Chapter 94: Stan, Scorch, Blood Gate
Su Xiao's rapid rise in the arena rankings not only caught the attention of many medium-sized adventure groups, but also drew the notice of two large adventure groups: Divine Emperor and Blood Gate.
When Su Xiao defeated the fourth-ranked contestant, both Mad Fox and Scorch took note of his swiftly climbing position. As the second-in-commands of Divine Emperor and Blood Gate respectively, these two large adventure groups began showing interest in intervening, seeing the potential benefits behind this matter.
Raising one's arena ranking wouldn't normally attract much attention, but Su Xiao's climb from eleventh to fourth place was no ordinary ranking improvement.
If Su Xiao challenged the second-ranked Scorch, Blood Gate's members would get involved. Although Stan had been cuckolded, it only made him displeased; it hadn't caused any turmoil within the Blood Gate adventure group.
On the contrary, Blood Gate's scale actually showed signs of expanding. Stan being cuckolded wasn't truly shameful—the couple's relationship had long been strained. The only reason they stayed together was the binding of their mutual interests.
Stan also sought pleasure in the real world. Unfortunately, this time his wife's dalliance went too far; she got involved with a contractor, which touched on team and interest issues.
Brother No Umbrella might have been exceptionally skilled in bed, as Stan's wife intended to keep him as a long-term lover. This nearly made Stan's nose twist with rage. Stan's original words were: "I don't care if you find fun, but you actually found a contractor and plan to maintain this long-term? Are you brain-dead?!"
Stan's wife just smiled seductively—she was quite a formidable woman herself. She placed another fresh green crown on Stan's head, but that new lover disappeared extremely quickly, not as resilient as Brother No Umbrella. It was said that Brother No Umbrella's "brother-in-law" died a miserable death.
From the current situation, if Su Xiao challenged Scorch, Blood Gate's members would all appear. They might not open a betting pool themselves, but they would likely bet heavily on Scorch through the black merchants. With their financial resources, they would definitely place large wagers.
As things developed, the black merchants stopped promoting this matter and instead used their connections to suppress it.
If Su Xiao truly challenged Scorch, the Black Sail Merchant Guild would suffer. The Black Sail Merchant Guild now dared not offend either side—Su Xiao, who had fought his way through, was not to be trifled with, and Blood Gate was equally formidable. If the black merchants knew about Su Xiao's old grudge with Blood Gate, they would surely cry themselves unconscious in the restroom.
The Black Sail Merchant Guild was caught in a dilemma, so they sought help from Su Xiao. Naturally, Su Xiao wouldn't stop competing; missing this opportunity meant he would advance to the fourth rank.
The two sides couldn't reach an agreement, and the bet-sharing arrangement naturally ended. However, no conflict arose between them—at most, the transaction was terminated, and the black merchants directly closed the betting pool.
If Su Xiao actually fought Scorch, closing the pool wouldn't help. The black merchants couldn't refuse Blood Gate's bets. Taking the money and running? Don't joke—without strong power, such actions would only invite deadly trouble.
Inside the ruins, Su Xiao had already bandaged his wounds. He couldn't care less about matters outside the arena. Most of those who knew about this were contractors or workers with interests tied to the arena.
Even if Su Xiao reached the top of the arena rankings, his name wouldn't become widely known. First, he had concealed his appearance; second, this was a third-rank arena, and 80% of those who knew about it were third-rank contractors.
Reincarnation Paradise never lacked explosive news. Besides, Su Xiao was about to advance to the fourth rank, so his position in the third-rank arena wouldn't last long.
A gentle breeze blew. Su Xiao's battle with White Crocodile had no spectators. As long as both parties agreed, a random battle scene could be selected—this was a non-viewable battle scene.
Su Xiao's arms and thighs ached faintly, while White Crocodile, hiding inside the giant crocodile's belly, felt his heart bleeding. Raising these giant crocodiles cost him no small price. Now that Su Xiao had killed nearly a hundred of them, he almost wanted to give up the fight.
White Crocodile was about to advance to the fourth rank. He had been stalling, waiting for Mad Fox and Scorch to advance first. The arena title was too precious.
Yet Mad Fox and Scorch had delayed their advancement to the fourth rank, and now Su Xiao had killed his way to fourth place, making White Crocodile extremely frustrated.
