Chapter 566

Chapter 566: Slave Arena

Inside the thatched hut, the eldest brother earnestly advises, “Xiao Jiu, don’t rush your cultivation. Our talents are not great, and we only have minor cultivation levels. I understand your feelings, but it’s not easy to take down Ma San.”

Suddenly, Xiao Jiu’s body makes “bang bang” sounds, and a burst of white light shines from his left arm, revealing a leopard pattern the size of half a palm. At the same time, his sturdy right leg lights up with a leopard pattern.

“How is this possible? He’s opening two Spirit Motion marks at once!”

“Cough, cough…” Xiao Jiu coughs up blood and says, “Eldest brother, go get some water. I’m a bit too eager to succeed, and I still have serious injuries.”

“Wait here, I’ll find some water right away.” The eldest brother rushes out of the thatched hut. The Giant Armored Tribe controls water very strictly; even using spells to gather water is not possible here, as they control the water sources to dominate the slaves.

Li Hui dismisses the eldest brother, moving his form and continues tapping his body. With every ten taps, he opens one Spirit Motion mark. Once he’s tapped his entire body, a light buzzing sound emerges from his back, gathering into a fierce leopard head.

“I’ve reached the Concentrating Spirit stage!”

“Again! Return Spirit!” Li Hui taps all his acupoints.

With each tap, a cloud talisman is generated within the acupoint due to his effort. These cloud talismans do not dissipate and under the empowerment of the Heart Talisman, one talisman equals six.

“Talismans connect to the meridians, and formations lock in rings!” How skilled are Li Hui’s talisman methods? In the blink of an eye, spiritual energy transforms into mist inside the thatched hut, merging with the leopard head behind him all into his dantian.

In just over thirty breaths, he has condensed elemental energy throughout his body, causing explosive sounds, rapidly crossing limits to achieve the Initial Condense Essence Stage, without stopping, he continues to ascend, reaching the Late Condense Essence stage until he achieves complete Condense Essence, almost ready to face tribulation and enter Bosa, before finally halting his talisman methods.

“Limited by talent and potential, he can only reach this level at present. It’s a pity this child has a severely diminished soul, and without a strong obsession, he cannot nurture his soul to revive.”

Just then, the eldest brother returns with half a bowl of water, panting, and says, “Jiu, are you okay? I’m useless; I ran a long time to borrow this half bowl of water.”

Xiao Jiu takes the wooden bowl, not minding the dirt, tilts his head, and gulps it down, saying, “Thank you, eldest brother, I feel much better!”

“Hahaha, my Xiao Jiu is better!” The eldest brother laughs heartily but suddenly starts coughing heavily, as he was also hit during the scuffle yesterday when dragging Xiao Jiu back, receiving severe blows from the attackers.

“Eldest brother, you need to take care of your injuries. I’m going out for a bit.”

“Xiao Jiu, don’t act recklessly!”

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to look for Ma San. I’m just going to see Lin Liu and Fifth Master Han to discuss some matters.” Xiao Jiu pats his eldest brother’s shoulder a few times, discreetly helping him realign his meridians, and then strides confidently out of the thatched hut.

“Cough, cough, this child has grown up…” The eldest brother nods in satisfaction.

Li Hui has entered Xiao Jiu’s life trajectory, inheriting his memories, so he’s not unfamiliar with the people in the slave arena.

For the Giant Armored Tribe, these people are both livestock and property, divided into public and private slaves. Sometimes, when they can’t afford to maintain them, they send them to the public arena for “foster care.” Lin Liu and Fifth Master Han are private slaves currently under care at the slave arena, living a bit far from here.

Xiao Jiu heads towards the area where private slaves are kept, but just as he spots Lin Liu’s thatched hut, he suddenly feels a malicious wind coming from behind.

With a whoosh, a stick as thick as a goose egg strikes the air.

“Eh?” The attacker slightly pauses, but at that moment, a loud crack is heard as his head bursts open, and he collapses to the ground, lifeless.

