Martial World (Web Novel)

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Fighting Lin Ming was a declaration handed down by Skysplit Tower, there was no way to refuse.

Lin Ming had to face continuous matches, so Ming Sun was the second to go out. He thought that he had hit the jackpot and he would be able to easily defeat Lin Ming, but now it seemed as if he had run out of luck.

If Lin Ming only had that single Chasing Thunder, then Ming Sun was confident he could deal with it. But with Lin Ming’s current combat state, it seemed that Chasing Thunder was only a minor ability of his, otherwise, he wouldn’t have used it as soon as he came onstage. He could even do so three times without losing his breath.

Ming Sun had deep suspicions that when Lin Ming had fought Yan Hu, he hadn’t even used half of his strength.

If that were so, then his chance of winning this fight was at most 10 to 20%!

“Lord Ming Sun, please enter the stage!” The referee called out as he saw Ming Sun morosely sitting in the stands without response.

The other martial artists in the stands were all looking at Ming Sun. Some were sympathetic, some were gloating, and there were even some that thought Ming Sun would defeat Lin Ming.

“I understand.”

Ming Sun’s voice was gloomy as he slowly trod onto the arena stage.

“If you’re ready, then start.” The referee said as he stepped off of the stage.

Lin Ming held the Purple Comet Spear, his entire body revolving with true essence. At this moment, Ming Sun’s true essence sound transmission sounded out in his ears.

“Lin Ming! I do not want to fight you, I’ll admit defeat!”

“Mm?” Lin Ming was surprised. This fellow surrendered before the battle began?

On Skysplit Tower’s third floor, losing meant having your hard earned winning streak reset. Also, over half of the Heavenly Demon Tattoo would dissipate. If one wanted to recondense it, it would be extremely difficult. This was because martial artists’ rankings were already determined ahead of time. If one had to continuously fight opponents on the same level, then continuously winning would be far too difficult!

Ming Sun continued his true essence sound transmission, saying, “I admit that my chances of defeating you aren’t more than 10 to 20%. I don’t want to die here, so, I admit defeat in this match. As long as you don’t kill me, I will give you the following conditions for letting me go. I’ll propose a gamble with you and bet 10 slaughter points. 10 slaughter points is all I have left.”

In Skysplit Tower, making a bet was another method of obtaining slaughter points. As long as both parties agreed, then one could start a gambling match. On the second floor, when Lan Xing fought Huyan Luo, they had also made gambling bet for two slaughter points. Finally, Lan Xing was the victor.

“You mean you want to gift me 10 slaughter points?” Lin Ming was surprised. On the third floor, slaughter points were everything. Without slaughter points, it was impossible to make use of the vast resources available.

“Yes. If you kill me, then you can accumulate up to a 100 win streak, but if you don’t kill me, then you’ll have to wait until your next match to reach a 100 win streak. These 10 slaughter points are compensation for that. After I’m defeated this time, I no longer want to stay in Skysplit Tower. Wanting to make a fresh start and gather infernal energy and a winning streak is next to impossible. Since I’m leaving Skysplit Tower, these slaughter points are useless. I’ll give them to you.”

Ming Sun sighed as he spoke with self-deprecation. He had already given birth to this thought half a year ago. But he knew that if he left like this, he would never become a Fey Emperor in the future. Thus, he had stuck it out until today, when he could do so no longer.

Facing Lin Ming, his chance of winning was simply too small. Becoming a Fey Emperor was without a doubt an enticing dream, but it wasn’t worth it to trade his life for something like that.

Then, he would rather take this opportunity to leave Skysplit Tower. Although he ultimately failed to achieve anything, at least he was able to leave alive. Compared to all those that perished here and had their ashes sprinkled off the cliffs, this was a much happier and gratifying result.

“Sure.” Lin Ming was not a bloodthirsty individual, much less this condition was also very good for him. He readily agreed.

………….

From the start of the gambling match to the admission of defeat, Lin Ming and Ming Sun’s match was an unexpected surprise.

As Ming Sun left the stage, no one in the audience mocked him nor did anyone jeer.

There was only a hint of sadness and cynicism.

Ming Sun’s talent was situated somewhere between the Saint level and Emperor level. This was all thanks to being lifted up by Skysplit Tower. Originally, Ming Sun had been nothing but an ordinary Saint level talent.

If he left, then that was equal to giving up his path to becoming an Emperor. In a way, perhaps this was also a relief.

However, not every martial artist could calmly leave in the same manner, especially those haughty and arrogant young elites of Skysplit Tower. The temptation of becoming an Emperor was far too great. From a King to an Emperor, one’s lifespan would increase tenfold. Not to mention their own increase in power, but they could also establish their own Holy Land and set down a legacy that would last 10,000 years. Their name would last for hundreds of generations.

However, only out of the ashes of millions was a true Emperor born. No one knew just how many heroic youths had died in battle, their ashes scattered over the cliffs, their lives becoming the stones that paved the road for other martial artists.

Even if one was an Emperor level talent, this was also true.

To be like Ming Sun and be able to calmly leave Skysplit Tower, there weren’t many able to do so.

This match thus ended in a surprising manner. At the end, Lin Ming obtained a total of 12 slaughter points from ending Ming Sun’s winning streak as well as another 10 from the gambling match. This was a total of 22 as well as the 65 from before.

In a single fell swoop, Lin Ming had gained a total of 87 slaughter points. This was enough to use for a very, very long time.

Not only that, but after Ming Sun’s defeat, a great portion of the infernal energy on his body merged into Lin Ming. This caused Lin Ming to instantly climb to the peak of a six-winged Heavenly Demon. He wasn’t too far away from becoming an eight-winged Heavenly Demon.

