Swallowing the Stars: Starting with the Steel of the Heart

"Brother Hong, I have a great idea!"

Looking at his increasingly depleted wallet, Xiang Bei decided to turn into an idea generator and come up with some suggestions to fatten it up a bit.

"What's the best idea?" Thor asked before Hong could even speak.

"Do you know about the killing field in the virtual universe?" Xiang Bei didn't answer Thor's question directly but continued to ask.

"I know." Hong nodded slightly and said, "But that place is too expensive. The cost for one day is as high as 100 million Black Dragon Coins, which is simply beyond our means."

Hong shook his head again as he spoke. It had been a year since he entered the universe. He had made many friends in the Qianwu Dojo, including many scions of prominent families who were familiar with places like the Killing Field.

Unfortunately, that place was far too expensive, far beyond the reach of ordinary people like them, so Hong naturally kept his distance.

However, Xiang Bei's initiative to bring it up today clearly indicates that he has something on his mind.

"Brother Hong, the 100 million Black Dragon Coin usage fee you mentioned refers to the usage fee for the killing space in the killing arena, which is indeed very expensive."

However, the Killing Arena has more than one function; it also has a function called the Duel Space, which costs only half the daily usage fee of the Killing Space.

This dueling space is a place for different martial artists to duel and fight. Inside, you can challenge different martial artists, fight them, and constantly hone your combat skills!

As Xiang Bei spoke, Hong and Lei Shen's eyes lit up involuntarily. To spar with various powerful beings in the universe was something they naturally longed for.

"It's a good place, but what does Xiao Bei's great idea for making money have to do with it?" Thor asked, still not quite understanding.

"Xiao Bei is talking about a gambling duel, right?" Hong answered directly for Xiang Bei. "The two sides place bets on each other; the loser loses everything, and the winner takes everything."

His elite training camp had such rules, allowing trainees to gamble in the virtual world, but with a limit on the maximum amount of gambling.

Therefore, Hong was no stranger to this form.

"That's right!" Xiang Bei laughed. "As long as we keep winning, we can earn enough money and hone our skills in battle."

"That's a great idea!" Thor immediately became excited, his eyes brightening, and he looked eager to try it out.

However, Hong was much more composed. He frowned slightly and asked, "Xiao Bei, have you thought about what will happen if we lose? We only have so many Black Dragon Coins left."

"Of course I've thought about it." Xiang Bei smiled lightly. "But I have confidence in Brother Hong. I believe that Brother Hong has also learned at the Qianwu Dojo that someone who can comprehend domain power at the planetary level is a genius even within the Black Dragon Mountain Empire."

With your strength, Brother Hong, I can't guarantee anything else, but in the Duel Space, there is absolutely no opponent below the seventh star level who can defeat you.

So, Brother Hong, if you release a bet offering 100 million Black Dragon Coins to anyone who wins when your star rating is still low, I'm sure many people will challenge you.

Then, Brother Hong, every time you win a game, you should add the winnings to your bets. I believe more and more people will come to challenge you.

Of course, your strength will increase, but as long as you pay attention to opponents of eight stars or higher, I believe that Brother Hong, the chances of you losing are not very high.

Of course, don't keep increasing the betting pool. Raising it to 100 million Black Dragon Coins should be about right. Raising it any higher might tempt some geniuses from major powers, and there's a chance of losing if you're not careful.

Xiang Bei directly explained his plans.

Since they don't have any particular strengths, except for combat, which is relatively good, it's understandable that they would use combat to make money.

Then the dueling space in the killing arena can be put to good use.

Why not hone your skills through constant battles and earn money at the same time?

Furthermore, Xiang Bei had carefully considered the maximum limit of 1 million Black Dragon Coins that he set.

A bet of 1 million Black Dragon Coins is only considered average in the Killing Arena.

The geniuses from those powerful organizations probably wouldn't even look at this amount of money.

Some geniuses from mid-tier forces wouldn't risk their lives for a mere 100 million Black Dragon Coins, since a typical Tier 2 weapon costs several hundred million.

The outcome of winning or losing 100 million Black Dragon Coins will only fuel their fighting spirit, and some may even challenge repeatedly, just to win against Hong.

It can also limit the challenges from weaker individuals, preventing pointless battles.

Of course, all of this planning still depends on Hong's own solid abilities.

If you don't have the ability, this is just giving money away for free.

Of course, Xiang Bei was absolutely certain that Hong had the ability.

Thor and Xiang Bei should be about the same; they should have no problem facing opponents below the seventh star level.

However, Xiang Bei and his group ultimately failed to comprehend the power of the domain, and since they were only practicing ordinary secret manuals, their combat strength was still a notch below their level.

Therefore, Xiang Bei wanted Hong to test the waters first, at least to earn the initial capital for the group.

Under Xiang Bei's persuasion, Hong finally agreed to Xiang Bei's proposal.

After all, if this plan really succeeds, they will be able to gain at least hundreds of millions of Black Dragon Coins.

Even if they fail in the early stages, they can still get several million in start-up capital. With their strength, they can't possibly lose every single game.

Putting aside everything else, Hong possesses the power of a domain, and opponents who haven't mastered domain abilities are no different from being easy prey in his presence.

However, Xiang Bei still advised Hong to be careful, and that it was best not to reveal the power of the domain to opponents who were not at least six stars.

Otherwise, once the domain is revealed, it will be automatically recorded by the duel space and then displayed directly on the personal profile, prompting other martial artists who want to challenge it.

This will definitely result in earning less Black Dragon Coins.

. . .

Three days have passed in the blink of an eye.

The strategies provided by Xiang Bei gradually began to take effect.

In the first two days, because Hong was just a newcomer with no star rating and little fame, few people paid attention to him even though he had posted a bounty for the fight.

However, there are always those who are confident in their abilities and, coveting the wealth of a million Black Dragon Coins, choose to challenge Hong.

But the result was, without exception.

Hong won all five battles he fought in two days with ease.

Two Samsung's rivals don't even have one that Hong takes seriously.

This gradually made Hong somewhat famous. By the third day, when Hong's betting amount had reached 3200 million Black Dragon Coins, he finally attracted the attention of many people.

This also attracted some martial artists with decent skills.

Unfortunately, after the two battles, apart from giving Hong Bai nearly 100 million Black Dragon Coins, nothing changed. He was still easily swept aside by Hong.

This also caused Hong's betting amount to reach the upper limit that Xiang Bei had set for him.