Path of Alchemy Mastery-Chapter 331 - 232: The Sideburn-Bearded Man’s Deal

The colossal Battle Arena was conspicuously out of place amidst the architecture of the Mortal World. Mu Can knew of the arena’s existence from descriptions within an ancient tome, where it was said to be a place of amusement for nobles. At that time, Mu Can had no clear understanding of what "nobles" meant and had even made a point to inquire further.

It turned out that the term referred to families with ancestors of extraordinary strength at their helm, whose power was passed down from generation to generation, sustaining and glorifying their lineage. Such families were recognized as nobles, and it was quite apparent that those Hidden Families within the Mortal World were indeed the most elite among them.

After all, not every family could boast of finding other spaces within the Mortal World suitable for human habitation.

The Battle Arena was a favorite pastime of these nobles for good reason; they delighted in capturing Gladiators and thrusting them into the Duel Arena for combat, while the crazed nobles placed massive bets. Back then, many families had the custom of rearing their own Gladiators. A family’s Gladiator winning a duel was a matter of great prestige.

Of course, the duels were not just between human Cultivators; they also included confrontations between Cultivators and Demon Beasts, or between Cultivators and powerhouses of other species.

The duel participants varied, but the result of the fight was invariable: death was the only conclusion. In that era, no one knew how many Battle Arenas existed in the Mortal World; participating in beast fights or gambling had become a vogue.

However, for some unknown reason, all Battle Arenas shut down overnight. Gradually, the grand structures decayed into ruins, upon which new constructions eventually rose.

Mu Can still vividly recalled seeking Xuanyuan Mingkong’s insight on the matter. Xuanyuan Mingkong answered his questions, explaining that a Gladiator had ascended, in silence, to the rank of Peak Martial Saint and destroyed all the Duel Arenas in one fell swoop. As a result, Duel Arenas became history, only to be discovered by chance in historical records by those like Mu Can.

And now, before Mu Can’s eyes stood such a grand and magnificent Battle Arena. The arena was a circular structure surrounded by spectator stands, whose unique design allowed everyone in the stands to clearly see the battles unfolding on the platform.

At this moment, Mu Can was transported directly onto the spectator stands of this Battle Arena from a pavilion beside the stone stairs.

Next to him, a bearded man was trying to sell information to the newcomers who had just been teleported in. Most of those who arrived here had not managed to acquire the energy of gluttony in the first challenge. And those who had succeeded were unlikely to trade even a trace of that energy for the man’s information. What if it were false? That would be a total loss. After all, none who reached this place could be fools, dooming the bearded man’s efforts to futility.

"Sigh, is this really the same as what my master told me?" Disappointed by the lack of interest and treated as a swindler, the bearded man sat sullenly on the stone steps of the stands, muttering incomprehensibly.

Since the moment the bearded man appeared, Mu Can had been closely observing him, and now he strained his ears to catch his words, almost bursting into laughter.

It turned out the bearded man was cursing his master for feeding him information about the Immortal Ancient Secret Realm and Tongshen Mountain, instructing him to peddle it here to make a fortune.

Who would have thought that upon arrival, nobody would bite? At this realization, the muscular giant sat there, sulking with his lips pursed – a picture of moroseness.

It was hard to imagine—a man nearly two meters tall, at least twice the size of Mu Can, now sulking like a child, sitting and cursing non-stop, venting his inner indignation.

While amused, Mu Can pondered; if the bearded man spoke the truth, it was worth considering whether to offer a trace of the gluttonous energy to obtain the information.

Never forget where this place is – Tongshen Mountain, where only a few can retain their memories. If the bearded man’s words held truth, it would point to a terrifying fact: his master was surely one of the formidable few who had conquered the Third Layer of Tongshen Mountain, the only explanation that made sense of the bearded man’s sources.

"Brother, how do you sell this information?" Moved by a sudden thought, Mu Can approached the bearded man and inquired, showing no concern for the previous mocking about his alleged poverty.

The sight of potential business immediately dispelled his scowl, forcing a smile on his face. However, upon recognizing that the prospective buyer was Mu Can, the man’s expression sunk back into gloom.

"You can’t afford it," he grumbled.

Mu Can found this amusing, realizing the bearded man indeed considered him a pauper.

"Do you really think I can’t pay?" Mu Can asked pridefully. At times like this, only a display of aloofness could truly intimidate the likes of the bearded man.

"You have the energy of gluttony?" the bearded man asked in disbelief. When he had first probed Mu Can, he found no signs of the gluttonous energy within him, and had thus concluded Mu Can to be a pauper.

"How can I prove the existence of the gluttonous energy?" In terms of the amount of gluttonous energy within, Mu Can was confident enough to rank second to none, convinced no one in the Immortal Ancient Secret Realm would dare claim to be first.

"Simple. Cut open your finger and let out a drop of blood," the bearded man stated, still dubious of Mu Can’s claims, and trusting his initial investigation.

Mu Can sliced a fine cut on his little finger, from which a drop of blood emerged and was held suspended above his palm by his control, all the while the cut on the finger healed promptly after blood had left it.

With the robust constitution of a Martial Saint’s body, a minor wound would not last for more than a few seconds.

"Now what?" Mu Can, determined to confirm his suspicions, decided to go through with it.

"Let me see," the bearded man said, still skeptical, eyeing Mu Can’s actions.