When the unkempt, scrawny Rotten Ya made his low-key grand entrance onto the pit, he wasn’t welcomed by cheers.

  Instead, the boos spread like a wildfire through the audience.

  “Him again?! He’s still here?”

  “Man, and here I was hoping to see something exciting. Now, there won’t even be a contest!”

  “Ugh! Why can’t old relics like him just move on!”

  The bze of disapproval licked his ears from every direction…

  Bubai looked around at the cookie cutter mobs surrounding him and couldn’t help but pat the shoulder of a particurly enthusiastic compiner with a shiny bald head that stood out from the rest.

  His pat drew a sharp, almost irritated look from the tanned-skin, bald-headed man. “Oraaa! What do you want?!”

  Bubai offered an apologetic smile and pointed at the stage where Rotten Ya stood, "Sorry to bother you, but just a bit curious. It seems this Rotten Ya is quite infamous?"

  "You dolt! Of co- Wait, you…"

  The tanned baldy’s soured face was suddenly repced by a funny look, his eyes rudely combing Bubai’s features as though confirming something. "You don’t know?"

  Ignoring the weird look, Bubai returned a polite smile. "I would be grateful if you could share some insights."

  "Haha…" The tanned baldy chuckled, a sound like gravel rolling downhill. "I guess you haven’t bought the booklet."

  "Booklet?"

  Seeing interest practically written on the other’s face, the baldy crified, "The Thousand Insight Series. The lower-end version should cover most of the contending members of the outer sect."

  Oh Merlin! There’s such a magical book?

  Bubai always thought that kind of intel was only avaible in pces like Hei Hua Lou, where many of his faces had likely been bcklisted by now.

  Now, it seems there are others dipping their greasy fingers into this business!

  Hey, can’t say he’s utterly surprised. Where there’s profits involved, there must be daredevils.

  This just happened to work in favor of the uninformed masses like himself.

  Though Bubai did loot the intel agency, that pce’s credibility was… rather cking, to stay the least.

  So, this other source of insight still piqued his interest. "Where can I find this book?"

  The baldy gestured over his broad shoulder with a thumb, "There’s a sneaky cn servant skulking around the halls just outside. Just three spirit stones..."

  He paused, casually giving the shabbily-dressed Bubai another once-over, this time with an expression that bordered on pity. "Em... many can’t afford that. Can’t bme you, especially when considering..."

  That strange look shadowed the man’s face again, as if he was privy to some unspeakable secret.

  But before Bubai could press him for more details, the baldy changed the subject back to what they Bubai was asking for earlier.

  "Forget it. I’ll give you a simple rundown..."

  The man magnanimously shrugged off any chance for payment, "Just treat it as brightening the mood a bit for everyone."

  Bubai nodded, acknowledging the other’s goodwill. "You have my thanks."

  Sweeping his eyes over the other disciples in the crowd who were lending an ear, the baldy crossed his arms like that of a sage revealing ancient lore.

  "That rotten fellow down there is notoriously known as Rotten Ya the rookie crusher."

  "It’s hard to believe based on his scrawny looks, but his strength and experience have left no space for newcomers since he cimed that list’s throne..."

  "Now, that I think about it... it’s been nearly a decade now. One word. Crazy."

  Wow. A rookie camper? Sounds just like the tempte for protagonists to stomp…

  But since the protagonist isn’t here, that bloke is definitely a hurdle for others, including himself.

  Bubai frowned, his face a clouded storm. "If he’s so strong, why doesn’t he just move up to the inner sect for better treatment?"

  The other man shrugged.

  "No one knows. As far as rumors go, ever since he reached the peak of te stage, he’s been living a life of debauchery here in the outer sect."

  "Wasting spirit stones to indulge everyday. Just living off the monthly stipend from holding first pce here and the wealth robbed from his challengers. Many wanna rub his face in the sand. Even so, no one can pull him down."

  Bubai’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "And the sect management didn’t do anything about it?"

  "That’s the strange part." The baldy grinned and wagged his finger at the pit master returning to his post behind the spectator barrier.

  "None of those big shots did anything to put him in his pce. Even the sect turned a blind eye, leading many of us to think he’s got some noble background."

  "But no one out here even knows his real name. We just call him Rotten Ya cuz of his habit of fshing those decaying teeth... Ah, look, there he goes again."

