Chapter 40: Refusing to Sign the Indenture

"Are you... truly not considering signing the indenture?"

Dio, unable to bear the sight of a genius falling, continued to persuade him:

"Honestly, being bought by someone isn't such a bad thing. The person who has their eye on you is an overlord of an entire star sector."

"Sign the contract, and you will gain resources you could never obtain in a lifetime."

"In this universe, strength is the only law!"

"Isn't becoming a strong master's servant better than dying while holding onto your status as a free man?"

Lu Li, having finished looting the spoils of war, remained unmoved. Seeing that Dio was still persistent, he simply sat cross-legged on the ground to rest.

Knowing that the next twenty rounds would be fraught with peril, he had to seize every minute to recover his strength.

Seeing that he truly couldn't dissuade Lu Li, Dio could only heave a mournful sigh:

"So be it, then. I respect your backbone, and I am grateful for the 700 kilograms of refined gold you gave me. In the future, during the holidays, I will burn paper offerings for you..."

The gladiatorial matches resumed.

Everything was as Dio had predicted; the strength of the challengers entering the arena took a sharp leap upward.

In terms of level alone, not a single one was below Lv. 20!

Lu Li no longer concealed his strength, utilizing the abilities he had plundered one by one.

Eighteen brutal battles,

Each one a fight of one against two!

It took a full five hours!

It nearly drained Lu Li of all his physical stamina.

Dio looked at Lu Li, who was panting heavily in the center of the arena, and walked toward the other end of the colosseum.

From the start of the matches until now, Alisa had been huddled in a corner, doing her best to minimize her presence.

Seeing Dio walking toward her, the poor Palu girl trembled.

"Don't be afraid. I won't do anything to you."

Dio sighed, speaking with earnest sincerity:

"Look, Lu Li has persisted for ninety-eight rounds; his stamina has reached its limit."

"There are only two rounds left, and the High Heavens will certainly not let Lu Li leave alive."

"Better a miserable life than a glorious death. Go and persuade Lu Li to sign the contract."

Alisa looked bewildered and stammered:

"How could I possibly persuade him... When he first decided on a hundred-round gladiatorial challenge, he never asked for my opinion..."

Dio scratched his metallic head.

The facts did seem to be just as Alisa had described.

"...Think of it as trying to save a dead horse as if it were alive. Otherwise, if Lu Li dies in the final two rounds, you certainly won't survive either..."

***

Alisa shrank her neck, feeling like a duck being roasted over a fire.

She quickly shuffled over to Lu Li's side and cautiously poked his shoulder.

However, before she could even begin her persuasion, Lu Li threw a question at her first:

"Alisa, right? What is your innate ability?"

"Eh?" Alisa froze, subconsciously answering:

"My innate ability is [Goddess of Fortune's Favor], diamond grade..."

Upon hearing this, Lu Li immediately turned his head, staring in disbelief at this Palu girl who had coasted through ninety-eight matches.

"A diamond-grade... talent?"

Alisa's expression stiffened. Thinking of something unpleasant, she waved her hands repeatedly:

"My talent is actually useless. I don't know why it's diamond-grade, ah? Please don't be angry..."

Seeing the shift in Lu Li's expression, Alisa thought he was blaming her for concealing it, and she became even more flustered.

She truly felt her talent was useless.

Even though it was named [Goddess of Fortune's Favor], using the ability never brought her any luck.

If anything, it brought more misfortune.

That was why she had been so desperate when she first entered the Hub Arena.

But Lu Li did not think so.

Because, having lived a second life, he understood that [Goddess of Fortune's Favor] was absolutely a god-tier talent!

Just like Xu Xiao's amplification-type ability, [Goddess of Fortune's Favor] could increase the luck stat of players within a certain range.

However, the possessor of the talent could not be affected by the ability themselves.

That was why Alisa thought her talent had no use.

In just a moment, several new plans formed in Lu Li's mind.

"When the ninety-ninth round begins, use your ability and do not interrupt it."

Lu Li climbed up from the ground and instructed Alisa.

"Oh, oh, okay..."

Alisa nodded blankly, completely forgetting the purpose for which she had come.

It wasn't until the iron gate for the challenger opened again that she jolted, remembering she had come to convince Lu Li to sign the indenture.

"Lu Li..."

Alisa tried to shout, but Lu Li could no longer hear her.

The cheers from the audience were too loud, completely drowning out her voice.

"My god! It’s actually a Blade Slave of the Chen family! Are my eyes deceiving me?"

"Whoa, the arena has truly spent a fortune this time..."

"What the hell is the point of playing now? If a Chen family Blade Slave has come out, they might as well just declare Lu Li the loser."

"Is it not a foul to use a Blade Slave? I remember the gladiatorial mode has level gap restrictions..."

"Foul, my ass! The arena must have capped the Blade Slave's level! I just wonder which Chen family descendant this one is replicated from..."

"Hey, hey, I see the character 'Kou' written on his face. Could it be Chen Kou, the most formidable genius to emerge from the Chen family in recent years?"

"Holy crap, a Blade Slave is already tough enough to deal with, and it has replicated Chen Kou's fighting style... It looks like Lu Li is destined to stop at 99 wins..."

"Not necessarily. I see there is only one Blade Slave, but Lu Li has two people on his side. Maybe they can win."

"Hahaha, are you new here, brother? Let's put it this way: for the previous 98 rounds, that Palu person hasn't moved once. She's been nothing but a piece of furniture..."

Inside the Chen family's private box, the young Chen Kou heard the exclamations from outside, and the corners of his mouth curled upward slightly.

The Blade Slave deployed this time had its level capped at 25.

According to Chen Kou's original intent, a level 15 Blade Slave would have been sufficient.

After all, it was his fighting style being replicated, and as a genius, Chen Kou naturally had a genius's pride.

He felt a level 15 Blade Slave was more than enough to kill Lu Li.

However, his grandfather wanted to give the High Heavens some face, so he ultimately raised the Blade Slave's level to 25.

"This is nothing but a slaughter," Chen Kou said contemptuously. "But that's fine. If we finish off Lu Li in this round, the High Heavens' little secrets won't be exposed so early."

The old man glanced at his grandson without responding, merely smiling as he watched the arena below.

Lu Li looked at the figure approaching from not far away and narrowed his eyes.

He had not expected to face a Blade Slave from the "Mad Blade Chen Family," and one that had replicated the fighting style of the "Hidden Wrath Blade, Chen Kou," at that!

But that did not mean he lacked the strength to fight!

With a thought, black mist surged around him.

[Soul Guard]!

Xing Anlin and Chen Hao stepped out from the black mist. Without a word, they immediately bolted toward the sides of the arena.

Meanwhile, Lu Li formed his blade-arms and activated the second stage of [Bloody Slaughter]—

[Slaughter]!

In an instant, the red mist surrounding Lu Li surged into his body, removing all negative effects!

[Ultimate Healing] activated!

His body, which had been on the verge of death, began to recover, and his wounds, large and small, healed rapidly.

"Chen family Blade Slave, come and fight!!"