Chapter 210.1: A Gift from True One Cui Xuan; Lu Changsheng Answers the Summons to the Treasure Contest! (I)
"Wait... So that's it?"
Many had yet to come back to their senses, and those who had were now wondering: where was the enthralling, nail-biting fight they had been promised? Was that really all there was to Hong Shan's last fight?
One could have scarcely finished a cup of tea in the time it took the two combatants to start the fight and decide the outcome. The long-anticipated fight had ended just like that, in a few minutes.
Even the Divine Ability Realm expert presiding over the match seemed not to have come back to himself. After a long while, he finally spoke up, the shock still apparent in his voice.
"L-Lu Changsheng wins... He is now the new King of the Battle Arena!"
With that announcement, the whole arena was thrown into an uproar, countless people seized with renewed excitement.
"Yeaaa! I won, and more than my fill this time!"
"I had my eye on Lu Changsheng back when he'd only won three straight, and I bet on him every match along the way. I've made a killing."
"I thought highly of Lu Changsheng, but I never expected him to beat Hong Shan and become King of the Battle Arena. I bet on the wrong fighter this time..."
"Lu Changsheng really is a martial artist unlike any other. Who'd have thought we'd have two consecutive Doa Foundation martial artists as Kings of the Battle Arena and not Dao Lords?"
Many marveled at the outcome of this fight. In reality, there was little difference between the Dao Foundation and Foundation Establishment Realms. The real edge came only at the Divine Ability Realm.
Compared to a Dao Lord, a Dao Foundation martial artist had far fewer tools at their disposal. Yet here in the arena, a Dao Foundation expert had just seized a crown from another expert in the same realm. At this point, some people were wondering whether Dao Foundation martial artists were actually stronger than Dao Lords.
But in the end, the outcome of this fight proved nothing. Or rather, it merely proved that Hong Shan and Lu Changsheng were exceptionally strong. Two individuals could not prove by themselves that a group of cultivators was stronger than the other. By and large, Dao Lords were still on top.
Having fully recovered from the aftershock of the battle, the expert who had managed the fight cleared his throat and declared once more, "Lu Changsheng is the victor, and our new King of the Battle Arena!"
"Whaaaa!"
The arena erupted once more. From this day on, the name Lu Changsheng would ring throughout the arena, and entire generations would speak of his legendary victories.
However, Lu Changsheng himself seemed unaffected by his grand victory. His expression remained composed, almost indifferent, as he stepped down from the platform.
Wang Cheng rushed up to meet him at once, his face alight with excitement.
"Brother Lu, you actually won! You're the new King! You did it!" Wang Cheng could not contain himself.
Lu Changsheng had only arrived in the Heavenly Sacred City two months ago, and in that short period of time he had crushed all competition and seized the crown to become King of the Battle Arena. It sounded like a fantasy, a wild dream, and yet it was undeniably real.
Lu Changsheng glanced at him and nodded. "And my spirit stones?"
"Go rest a while first. There's quite a lot this time, so it'll take some time to prepare everything. I'll take care of it for you, so just rest."
With that, Wang Cheng turned and left at once.
Indeed, with the wagers exceeding two million spirit stones, the sum was no easy thing to tally. Lu Changsheng was in no hurry, so he just closed his eyes and waited patiently.
After roughly two hours, Wang Cheng returned, his hands empty, yet his face was filled with excitement.
"Brother Lu, do you know how many spirit stones you've won this time?" Wang Cheng asked, thrilled.
"How many?"
"350,000 spirit stones in total! Can you believe it? 350,000 stones! With that many, we've converted nearly everything into spirit crystals. One spirit crystal is equivalent to a hundred spirit stones, so that's 3,500 crystals in total, all inside this spatial bag," Wang Cheng explained as he held out the bag.
Lu Changsheng sensed it briefly. The bag did indeed hold many spirit crystals, along with some loose spirit stones.
"Thank you." Lu Changsheng took the spirit crystals out and placed them within his own spatial treasure.
With 350,000 spirit stones, he could purchase thirty-five drops of Heavenly Spirit Water outright. That much should be enough to push his Immeasurable Divine Ability Dao Fruit into a transformation.
At that thought, Lu Changsheng rose at once and said in a low voice, "Then I'll be on my way."
"Leaving? Brother Lu, you're the King of the Battle Arena now. If an expert with ten straight wins challenges you, will you accept?"
Lu Changsheng paused slightly, then said, "When someone comes to challenge me, just send word."
He left the address of the Vast Immortal Square. Should anything come up, they could notify him there.
With that, Lu Changsheng turned to leave.
Suddenly, Li Guang arrived. Li Guang had followed Lu Changsheng since the very first bout, inexplicably drawn to him. Along the way he had bet on Lu Changsheng in every match, and by now had won a great deal.
And so, Li Guang had come to meet Lu Changsheng in person.
"Greetings, Lu Changsheng, I'm Li Guang. I've been following you since your first fight. I just wanted to meet you in person and make your acquaintance," Li Guang said plainly.
Lu Changsheng nodded. There were many people out there who would like to befriend him. Ever since his streak of victories had picked up, various individuals had come to him in hopes of making a friend.
Of course, he was well aware that he was being approached simply because of his outstanding performances in the arena. As such, he was markedly indifferent to such interactions, but Li Guang did not mind. After all, Lu Changsheng had no idea who he was.
"Lu Changsheng, you're a Dao Foundation martial artist," Li Guang said with a smile. "When you reach the point of condensing a Divine Ability Dao Fruit and want to make it transform into a true divine ability, you'll need Heavenly Spirit Water. When that time comes, don't hesitate to come to me."
