Dual Cultivation: Beasts and Women!

[4th] [Enos Cornelius] [1,492]

...

[10th] [Verity Erwin] [948]

Liam looked at the top ten of the outer disciples' rank, viewing the names and scores of the main disciples of City Thirteen.

"How does this score work?" Liam asked as he looked at the slight difference between the middle positions in the rankings.

Looking sideways at one obelisk showing the last positions of the top 100, Liam saw that the difference between 95th and 11th was only 300 points.

Azariah explained, "This is the Arena's exclusive score. The rank of the disciples does not depend on their cultivation, merit, or position, but on their performance in the Arena.

The score you win or lose after your fights depends a lot on your position in the rank and the position of your opponent. Basically, the winner takes a portion of their opponent's points and the loser loses a portion of their points.

The specific rule for this score can vary depending on the difference in the fighters' positions. You can find this out by reading the Arena's rules.

The reasoning behind it is that individuals with higher points stand to lose more when they are defeated by someone with fewer points. Conversely, those with lower points stand to lose less when they are defeated by someone with more points than them."

Liam looked to the top five, the students with scores well over a thousand points—something unbelievable.

"I imagine there's a rule that prevents someone very low in the rank from challenging one of them, right?" He smiled, feeling that this would be a straightforward way for a beginner with power.

Liam pondered the challenges of maintaining a winning record, realizing the difficulty of staying at the top if anyone could challenge the so-called "champions" of the rank.

Azariah nodded. "Of course. You can only challenge the top 10 ranked disciples if you're in the top 20. You can only challenge the top 50 disciples if you're in the top 100, and so on.

As much as there are rules that say that superiors must accept challenges from inferiors, you have to follow a path to do that. For the spectators in the Arena and the organizers of the competitions, a fight between the thousandth name and the first place would be a waste of time.

But suppose you're ranked 1,000th and are confident that you can beat the top-ranked player. Then all you have to do is beat the 500th ranked disciple, then challenge someone from a higher rank, and in less than 10 fights, you could challenge the first place...

Considering that you really are that strong and would win all the challenges, of course." Azariah laughed, his tone indicating how difficult that would be.

"Now I understand why you have to stay in first place for a year to be promoted to inner disciple." Liam expressed his thoughts, "Staying in the first place can be quite difficult. Staying in that position for a year is a powerful sign of strength."

Azariah nodded in agreement. "The outside world doesn't care about rules. Only strength matters. So anyone can quickly reach a position to challenge the number one. It's up to them to have the strength to maintain their position."

Liam looked at the fat man next to him and asked, "By the way, what is your position? Is there any way we can see our positions apart from these special screens?"

Azariah smiled confidently. "I am at position 679. But if I win my battle today, I could move up 10 to 25 positions. My opponent is the 601th."

"Oh?" Liam smiled at Azariah's confidence.

"As for our positions, we can check them when we make challenges, receive challenges, or even before and after our fights. The Arena has only one fighting platform. So whenever you fight, your position and your opponent's will appear on the arena screens.

In addition, you can analyze any rank position in the Arena's record wing."

"I guess my position is 7,000 right now," Liam said in a low voice.

"Actually, you don't have a rank. Until you sign up for a challenge, your rank is non-existent." Azariah pointed out, his look slightly different as he looked at Liam. "But don't worry about it. I'll recommend some disciples for you to challenge. With your current cultivation, you can quickly rise through the ranks."

'Just like you, there are unranked or low-ranked people who are strong in cultivation... Let's see if one of them can handle you for me.' Azariah smiled at Liam, pretending to help the newcomer.

Liam nodded at Azariah, quite interested in getting involved in the disputes of the ranked disciples.

For convenience, Azariah mentioned nothing important about the Arena. Within Demon Gate, there were only two ways to kill according to the sect's rules. One was self-defense, and the other was challenging within the Arena!

Apart from that, only treason would cause death within the sect, and even then, it was a crime for which a representative of the sect would be the executor, not a disciple.

The two made their way to the entrance of the large shoebox-shaped building, and soon came to a ticketing area similar to that of stadiums on Earth.

"The arena has two zones, Liam," Azariah said, while Liam ignored part of the explanation, already knowing what this place looked like.

The Arena and the Battle Hall were in the same building. The Battle Hall was nothing more than the administration of the arena, behind the referees, fight logistics and rank maintenance.

Inside the Arena, there was a spectator's section, which could be entered by paying a symbolic one silver coin, and a fighter's section, where challengers and challenged fighters could enter, issue challenges, or even gain access to the fighting platform.

There was also the administrative part, but only disciples who had been appointed to the Battle Hall could enter this wing.

Liam said goodbye to Azariah as the fat man went to check in. His fight was scheduled for 15 minutes from now.

Liam passed through the entrance without having to pay the silver coin, a perk of being a member of the hall.

On his way to the stands, he spotted one member of the hall, but also a member of the faction behind the place, a faction Liam had rejected when he agreed to join the Leopards.

The day after the attack on him and Mary, he had done his mandatory five hours in this place. On that day, no one but the Leopards knew of Liam's decision, so he had a quiet day in the Arena. Today, however, the members of the Emerald Owls were already aware of the boy's decision!

Liam's realization came instantly as he locked eyes with his hall mate, whose face bore a far-from-peaceful expression, accentuated by deep lines etched across his features.

"Initiate Liam..." Greeted this member of the hall, looking Liam up and down. "Come to see some fights?" The boy with the long silver hair asked.

"I have to start eventually, right? They say that only fighting can really hone your skills." Liam observed, trying to remain peaceful even though he was already expecting trouble.

With a chuckle, Linus mentioned as he walked back through the sector he was guarding. "You can be certain that you're going to put up quite a fight here. I eagerly expect your battles, Liam."

Looking behind Linus' back, Liam felt the words, marked by invisible threats, hit him hard. 'It will not be as easy as you think, Linus. Do you think I won't prepare?'

Liam made his way to his seat, passing many disciples on the outskirts of this arena, which could hold practically the entire city at once.

According to some rumors he'd heard, on days when the top disciples were fighting, this place would be packed and the city streets would be deserted. But even on a normal day like today, 40% of the seats in the stands were occupied.

As Merlin himself had said, the Arena was one of the best places for a Demon Gate disciple to hone their skills, both in terms of fighting opportunities and observation opportunities.

One's own experience was always worth more, but the chance to see a stronger Spirit Master fight could bring out improvements in even the weakest of warriors. As long as one had some affinity and understanding, just watching a fight could bring them improvement!