Chapter 0240: Intermediate Duelist

Chapter 0240: Intermediate Duelist

The elder seemed to recall the incident where Huo Zhong and his group were injured and immediately understood that Qin Yun's purpose for coming here was to avenge his friends.

"Sure, but you'll need to pay five hundred thousand crystal coins. Who are you challenging? Only Intermediate Duelists are allowed in this arena!" the elder asked.

"Zhou Zhonghui!" Qin Yun said.

"Sorry, but Zhou Zhonghui is an Advanced Duelist, and you can't challenge him yet. You'll have to start by challenging an Intermediate Duelist. Once you defeat one, you'll immediately be promoted to Intermediate Duelist."

Qin Yun had no choice but to agree and asked, "What's the cultivation level of the Intermediate Duelist you're assigning to me? Is it comparable to mine?"

The elder chuckled, "Intermediate Duelists are all at the eighth level of the Martial Body stage. Anyone below that wouldn't last long here. So, your opponent will definitely be at the eighth level."

"If I win, how many Xuan points will I get?" Qin Yun was concerned about this, as he had no other way to earn Xuan points at the moment.

"One million Xuan points for winning a match, but if you lose, you'll lose one million Xuan points. If you're an Advanced Duelist, you'll earn ten million Xuan points for winning and lose ten million for losing."

Qin Yun was taken aback by how generous the rewards were. Winning ten consecutive matches in the advanced arena would earn him one hundred million Xuan points.

He asked, "What about the Spirit and King arenas?"

"The Spirit arena consists of warriors at the ninth level of the Martial Body stage. Winning a match there earns you five million Xuan points, and losing deducts five million. It's like a gamble. As for the King arena, only those at the Martial Dao realm can compete there. King Duelists are mostly instructors. Winning a match there would earn you two hundred million Xuan points, but losing would deduct two hundred million."

The potential reward for winning a match in the King arena was incredibly tempting. However, King Duelists were instructors at the Martial Dao realm, and students would find it extremely difficult to win against them.

Even young Martial Dao realm warriors like Yang Shiyue or Xiao Yanglong might not necessarily win in the King arena.

However, Qin Yun believed he could win in the Spirit arena.

The Spirit arena only had warriors at the ninth level of the Martial Body stage, and he had an Inner Element formed into an inner dan, giving him strength comparable to those at the ninth level of the Martial Body stage.

"Senior, if I enter the Spirit arena, will there be frequent matches?" Qin Yun asked, "If there aren't, having a lot of Xuan points wouldn't mean much."

"If you're a Spirit Duelist, as long as you give us one million crystal coins, we can arrange matches for you. Of course, if the opponent refuses, they'll need to pay one million crystal coins. Then it's a matter of who offers more. If you offer more, they have to fight. If they offer more, they can refuse."

Hearing this rule, Qin Yun cursed inwardly, unable to help but admire the arena's clever way of earning crystal coins.

"Here are ten thousand crystal coins; arrange a match for me!" Qin Yun transferred the amount to the elder's card.

"Alright, I'll arrange it now!" The elder chuckled and took out a glowing crystal board with many words and numbers on it.

After manipulating the crystal board, he said, "Your match will be in the evening. Your opponent is a middle-aged man from Heavenly Profound Martial Academy named Lu Guang, at the eighth level of the Martial Body stage. Prepare yourself."

Qin Yun found a high seat in the arena, where the audience sat in tiered rows, watching the circular martial stage below. The stage, over a hundred meters wide, was a sight to behold.

The massive martial stage, forged from ancient bronze, was etched with intricate runes that absorbed and channeled energy. A powerful barrier, generated by a complex formation, enveloped the entire stage, ensuring no damage would spread beyond its boundaries.

There were rumors that even multiple Martial Dao realm fighters battling on the stage wouldn't affect the audience seats, though no one knew if that was true.

Each match had a time limit, measured by an hourglass. If the match ended in a draw, neither fighter would receive a reward.

Qin Yun figured the match would last about half a day, based on the hourglass.

"As long as you knock your opponent off the martial stage, you win." Qin Yun watched the match below, where two youths at the seventh level of the Martial Body stage were fighting.

They fought with brutal intensity, each strike aimed to incapacitate rather than simply force their opponent off the stage.

"I finally understand now. The reason the dueling arena has been slow to introduce new rules is to watch the disciples of other martial academies and the Blue Spirit Star Palace fight to the death, while the students of Star Profound Martial Academy remain unharmed."

Qin Yun had a sudden realization. When he signed up earlier, the elder even advised him against it because he was a student of Star Profound Martial Academy.

The dueling arena only provided the venue and acted as a middleman, allowing opponents to bet Xuan points against each other, all while easily earning a large amount of crystal coins through entry fees, viewing fees, challenge fees, and more.

