Starting as a supporting character in Doupo

After all, every battle in the arena, once won, grants fire energy, which not only increases combat experience but also earns fire energy. Therefore, the arena's popularity in the inner courtyard has never waned.

Xiao Fan led Yue Yao by the hand, and soon they arrived at the gate of the arena.

The arena gate was formed by hollowing out a single, jet-black boulder.

At the top of the gate, three rather sharp-looking characters, "Arena," appeared, exuding a sharp aura.

On the pillars flanking the main gate, various ferocious and grotesque monsters are carved. Although they are all different in form, they are all staring intently at the center of the arena gate, and a fierce aura is overwhelming.

"This arena is quite interesting..."

Xiao Fan noticed the mystery above the arena gate, which increased his interest in the arena.

If he wasn't mistaken, there should be some kind of formation above this gate, forming a kind of "momentum" through the characters at the top of the gate and the various magical beasts carved on the gateposts.

This "momentum" cannot harm people, but it can make some restless people feel a sense of unease.

However, anyone with a strong enough will can easily enter this gate.

In other words, even this gate can help temper the willpower of some cultivators at lower levels.

Xiao Fan tightened his grip on Yue Yao's hand and stepped into the arena as if nothing had happened. Yue Yao, who was being led by him, had a faint silver glow in her eyes that dimmed quietly. The imposing aura of the arena gate did not hinder them in the slightest.

After the two had walked away, two aged voices in the shadows were filled with surprise.

"The 'demons' in this arena couldn't pose any obstacle to him at all. It seems this little guy is really extraordinary."

"Hehe, I already told you, putting everything else aside, just his soul power as a fifth-grade alchemist is enough to easily resolve this difficulty. But what I'm more interested in is the method he used to help that little girl resolve this situation."

"Without projecting any external power, and without struggling or resisting, it was as if it were flat ground. No wonder the Grand Elder said he wanted to give it special treatment..."

......

Xiao Fan was unaware of the discussion behind him. Holding Yue Yao's hand, he walked through the huge archway of the arena, where a massive open-air stadium that could hold thousands of people came into view.

The arena is laid out in a tiered pattern, with the lower the position closer to the center. This is to ensure that spectators in the back rows can see the battle in the arena at a glance.

Surrounding the stands were layers upon layers of spectators, who stared in amazement at the ten battles taking place in the center of the arena.

In the center of the arena stood ten enormous stone arenas, and at this moment, four of them were already occupied with combat.

Surrounding the already used arena is a faint energy shield, ensuring that the two fighters inside will not be disturbed by outsiders. Please join the battle.

Of course, one must never kill someone in this process. Moreover, once someone concedes defeat, the victorious side cannot launch another attack. This formation not only protects them from outside interference but also ensures the fairness of the competition.

Xiao Fan led Yue Yao to a less crowded spot and sat down, curiously watching the people fighting below.

Not far from the two, there was a stone platform with some things that looked like tickets on it. Many people were gathered there, watching the battle below and shouting excitedly.

Some people showed excitement, while others looked resentful, glaring at the central stands with a look of disappointment before turning away dejectedly.

"That's the grandstand for the gambling matches."

Yueyao followed Xiao Fan's gaze, then quietly leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Some students enjoy watching intense battles, while others simply seek a way to vent their frustrations, which is why this gambling match exists."

Hearing Yueyao's words, Xiao Fan turned his head curiously, smiled at Yueyao, then reached out and pinched her nose, saying, "How do you know so much?"

Yueyao turned her head, slapped Xiao Fan away, and crossed her arms, saying, "Of course, I overheard these conversations among some disciples in the Panmen sect. Moreover, there was a student who lost all his fire energy because he was addicted to gambling, and was even scolded by Hu Jia."

"Oh?"

When Xiao Fan heard that some disciples in the Panmen Sect had actually lost all their fire energy in a gambling match, he was initially a little surprised, but then he came to his senses.

Come to think of it, isn't this contest just gambling?

Gambling is inherently harmful. Once someone with weak willpower gets involved, it's almost a sure sign that they're beyond saving.

Xiao Fan hadn't expected that even in this other world, in this Dou Qi Continent where strength reigns supreme, there would still be people who were obsessed with it.

"What then?"

Xiao Fan pressed Yue Yao for details, as he was curious about what happened to the student afterward.

"After Hu Jia found out and gave him a good scolding, he became much more restrained. After that, he became much more proactive in his cultivation."

Because Yueyao spends most of her time with Xun'er and Hu Jia when Xiao Fan is away, she is aware of how Hu Jia is being treated.

Hearing Yueyao's words, Xiao Fan nodded. It was fair that the disciple was quite resolute. Although he was initially red-eyed, he stopped in time after being reprimanded by Hu Jia and the others.

Otherwise, it's uncertain how long it will take for him to fully realize his mistake, or perhaps he will simply sink into despair, living in a daze and wasting his talent.

"Can't the academy see the harm this kind of thing causes to its students?"

Xiao Fan was somewhat puzzled by the academy's actions. All the disciples who could enter the inner academy were exceptionally talented. Given their young age and strength, the academy should not have allowed such a cancer to exist.

Hearing Xiao Fan's words, Yueyao smiled and shook her head, saying to Xiao Fan, "I thought you were so smart, but don't you realize that this is just a test of willpower?"