“Lin Ming’s rise is unstoppable. In the next match, he’ll probably have to face the top 10 rankers of the third floor. That is simply another world altogether.”

“Mm… the martial artists in the top 10 enjoy completely different resources. They are far stronger than the martial artists below them.”

On the third floor, the higher a martial artist was ranked, the more resources they could enjoy and the higher authority they would have. There was simply too great a gap between every rank. When one reached the level of a Heavenly Demon Seven Star, then they could even go to more mysterious places such as the legendary Road of Emperor.

If one reached the end of the Road of Emperor, they would become an Emperor level powerhouse. A practice area like this was beyond anyone’s imagination. The very thought of what could happen if one could practice for a year or so in the Road of Emperor was terrifying beyond belief.

“Young Hero Lin Ming! Please stay!”

As Lin Ming was about to exit the martial arena, he heard a deep bass voice sound in his ears.

As he turned around to look, he saw that the one who called out to him was a Giant Demon martial artist. He was a tad over 10 feet tall, and he carried a large greatsword on his back. Beside the Giant Demon was a little girl whose height just reached his midsection. She had delicate and tiny features, and her long ears and scales at the corners of her eyes showed she was a Fey.

The height difference between the two standing together was great, but it inexplicably gave off a very matching feeling.

“Do you have business with me?”

Lin Ming looked at the two. They seemed ordinary, no different from commoners, but the truth was that their aura was restrained deeply within them. This was a similar realm to returning to one’s own origin, manifested to the pinnacle.

Trying to estimate their strength made one feel they were unfathomable.

“I am Da Gu. Perhaps you would like to go to a teahouse for a chat?” The Giant Demon said with a cheerful smile.

Lin Ming was startled.

So this person was Da Gu. Da Gu was one of the Heavenly Demon Seven Stars. Lin Ming had already heard his name as early as when he was still at Sun Flood City. He was known as an existence that could shake Skysplit Tower. Originally, Lin Ming thought that Da Gu was a bloodthirsty beast of his generation, but seeing this Da Gu in front of him, while he did have a faint murderous aura, this Da Gu carried no hostility towards him at all.

It had to be known that within Skysplit Tower, the Giant Demons had absolutely zero goodwill towards humans. From the very time that Gu Yue had tried to kill Lin Ming, this applied to Xing Tian and Hong Zhong afterwards.

This was also reasonable. Humanity and the Giant Demons had competed for resources on the Holy Demon Continent for far too long. The two races would often wage war and start extended campaigns against each other. Whether it was Giant Demons or humans, rivers of blood would flow. It was common for entire cities or even countries to be exterminated.

“I respectfully accept.”

Lin Ming calmly agreed. Since this fellow was well-mannered and treating him with respect, there was no need to harshly refuse him.

Lin Ming’s eyes fell onto the girl beside Da Gu. He said, “If I’m not wrong, then this Miss Xun Ji.”

Within the Heavenly Demon Seven Stars, Xun Ji was the only woman. She was the weakest, but also the youngest. She was no older than Lin Ming. In other words, within the Heavenly Demon Seven Stars, she was the one with the best talent.

“That’s me! It’s nice to meet you. Perhaps we might even fight later, hahaha.”

Xun Ji’s laugh was like the tinkling of silver bells. She was very interested in Lin Ming. In her eyes, Lin Ming was the only individual within Skysplit Tower whose talent could stand on par with her.

Only when there was competition would there be progress.

…………………………

Bluestone Teahouse was a very famous teahouse on Skysplit Tower’s third floor. The interior of the teahouse was entirely decorated in blue stones. The chairs and tables were crafted from stone, and they were simple and elegant. There was humble feel to this store. When combined with a pot of tea and carefully tasted, one could sense the pleasant mood within.

Within the second floor of Bluestone Teahouse, three people were sitting around a luxurious table.

“May I ask why Brother Da Gu is looking for me?” Lin Ming calmly asked between sips after a young maid respectfully handed a cup of tea to him.

“I only want to make friends with Brother Lin.” Da Gu smiled. “I feel that Young Hero Lin’s temperament is to my liking, so I would like to give Young Hero Lin some advice.”

“Oh? Please speak Brother Da Gu.” Lin Ming’s interested was piqued. Towards Skysplit Tower, he really didn’t know much. Muk Gu’s strength was limited and his position in the third floor was only at the very edge, so he didn’t know much. To Skysplit Tower, Lin Ming had always been confused by its layers of mysteries.

“Brother Lin, what I would first like to talk about are the Heavenly Demon Seven Stars. Their strength is probably much more formidable than Brother Lin is imagining. My combat prowess can at most rank third or fourth among the Heavenly Demon Seven Stars. But, those two or three people, I must admit that I am far inferior to them. Especially the second ranked Yan Chi and the first ranked Feng Shen.

“Feng Shen? That’s quite the proud name.” Feng Shen also meant the divine seal. When Lin Ming first came to Skysplit Tower, he had spent the majority of his time in closed door cultivation. He didn’t know many of the Heavenly Demon Seven Stars’ names. He only knew Da Gu, Xun Ji, and Maha.

“Feng Shen is a Fey. His perception as well as his talent in Laws could be called terrifying. As for the third floor of Skysplit Tower, there are some practice areas where – if one’s perception is good enough – they can cultivate to a horrifying boundary!”

“Oh? What sort of practice places?” Lin Ming asked.

In Skysplit Tower, there had already been rumors circulated around that were related to all sorts of practice areas on the fourth floor or even fifth floor. However, very few individuals actually knew what was there.