Age of Evolution

Chapter 404: 404 Asura Arena

Every martial artist who reaches the Constant Realm Third Level aims to become an Asura, as it’s the quickest path to make a name for themselves.

Becoming a noble is too difficult. They painstakingly practice for decades, even hundreds of years. Once they enter the Asura Arena, and if they truly manage to prove their worth and achieve success, their fortunes will dramatically change overnight.

In the Universe Country, the status of an Asura Warrior might not be that of a noble, but it certainly surpasses it.

People remember and admire the geniuses, the successful ones. As for the majority who don’t make it in the Asura Arena, no one even cares.

“Lin Zhen, have you arrived?” Chen Fenglie asked in the Dimensional Universe.

“I’m here.”

In the blink of an eye, Lin Zhen’s avatar appeared before Chen Fenglie.

Qing Xu and An Bihuai were also with Chen Fenglie. The three of them had already spent two days in the Asura Arena.

“Well, old brothers, after not seeing you for two days, all of you seem different. Quite imposing.”

Lin Zhen glanced at the three of them in surprise. He truly felt this way. Although their realms hadn’t increased, they were like swords drawn from their sheaths, exuding an intense murderous aura, ready to engage in battle at any moment.

An Bihuai gave a wry smile: “What’s so imposing about us? It’s simply because after being beaten up in the Asura arena, we’ve grown tenser, always prepared to fight anyone.”

“Really? Isn’t it just a virtual battle arena?”, Lin Zhen asked.

Qing Xu waved his hand: “This virtual battle arena is much more than that. The level of realism during fights is identical to real life, especially the 100% real sensation of pain. You can’t tell the difference between this and reality. If you face a powerful opponent and they kill you with one blow, it’s okay. But if you face someone of similar strength, it becomes miserable. Getting injured is one thing, but when you are killed, it feels like you’ve actually died.”

Chen Fenglie suddenly laughed: “Brother Qing Xu has even said his last words several times during battles. Seems like he has many unfulfilled wishes.”

A bit embarrassed, Qing Xu replied, “I wish I hadn’t told you. You keep using it for your amusement.”

Lin Zhen couldn’t help laughing. Instead of asking what Qing Xu’s wishes were, he asked the group, “How’s it going? Having a good time in the Asura Arena?”

Chen Fenglie shook his head: “It’s tough. There are too many expert fighters inside. Achieving a high win-rate is very difficult. I’ve already fought 200 matches in the past two days, and my win-rate is only 75%, which has been gradually increasing.”

An Bihuai said: “You’re doing pretty well. If you increase your win-rate by another five percentage points, you’ll become a Silver-star Asura. The situation for Qing Xu and me is pretty grim. My win-rate is 53%, and his is 55%. Who knows when we could become Asura? The more matches you fight, the harder it is to increase your win-rate.”

“Yes, it’s a tough situation when you’ve finally improved a little but encounter a powerful opponent and lose a match. Sometimes I lose several matches in a row due to bad luck and it feels like I’ve wasted a lot of time.”

Lin Zhen asked, “How do you choose your opponents in there?”

“There are two ways to choose: random assignment and challenge. Most people choose random. Challenges are less common.”

At this point, Qing Xu seemed a bit frustrated: “Challenging someone is just annoying. Whenever my win-rate goes up, someone specifically challenges me. If I don’t accept, they verbally abuse me non-stop. If I accept, I get beaten badly.”

An Bihuai patted Qing Xu on the shoulder: “You’re too impulsive. If you just ignore them, you would be fine. You shouldn’t act rashly.”

Qing Xu, who was obviously straightforward, nodded sullenly. But to Lin Zhen, he seemed like the type who would still accept the challenge.

There are likely many such people in the Asura Arena. They hurl insults to provoke those weaker than themselves. It’s one way to improve their win-rate. Few warriors can hold their temper in front of a high win-rate provocation.

Chen Fenglie said to Lin Zhen: “Lin Zhen, you should give it a try as well. Try to ignore any provocations as much as possible. There are way too many jerks doing this kind of thing. Fighting here often is very beneficial. It really helps in improving actual combat skills.”

Lin Zhen nodded in agreement, and the group once again returned to the Asura Arena.

Lin Zhen arrived at the registration area, scanned himself, and then obtained his identification.

“Solar System Earthman Lin Zhen, Asura Arena combat record. Victories: zero. Losses: zero. Draws: zero. Win rate: zero.”

“You can now select the battle mode.”

Chris gave Lin Zhen a long list of potential opponents.

The list was so long that it was almost impossible to estimate its length. Just looking at the names on the first page, there were tens of thousands. The extensive numbers made Lin Zhen dizzy.

“Choose random.”

“Random Mode starting. You have a 90% chance of encountering a Satellite Level fighter, a 9% chance of encountering a Planet Level fighter, and a 1% chance of encountering a Constant Star Level fighter.”

“Match succeeded. Your opponent, from the Orion Constellation, Alati. Victories: 19, Losses: 10, Draws: none. Win rate: 65%.”