“Students who can immerse themselves in this all day long, no matter how talented they are in cultivation, will not be willing to reach the position of true powerhouse. Besides, if they can’t even overcome such a minor hurdle that is not a setback and need the academy to bail them out, the academy probably wouldn’t look favorably upon them.”

Upon hearing Yueyao's words, a hint of surprise flashed in Xiao Fan's eyes.

He wasn't surprised by the profound truths Yueyao spoke of, but rather curious about why Yueyao had such insights.

After all, Yueyao had never been particularly enthusiastic about cultivation, which was one of the things that puzzled Xiao Fan the most.

So he looked at Yueyao and asked curiously, "If you understand all these principles, why are you so resistant to cultivation?"

Upon hearing this, Yueyao lowered her head and pondered for a moment. A faint silver light flashed deep in her eyes, flickered a few times, and then fell silent again.

"Oh, I know, I know, stop nagging."

Yueyao raised her head, reached out and covered Xiao Fan's mouth, shaking her head vigorously. She looked just like a girlfriend who had done something wrong and was now throwing a tantrum.

"hehe."

Xiao Fan smiled, took Yue Yao's hand that was covering her mouth, placed it in his palm, and said with a smile, "Alright, alright, I won't say anything more."

Anyway, it doesn't matter if she doesn't cultivate. With me here, Xiao Fan believes he can protect her.

Their gaze fell upon the central stands, where, of the several arenas where battles had been taking place, only one remained in action.

The two on the field are a lightning attribute cultivator with the strength of a seven-star Grand Dou Master and a fire attribute cultivator with the strength of an eight-star Grand Dou Master.

In the initial battle, the fire-attribute cultivator, relying on his strength and profound battle qi, kept attacking the lightning-attribute cultivator with wide, sweeping attacks.

The latter chose a more conservative fighting style, simply summoning his battle aura armor and carefully guarding against the opponent's attacks, occasionally trying his best to see if he could have a chance to counterattack. Once he found that there was no chance to defeat the opponent in one go, he chose to continue waiting for an opportunity.

"It seems the result of this competition will be out soon."

Xiao Fan looked at the two people on the field and spoke up.

After all, that fire-attribute cultivator was far too arrogant in the early stages, believing he could defeat his opponent in one blow by suppressing him with his own strength, thus consuming a large amount of his own battle qi.

Although the lightning-attribute cultivator appeared to be constantly being suppressed, he did not suffer any serious damage. He retained all his strength, and even the consumption of his battle qi was far less than that of the fire-attribute cultivator.

Once he finds an opportunity, he can seize the moment and win the match in one fell swoop.

This is probably the purpose of the arena: to help these arrogant people correct their flaws. Otherwise, if they were thrown into the Black Corner Region with the fighting style of fire-attribute cultivators, they would suffer a great loss.

Chapter 199 Secrets of the Top Rankings

The two people fighting on the stone platform at this moment were naturally aware of the situation Xiao Fan was talking about.

The fire-attribute cultivator grew increasingly impatient, knowing that if things dragged on, he might very well become the loser.

With this in mind, he became even more ruthless, wanting to defeat the lightning attribute cultivator as soon as possible by relying on his own cultivation level.

However, the lightning-attribute cultivator had been cautious from the beginning, which created the current favorable situation for him. Realizing that the other party had discovered his intentions, he became even more careful.

Even if his opponent occasionally reveals a weakness, and he is not confident of a decisive counterattack, he still chooses to play it safe.

Soon, the fire-attribute cultivator's battle qi was about to run out. The lightning-attribute cultivator, who had been suppressed, suddenly made a move when his opponent's battle qi was interrupted.

The purpose of enduring prolonged beatings is not only to buy time and deplete the opponent's fighting spirit, but also to allow him to observe the opponent's moves and analyze their weaknesses.

His carefully planned counterattack quickly yielded results.

Despite his reluctance, the fire-attribute cultivator had no choice but to admit defeat under the opponent's relentless attacks.

As one side conceded defeat, the formation on the stands stopped the fight between the two and sent them off the stone platform.

After leaving the arena, the fire-attribute cultivator still harbored a hint of resentment as he looked at his opponent, but he quickly restrained himself, let out a cold snort, and left.

The lightning-attribute cultivator held his head high, accepting the applause coming from the surrounding stands.

Looking at the two who had decided the winner on the field, Yueyao smiled at Xiao Fan and said, "You really guessed right!"

"What do you mean by guessing? This is how I see things!"

Xiao Fan raised his chin, his face full of arrogance, which made Yue Yao laugh.

"Speaking of which, where's Wu Hao?"

Xiao Fan scanned the competition stage but still couldn't find Wu Hao, which made him a little puzzled.

After all, given Wu Hao's warlike nature, he certainly wouldn't stay quietly in the stands once he was in the arena.

"I heard Hu Jia and the others talking about it before. It seems that Wu Hao goes into battle almost every day. He hasn't gone up yet, probably because he's still preparing."

Hearing Xiao Fan's words, Yue Yao glanced around the arena but couldn't find Wu Hao. She then told Xiao Fan about the information she had heard from Hu Jia and the others.

Xiao Fan nodded upon hearing this, and then noticed a young man dressed in a gray outfit not far from him.

If Xiao Fan remembered correctly, when he and Yue Yao first came in, this person's gaze kept falling on him.

At first, Xiao Fan didn't pay much attention to it, after all, it was quite normal.

After all, when it comes to looks, he crushes everyone in the inner courtyard. Yes, Xiao Fan was extremely confident.