Chapter 207.3: A True Expert in Disguise; Lu Changsheng Stuns the Crowd with Three Straight Wins! (III)
By now Lu Changsheng was tallying his gains. His second victory had earned him fifty-six spirit stones, and together with the thirty-one he had won from his wager, his total had reached one hundred and eighteen.
Though it was still a long way from ten thousand, Lu Changsheng was in no hurry. He understood well enough that everything hinged on this third fight. After so many days in the arena, he had gained a decent understanding of how things worked.
There's a trend. Many fighters who won their first two fights end up dying in the third. About eighty percent of them lose, unable to win the three matches in a row. The arena made that three-match rule specifically so as to not let martial artists go so easily. Another reason would be the betting. The arena waits precisely for that third match to harvest all the wagers...
Lu Changshen realized that, in the end, the arena only cared about the spirit stones being staked.
After two promising fights, some spectators would become convinced that they had finally spotted a supreme fighter who could earn them a bunch of spirit stones, and so they would end up betting aggressively on the third match. However, the arena would make sure their favorite fighter would lose and subsequently reap the harvest.
Indeed, the arena stood to gain a fortune whenever a competitor faced defeat in that critical third match. However, this was also an opportunity for Lu Changsheng. The wagers on the third bout were bound to be large, and if he won, his number of spirit stones would surge dramatically.
Three days quickly passed by, and Lu Changsheng's third bout arrived in earnest.
His opponent was named Yue Yin, and he was unlike his first two opponents. Yue Yin had also won two matches in a row, but unlike Lu Changsheng, he had visibly struggled. Both of his fights had been hard-fought, and on each occasion he had just narrowly secured victory in the critical moment.
After a brief analysis, Lu Changsheng grasped the man's situation.
I see. He's a master of deceit. His fights seem close, and yet he always secures victory in the end. He's letting the fight flow that way on purpose, to give his opponent a false sense of security. Then, at the right moment, he takes them by surprise with the perfect attack, thus securing victory.
You need to be far stronger than your opponent to pull off something like that. No wonder the arena has set Yue yin against me. They took notice of my flawless wins, and now want to make sure I lose so they can gain all the spirit stones.
Lu Changsheng was convinced about this Yue Yin individual. He was feigning weakness in order to disguise his formidable strength. This matchup could not be a coincidence.
However, Lu Changsheng was not fazed in the slightest. After all, this was his opportunity all the same.
One hundred and eighteen stones on the line!
Without hesitation, Lu Changsheng wagered every stone he had. If he secured victory, he would have two hundred and thirty-six stones in total.
Two hours before the battle, he finally learned the exact betting total: 2380 spirit stones. It was a staggering figure indeed. His two bouts had earned him a lot of popularity, for martial artists who downed their opponents cleanly were rare. Most preferred to hide their strength and play weak.
2380 spirit stones! That's a great deal, more than many third bouts draw. If I win, then with the wager added in, I'll come away with four hundred and seventy-four spirit stones in total. Not bad at all.
And so, Lu Changsheng waited quietly. Two hours later, he stepped onto the platform for his greatly anticipated third match.
His opponent, Yue Yin, was a middle-aged man clad all in black, his expression calm. Neither of them said a word. However, a faint, vicious glint flickered through Yue Yin's eyes.
"Begin!"
Whoosh!
Yue Yin made his move. His Mind Space materialized, and in the very instant it appeared, a radiance of five colors flickered to light.
There was no mistake about it. Yue Yin possessed five Principles!
In the Ancient Region, Dao Foundation martial artists with five Principles were quite rare. But in the Sacred Earth, while martial artists with five, six, even seven or eight Principles were uncommon, one would still encounter them every now and again.
The Dao Foundation cultivators of certain sects and forces with lineages from sacred lands possessed many Principles, no fewer than Lu Changsheng himself.
Now, with those five Principles unleashed, Yue Yin instantly activated three formidable divine techniques.
"Myriad Paths Unity! Thousand Frozen Seal! Hundred Rivers Race!"
With a soft cry, Yue Yin unleashed three divine techniques in a single breath, each of them a supreme compound technique deduced from five Principles.
"What the...?"
"Are you serious?!"
Who could have imagined that a rather unremarkable Dao Foundation martial artist, who had barely won his first two matches by the skin of his teeth, could erupt with such fearsome power all at once? This match suddenly seemed like an ant was about to swallow an elephant whole.
