Chapter 67, A Hundred Silver Reward

Translator: StarReader

 

Su Chen and Ah Chou followed the crowd on the street to the south of the city and easily squeezed into the endless throng. With their first-rate skills, it was a breeze.

 

The two were surprised to find that a large martial arts competition arena had been built in a small square here. This large arena was divided into four towering, independent, thirty-meter-wide stages. Several first-class youths were fighting fiercely, with savage punches and precise kicks. The sound of ringing metal was also heard from time to time as blades and weapons clashed.

 

Many martial arts fans and ordinary people gathered around the square and on the streets, as well as in the restaurants and inns. They were fascinated and burst into cheers and lively noises.

 

“Why is there an arena here? I didn’t see this arena when I passed by here this morning to practice martial arts in the City God Temple. Was this arena built this morning?”

 

Ah Chou seemed very surprised.

 

To be honest, he was not very sensitive to the dynamics of the martial arts world. As a martial arts fanatic, he worked and practiced every day. Only on occasion did he learn about the major events when he chatted with his fellow disciples of the Heaven Falcon Group.

 

“Good, good fight!”

 

“Brother Yang, demonstrate your special skill, World Palm, so everyone can see how powerful it is!”

 

The martial disciples gathered here loudly chanted the name of the person on the stage, creating a lively scene.

 

Su Chen overheard others discussing and quickly understood the situation. The Gusu County government and Han Mountain Daoist Temple had jointly organized the first martial arts competition in the Wu Region, scheduled for tomorrow night during the Laba Festival.

 

Thousands of martial artists from all over would gather in Gusu County City a day early to avoid missing this martial competition.

 

Gusu County officials worried that these martial artists might cause trouble in the city, drinking and fighting for fame. So today they set up a large arena within the city to allow the young and passionate martial artists to publicly showcase their skills, release their excess energy, and gain fame while at it.

 

Meanwhile, the other martial disciples naturally gathered around this bustling arena and watched the first-rate experts compete to pass time. This would keep them from bothering ordinary citizens.

 

At present, standing atop the high stage was an elderly man in a white robe, a well-known senior and martial artist named Old Su from Gusu City. He had been invited by the Gusu County constable to preside over this sparring competition.

 

Old Su gestured to the crowd with his hand and spoke in a booming voice: “Martial heroes and great martial artists! Tomorrow is the once-in-a-century martial arts competition for the Wu Region! Both the four great groups and numerous small groups of martial disciples have gathered here in Gusu County City. Among them are many outstanding individuals. This is a rare opportunity to gain fame in martial arts circles! All first-rate experts are welcomed to step onto the stage and showcase their skills so that the martial artists of the Wu Region can broaden their horizons.”

 

At this moment, Gusu County City was packed with martial artists, a gathering of elites.

 

Of course, no one wanted to watch those second-rate or third-rate martial artists perform. They were only interested in the highest-level competitions. Those low-level practitioners weren’t allowed on the stage, as it would waste everyone’s time. The arena was prepared for the outstanding few.

 

Only first-rate experts, whose inner strength cultivation was profound and martial arts skills were flawless, had the right to shine in this arena. In front of thousands of martial arts enthusiasts, they would demonstrate their extraordinary abilities.

 

Old Su was enthusiastically encouraging the first-rate experts in the audience to step onto the stage, spittle flying with his animated gestures. However, despite many first-rate experts gathered below the arena, few were willing to actually climb up and fight.

 

The older generation of famous first-rate experts in the Wu Region martial scene had already established their reputations long ago. They didn’t need to rely on this arena to boost their fame. Even if they won, it wouldn’t bring them much recognition. But if they lost to a younger fighter, it would tarnish their reputation and make others think they were overrated.

 

These respected seniors cherished their reputations and refused to risk damaging them by fighting in the arena. Therefore, those willing to step into the arena and challenge were mostly young disciples from lesser-known groups, who had already attained first-rate martial prowess. This was a perfect opportunity for them to showcase their skills in front of the entire Wu Region martial community and rise to fame.

 

One by one, several young martial prodigies climbed onto the stage, eager to fight. The crowd below erupted into cheers and applause.

 

Su Chen and Ah Chou squeezed among the spectators, enthusiastically watching the action.

 

“Hear me out, heroes! This arena isn’t just about gaining fame. The constable of Gusu County has set up a generous reward for this martial competition. There are four stages, and challengers can choose any one of them. If you win three consecutive matches, you’ll receive fifty taels of silver. For five wins, it’s a hundred taels!

 

“Every first-rate expert is allowed only one chance to fight on the stage. Make the most of this opportunity!”

 

The senior overseeing the arena stirred the crowd of martial figures.

 

Upon hearing this, Ah Chou’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “A hundred taels of silver for five consecutive wins!” he exclaimed eagerly. “Brother Chen, you were right. Only by focusing on improving our cultivation and skills can we make real money. Even a third-rate practitioner working hard for years couldn’t earn as much as a first-rate expert from just one match.”

 

In the last five years, Ah Chou had dedicated nearly all his spare time to cultivating his Dantian and honing his martial abilities, driven by the desire to quickly rise to the top.

 

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to achieve such a high level in just a few short years’ time. Naturally, this left him with little opportunity to earn money; in fact, he had to spend some of his meager savings on herbs for body tempering.

 

Back when he worked as a server at the Heaven Falcon Inn, he barely made a single tael of silver after an entire year’s labor—just enough to cover his meals. Even if he worked for ten lifetimes, it wouldn’t have been nearly enough.

 

But with one arena match and a hundred taels of silver up for grabs, that was another story entirely.

 

It was no wonder that first-rate experts could make a fortune. Of course, even among first-rate figures, opportunities to earn a hundred taels in a single day were rare. Many relied on working for groups for their livelihood, earning dozens or hundreds of taels per month.

 

“Brother Chen,” Ah Chou excitedly told him, “I’m going to fight in the arena and take that hundred taels!”

 

A hundred taels wasn’t an astronomical sum, but it was still a significant amount of money.

 

Who knew when he would be able to get the large amount of silver he needed?

 

But he was now a mid first-rate expert, and he made money much faster than before. If he saved it, he would be able to earn the large amount of silver he needs one day.

 

“Mm, but don’t be hasty. We just came here and don’t know the strength of the first-rate experts on each of the stages. Let’s take a look at their information first. After we find out their strength first, you can pick the weakest one to fight. You should then have close to a sixty percent chance of getting the money. At the very least, there’s an over eighty percent chance of getting fifty taels of silver.”

 

Su Chen smiled.

 

Ah Chou nodded vigorously, thinking it made sense.

 

There were four stage champions in this big arena, and they were all quite strong.

 

Old Su, who hosted the arena, also said that each hero had only one chance to go on stage. If you challenged any of the four stages and lost, that was it.

 

He should be more cautious and take a look at the strength of other young first-rate experts first so as not to make a mistake. It would be a shame to lose the one hundred taels of silver over something as silly as excitement. The money was very important to him.