  Bubai looked down at the fighting ring, locking onto the toothpick who stood completely unaffected by the audience’s hostile cries while casually pying with his dagger.

  The bloke even went as far as baring his teeth back, fshing his sole golden tooth gleaming like a solitary sun among rows of yellowed, rotting ones.

  Man oh man, Rotten Ya indeed.

  This was someone who had long been on Bubai’s hit list.

  Based on the scant intel Bubai had stole from the Gemstone Paradise’s intel agency, this guy was supposedly just a mediocre outer sect disciple.

  No background. No real connections.

  That’s why Bubai pegged him as a good target for his scorpion rumor mill.

  Just a te-stage Qi refiner. Bubai wasn’t afraid and didn’t mind fishing for some benefits if the bloke dared to touch his doll.

  As, Bubai really didn’t expect... the man was anything but ordinary.

  Was he just a genius who offended someone in the upper brass? Or maybe an abandoned son of a powerful elder or ancestor? A retive of some taboo?

  The more Bubai thought about it, the more yers of mystery seemed to shroud the man.

  One thing was certain, though.

  Rotten Ya must not be simple since he could successfully cultivate this mysterious reputation that even the outer sect intelligence agency dared not take apart!

  Once again, intel from that unscrupulous Hei Hua Lou really can’t be trusted!

  Now, Bubai was pitted and has to factor this new uncontrolble variable into his pns. To steer clear of the guy or nip the variable in the bud?

  It really all depends.

  "Fight..." The monotone voice hushed the crowd, "Begin!"

  "Kill! Kill! Kill!"

  The fighting ring thrummed with killing intent as the two te-stage Qi refiners almost instantly closed the gap for close combat!

  Cng! Dagger met machete!

  The muscles of Rotten Ya’s scrawny arms merely flexed from the strain while his opponent Zhao Ming was forced to take a few steps back!

  The gap in hard power was immediately visible!

  Yet, Zhao Ming simply gnashed his teeth and wasted no time in rushing back into the fray!

  Fists flew! Weapons met! Cng! Dang! Cng!

  Watching the physical brawl between the two fighters that cked the colorful fir like before, Bubai wasn’t too surprised.

  In fact, most other arena battles started in a simir fashion.

  Spells and Qi-based martial techniques usually don’t show their tails until after several rounds of probing through physical combat.

  Of course, this raw dispy of physical might wasn’t just for show but a strategic effort to drain each other’s stamina to y the groundwork for the fshy show yet to come!

  After all, it was too hard for single-target spells and most low-level martial techniques to nd a critical hit on a fresh te-stage Qi refiner who could sprint all over to evade.

  Weaving rge-scale spells could possibly tip the bance, but setting aside the possibility of self-harm, an undeniable truth still held at this level.

  The area of effect of Qi refiner abilities still couldn’t bnket the entire pit!

  This meant the opponent had room for survival! At the same time, a missed spell will most likely leave its caster vulnerable!

  Not every cultivator can enjoy the luxury of endlessly spamming spells.

  From what he’s seen so far, it was clear that most outer disciples could only muster a handful of spells or show off a few martial techniques before running dry.

  This wasn’t too surprising given their limited Qi capacity.

  This belied the advantage of someone with an actual cheat, like himself.

  He could devote his focus solely to comprehending new techniques thanks to his cheat granting a vast Qi reserve and robust physical fortitude.

  He’s only limited by the ck of suitable techniques alongside his need to manage his spiritual power consumption and time.

  Others weren’t so lucky.

  Even if cultivators got a suitable technique, many struggled to even learn them, hindered by insufficient Qi, slow spiritual power recovery, or a body incapable of enduring the strain of advanced techniques.

  Stronger spells, naturally, drained more energy all across the board.

  Many powerful moves could only be executed once by Qi refiners, often exhausting their Qi or even stamina, while some even forced its user to overdraw their vitality and spiritual power!

  These peeps on the current stage who could cast multiple spells and continuously use their Qi like water to put on a colorful performance were already the cream of the crop… well, under the standards of the outer sect.

  How to say? Unless it’s on purpose, if Bubai loses to them at his current realm, he might as well go bash his head on a tofu block, lest he shames the big family of transmigrators with cheats.

  Of course, that is if this was all these outer sect disciples had to show…

  But in a vast world of cultivation like this one, will things really be so... simple?