"""\
In Medicine King Valley, the talks between Guding and Anthony went smoothly.
Anthony's request was simple. The newcomer ranking competition would start in three months, and Guding only needed to secure a spot in the top fifty. In return, the Tianhe Branch of the Medicine God Alliance would reward him with a bounty worth one hundred million Star Coins. If he managed to make it to the top ten, the reward from the Tianhe Branch would increase to ten billion Star Coins.
This win-win situation was something Guding naturally wouldn't refuse. Even if he didn't make it to the top fifty, he wouldn't lose anything. All he needed to do was participate in the competition under the name of the Tianhe Star Domain, which he had already planned to join. Thus, the two sides quickly reached a consensus.
After the discussion with Anthony, Guding took a brief stroll, only to find himself attracting a lot of attention along the way. His appearance had been spread far and wide by that video. The video was placed in a public area, so not only the pharmacists and temporary residents of Medicine King Valley, but even many who had never been to the Valley were aware of him.
Helplessly, Guding could only log out of the system.
Sitting in the cockpit, staring at the endless black starry sky outside the window, Guding asked, "Sea Emperor, is there any news today?"
"Nothing major," Sea Emperor seemed to agree it was somewhat dull. "Just heard that Cain has also turned toward the new route. This time, he wants to return to the Cosmic Sea. And Koude Brad's Judge of Pirates reportedly are heading toward the new route as well. This opening of the new route has excited the interstellar pirates of the Ascension Universe Country. Many who had already gone to other Cosmic Countries have changed course to take the new route."
"It's suddenly become lively, which I find quite good." Guding grinned. He was the kind of person who liked excitement and would go wherever there was action. Over the years, he had thoroughly enjoyed working at the Rose Tavern. One significant reason was that he could meet a variety of people there and hear all sorts of stories. It was these people and stories that inspired him to become an interstellar pirate.
Thinking about Cain and Koude Brad made Guding realize even more that these guys, each with bounties worth hundreds of millions of Star Coins, were immensely powerful. He had seen Cain in action, moving so fast that the eye couldn't catch up at all. And Koude Brad's bounty being similar to Cain's meant his strength was likely comparable.
"You really need to improve your strength quickly. At your current level, entering the new route would leave nothing of you but bones." Sea Emperor said bluntly, offering his thoughts without any reservations.
"I understand. On the new route, there should be many strong people with strength similar to Uncle Cain, and possibly even stronger individuals." Guding nodded. His decision to take the new route didn't mean he had naive ideas or was clueless. In reality, he didn't overestimate his strength at all. He was very clear on what he could and couldn't do.
"Help me connect to the virtual arena. First, let me practice all the moves I can learn with a Cell Comprehensive Index of 100. This way, when my physical strength reaches the required level, I can use the moves directly after getting slightly familiar with them, saving a lot of time on practicing the moves." Guding planned to continue cultivating Extreme Body Technique in the virtual arena.
"This treats the symptoms but not the root cause. However, for now, it's the best option." Sea Emperor was also a bit helpless about Guding's physique, and immediately connected Guding to the Arena.
Once in the Arena, Guding saw his latest stats:
Name: This Killer Is Not Afraid of Cold
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Challenge Count: 10
Victories: 10
Defeats: 0
Ties: 0
Win Rate: 100%
Points: 55
Honor: Ten Consecutive Wins
[Honor Description: Winning ten consecutive matches in the Arena awards cumulative points. First match: 1 point, second match: 2 points, third match: 3 points...tenth match: 10 points.]
"Can these points be exchanged for items?" Guding recalled seeing an explanation somewhere.
"Yes, in the Beginner Arena, the purchasing power of 1 point is equivalent to one hundred Star Coins. So many people from less affluent backgrounds come here to compete, sell points, or use them to buy items," Sea Emperor explained further. "Of course, some wealthy people accumulate points just to show their strength, so they often buy points from those with high points."
"Direct point trading?" Guding raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't the system prohibit that?"
"No, it's tacitly approved by the system, because for every transaction, the system charges a 5% fee." Sea Emperor continued to explain.
"Points can be transferred from one person to another?" Guding, who had only been to the Arena once, had many things he still didn't understand.
"They can be transferred. Otherwise, how would transactions happen?"
"Isn't it pointless? People can still see the battle count and win rate, right?" Guding thought simply accumulating points was meaningless.
"You can spend money to set permissions so that ordinary people can't query them, showing only one's points outside," Sea Emperor chuckled. "And as far as I know, wealthy people even bribe opponents to boost points and win rates. As long as they pay enough, the opponents will forfeit. There are quite a few people in the Arena low on cash, and they compete just for the money."
"Seems like unwritten rules exist everywhere," Guding shook his head, sighing.
"There are many things that can't be completely eradicated, just regulated and controlled. The Arena system, overall, is quite well-made. The entire market is very standardized, and the overall order has hardly been affected," Sea Emperor offered his opinion.
"As long as such things don't find their way to me, it's fine. While cultivating Extreme Body Technique, I can earn some pocket money too. That's the main benefit of the Arena for me." Guding also realized such things couldn't be completely stopped.
"Don't underestimate any opponent in the Arena. Even within the Beginner Arena, there are experts. I just looked over some battle video data. If you encounter anyone ranked in the top hundred right now, you stand no chance of winning, and that's just in the Tianhe Star Domain division of the Arena." Sea Emperor reminded him.
"No worries. Losing to truly strong opponents isn't shameful." Guding chuckled, pressing the random pairing button.
"Miss, that kid is here again," in the system operation room, a staff member saw Guding's pairing information and dialed a number.
"Got it. I'll be right there. You guys give him someone around the ten thousandth rank first." On the other end of the communicator came a female voice. It was the same woman who was eating a lollipop in the operation room last time.
"They've matched you with someone around the ten thousandth rank. This rank mostly consists of strong individuals who have already awakened their abilities, so deal with it carefully." Before the results were out, Sea Emperor had already revealed the pairing information to Guding.
"""