124: Chapter 124 Different classes, stirring up trouble

[Chu Sheng was in no hurry to go to the Gladiatorial Arena; instead, he paid a visit to a tavern.]

[Chu Sheng found a corner and sat down. Ah Fu shrunk beside him like a frightened rat.]

[There weren't many customers in the tavern. A few pure-blood demons were drinking around a table. When they saw Chu Sheng enter, their eyes were filled with disdain.]

["A demon Cultivator?" one of them spat. "How unlucky."]

[Chu Sheng ignored them. He simply tapped on the table and sent Ah Fu to gather information.]

[Half an hour later, Ah Fu returned with his neck tucked in, reporting to Chu Sheng based on what he knew.]

[The Demon Race is divided into three types.]

[The first type is the pure-blood demon. People like Ah Fu, though of the lowest class, have pure bloodlines and can walk down the street with their backs straight.]

[The second type is the mixed-blood demon, descendants of the Human Race and the Demon Race. Zhou Wantang is one of these, and a small portion are Hidden Demons.]

[The third type consists of Human Race Cultivators who have succumbed to demonic influence, which is what Chu Sheng is.]

[Pure-blood demons are the proudest, believing their bloodlines are noble and looking at everyone else like mud. Although demon Cultivators are looked down upon, many powerful beings are of demon Cultivator origin.]

[The most miserable are the Hidden Demons, who please neither side and are despised by everyone.]

[As for the lowest of the low, that would be the pure Human Race.]

[In Demon Race territory, humans are nothing more than 'Two-legged Sheep,' worse off than slaves.]

[Chu Sheng smiled after listening.]

["So, with my status, I'm actually considered upper-middle class in the Demon Race?"]

[Ah Fu nodded hurriedly, his snot nearly flying onto Chu Sheng.]

["My Lord, you are a human who entered the demonic path; you're much stronger than those mixed-bloods!"]

[Chu Sheng leaned back in disgust.]

["Fine, take me to the Gladiatorial Arena."]

[At the Gladiatorial Arena's registration desk, a fat, large-eared pure-blood demon was lounging with his legs up, cracking melon seeds.]

[Chu Sheng walked over and slapped the poster onto the table.]

["Registering."]

[The Demon Warrior looked up, his nose twitching twice as his expression changed instantly.]

[He slammed the registration token onto the table, sending melon seed shells flying everywhere.]

["A demon Cultivator? You think you're worthy of the Gladiatorial Arena?"]

[Ah Fu backed away two steps in fear. Chu Sheng, however, smiled.]

["Is it the rule of the Gladiatorial Arena that the winner takes all?"]

[The Demon Warrior sneered, revealing a mouth of yellow teeth.]

["It is. But for trash like you, you'll die in the first round. There might not even be anyone to collect your corpse then."]

[Chu Sheng said nothing. He simply picked up the registration token, blew the dust off it, and turned toward the Gladiatorial Arena.]

[His opponent for the first match was a pure-blood demon at the Peak of True Gathering Realm. He was three times Chu Sheng's size, with muscles like iron lumps.]

[As soon as he stepped onto the stage, he opened his large mouth and howled at the audience. Then he turned around, looking down at Chu Sheng.]

["Human?" He grinned, showing a mouth full of sharp teeth. "I'll blow your head off with one punch!"]

[Chu Sheng stood his ground, unmoving.]

[The demon charged forward, his fist the size of a clay pot whistling through the air as it smashed toward Chu Sheng's head. Chu Sheng raised his hand, meeting fist with fist.]

["Bang—"]

[A mist of blood exploded. The demon's entire arm shattered into fragments from the shoulder down. Shards of bone and shredded meat splattered across the referee's face. Screaming, he was thrown off the stage, rolling several times on the ground before falling unconscious.]

[The entire arena fell silent.]

[The demons in the audience gaped, their melon seeds dropping to the floor. The referee froze for three seconds before finally announcing the result with a trembling voice.]

[Chu Sheng withdrew his fist.]

["That's it? If you're weak, practice more."]

[In the VIP section, a middle-aged man wearing a black robe put down his wine glass.]

[He was the behind-the-scenes boss of the Gladiatorial Arena, as well as the Vice City Lord, a low-rank Demon General at the Early Stage of Spirit Spring.]

[He frowned. He didn't like demon Cultivators—in Demon Race territory, they were like mixed-bloods: impure and unrefined. But the audience loved the strong. He hadn't even clearly seen that last punch.]