“Entering Asura Arena, random terrain, mountain peak…”

The next second, Lin Zhen appeared at the peak of a mountain.

Cloud Mist flowed beneath his feet, and the beautiful scenery was all around. The mountain peak was like a fighting platform. There were no spectators, just the opponent that appeared before him.

Alati, a Satellite Level 9 warrior with a prominent nose and deep-set eyes.

Upon seeing Lin Zhen, a smug grin crossed Alati’s face, “Well, I must be quite lucky to run into a rookie. Guess my victory rate will get a boost.”

“I’m afraid you’re in for some disappointment. You can’t even maintain your current victory rate,” came the response.

“Such arrogance from a mere Satellite Level 6! I’m ranked within the top 10 on our planet. Someone like you wouldn’t even make the top 100.” Alati drew a golden curved knife from his side.

“Down on your knees, newbie from the Solar System. Today, you’ll witness the ruthlessness of the Asura Arena.”

Alati launched into the air, his knife fiercely descending towards Lin Zhen.

His strike could morph into endless variations. Regardless of which direction Lin Zhen dodged, he would inevitably fall within the range of a follow-up attack – Alati’s signature move.

Lin Zhen stood still, not moving an inch. As Alati neared, Lin Zhen’s mind surged – Mental Shock!

“Ugh!”

Alati felt his head spin as his sacred artifact for mental defense could not completely guard against Lin Zhen’s Mental Shock, causing his movements to momentarily freeze.

A golden aura emerged from thin air. Lin Zhen’s various elements had resonated with atoms now, their potency beyond comparison to before.

The sharp aura, akin to a flying sword, pierced right through Alati’s forehead.

Blood trickled down from his forehead. Alati collapsed face-up without a sound, his gaze slack.

Lin Zhen won his first Asura Arena battle!

He walked out of the Asura Arena, and his match data updated: 1 victory, 0 losses, with a 100% win rate.

While he was confident in his combat abilities, this was the first victory he achieved both in his past and present lives in the Asura Arena – this made Lin Zhen truly elated.

When he walked out, Chen Fenglie and the others had also finished their matches and regrouped.

After some queries, they learned everyone had gotten lucky, each securing a victory. However, compared to the number of matches they had, individual wins barely raised their overall win rates.

Upon hearing of Lin Zhen’s first victory, An Bihuai exaggeratedly commented, “Good job! With a 100% win rate if it keeps up, won’t you qualify for the title of Asura King after a thousand victories?”

Lin Zhen responded with a hearty laugh, “Well, if I could maintain such a win rate, that seems likely.”

They obviously treated it as a joking comment, without taking it seriously. After all, achieving a thousand consecutive wins wasn’t easy.

Suddenly a mocking sneer resounded from behind them, “A bunch of backwater noobs, getting full of yourselves after just one victory.”

Everyone furrowed their brows, turning around to identify the source of such rude remarks.

Upon turning, they saw a Planet Level 1 Martial Artist standing behind them.

The martial artist sneered at Lin Zhen and his group, raising his chin slightly, “What? You’re not happy to hear that?”

“We have no grudges with you, why resort to insults?” Qing Xu retorted, visibly irritated.

“We may not have any issues, but I simply can’t stand noobs like you. Fresh off their first win and already dreaming of a win rate at 100%? Too many participate in the Asura arena to count, everyone has their first win and their first loss, then there are fifty million out of a hundred million people with a 100% win rate in their first match. What does it prove? By the second match, half of them fall. Few keep a win rate above 80% in the end. Such idiots!”

“Damn! You’re a real piece of work, aren’t you?” Qing Xu was fuming.

“Bah! As if any of you are worth my time. Don’t like what I said? Bring it to the Asura Arena. I may not be much, but I’ll take on all you noobs in a row. Dare to take me up on it?”

“So be it! I’ll take you on first!” Qing Xu was the first to agree.

The two of them gave their Dimensional Universe IDs and no further words were exchanged. They went straight into the Asura Arena.

Observing the proceedings, Lin Zhen felt a slight frown form on his face. He knew that such provocateurs were not a rare occurrence. However, this man’s words were especially irritating, and no hot-blooded man would just take it lying down.

“Qing Xu is in a dangerous position. This guy is strong, his Planet Level 1 ranking is higher than ours. He’s likely going to lose again,” Chen Fenglie commented with a shake of his head.

An Bihuai nodded, “I’m afraid that’s true. I’m not much use if Qing Xu loses, and there’s still hope with you, Chen. But your win ratio is nearing eighty percent. It’s best not to get involved with this. Focus on the urgent need to compete in the Asura arena. If he comes at you, just leave straight away.”

It was then that Lin Zhen chimed in, “His challenge – it counts as a specified battle, correct?”

“Yes. Asking opponents directly for their ID is a form of specified battle.”

“In such cases, can we raise the stakes?”

An Bihuai was momentarily taken aback: “Yes, but few do it as, oftentimes, the challengers are very strong….”

“That’s fine. I’m going off to exchange some Sanjiang coins.” Excited, Lin Zhen immediately set off towards the bank.