Holding a green stone the size of a cooking pot, Xiao Jiu looks at Ma San’s two lackeys and says, “What are you still doing? Drag your boss over to the iron gate and bury him. After all, the Giant Armored Tribe can’t keep track of how many slaves they have; losing one or two doesn’t matter.”

“You… you killed Master Ma San?”

“Hmph! Remember, from today on, there is no Master Ma San, only me, Li Jiu! After burying him, report back to my eldest brother immediately. If you wait even a moment and I lose a finger, you’ll regret it.” Xiao Jiu says seriously. Suddenly, applause erupts ahead, and a sickly man laughs, “Good! Xiao Jiu has been remarkable in his endeavors; after yesterday’s calamity, he’s even more impressive. He’s someone who can accomplish great things.”

“Brother Lin Liu.” Xiao Jiu cups his fist.

“Good brother! Come, let’s go inside and drink!” Lin Liu is in high spirits.

Soon, a rugged, bearded man enters the thatched hut. He is very famous among the private slaves, known as Fifth Master Han.

Li Hui sought out Lin Liu and Han Five because these two individuals often stirred up trouble with Xiao Jiu, encouraging him to take control of the public slaves, planning to use the Giant Armored Tribe’s festival as a cover to escape to the mountains, where secret paths lead back to the Great Xia.

Ma San always wanted to be the leader and saw Xiao Jiu as a stumbling block, wanting to eliminate him quickly.

The three gather, sitting in the thatched hut, and drink two jars of bitter wine. Xiao Jiu breathes out the smell of wine and says, “Brother Liu, Master Five, let’s be frank. Those Giant Armored monsters are making us mine golden stones in exchange for water and food. I’ve heard the tribe that enslaves us is extremely wealthy, with beast skins stacked high in their tents. Don’t you two feel tempted?”

Lin Liu and Han Five exchange glances, and Han Five shakes his head, saying, “Little brother, there are fearsome giants in the central tent. We definitely aren’t their match.”

“Indeed!” Lin Liu puts down his wine bowl and says, “We are definitely not their match; just escaping from here is already fortunate. How can we dare to cause more trouble for treasure? Being greedy will only lead to disaster. You are a smart person; think about it logically, don’t let your head get dizzy and do something foolish.”

“This…” Xiao Jiu ponders for a while, then clenches his fist and says, “Brother Lin Liu is right; I’m willing to follow your lead. While those Giant Armored monsters are celebrating, let’s work together to break the shackles and escape this place.”

“Exactly! Good brother!” The three clasp hands in an oath…

After Xiao Jiu leaves, Fifth Master Han suddenly sneers, “Hmph, this little brat has gained some courage. He dares to entertain the ghosts’ plot for those treasures!”

“Hahaha!” Lin Liu laughs in a strange tone, “It’s not surprising; Li Xiao Jiu is impulsive. He says whatever comes to mind. If he weren’t like that, would we choose him to take the risk? Speaking of which, the Giant Armored Tribe has giants everywhere, with horns on their heads and bodies like green rocks, seeming to be born in armor. But those are just ordinary members of the Giant Armored Tribe. The priests of the tribe are truly formidable; they are not tall and lack the strength of a powerful punch, but they can curse enemies from hundreds of miles away. The tunnel is already dug; we only need a leader to cause trouble, and Xiao Jiu is just right for the job!”

“Haha, Brother Lin, you are truly a master strategist! It’s a blessing for me, Han Five! Good, on the sixth day after the dark moon appears, we’ll act immediately and take all the treasures the tribe has accumulated!”

These two are clearly scheming for a long time, waiting for the right opportunity to strike.

When Xiao Jiu returns to his residence, Ma San’s two lackeys have already buried their leader, recognizing that the opportunity has passed and deciding to offer their services instead.

This is how the slave arena works; the fiercer one rises to power. Furthermore, everyone can see that Li Xiao Jiu is on good terms with the two lords, Lin Liu and Han Five, so there’s no need to worry about the future. At least in this slave arena, he can walk with confidence.