The fighting arena emerged as an entertainment venue after Body Arts became popular, featuring battles between humans, humans and beasts, and even beasts versus beasts.
After buying tickets, spectators can watch the matches and also place bets on either fighter.
Shawn Shen seemed very familiar with this kind of fighting arena. He led Ian Song straight in and finally arrived at a rather upscale venue. This arena could only seat 200 spectators, but judging by their attire, every guest was clearly elite or high-society.
Shawn said, "The match starts in ten minutes."
As he spoke, Shawn pulled up a screen showing two fierce-looking young men. "Here are the profiles of both fighters. We each pick one to bet on. Whoever wins not only gets the arena payout, but also receives an equal amount in compensation from the loser. What do you think?"
"No problem," Landon replied calmly.
Seeing Ian Song agree so readily, Shawn grinned with delight. "Alright, which one do you pick?"
Of the two fighters, one was Kane Chana, a young man from Southeast Asia who practiced Muay Thai—a brutal ancient fighting style. Kane was a veteran of this arena, with fifty-six matches: fifty-three wins, two losses, and one draw.
Muay Thai is infamous for its harsh training; practitioners start young, kicking trees and walls with bare limbs to toughen themselves.
The other fighter was Victor Wu, a newcomer specializing in the traditional internal style Xingyi Fist. He had only fought three matches here, but had won all three.
Besides the written profiles, there were also fight videos of both men.
After watching the fight videos, Ian Song chose Victor Wu.
The arena’s odds were three to one for Victor Wu and one point five to one for Kane Chana—clearly, the arena didn’t favor Victor Wu.
"How much are you betting?" Shawn asked.
"I’ll bet a hundred thousand," Landon said, calling over a betting attendant and transferring the funds.
"In that case, I’ll put two million on Victor Wu," Shawn declared.
Shawn said, "I had someone look into your finances, Mr. Lu. Your savings don't exceed three hundred thousand, and apart from a government-rewarded flying car and a villa, you have no other assets. If you lose, you'll have to pay me three million."
Even selling your car and house wouldn't be enough.
Making Ian Song a pauper would be far more satisfying than just beating him up.
"Aren’t you afraid of losing big?"
Watching Shawn place two million in bets at once, Ian Song smiled and spoke.
"Ha! Kane Chana is way stronger—Victor Wu is no match for him. So you’re the one who’s going to lose, not me!" Shawn laughed smugly.
"Well, since you’re so sure I’ll lose, I’ll just add another hundred thousand to my bet!"
"Go ahead, bet as much as you want!" Shawn said, completely unconcerned.
Soon, it was time for the match to begin.
Kane Chana entered first. Having fought fifty-six times here, he’d built up quite a reputation, so the moment he stepped onto the stage, he was greeted by loud cheers and screams.
Kane clearly enjoyed the attention, waving to the crowd several times in a row.
Victor Wu’s entrance was much colder. Even with three straight wins, he hadn’t gained much popularity—only a handful of people called his name.
The two fighters took their places on stage.
Kane stood nearly 1.85 meters tall, looking muscular in his vest and shorts, his body gleaming with powerful muscles. Victor, on the other hand, was only about 1.7 meters, skinny and frail—he looked like he wouldn’t survive even a single punch from Kane.
"Kane, kill him!"
"Smash him!"
"Crush that weakling!"
"Kane, we believe in you! You can definitely blow that kid’s head off!"
Amid the audience’s shouting and jeering, the match began.
As soon as they engaged, Kane erupted with fierce fighting spirit, unleashing a storm of combo attacks on Victor Wu. Victor’s thin body looked like a boat tossed in a vast sea, swaying and teetering, seemingly about to capsize at any moment.
"Mr. Lu, I bet Victor Wu can’t last more than ten moves before he loses!"
Seeing Victor Wu only dodging without fighting back, Shawn couldn’t help but look smugly at Landon.
Landon smiled, "Look closer at Victor Wu—he may be dodging, but he’s completely composed. His strength might not match Kane’s, but how long can Kane keep up this pace? Once Kane can’t maintain his offense... well, let’s see what happens!"
Following Landon’s advice, Shawn looked at the ring and saw that Victor Wu was indeed calm, just as Landon said. Meanwhile, Kane’s forehead was covered in sweat—his stamina was clearly draining fast. If he couldn’t finish Victor soon, the match might end with Victor’s victory.
Realizing this, Shawn’s expression suddenly turned very ugly.
Just as Ian Song predicted, after another thirty-plus frenzied attacks, Kane Chana’s strength was nearly spent. At that moment, Victor Wu suddenly counterattacked, unleashing a barrage of Xingyi cannon punches.
After several heavy, head-on collisions, Kane’s tall, sturdy body finally couldn’t take it. With a groan, he crashed to the ground.
Everyone was stunned by the scene. Then the crowd erupted in curses at Kane, since at least ninety percent had bet on him to win. With Kane’s loss, all their money was gone.
The rest of the fight was just a formality. Kane struggled to his feet and kept fighting, but was quickly knocked down again. With no other choice, he could only admit defeat.
Less than five minutes after the match ended, the arena transferred six hundred thousand credits into Ian Song’s account. Shawn, meanwhile, took a huge loss: not only did he lose his two million bet, he also had to pay Ian another six hundred thousand. In total, he was down 2.6 million. Even as a Shen family heir, losing over two million at once was hard to swallow.
"Shawn, thanks for bringing me here and helping me earn a million. How about I treat you to dinner?" Ian Song said with a smile.
That finishing blow made Shawn feel even worse. "Let’s have another contest—do you dare?"
"Sure, if you want to give me more money, I won’t say no!" Ian Song replied nonchalantly.
This time, Shawn suggested betting at the beast arena.
The beast arena featured battles between ferocious animals.
For this fight, both beasts weren’t native to the main star—they were leopard-lions from the Seventh Natural Star. These animals were extremely aggressive and powerful, combining the best traits of lions and leopards. Each one had the combat strength of a ninth-level Warrior.
The two leopard-lions were designated No. 6 and No. 11.
No. 6 was a veteran of the beast arena, with over a hundred fights—mostly losses, but lots of experience.
No. 11 was a newcomer, fiercely aggressive. It had fought fifteen matches, winning every time—and its opponents either died or were seriously injured.
"This time I’ll pick first—I’m betting on No. 11!" Shawn said, looking at Landon.
"Sure, then I’ll take No. 6!" Ian Song replied casually.