Chapter 1892: Moon Yao Battleground

After wandering around the area for a while, Lu Ye became increasingly frustrated. There were so many good things, but he didn't have enough Asura Marks to exchange for them!

Gritting his teeth, he steeled himself and left. Out of sight, out of mind, he figured it would be better to return and splurge once he had accumulated enough Asura Marks.

A moment later, Lu Ye went to the main plaza and browsed the market where cultivators gathered. There were many good items here too. The advantage was that transactions didn't require Asura Marks, but the downside was that all goods were more expensive than outside, especially elixirs used for recovery and healing.

After a while, Lu Ye lost interest. There were no bargains to be found in the Asura Treasury; even if a cultivator acquired an unfamiliar treasure, they could easily find its equivalent within the treasury and assess its value.

Returning to his cave dwelling, he took out the jade slip that Gui Yi had given him before she left and examined it carefully.

This jade slip contained various pieces of information about the Asura Battlefield that Gui Yi had compiled herself, including many strategies for dealing with crises she encountered during her own trials. It was, without a doubt, highly valuable for reference.

Lu Ye was certainly confident in his abilities, but it was always better to be careful. In the vast world of cultivation, wasn't it common for people to stumble and fall due to a moment of carelessness?

The information in the jade slip was extensive, but Lu Ye read through it quickly, finishing in less than half an hour.

There was nothing else left to prepare. Since he was already at the Asura Battlefield, his priority was to quickly earn Asura Marks. While he couldn't count on the Asura Battlefield's personal treasures, the items that could enhance the quality of his Dharma Source were not to be missed, as they were his main goal for this trip.

Lu Ye first spent 100,000 spirit jade to exchange for 10,000 Asura Marks.

This was a benefit every cultivator new to the Asura Battlefield received. Although 10,000 Asura Marks weren't a large sum, every little bit helped.

The exchange method was simple and could be done within his own cave dwelling. He infused his spiritual power into his Asura Token, focusing on his intention. A ball of white light immediately appeared before him. After throwing the 100,000 spirit jade into it, the white light vanished.

Then, Lu Ye checked his Asura Token again and indeed saw information indicating an additional 10,000 Asura Marks in reserve.

Lu Ye activated his Asura Token once more and murmured, "Combat Arena!"

Another white light materialized before him, transforming into an oval-shaped portal wide enough for one person to pass through. Without hesitation, Lu Ye stepped inside.

Chen Xuanhai had specifically instructed him that the first thing to do upon entering the Asura Battlefield wasn't to rush into trials, but to compete for a ranking in the Combat Arena. This was one way for cultivators to earn Asura Marks, and it also offered special benefits not obtainable through trials.

Millions of cultivators resided throughout the Asura Battlefield, spanning the Star, Moon, and Sun realms. Cultivators of lower cultivation levels undoubtedly formed the largest proportion. An estimated ninety percent of the entire Asura Battlefield consisted of Star Realm cultivators, with only a small fraction of the remaining ten percent being Sun Realm cultivators, and the rest Moon Realm.

With significant disparities in cultivation realms, there were vast differences in strength. Therefore, the Combat Arena in the Asura Battlefield was divided into three tiers, with cultivators from each of the three high realms competing within their respective tiers.

Achieving a high ranking in the Combat Arena not only brought prestige but also tangible benefits.

The Combat Arena rankings were settled every two months. Cultivators would receive a corresponding number of Asura Marks as rewards based on their ranking at the time of settlement. The higher the rank, the more Asura Marks awarded.

Taking the Moon Realm Combat Arena as an example, if one could rank within the top ten, they would receive a minimum of 30,000 Asura Marks as a reward at settlement. The top-ranked individual would receive as many as 200,000. With a little extra effort, one could easily exchange for a Bodhi Spirit Fruit.

Furthermore, the Combat Arena had a special rule: participants would not die during battles. This eliminated any worries for cultivators, greatly inspiring their enthusiasm for competition.

This place was likely where the Heavenly Asura clan trained their members in combat experience in the past, hence such unique protective rules.

It could be said that while some cultivators who came to the Asura Battlefield might not participate in trials due to potential life-threatening risks, they would absolutely not miss the Combat Arena.

There was another rule: if someone could consistently hold the top rank for a certain number of times, they would enjoy a discount when exchanging resources at the Asura Treasury. Compared to the Asura Mark rewards, this benefit was undoubtedly much harder to acquire.

This mode of competition was naturally not unfamiliar to Lu Ye; in fact, he was quite accustomed to it.

This was because he had experienced similar situations back in the Spirit Stream Battlefield in the Nine Provinces.

This was not surprising. When the ancestors of the Nine Provinces crafted the Heavenly Mystery Disk back then, they must have drawn heavily from the rules of the Asura Battlefield, just as many exotic treasures within the Nine Provinces had their prototypes found in the starry sky.

The difference was that his strength back then was incomparable to his current power.

