Chapter 655: Section 442: Savage Duel

“What is a barbaric duel?” Lan Zao asked curiously, as he only knew about heroic duels.

Shuang Tu explained, “You can think of it as an unrestricted heroic duel. It is more thrilling, more bloody. During the fight, the combatants can use any means, and they may not concede defeat voluntarily. The barbaric duel only stops when one party completely loses their combat capabilities. Whether the loser survives depends on whether the winner decides to spare them.”

“Additionally, the main participants in heroic duels are usually from intelligent races, but that’s not the case with barbaric duels. Your opponent could be something like a tiger or wolf-type magic beast, and even dragons or demons might appear.”

Lan Zao frowned, “That sounds very dangerous.”

Shuang Tu nodded seriously, “This danger is controllable. You have to understand, Hen Fa, you need to participate in such battles. It will help you get used to your body and truly train your combat skills.”

“Merely practicing alone, in isolation, is not appropriate.”

“Untested combat power is unreliable. You should understand this principle.”

Lan Zao nodded silently.

Shuang Tu continued, “In the upcoming undercover missions, you are likely to encounter strong enemies, even facing opponents like the Ice Eagle and Spring Boxer, who are Silver Level.”

“By that time, you might have to rely solely on yourself. So you must ensure that you possess adequate combat capabilities.”

“I have already signed you up.”

“You are currently at the Black Iron Level, but since you are a newcomer, your first battle will just be against a Bronze Level magic beast.”

“The risk is still controllable.”

“Another thing: people from the Saber Gang will also participate in this barbaric duel. If you want to rejoin the Sabar Gang, you might use this opportunity to get close to them and be recruited again.”

Lan Zao understood and gradually became eager to try.

To be honest, he was also curious about how he would perform in battle.

The two teleported back, Lan Zao dined, and Shuang Tu went into the chamber to deal with the tasks at hand.

“Hen Fa has been properly arranged. Over the next period, he will participate in several barbaric duels. His opponents will also be pre-selected and arranged by us, which would be able to train his combat power as well as ensure his life safety. The main thing is to let him feel threatened in the fights, then train harder and frequently use the alchemy equipment we’ve provided him with, like Bullet Core. He will get injured in the battles and will receive our subsequent treatment. All of these will gradually make him dependent on us physically and mentally. This is an important step in winning him over.”

“Master Cai Jing has recruited over 30 magic potion apprentices, nearly 20 of whom are our people. It has now been confirmed: the underground space he secretly excavated is indeed where the Legendary Druid’s heritage lies. This matter needs close attention.”

“Ba Qi has received treatment, but the prognosis is not optimistic. According to the schedule, the Hao Qi pirate group has already met with the Sea Snake Lady and others. Regarding the capture of the Golden Level sea snake, the probability of failure is very small, and the results of this operation should be available soon.”

“The temporary station of the Ice Eagle and others has been identified, they are actively arming themselves, buying a batch of Ice Crystal Bayonets from the black market, slightly enhancing their combined combat power but not significantly. They are all under our surveillance.”

Shuang Tu was in a good mood while handling these affairs.

After receiving help from Ba Qi, his main mission had made breakthrough progress. Additionally, whether it is Hen Fa or spying on characters like Anqiu, all are progressing well.

In the afternoon, Lan Zao was taken underground by a Snow Elf.

This was an underground space, roughly estimated at about 500 square meters.

Whether it was the ceiling, the surrounding walls, or the floor, all were reddish-brown.

“You can familiarize yourself ahead of time; this is your upcoming battlefield,” the guiding Snow Elf advised.

The underground space was almost empty, except for five or six stone columns.

These columns were very sturdy; most of them reached the ceiling, with only a few cut off.

Lan Zao’s gaze lingered on the stone columns for a moment before he began to look around.

He noticed that there were traces of doors on all sides of the underground space; these doors varied in size, with many having iron bars, allowing one to observe the dim scenes inside.

Different from the dueling arena, there were no spectator stands here.

But there were magic runes everywhere, on the walls, the floor, and the ceiling.

“It seems that the audience for this barbaric duel watches through magic images,” Lan Zao guessed the truth.

Barbaric duels, filled with bloodshed and violence, offered gambling every time they were held. This activity had long been outlawed by the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, as it was illegal.

Flower Skirt Island, located near the Ice Sculpture Island in the sea, was neutral territory. Islands like these often hosted barbaric dueling arenas.

Whether for the thrill of gambling, profit, idolizing violence, or a penchant for bloodshed, these arenas attracted countless spectators every year.

There were also those with other motives, such as revenge or testing some malicious weapons.

Most of the audience came from the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, including some VIPs and notable figures. Considering various negative impacts, these people of course would not appear in public.