Li Guang seemed rather sure of himself. He would be of little help to Lu Changsheng in other matters, but providing him with Heavenly Spirit Water would not be difficult at all.
"Oh? You can get Heavenly Spirit Water?" asked Lu Changsheng, slightly surprised by the proposal.
Since Li Guang was offering to secure Heavenly Spirit Water for Lu Changsheng, it had to mean he could get it for cheaper than the current market rate of ten thousand spirit stones per drop.
At this, Wang Cheng cautiously explained, "Brother Lu, Li Guang is from the direct line of the family behind the Li Clan Merchant Association, the second-largest in Heavenly Sacred City, and the legitimate heir of the patriarch no less. Li Guang can certainly obtain Heavenly Spirit Water at a favorable price."
At that, Lu Changsheng raised an eyebrow. He knew the largest merchant association in Heavenly Sacred City was the Heavenly Sacred Merchant Association, but he had never learned which was the second until now.
"Brother Li, shall we step outside to talk?" Lu Changsheng asked.
"Of course."
And so, the two walked out of the arena.
Lu Changsheng asked directly, "I'd like some Heavenly Spirit Water. What price could you offer, Brother Li?"
"You want it now?" Li Guang was somewhat surprised.
"Yes, now."
After a brief moment, Li Guang nodded as though he had just realized something. "Oh, I see. You've already condensed a Divine Ability Dao Fruit, haven't you? No wonder you're so strong."
Li Guang sized Lu Changsheng up and down thoughtfully. Condensing a Divine Ability Dao Fruit did not elevate one's strength directly, but in the process often required creating and seeking out all sorts of techniques best suited to oneself. And practicing those techniques would naturally increase one's strength.
Of course, other martial artists who had condensed a Divine Ability Dao Fruit were nowhere near Lu Changsheng's level. After all, obliterating all of Hong Shan's techniques at once was nothing short of absurd.
After a few moments of thinking, Li Guang gave his answer. "Brother Lu, if you want Heavenly Spirit Water, I can offer you a very good price. Nine thousand spirit stones a drop. How does that sound? That's a thousand less than the current rate."
It was a good price indeed. Had Lu Changsheng gone to buy it from any merchant association outside, whether the Heavenly Sacred Merchant Association or another, it would have run no less than ten thousand a drop. And even buying in bulk would likely fail to yield some sort of discount.
"Alright. I need thirty drops of Heavenly Spirit Water." Lu Changsheng said at once.
"Thirty drops? Why would you need so much? Could it be you've condensed a Major Divine Ability Dao Fruit, and more than one at that?"
Naturally, Li Guang was startled by Lu Changsheng's request. No one had ever asked for that many drops of Heavenly Spirit Water. Selling thirty drops was, by any measure, a substantial deal.
"Hmm? How many drops does a Major Divine Ability Dao Fruit require?" Lu Changsheng raised an eyebrow and looked at Li Guang with some puzzlement.
Back at the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect, none of the seven grand elders had known how many drops were required for a Major Divine Ability Dao, let alone for an immeasurable divine ability.
It was rare for such information to be shared openly. However, regardless of secrecy, a man of Li Guang's standing was bound to know.
Li Guang said with a smile, "You're pretty knowledgeable. This information is fairly closely held, and unless you come from a great faction or the right lineage, you likely wouldn't know.
"Generally speaking, Divine Ability Dao Fruits divide into minor, major, and immeasurable. A Minor Divine Ability Dao Fruit usually needs anywhere from one to ten drops, though most require only one. A Major Divine Ability Dao Fruit needs ten to twenty drops to transform. So, since you need thirty drops, the odds are you've condensed a major divine ability."
His words set Lu Changsheng thinking. Why has Li Guang not mentioned the immeasurable divine ability?
"What about immeasurable divine abilities?" he asked.
Li Guang smiled faintly. "An immeasurable divine ability? Heh, you can count on one hand the number of people who have managed to condense one in all of Heavenly Sacred City. Each Immeasurable Divine Ability Dao Fruit requires at least a hundred drops of Heavenly Spirit Water to fully transform. Of course, once it actually transforms, its power becomes unimaginable."
Li Guang shook his head. An immeasurable divine ability was far beyond his reach. Never mind Heavenly Sacred City, immeasurable divine abilities were exceedingly rare across the whole Sacred Earth. Every figure who condensed an immeasurable divine ability was a supreme genius, a peerless prodigy, the sort who could stir up storms across the entire Sacred Earth.
"At least a hundred drops..." Lu Changsheng's heart lurched.
A hundred drops of Heavenly Spirit Water was a tremendous amount, and even that might prove insufficient. Of course, the power that would result from that absurd amount would be doubly absurd.
Lu Changsheng had reckoned that making his Immeasurable Divine Ability Dao Fruit transform might require a great deal of Heavenly Spirit Water, but he had never imagined it would take at least a hundred drops.
At the moment, with the amount of spirit stones he had, he could only acquire a maximum of thirty drops—a long way from a hundred.
I'll need to fight another King of the Battle Arena challenge, perhaps several. But now it's others who challenge me, and the odds will probably not be as high as before. A single match might draw only a few hundred thousand spirit stones in wagers, and my take perhaps just a few tens of thousands. Ugh, how long is it going to take to accumulate enough for a hundred drops of Heavenly Spirit Water?
Lu Changsheng frowned, sinking into thought.
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