As his body passed through the portal, Lu Ye's vision shifted. He didn't immediately appear in the Combat Arena. Instead, he heard the tumultuous sounds of battle, interspersed with various explosive roars, which made his blood boil and naturally conjured images of armies clashing.

Immediately after, a resonant voice boomed in his ear: "Who shall be king amidst the clashing of weapons and thundering hooves? Who shall reign supreme in the race of a hundred boats? The way of combat transcends antiquity and modernity; we cultivators shall never retreat! Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Accompanying the voice were the pounding of war drums and the blare of horns.

The sounds gradually faded and then disappeared. Lu Ye's vision returned to clarity, and he found himself in an enclosed environment.

His eye twitched slightly. That voice must have been produced by the Asura Battlefield, and it seemed to have a captivating effect on the mind. Anyone experiencing such an entrance would likely find their fighting spirit greatly elevated.

This was a ruined city, seemingly ravaged by fierce warfare, with broken walls and debris everywhere. The edges of the dilapidated city were enveloped by a visible light barrier, which undoubtedly marked the boundaries of the combat zone.

He appeared on one side of this combat zone. Dozens of miles opposite him, another figure faintly stood, who was undoubtedly his opponent for this battle.

Just as Lu Ye was about to size up his opponent, the figure flickered and bizarrely vanished.

He immediately understood that his opponent was a Ghost Cultivator who had used a secret technique to conceal himself, and he had no idea where the opponent had gone.

He didn't rush to search, knowing that since this was his first time entering the Combat Arena, his opponent wouldn't be too strong, likely just an early-stage Moon Realm cultivator.

Taking his time, he took out his Asura Token and immersed his mind to check it. The information within had changed.

Besides the additional 10,000 Asura Marks, there was another piece of information:

Combat Arena Ranking (Moon Realm): 533,572.

Lu Ye raised an eyebrow. This undoubtedly meant that there were over 530,000 Moon Realm cultivators currently residing and alive within the Asura Battlefield.

Since his ranking in the Moon Realm was surely the last, this number was essentially equivalent to the total number of Moon Realm cultivators, with little difference.

This was an astonishing figure. Such a vast number of Moon Realm cultivators would never be seen on the Myriad Manifestation Sea, as local forces there would not permit so many to reside.

Just as he put away his Asura Token, a flicker of murderous intent erupted from his side. It was undoubtedly the Ghost Cultivator, who had used this opportunity to approach and launch a sneak attack.

Lu Ye's body remained still. He merely raised his hand slightly, and the Mountain Rock Saber at his waist was already unsheathed.

With the clash of spiritual power, a gasp escaped, and blood splattered.

To his side, the thin Ghost Cultivator was clutching his neck, retreating in horror as blood gushed from his throat.

In that instant, he had truly felt the approach of death. It was safe to say that if the Combat Arena's rules hadn't protected him, he would already be decapitated.

Beyond his horror, there was immense frustration. He hadn't been in the Asura Battlefield for long, and this was his ninth battle. His previous opponents, though stronger, had still allowed him some room to maneuver, especially given his proficiency as a Ghost Cultivator.

He never imagined that his opponent this time would be so terrifying.

He could only be grateful that this was in the Combat Arena. If he had faced such an opponent during a trial, even multiple lives wouldn't have been enough.

His form dimming, in the last moments before exiting the Combat Arena, he desperately widened his eyes, looking towards Lu Ye's direction, trying to imprint that figure deeply into his mind, for he might encounter him again at any time.

The Ghost Cultivator's figure dissipated. Although he hadn't died instantly due to the Combat Arena's protective rules, his injuries were very real and would require some time to recover.

As the Ghost Cultivator's figure vanished, Lu Ye also felt a strange power envelop him. The surroundings quickly shifted, his vision blurred, and he found himself back in his own cave dwelling.

Recalling that moment, when his saber struck the opponent's neck, a sudden force clearly obstructed the Mountain Rock Saber, preventing him from cutting deeper.

The power of a Starry Sky Supreme Treasure was indeed extraordinary. The protection afforded to cultivators participating in battles was also quite interesting, undoubtedly providing them a more perfect combat experience without any concerns.

He wondered if the Asura Battlefield's personal treasure had this ability. If it did, its value would be immense. If it could be brought back to the Nine Provinces, cultivators there could rapidly accumulate a vast amount of combat experience, specifically the kind gained from true life-or-death struggles.

He checked his Asura Token. There wasn't much change in his ranking. It had been 533,572, and now it was 533,569, only an increase of three positions.

Lu Ye pondered briefly and understood why the change occurred.

It wasn't because he had defeated the Ghost Cultivator. For cultivators participating in the Combat Arena for the first time, their true ranking was only determined after ten battles. Rankings before these ten battles were not final; the Asura Battlefield would assign an initial ranking based on a cultivator's performance in these ten battles. The better the performance, the higher the initial ranking—this was one of the Combat Arena's rules.

The reason for advancing three positions undoubtedly meant that in the short time that had passed, three Moon Realm cultivators had either left the Asura Battlefield or died.