Volume Two: Travels in the State of Qi Chapter 118: The Arena of Combat

Zhang Heng turned around and sighed softly. “Sirs, I know you mean well for me, but I must take part in this mission.”

“Why?” Wu Hong asked, puzzled.

“You little brat, you’re so inexperienced—why try to play the hero?” Ling Tian snapped bluntly.

“Old Wu, do you remember that black mist we encountered in the ancient tomb of that Nascent Soul realm expert last time?” Zhang Heng asked seriously.

“Of course I remember! Zhang Heng, why do you bring that up?” Wu Hong recalled how they nearly perished at the hands of that black mist. If not for Zhang Heng, Wu Hong might have already met his end. Naturally, he didn’t want to dwell on it.

“Old Wu, the members of the Yin Spirit Sect also carry that black mist. It’s deeply connected to a peerless demon lord from a thousand years ago. I have to investigate it thoroughly,” Zhang Heng explained.

“Youngster...” Wu Hong was about to say more, but Zhang Heng cut him off with a grin. “Old Wu, as usual, you handle things upfront while I hang back and watch. How’s that sound?”

Wu Hong smiled in approval and pointed at him. “You’re getting smarter, kid.”

“You little brat, when do you plan to strike against the Yin Spirit Sect?” Ling Tian asked while taking a sip of spirit liquid.

“Elders, I’m preparing to participate in the Imperial City Grand Tournament. I’ll have to wait until after it ends before making any move against the Yin Spirit Sect.”

There was no other choice—the system had arranged it this way.

Hearing this, both Ling Tian and Wu Hong were stunned.

“Zhang Heng, if you join, you’ll definitely win first place, but isn’t that a bit boring?”

“Yeah, with your Ninth Stage Qingling Realm strength, you’re just going to be cannon fodder. You’ll probably finish last,” Ling Tian agreed.

“Old Ling, what do you mean? If Zhang Heng participates, he’ll easily be number one. There’s no way he’ll come last.”

“Old Wu, I admit Zhang Heng is gifted in alchemy, but when it comes to fighting, he’s not cut out for it.”

“Old Ling, Zhang Heng has actually slain a Nascent Void realm cultivator in one strike. He’s definitely top-notch.”

“Old Wu, I don’t think he could even defeat a Qi Sea realm cultivator.”

The two elders began bickering again.

Back in Shayan City, Wu Hong had witnessed Zhang Heng kill that Nascent Void realm cultivator with a single move. Among the young participants in the Imperial City Grand Tournament, there didn’t seem to be anyone of Nascent Void realm, so in Wu Hong’s eyes, no one could match Zhang Heng.

Ling Tian, however, believed that since Zhang Heng was Wu Hong’s disciple and despite his high alchemical talent, his actual power was only Ninth Stage Qingling Realm. If he joined the tournament, he would be eliminated in the first round.

The elders’ argument grew louder, leaving Zhang Heng speechless. He quietly withdrew from the conversation.

Given his current situation, with the help of Ling Tian, Wu Hong, and Bai Chen from the Treasure Appraisal Pavilion, wiping out the Yin Spirit Sect would be incredibly easy. Zhang Heng was not worried at all.

His real concern was the black mist on the Yin Spirit Sect members, linked to the Ghost Saint Daoist from a millennium ago. Up to now, Zhang Heng still didn’t understand what that black mist truly was.

The unknown was always the most terrifying. Perhaps that mist still existed somewhere in the world.

But the system gave no hints, and Zhang Heng felt deeply troubled.

He decided to take things one step at a time—first, to participate in the Imperial City Grand Tournament. Once he completed the system’s task, it would reveal his next steps.

Arriving at the front courtyard, countless cultivators were still waiting inside the Alchemy Pavilion. As soon as Zhang Heng appeared, all eyes fixed on him. He ignored them and quietly slipped away.

Just as he stepped out of the pavilion, he spotted Qi Sisi leaning bored against a stone pillar nearby.

“Here, here!” Qi Sisi called eagerly when she saw Zhang Heng.

“Do you need something?” Zhang Heng approached cautiously, wondering what trouble this girl was up to now.

Qi Sisi smiled mysteriously. “Zhang Heng, come with me. I’ll take you somewhere fun.”

“What kind of fun place?”

“You’ll see when we get there.” Qi Sisi grabbed Zhang Heng’s hand excitedly and pulled him forward.

Soon, they stopped outside a building on the first floor. Above the door hung a large sign with the character “Fight.” Two tall guards stood at the entrance—both were Ninth Stage Nascent Core cultivators.

Seeing high-level Nascent Core cultivators reduced to gatekeepers signaled this place was far from ordinary.

“What is this place?” Zhang Heng asked, pulling his hand free from Qi Sisi’s grip.

“The Martial Arena,” Qi Sisi said with a charming smile, then skipped inside.

Zhang Heng paused briefly before following her.

Inside the entrance was a counter with a sign stating: “Five low-grade spirit stones per person for entry.” Many cultivators were queuing to pay.

This Martial Arena was quite prestigious—just entering required five low-grade spirit stones.

Qi Sisi had been here many times; the guards all knew her. As soon as she arrived, a maid came forward and led her down another passage, waiving the entry fee.

Zhang Heng guessed this was another major sect within the Qi Kingdom’s borders but not truly belonging to it.

Though they showed respect to Qi Sisi, they didn’t treat Zhang Heng like a prince or noble.

The maid led them to a fork in the path, then turned back and bowed respectfully. “Princess, which arena would you like to visit today?”

Qi Sisi thought for a moment. “Let’s go to the Yellow Arena.”

“Very well, Princess,” the maid replied and continued leading the way.

From deeper inside came the noisy clamor of many cultivators. The further they went, the louder it grew.

“Princess, I’ll leave you here. Have fun!” The maid said upon stopping at the entrance, then retreated.

Once the maid left, Qi Sisi chuckled. “Zhang Heng, do you know what this place is?”

Zhang Heng smiled casually. “Isn’t it just a place where cultivators fight each other? Nothing strange about that. As for you, with your weak strength, you’re either here to watch the battles or to gamble. Am I right?”

In his previous life, Zhang Heng had read many cultivation novels depicting arenas like this.

Cultivators came to compete either to gain resources or to improve themselves through constant combat. People like Qi Sisi, weak but with some status, usually came just to watch.

Qi Sisi’s interest faded when Zhang Heng answered correctly. “Zhang Heng, have you been to places like this before?”

He should have, since he guessed everything right.

“Of course not,” Zhang Heng shook his head.

Counting seriously, he hadn’t been in this world long. Since arriving, he had been forced to keep moving forward without a real break. Entertainment was almost non-existent.

Once this task was done, he vowed to finally rest properly.

“That’s why today, I’m going to show you around,” Qi Sisi said, then without waiting for a response, she grabbed his hand and dashed ahead.

The noise of the crowd grew louder and more intense as they approached.