Behind a stone pillar, the ground's vibration made Su Xiao tense his body. Those giant crocodiles were coming again.
Su Xiao stepped out from behind the pillar. The toxins in his body had been devoured clean by Azure Steel Shadow energy. The giant crocodiles summoned by White Crocodile had four characteristics: deadly poison, bite enhancement, biological acid cannon, and living self-destruction.
Giant crocodiles came into view, each over ten meters long. Though their legs were short, they ran very fast, with both close and long-range attack capabilities.
The Counter Shield floated around Su Xiao. He lowered his body, Azure Steel Shadow energy clinging to Dragon-Slaying Flash.
Just as Su Xiao was about to charge at the giant crocodiles, a loud shout came.
"Wait!"
The voice came from inside a giant crocodile's belly—it was White Crocodile.
"Let's talk."
White Crocodile no longer wanted to fight. Earlier, he thought Su Xiao was heavily injured, but now it seemed Su Xiao could kill another eighty or a hundred giant crocodiles without issue.
Su Xiao could endure, but White Crocodile couldn't. Every dead giant crocodile meant a huge loss of Paradise Coins.
"With your strength, you should be about to advance to the fourth rank, right?"
White Crocodile didn't show himself; his true body was somewhat fragile.
"..."
Su Xiao said nothing. He didn't mind continuing the fight.
"You win."
After leaving these words, White Crocodile made the giant crocodiles vanish one by one. He couldn't continue fighting. Losing another hundred giant crocodiles would affect his earnings in the next derivative world.
[Match Ended, 283 Consecutive Wins!]
Su Xiao returned to the rest room and plopped down onto the sofa. The previous high-intensity battle had significantly drained his condition.
[Competitor: Su Xiao.]
[Status: Fatigued.]
[Rank: 3rd (Third Rank).]
[Consecutive Wins: 283.]
[Top Ten Rewards: Third Place Reward Obtained.]
...
From tenth to third place, Su Xiao had gained a total of 19 regular attribute points—2 points per rank from 10th to 5th, and 3 points per rank from 5th to 1st.
Regular attribute points weren't the main reward. The main reward was [Glory of Victory]. Each time Su Xiao rose in rank, [Glory of Victory]'s attributes gradually strengthened. It had now become:
[Glory of Victory (Mark)]
Origin: Reincarnation Paradise
Quality: Special Item
Category: Mark (Usable within Third Rank)
Durability: -
Mark Effect: Health Points +600, Mana Points +600, Infrastructure usage fee in Reincarnation Paradise -9%.
Description: A reward for the victor.
Selling Price: Unsellable.
...
As long as Su Xiao could defeat Scorch, this mark would upgrade into a title. Titles were somewhat similar to equipment but didn't occupy equipment slots. Only one title could be equipped at a time.
In Su Xiao's current state, he was clearly unfit to fight Scorch. He needed rest. After sufficient rest, Su Xiao would battle Scorch to the death.
Although Scorch was the arena's second place, Su Xiao's fight with him would definitely be more intense than his fight with the first-ranked Mad Fox.
Su Xiao had some connection with the Divine Emperor adventure group. As Divine Emperor's second-in-command, Mad Fox had naturally interacted with Su Xiao. They weren't exactly friends, but they wouldn't be hostile either. As for the arena match, it would be a no-holds-barred fight. Regardless of who won or lost, it was unlikely to create enmity.
Scorch was different. Su Xiao and the Blood Gate adventure group were mortal enemies, locked in an irreconcilable relationship. Moreover, Scorch had hunted Su Xiao in the Holy Grail World.
And now, Su Xiao would openly fight Scorch. That once-unbeatable opponent could now be confronted head-on. How exhilarating—this was the charm of growing stronger.
If he didn't die in the next derivative world, Su Xiao would advance to the fourth rank. This match with Scorch might mark the beginning of his battle with the Blood Gate adventure group, which operated within the fourth rank.
Of course, Su Xiao couldn't fight the entire Blood Gate adventure group alone. But he didn't believe Blood Gate's members would stay united forever.
Before fighting Scorch, Su Xiao not only needed rest, but the Wood Spirit's enhancement had also finished. During his battle with White Crocodile, he hadn't equipped the Wood Spirit.