Chapter 36: Ultimate Violence!

"What a waste of such good meat..."

The woman wiped her blood-stained tentacles on the fair-skinned male pet. He trembled violently, yet dared not flinch in the slightest.

"Little Notebook, go tell the arena staff to clean this up. Little Alf, let's keep watching the match."

The two men who were addressed responded immediately. The fair-skinned man scrambled up from the floor, trembling, and hurried out of the private box. The blonde man, meanwhile, crawled on his knees to the woman’s side, crouching obediently like a dog.

Below, the match continued.

Seeing Lu Li secure his first victory with ease, Dio immediately trotted to the center of the arena. After all, besides being the referee, he also served as the gladiator host. Confirming that the two Stone-Skin men were dead beyond any doubt, Dio announced in an exaggerated voice:

"Congratulations to our challenger on his first victory! Now, let us welcome the next two defenders to the stage!"

Without any intention of letting Lu Li rest, another iron gate slowly creaked open. As the figures within appeared in the arena, the buzzing of the audience grew louder.

"Whoa, it’s actually Tyranid-kin!"

"Hm, although they are only the lowest-tier Swift-Bugmen, their speed is notoriously fast..."

"Isn't the arena just stirring up trouble? They know this Lu Li specializes in speed, yet they specifically arranged Swift-Bugmen as the second opponents. Are they trying to see who is faster?"

"What's there to compare? Swift-Bugmen are masters of the sneak attack; that kid Lu Li is done for..."

Before the discussions in the stands could die down, the two Swift-Bugmen had already launched their assault on Lu Li. Compared to the reckless charging of the Stone-Skin men, the attack pattern of the Swift-Bugmen was significantly more cunning. One drew Lu Li's attention from the front, while the other circled around to his rear.

Just as the crowd expected the need for extreme vigilance to handle this pincer attack, Lu Li unexpectedly dropped his combat stance. Even the blade on his right arm vanished, reverting into a normal hand.

"He’s just given up, then."

"Hmph, knowing he can't win, he won't even struggle?"

"I said it before—this rookie only has speed. Against Swift-Bugmen who excel at sneak attacks, he has no way out."

Jeers and mockery echoed from the stands; almost no one believed Lu Li could survive this attack. Seeing Lu Li lower his guard, the two flanking Swift-Bugmen rejoiced, accelerating their movements.

But just as they were about to strike, Lu Li’s figure suddenly dropped low. Then, the audience saw one of the Swift-Bugmen fly into the air. To be precise, Lu Li had grabbed it by the leg and swung it like a meteor hammer!

No one could process what had happened. Even the usually sharp-eyed referee, Dio, stood frozen in his tracks!

With a dull thud, the Swift-Bugman, used as a flail by Lu Li, slammed violently into its companion. The immense force shattered their insectoid armor, splattering green insect blood across the floor!

The two bugmen didn't even have a chance to react before they breathed their last.

The arena fell silent. Only after a long while did a buzzing discussion arise:

"Did I see that right? Did Lu Li grab one of the bugmen and use it to smash the other?!"

"Who said this rookie only specializes in speed? Can someone who only specializes in speed use an opponent as a meteor hammer?"

"Hey, look, those two bugmen seem to be dead. That technique was way too violent!"

"What's so violent about it? The Swift-Bugmen are lightweight to begin with."

"Lightweight? You go up there and try swinging one..."

"I'm not a challenger, but anyway, Swift-Bugmen are definitely easier to deal with than Stone-Skin men."

Although the vast majority of the audience still questioned Lu Li’s strength, believing he was merely opportunistic, at least the trend was no longer entirely pessimistic.

Elissa, huddled in the corner, was so shocked she couldn't even close her mouth. Although those two Swift-Bugmen hadn't targeted her, being in the arena allowed her to fully sense their strength. These two Swift-Bugmen were stronger than the Stone-Skin men! Yet, that ‘Monkey-man’ named Lu Li had killed them with his bare hands. He didn't even use a weapon!

"He... he doesn't seem to be a Palu..."

Elissa stared blankly at Lu Li. Male Palu always grew short hair on their faces. Only female Palu like her possessed smooth, hairless skin. There was no short hair on Lu Li’s face; therefore, he was not a Palu at all, much less a ‘Monkey-man’ among the Palu.

"Who exactly is he?" Elissa’s confusion deepened.

Dio’s exaggerated voice rang out again:

"Two consecutive wins!! Now, let us welcome the next two defenders to the stage!"

What followed was the monotonous time of Lu Li eliminating his opponents one after another. The defenders who came up were strange and varied, and Lu Li's methods of dealing with them were equally diverse. Some were sent flying with a single punch; some were kicked to death; more dramatically, one had its head sent flying after a single slap from Lu Li. There were all sorts of ways to die.

The only constant was that Lu Li never once used a weapon. It was all bare-handed, violent to the extreme! This thrilled the spectators who worshipped power, and they even began to favor Lu Li, cheering and shouting for him.

In a certain private box, the lavishly dressed woman rose from her sofa and stood before the glass, looking down at the arena below. Her face, thick with rolls of fat, was already filled with intense interest.

"...Such a violent fighting style..."

Little Alf, the blonde, lay nearby, kissing the hem of her dress and murmuring meekly, "My Lady, if you desire him, I shall make a trip and negotiate with the High Heavens?"

The woman chuckled, reaching out to tap Alf’s forehead with a finger. "How attentive! Tell me, are you not afraid that if I acquire Lu Li, you will fall out of favor?"

Alf rubbed his face against the back of her hand and replied submissively, "The purpose of my existence is to please you. As long as you are happy, Little Alf is willing to do anything."

The woman laughed even more heartily, her bloated body trembling incessantly like a massive, disgusting piece of jelly. "Among my male pets, you are the cleverest! Go, go and have a word with that old geezer at the High Heavens. I want this Lu Li..."

In the arena, Lu Li activated [Soul Devour], and his own Spirit Points increased once more. Including the previous tally, his Spirit Points had reached 5,476.

"Absorb 30 more, and the limit of my Soul Soldiers can increase by another 50..."

Although Lu Li had won every one of the eleven matches with ease, it was still a continuous battle. Furthermore, to complete the ability advancement quest, Lu Li had only used his ‘Strength-type’ talent. The entire process was violent, hand-to-hand combat, which took a significant toll on his physical stamina.

Therefore, for the upcoming battles, he intended to use his Soul Soldiers to assist him. While recovering his stamina, he could also properly grasp his newly acquired talent abilities.

However, the ability advancement quest seemed intent on targeting Lu Li. Several consecutive tasks required Lu Li to kill his opponents personally. Even more demanding, some required him to trade injuries for injuries to break through his own limits. To avoid losing his new abilities, he would have to sacrifice his stamina. He might even have to risk his life...