“May I freely attack to test things like the strength of the floor here?” Lan Zao asked.

“Of course, these can all be repaired,” replied the Snow Elf.

Lan Zao then asked, “Will the scene of me testing the venue here be leaked out?”

“Absolutely not, this is just our little private maneuver,” the Snow Elf said, and even winked at Lan Zao.

“It seems that this one must be Shuang Tu’s planted agent inside the barbaric duel arena,” Lan Zao secretly suspected.

His suspicion was quite reasonable.

Represented by Shuang Tu, this covert power was a considerable force. And it wouldn’t be difficult for them to penetrate the barbaric duel arena on Flower Skirt Island owned by a Silver Level arena owner.

Lan Zao observed the battlefield.

It was clear that the battlefield was rather monotonous.

“The stone pillars are the only available cover.”

Lan Zao personally measured the distance between the stone pillars, calculating the exact time it would take him to sprint from one pillar to another.

He then launched an attack on the stone pillars.

“They are very sturdy, reliable cover.” The test results pleased Lan Zao.

He proceeded to attack the floor tiles, ceiling, and the surrounding walls as well.

“Surprisingly defensive!” Lan Zao attacked with full force, using his strongest technique, Air Bomb, but he could hardly make any impact. At most, it caused the hidden Magic Runes to flicker faintly like ripples.

Lan Zao pondered for a moment and began to use the Air Bomb frequently.

The points where his bombs landed gradually got closer to himself. This test was primarily for Lan Zao to experience the power of the residual waves of the Air Bomb.

Air Bombs could explode.

In real battles, the most common scenario was not to hit the target directly but to let the residual waves from the explosion affect the target.

And the range of the explosion could vary with different battlefield environments.

Lan Zao did not complete this test; a Snow Elf with a hint of anxiety pushed the door open. “Time’s up.”

Lan Zao felt a bit regretful but was satisfied.

He knew that being able to test the battlefield in advance was already a form of cheating.

Lan Zao was escorted by the Snow Elf into a secret room to rest.

There, he began to cultivate his Pressure Fighting Energy, actively recovering his fighting energy.

As time passed, he could faintly hear the noise from outside the secret room door.

The noise grew and became more complex, clearly indicating that spectators were continuously entering.

When Lan Zao had recovered all his fighting energy, about half an hour later, the door to the secret room was opened.

“Follow me.” It was the same Snow Elf; he led Lan Zao out of the secret room, through a long corridor, and pushed open a large door.

“This is the waiting room. When you hear your name called, and it’s your turn to enter, another door will open.”

“Take note, do not engage in fighting with others in the waiting room. If you break the rules, you will be directely killed by the Barbaric Duel Arena management!” After giving these instructions, the Snow Elf left Lan Zao.

The waiting room had several people.

A tall Beastman with a tiger’s head leaned against the door used for entry.

An old man with a gloomy expression, emitting a Bronze aura, sat on a bench, holding a cane-like Magic Wand.

There were two long wooden benches in the waiting room, leaning against the walls on both sides.

An ordinary middle-aged man and the old man sat on the same bench, but they were quite distant from each other, practically at each end of the bench.

In the middle of the other bench sat a Silver Level fighter.

Lan Zao was very familiar with him; it was the Saber Gang’s Spring Boxer.

Seeing Lan Zao enter, the Spring Boxer couldn’t help but show a look of surprise.

He waved his hand, “Didn’t expect to meet someone I know.”

Lan Zao knew the Saber Gang would send someone, he was not surprised to see the Spring Boxer. He had no talent for performance, so he maintained a detached demeanor and nodded at the Spring Boxer, walking over to him.

Eventually, he sat beside the Spring Boxer.

“Have you been promoted to Black Iron Level?” the Spring Boxer asked in surprise and curiosity. “Why would you participate in the Barbaric Duel?”

He knew that Lan Zao had awakened his Fish Bladder Bloodline, which meant that Lan Zao could steadily advance to Silver Level.

In the Spring Boxer’s view, Lan Zao should cultivate himself and strive to raise his fighter level, instead of eagerly participating in dangerous battles.

Lan Zao responded, “I bought a Combat Skill and got into debt, so I need to participate in this Barbaric Duel.”

This response had been prepared for Lan Zao by Shuang Tu.

The Spring Boxer nodded.

Lan Zao countered, “What about you, Lord Spring Boxer?”

The Spring Boxer showed a bitter smile: “I am here for some specific resources that are hard to find on Flower Skirt Island. Actually, our reasons are not that different.”

“To help us get to Anqiu quickly,” the Spring Boxer added in his mind.

The thought of the heavy responsibilities on his shoulders suddenly killed his mood to talk.

Lan Zao did not speak further.

His persona was to be reserved and quiet.

The waiting room fell silent again.