["Interesting," he murmured.]

[The second match, one punch. The third match, one punch. The fourth match, still one punch.]

[By the end of the fifth match, the entire Gladiatorial Arena had gone wild.]

[The audience's initial boos had turned into cheers. Magic stones rained into the arena like water. Chu Sheng stood in the center of the ring, covered in blood—not his own, but others'.]

[He looked down at the magic stones and silently did the math in his head.]

["How much stuff is this enough to buy?"]

[Ah Fu poked his head out from backstage, his eyes turning green with greed.]

["My Lord! So many magic stones! I've never seen so many in my life!"]

[Chu Sheng ignored him and looked toward the tunnel across the ring. There, a figure taller than all his previous opponents was emerging.]

[The opponent for the sixth match was called 'Bone Crusher,' in the Late stage of True Transformation. He was the Gladiatorial Arena's ever-victorious general, with a winning streak of thirty-seven matches.]

[When he took the stage, the entire Gladiatorial Arena went quiet.]

[He was twice as tall as Chu Sheng, his body covered in pitch-black scales. With every step he took, the stage trembled. He stood before Chu Sheng like an iron tower.]

["A demon Cultivator?" He grinned, revealing a mouth full of serrated, sharp teeth. "This seat enjoys twisting off the heads of demon Cultivators the most."]

[He suddenly released his full Devilish Qi, and the pressure of the True Transformation Realm stage crashed down like a mountain. Several demon spectators at the edge of the ring were blown backward. Ah Fu collapsed directly onto the ground, unable to even lift his head.]

[Bone Crusher looked at Chu Sheng with satisfaction, waiting for him to kneel.]

[Chu Sheng sighed.]

[He activated his Heavenly Demon Body.]

[Black-red Devilish Qi soared into the sky, surpassing Bone Crusher's by more than a single level.]

[The temperature of the entire Gladiatorial Arena instantly dropped to the freezing point. The demons in the audience even forgot to breathe.]

[Bone Crusher froze on the spot, the smile on his face hardening.]

["You..."]

[Chu Sheng slammed a punch into his chest.]

[Bone Crusher flew out of the ring, smashing through the Gladiatorial Arena's wall. He plowed a deep furrow into the ground and tumbled several more times before stopping, motionless.]

[The whole arena erupted.]

[In the VIP section, the boss's face was ashen, but he had no choice but to announce Chu Sheng's victory.]

[Backstage, Ah Fu's hands were cramping from counting magic stones.]

[Chu Sheng leaned against the wall, eyes closed as he rested. He knew that the battle just now had been too conspicuous.]

[Exposing the Heavenly Demon Body would certainly bring trouble. But there was no other way—without the Heavenly Demon Body, he couldn't beat Bone Crusher. By using it, he would be targeted.]

[The sound of footsteps rang out. A female demon wearing a long black dress approached, holding a box in her hands.]

["My Lord, the supervisor said you may choose a demonic artifact. Consider it the Gladiatorial Arena's respect for the strong."]

[She emphasized the word 'respect' heavily.]

[Chu Sheng opened the box. Inside lay a black token engraved with the emblem of the Gladiatorial Arena. He smiled.]

[Respect? It was a test.]

[They wanted to see what his background was and how many more secrets he was hiding.]

[If he didn't go, he'd seem guilty. If he did, he'd expose more of his trump cards.]

["Fine."] He tucked away the token. ["I'll go."]

[He stood up and walked toward the depths of the Gladiatorial Arena. Behind him, Ah Fu was still counting magic stones, muttering under his breath.]

[The female demon watched his departing back, a hint of a smile curling at the corners of her mouth.]

Chu Sheng watched this scene and rubbed his chin.

"The Gladiatorial Arena owner's move is quite interesting. Claiming to let him pick a demonic artifact is actually a way to see if he knows his stuff. Knowing his stuff would indicate a significant background; not knowing would mean he's just a rogue."

"However, with Old Grandfather here—even though he's half-dead right now, his eye for quality remains. Picking a demonic artifact shouldn't be difficult."

He looked at the screen.

"Black Iron City is co-managed by three Demon Generals, and the Gladiatorial Arena supervisor is one of them. If Chu Sheng can establish a connection here, he'll have a solid foothold in the Demon Realm."

He smiled.

"Now, let's see how the performance goes."