Chapter 32: The Nexus Arena

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[Welcome to the Hub Arena!]
[You have been teleported to the waiting area. We are now matching you with a suitable opponent.]
[Estimated waiting time: ten minutes...]

A cheerful voice echoed in his ears as Lu Li stepped out of the flames. Zhao Jin and the villa had vanished, leaving him in a fifty-square-meter space. Everything in sight was milky white, as if the entire room had been cast from a single, seamless piece of material. Seeing that he was alone, Lu Li calmly opened his data panel and sent messages to Xu Xiao and Lin Qinfeng.

The message to Xu Xiao was a warning to be on guard against Zhao Jin. After all, he had just provoked the Zhao family, and if a desperate Zhao Jin decided to retaliate, it would be troublesome if innocent people were caught in the crossfire. The other message was an inquiry to Lin Qinfeng regarding the progress of her collection.

As soon as the messages were sent, there was no response from Xu Xiao, but a reply came quickly from Lin Qinfeng:
"Time is tight. Including the Lin family's original reserves, we have only collected 700 kilograms of gold so far."

"The efficiency is actually quite high..." Lu Li nodded slightly and replied:
"That's enough. Trade the gold to me first, then continue collecting. It will only benefit the Lin family, not harm it."

Just a day ago, when Lin Qinfeng traded the origin crystals harvested from the digger bees to Lu Li, she had received this order: Collect gold. Although she was puzzled, she obeyed. After all, she had sworn an oath that the Lin family would serve Lu Li as their master. Furthermore, with the apocalypse underway, collecting gold was not a difficult task.

However, when she saw Lu Li’s request to keep collecting and his promise that it would only be beneficial, her curiosity became impossible to suppress. Lin Qinfeng cautiously sent a message:
"Mr. Lu, may I ask, what is the specific purpose of collecting gold?"

Lin Qinyue, who was stuffing potato chips into her mouth, happened to see what her eldest sister was typing and puffed out her cheeks:
"What other purpose could it be? This Lu Li is just a penniless miser..."

Lin Qinfeng frowned and scolded:
"Qinyue! Mr. Lu is the benefactor of the Lin family. If you are disrespectful again, don't blame me for enforcing the family rules!"

Lin Qinyue shrank her neck at these words and stopped speaking, though she grabbed a large handful of chips and stuffed them into her mouth as if venting her frustration.

Lu Li replied:
"I cannot tell you the specific purpose for now. Just keep collecting; there is no need to be overly deliberate."
"Also, keep an eye on Zhao Jin over the next two days. If he makes any major moves, remember to inform me immediately."

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"Understood. But it is a pity that the Lin family is currently weak; we can only scout the surface-level information. Please do not be too impatient, Mr. Lu."

After sending this, Lin Qinfeng suddenly felt a tinge of regret. Although the Lin family had nominally recognized Lu Li as their master and he had promised to solve their troubles, at the end of the day, the family's vengeance should be dealt with by the family itself. Lu Li was strong, but he was only one person. Would it be too much to ask him to shoulder the burden of a conflict between families?

However, Lu Li’s reply took her by surprise.
"Have a little faith in your master. I guarantee that within three days, the branch of the Zhao family led by Zhao Jin will disappear from Yong City entirely."

To fight an entire family with the strength of one person! This was something Lin Qinfeng had never dared to imagine.

"He might actually be able to do it." Lin Qinhua suddenly spoke up, pulling up her data panel to show Lin Qinfeng:
"Big sister, you've been busy collecting gold these past two days and haven't checked the level rankings. Look at who is in first place now."

Lin Qinfeng looked closely: "It's Lu Li, but the level ranking isn't the combat power ranking, it doesn't necessarily mean..."
Before she could finish, the eldest daughter of the Lin family had her mouth hanging open in an 'O' shape. She had seen Lu Li’s level.
"Level 15? How is that possible!"

"So you see, the Lin family has grabbed onto a powerful thigh this time! And a very handsome one at that!" Lin Qinhua rested her chin on her hands, her eyes filled with tiny hearts...

Lu Li closed his chat window and suddenly sneezed. He rubbed his nose and muttered to himself:
"Is someone cursing me? Probably Zhao Jin. Just wait, once I'm out of here, I'll scatter your ashes..."

In truth, it wasn't that Lu Li couldn't defeat Zhao Jin. With his current soul points, he could condense 100 Lv.3 soul soldiers and 2 Lv.5 soul guards. Combined with various talents gained through devouring, Lu Li's combat power could already be described as terrifying. The only reason he was biding his time was that Zhao Jin had mobilized his entire force. If it came to a life-or-death struggle, Zhao Jin could be killed, but Lu Li would also risk his own life.

For Lu Li, there was no need for that. Time was precious in the early stages; he had to seize every opportunity to develop! After all, his revenge list did not only contain the Zhao family. There were even more powerful factions and more terrifying entities he needed to face!

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He had to remain steady and calculated, moving forward step by step.

Just as Lu Li was talking to himself, flames rose once again in the enclosed space. A figure, tattered and covered in black soot, stumbled out and fell to the ground with a cry of pain. Lu Li’s gaze landed on the person's beast-like ears, and he felt a flash of surprise:
"A Palu-person? It seems the Hub Arena rates my combat power quite highly..."

The Hub Arena, as the name suggests, is the center connecting various star systems. Players from different planets can use an [Arena Ticket] to teleport to this area.

[Arena Tickets] are divided into two types. The first is the blue ticket, which teleports the user directly to the spectator stands. The process is entirely safe, and players can watch matches, exchange intelligence, or even trade items within the arena. The second is the red ticket, the kind Lu Li had used previously—only his ticket had been opened from a challenge chest and featured gold-trimmed patterns. This ticket teleports players to a waiting room to be matched with an opponent of similar strength.

There are three modes of combat in the arena: single combat, duo cooperation, and five-person team. This can be determined by the color of the waiting room: black for single, white for duo, and gray for five-person. Fighters using a ticket for the first time are randomly assigned a mode by the Hub Arena. Lu Li happened to be in the duo cooperation mode this time.

Before the soot-covered Palu-person could even crawl up from the floor, the entire milky-white space suddenly trembled. In the most prominent position, three rules slowly appeared:

[Hub Arena Combat Rules (Duo)]
[1. There are no restrictions on combat. Once you enter the waiting area, you must participate in the battle. Unless a winner is decided, the battle cannot end.]
[2. After the battle begins, the player's data panel will be temporarily locked. Players cannot use the panel for chatting, trading, or allocating attribute points.]
[3. Bribery or attacking the referee is prohibited during the battle. If a violation occurs, the referee is authorized to kill the participating player immediately.]

Seeing these rules, Lu Li raised an eyebrow, and the weight on his heart finally lifted. Just like in his previous life, the rules had not changed. This meant that Lu Li could carry out his plan before the match began...