Naturally, the arena broke into an uproar.
"Three divine techniques? And they're compound techniques, each made up from five Principles!"
"Unbelievable, truly unbelievable. Where did such a great expert come from? With strength like that, three bouts are nothing. He'd even clear seven or eight without trouble."
"Nah, no way Lu Changsheng survives this... I shouldn't have bet this much on him..."
"Yue Yin has even managed to practice the Myriad Paths Unity. It may not be at Perfection, but it's surely reached Advanced Mastery. With three divine techniques bursting out with overwhelming force, what does Lu Changsheng have to withstand them?"
"Lu Changsheng's done for. And to think I kept believing he was strong, only for him to run into this Yue Yin. My luck is just awful..."
Many spectators were aghast, and more than a few were furious. Yue Yin's sudden eruption meant they had all lost, for most had bet on Lu Changsheng. Who could have guessed Yue Yin would be this powerful?
Yet on the platform, Lu Changsheng remained as calm as ever, his expression not changing in the slightest. He had predicted that Yue Yin possessed three supreme divine techniques. Perhaps Yue Yin was a touch stronger than he had anticipated, but so what? To Lu Changsheng it made no difference. A little stronger or twice as strong, it changed nothing.
A thought stirred in Lu Changsheng's mind.
Hum...
Four faint motes of radiance shimmered—only four. Yet as those four lights converged, a dreadful aura arose. Those were the Land, Fire, Water, and Wind Principles!
The Four Symbols Principles gathered together, and a subtle, singular change stirred between them.
"Four Symbols Prison!" Lu Changsheng gave a soft shout.
In an instant, a prison forged of the Four Symbols Principles took shape and swept over Yue Yin's Mind Space and all three of his divine techniques at once. With a rumble, the three supreme compound divine techniques crashed violently against Lu Changsheng's Four Symbols Prison.
And then, an astonishing sight unfolded. For all that violent impact, the Four Symbols Prison did not so much as tremble. No matter how the three divine techniques battered it, the prison held, utterly unbreakable.
When the smoke and dust cleared, Yue Yin found himself trapped, locked fast within the Four Symbols Prison.
"How is this possible?"
"He's... trapped?"
"What kind of divine technique is that? I've never heard of something like that."
"Binding techniques like that are rare, but no supreme binding technique I know of works this way."
"A divine technique of four Principles, restraining three supreme compound techniques built from five Principles each? It's simply unbelievable!"
"I-I think I'm going to win."
"This is a windfall. Who would have believed Lu Changsheng could really crush them all?"
The whole crowd was stunned, scarcely able to believe their own eyes. The fearsome power Yue Yin had unleashed was plainly the strength to clear seven or eight matches, and with a little luck, ten straight wins.
And yet, this supreme Dao Foundation cultivator had been bound by Lu Changsheng, and bound with the lightest of touches.
"Lesser Five Elements Annihilation!" Lu Changsheng swept out his hand.
At once, within the Four Symbols Prison, a black torrent came surging and swallowed Yue Yin's body whole.
"Aaaargh!" Yue Yin let out a helpless scream.
Restrained by the prison, with his own divine techniques pinned down by it, what was left to ward off the Lesser Five Elements Annihilation? After that single cry, the black torrent engulfed him, and in the blink of an eye he was ground to dust.
"Lu Changsheng wins his third match!"
As the arena official announced the result, Lu Changsheng walked down from the platform one step at a time. From start to finish he had worn the same untroubled look, as though this third match had been decided from the very start.
The spectators who had wagered on him erupted.
"Hahaha! I'm rich! I'm a rich man, you hear?!"
"I knew it! Betting on Lu Changsheng this round made me a fortune."
"Lu Changsheng really came through! I can't believe he actually won that!"
In that moment, a great many of the bettors were beside themselves with excitement. Only the arena's people wore grim faces. This time around, they had suffered a huge loss.
Regardless, everything had to be done by the rules. What was owed would be paid. In the end, Lu Changsheng came out of this fight with four hundred and seventy-four spirit stones in total.
"Impressive. It seems like I misjudged you," the arena official remarked. "I never suspected you might be a supreme Dao Foundation cultivator. Since you've won all three matches, you can decide to keep fighting in the arena or leave."
Such were the rules. For all its cunning, the arena still honored its rules.
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