638: Chapter 638 Not Deadly

"Introduce them to me," Xiao Weiqing said, taking the opportunity to see if he could gather any information about Qi Hao.

The Holy Land's records mentioned that Qi Hao had participated in the fighting tournament as a contestant, once three years ago and once four months ago.

"Mr. Qin, this way, please."

The two of them came to the back of the crowd.

Ade pointed to the virtual figures appearing in mid-air and said, "Mr. Qin, these are the contestants participating in today's exhibition match. There are 64 of them in total. Their records are displayed above, including the number of matches fought and their win rates."

Xiao Weiqing scanned them at a glance. Most had participated in 20 or 30 matches, a few had exceeded 40, and not a single one had reached 50. Their win rates varied.

"What is the nature of the exhibition matches?" Xiao Weiqing asked.

Ade replied in a low voice, "They are just non-lethal fighting matches."

"Just non-lethal?" Xiao Weiqing was startled. Since when could non-lethal matches be called exhibition matches?

"That's right, Mr. Qin. They are just non-lethal, but we can't guarantee it 100%. In fact, at least 20% of the contestants die in the exhibition matches every day."

Xiao Weiqing nodded slightly and asked again, "Since there are exhibition matches, are there other types of matches?"

"Yes, there are."

"The champion of each day's exhibition match receives a spot to participate in the Unlimited Fighting Tournament."

"Unlimited?"

Ade explained, "That means both sides can use any means necessary; as long as you defeat or even kill your opponent, that's all that matters."

"The Unlimited Fighting Tournament is held once a month, and the mortality rate exceeds half."

Xiao Weiqing's eyes narrowed. A 50% chance of death—what kind of people participate in this?

"Is there any reward for the winner?"

If there wasn't an irresistible reward, would anyone really treat their life so lightly? If they truly didn't care about their lives, why would they come to the Land of the Ember Realm just to eke out a living?

Speaking of rewards, Ade's eyes brightened slightly, and he immediately said, "Mr. Qin, the rewards for the Unlimited Fighting Tournament are undoubtedly generous. Money, treasures, everything you could want. More importantly, there is a change in status."

"What kind of change?"

"You become a permanent resident of the Land of the Ember Realm. From then on, you don't have to pay any taxes or fees. You become a superior being, recognized by the Human Race, the Yao Race, and the Mechanical Race, and you receive the protection of the Undying Realm powerhouses from all three races."

"If you are interested, Mr. Qin, you can come and watch tomorrow night. This month's Unlimited Fighting Tournament will be held then."

Xiao Weiqing said, "Can I just show up?"

"Mr. Qin, you need to pay a certain fee."

"How much?"

"For the Unlimited Fighting Tournament, a general admission ticket costs 20,000."

Ade operated his communication device, and a virtual interface of the fighting arena appeared, showing a standard circular arena. The so-called general admission tickets were for the seats in the outer rings.

"How much do those seats cost?" Xiao Weiqing asked, pointing to the inner rings of the arena.

"Tickets for the inner field range from 20,000 to 50,000," Ade said slowly. "There are also VIP boxes, 10,000 in total, and a ticket costs 100,000 Universe coins."

"That's certainly not cheap." Xiao Weiqing's lips curled upward.

"Mr. Qin, it is absolutely worth the price. With one ticket, you can watch 15 life-and-death battles, which comes out to only 7,000 Universe coins per match."

"Only 15 matches?"

"The exhibition matches produce 30 contestants a month, so the Unlimited Fighting Tournament should have at least 20 or 30 matches, right?" Xiao Weiqing asked.

Ade shook his head and explained softly, "Mr. Qin, while that may be true, the fact is that not every winner of an exhibition match is willing to participate in the Unlimited Fighting Tournament. Plus, some winners get injured, so the Unlimited Fighting Tournament doesn't actually have 30 people."

"I see."

"I would like to see tonight's exhibition match. Where can I buy a ticket? How much is it?"

Ade bowed his head respectfully and said, "Mr. Qin, I can help you buy one. I don't know what kind of ticket you need, but the price for an exhibition match is only one-tenth of the Unlimited Fighting Tournament."

"If you really enjoy watching fighting matches, Mr. Qin, you might consider getting an annual membership. Not only will you save money, but you'll also have other privileges."

"How much is an annual membership?"

"1.5 million per year."

"What kind of privileges?" Xiao Weiqing was curious. 1.5 million Universe coins—another exorbitant price.

"Annual members can watch any match they want, whether it's an exhibition match or the Unlimited Fighting Tournament, including the Ultimate Fighting Tournament at the end of the year—a match that even Undying Realm powerhouses come to watch."

Xiao Weiqing raised an eyebrow. "Are there really that many people watching? Even Undying Realm powerhouses come?"

"That is certain. You will understand once you experience it tonight."

"The fighting arena currently has over 50,000 members, and if you include the Yao Race and the Mechanical Race, there are over 100,000 members."

"Fine, help me get one." Xiao Weiqing nodded.

Ade was overjoyed upon hearing this. "Very well, Mr. Qin. I don't know how you would like to pay the fee; here..."

"I understand, but I don't have that much cash. Will this work?" Xiao Weiqing opened his palm, and a few milky-white stones appeared.

"Source Stones?"

"Yes, that will work. Please wait a moment."

Ade said excitedly, unable to hide his joy; he would make quite a lot from this transaction.

Ade took the Source Stones and turned to leave, but after taking a few steps, he turned back.

"Mr. Qin, apologies, but could I have your ID card?"

"Take it."

Xiao Weiqing handed the ID card to Ade, not worried that Ade would dare to pull any tricks.

Ade left.

A few minutes later, Ade returned to Xiao Weiqing's side with a look of joy on his face.

"Mr. Qin, here is your ID card. From today on, you are a distinguished member of the fighting arena. It comes with 100,000 Fighting Coins gifted to you, which you can use for betting."

Xiao Weiqing rubbed the ID card. "How much is 100,000 Fighting Coins?"

"Mr. Qin, it's a 1-to-1 exchange rate."

"Can it be exchanged back into Universe coins?"

Ade gave an awkward smile. "The gifted ones cannot be."

"However, you can use them for betting, and any winnings can be exchanged into Universe coins as normal."

Xiao Weiqing scoffed. "Interesting. You're trying to get me to develop a habit, aren't you?"

Seeing that he had been exposed, Ade felt a bit embarrassed. He had just made a tidy sum on this transaction. This was a standard tactic used by the fighting arena; otherwise, why would they give away 100,000 Fighting Coins for no reason?

"Alright, the exhibition match is about to start, right? Take me to see it."

The crowd in the hall began to gather in a certain direction; it was clear that the match was about to begin.

"Yes."

"Mr. Qin, please follow me. We will take the VIP passage so we don't have to squeeze through the crowd."

Ade led Xiao Weiqing upstairs and took a different passage. This passage was larger and more spacious than the one in the hall, but there were very few people—hardly anyone at all.

After a few minutes of walking, Xiao Weiqing arrived in front of a box numbered 2101.

"Please, Mr. Qin. Everything is prepared inside the box—food, drinks, entertainment, everything you need. I hope you have a good time."

With that, Ade retreated.