Xuan points were hard to come by, so many duelists confident in their strength came here to participate in wagering matches.

Qin Yun calculated that he only had a little over a million Xuan points left. To challenge the advanced arena, he would need tens of millions of Xuan points.

"It looks like I’ll have to fight at least ten more matches in the intermediate arena!" Qin Yun sighed inwardly. This meant he couldn’t challenge Zhou Zhonghui immediately.

"One million Xuan points is equivalent to an eighth-grade magic core. If I were to exchange a low-grade spirit weapon for it, I could easily get one. If I could just make a deal with my opponent, giving them a low-grade spirit weapon in exchange for them conceding defeat..."

Qin Yun only thought about it in his mind.

After several consecutive battles, it was already evening.

Sitting in the audience, Qin Yun secretly looked forward to his turn to fight.

"Next up, Junior Duelist Qin Yun versus Intermediate Duelist Lu Guang, please enter the arena!"

Qin Yun!

Hearing this name, the entire dueling arena erupted in a wave of exclamations!

"Did I hear that right? Qin Yun is a student of the Star Profound Martial Academy. During a duel, he can’t seriously injure others. Isn’t it going to hinder him from competing here?"

"Is it the Qin Yun who just reached the eighth level of the Martial Body stage? This guy is joining in too! They say he had over 30 million Xuan points, but he’s used them all up!"

"He’s here to earn Xuan points?"

"This is going to be good! Qin Yun’s match will definitely be exciting! This guy has killed and crippled several royal princes. None of the geniuses who fought him had a good ending! Moreover, he’s planning to challenge Xiao Yanglong, who is at the Martial Dao realm. What a bold guy."

"He’s only sixteen, but he acts like he owns the place!"

Several people were discussing when they suddenly saw a black-clad youth with dark skin and handsome features stand up. The tall youth had deep eyes, and his composed demeanor didn’t quite match his youthful appearance.

This was Qin Yun. He glanced at the group of youths who had just spoken, and the authority in his gaze left them breathless.

Sitting in the higher levels of the audience, Qin Yun slowly made his way down, and the spectators nearby immediately quieted down, their eyes focusing on him.

Being watched by countless pairs of eyes, Qin Yun remained calm and composed, walking slowly towards the arena below.

Many had only heard of Qin Yun’s name but had never seen him in person. Many girls who saw his resolute and handsome face couldn’t help but have their eyes light up.

Qin Yun’s temperament was indeed different from others. As a royal prince and an exceptional genius, he didn’t appear spoiled or arrogant. Unlike other young masters from prestigious families who were arrogant and haughty, always looking down on others, Qin Yun’s composure and restrained aura earned the silent admiration of those around him.

A sixteen-year-old youth, shaped by experience, had developed a steady heart, something that many young masters from aristocratic families couldn’t compare to.

Standing on the dueling arena, Qin Yun eyed Lu Guang.

Lu Guang was a middle-aged man with a long face but a short and stout build. He had a beard on his chin and wore a black armor outfit, a senior student from the Heavenly Profound Martial Academy.

Facing Qin Yun, he remained calm and was not intimidated by the fact that his opponent had the title of "genius slayer."

Lu Guang smiled coldly and said, "Young man, I admire you! This kind of duel will only be a handicap for you, but you still chose to participate and are so confident. Do you really think you can defeat me without injuring me?"

During the match, no weapons are allowed.

Qin Yun's Giant Spirit King Hammer was equally feared by many. With the hammer off-limits, no one could predict if he would still come out on top.

Lan Fengjin watched from the upper rows of the audience seats. She had no idea how Qin Yun intended to defeat him.

Knocking someone off the arena without causing harm wasn’t an easy feat. Many eighth-level Martial Body warriors doubted they could pull it off.

"Begin!" The referee's shout echoed through the arena.

Lu Guang let out a roar and charged forward with heavy, thunderous steps, like a rampaging beast pounding the bronze arena, each footfall shaking the ground with a 'thud.' The momentum was immense.

Warriors at the eighth level of the Martial Body stage who could harness inner energy saw their bodies grow even stronger. The golden bone energy they released far exceeded that of those who had just reached the eighth level.

And Lu Guang had already mastered the art of inner energy, which radiated from his body with overwhelming force, capable of destroying everything in its path.

Qin Yun remained rooted to the spot, standing tens of meters away from Lu Guang.

While Lu Guang's charge was powerful, his speed wasn’t particularly fast. It took him over three seconds to cover the distance, but he had built up a strong amount of inner energy.

Just as Lu Guang was about to unleash his inner energy, Qin Yun roared. The shockwave of sound and wind sent Lu Guang flying backward like a leaf caught in a storm.