang Yuan's body.
Under the influence of that glow, all the sinews in Fang Yuan's body took on a faint ink-like hue, becoming tougher and more resilient.
A full half day passed before Fang Yuan finally ceased activating the Steel Tendon Gu.
He was drenched in sweat, his breathing heavy, his head slightly dizzy.
Using the Steel Tendon Gu was far from pleasant — sensations of soreness, numbness, pain, and itchiness took turns assaulting his nerves, putting any Gu Master's endurance to a severe test.
An ordinary Gu Master would need at least half a year of training with the Steel Tendon Gu.
But in Fang Yuan's plan, he had compressed that timeframe to a single month.
That meant the daily time he spent using the Steel Tendon Gu was six times what others required — a grueling test of willpower and endurance.
"I must treasure every single minute and second for cultivation! Increase my strength as quickly as possible!"
"I need Yuan Stones. The arena is the fastest way to amass wealth. But if I lose even once, All-Out Effort Gu will be taken from me. I might be able to use the Redbud Token to block that, but it would certainly come at a tremendous cost in other areas!"
"I cannot lose! Right now I'm like a warhorse at full gallop, my strength surging upward. But a single loss would be a catastrophic stumble. The upward trajectory of my growth would be shattered."
"Merchant City is merely another starting point — how can I fall here? In this life, I will become a Gu Immortal. I will push to the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Transformation. I will reach the summit and see the sights I never saw in my previous life. Legend has it that above the Ninth Transformation lies the supreme realm of eternal life! Immortality is easy enough, but eternal life — no one has accomplished it."
"The highest realm any living being can reach is eternal life, and the greatest desire is eternal life. Wealth? Nothing but a collector's obsession. Men and women? Nothing but primal desire. Fame? Nothing but drivel from others' mouths, reeking of that same desire!"