There were too many terms in this sentence that Roland could not understand.
"Benefits, factions, conflicts."
A confused expression appeared on Leaf's face.
"That is to say, everyone wants to be an ace gladiator, but in this game of life and death, there will only be one winner and many losers. If the losers work together to deal with the winners, no matter how strong the winners are, they will have a hard time dealing with them. They might even need some 'small' help."
The black-haired rat man explained.
That was true.
In Turanze, gladiators were not forced slaves. Instead, they represented unparalleled glory and countless benefits.
As long as they could win consecutive battles, they could become an ace gladiator.
Even if they were dishonorable prisoners of war, they could enjoy the cheers of the crowd.
Even if they did not have the blood of Minotaurs, Centaurs, Boars, or Elephantmen flowing in their veins, even if they had wings and shells, they could still become nobles and generals of the Blood Hoof Tribe.
There was also the freshest meat of totem beasts, weapons made from bones with natural totem patterns, and even the strongest totems.
Everything that the warriors of Turanze desired could be obtained through victory after victory in the arena.
Therefore, no one was against it. They were even willing to pay any price to become an ace gladiator.
The competition between the ace gladiators was extremely intense, just like the black-haired rat man had said.
Ye had never participated in a real gladiatorial competition in Black Horn City.
But he knew that the gladiatorial competition here was a hundred times crueler than the games in the village.
The death rate of gladiators was extremely high.
Even the publicly recognized ace gladiators could not survive more than a few dozen matches.
Not to mention the beginning of the Glory Era.
The five big clans and the small clans were busy recruiting warriors to build an army.
It was easy to find an army of a thousand, but it was hard to find a good general. The tradition of the Turanze people was to choose the bravest general from the ace gladiators.
Therefore, the competition in the gladiatorial competition was a hundred times more intense than usual.
Even the children of the nobles with the bloodline of Glory would come to the gladiatorial arena and use their indisputable performance to win the opportunity to lead the army into battle.
"That's right."
After listening to Leaf's introduction, the black-haired rat man's eyes shone with a profound light.
He said, "In such a fierce and cruel arena, there are always some ace gladiators who have won glorious victories and stood at the peak that no one can reach. But because of the continuous bloody battles and the accumulation of hidden injuries, they gradually lost their strength and might be killed by a stronger challenger at any time.
"There were also some challengers who showed off their abilities when they first appeared. They won consecutive battles and charged fiercely, posing a great threat to the aces. The aces worked together and used despicable and shameless methods to plot against and persecute them.
"Some of the ace gladiators have unknown pasts, and they have accumulated old and new grudges that cannot be resolved. Not to mention that the Turanians are all honorable people who are willing to accept their losses, I don't believe that no matter how beautiful a person's words are, it is impossible for them to have no feelings or grudges at all.
"Alright, even if there's no hatred, what about conflicts of interest? I'm told that the most generous prize in the gladiatorial game is a very powerful totem, and the totem is the source of the Turanians' strength. Since it is the most powerful totem, it is naturally impossible for everyone to have one. Only the winner deserves it.
"Then, will the losers be convinced and watch the winner take everything away without any hesitation?
"There must be a conflict in this.
"If there is a conflict, there will be opportunities for us.
"I want you to observe carefully and find a person who has conflicts with other ace gladiators and even the arena itself.
"No matter if he has been glorious in the past and is about to fall, or if he is young and arrogant, but he is still one breath away from reaching the peak and is faced with greater dangers, or if he has just obtained a powerful totem but is coveted by countless losers, or if he has an irreconcilable grudge against a stronger opponent that he cannot defeat, I want you to find an ace gladiator who is about to fall from the clouds into an abyss or who is looking up at the clouds from the abyss but cannot climb up with his own strength. Do you understand?"
It was a long speech.
But Leaf still understood it.
The higher one climbed, the harder they would fall.
In the Half Mountain Village, those who fell from the cliff to their death were usually the most agile ones. They climbed to the top of the Mandala Tree and wanted to pick the Golden Fruits. Some of them even had the Golden Fruits in their hands.
For such people, the moment they were about to fall into the abyss, even if it was not their companion's hand that reached out to them but a hissing venomous snake, they would not let go.
As for looking up at the clouds from the abyss …
Wasn't that what he was doing?
"You are smarter than I thought."
Looking at the teenager's expression of sudden realization, the black-haired rat man was slightly surprised, but he was very satisfied.
He continued, "Once you find a suitable candidate, the next step will be simple. You just need to find a chance to wander around in front of him and unintentionally reveal the ability I taught you.
"I believe that the ace gladiator in the Blood Skull Arena must be someone who knows what's good and bad. He will be able to see the value of these abilities.
"It doesn't matter whether he threatens you or seduces you. Just tell him about my existence.
"For now, this is what I want you to do. When we meet again on the surface, we can slowly discuss the next step of the plan."
Yezi's mind raced.
He understood the black-haired rat man's intentions.
"You want to attract the attention of the ace gladiator and become his servant soldier, assistant, and companion?"
The teenager asked suspiciously. "But why do you want me to go? Isn't it more convenient for you to do it yourself?"
For some reason, when he heard the black-haired rat man confidently devise strategies and give him pointers …
The young man suddenly had a terrifying thought.
Even if the black-haired rat man was covered in wounds, as if every last drop of blood had flowed out of his body …
However, as long as he willed it, he could kill all the rat people in this cage without leaving a single soul behind.
No, it was not just this cage.
It was not just the rat people.
The teenager shuddered.
"For now, I don't want to attract too much attention, at least not before I recover from my injuries," the black-haired rat man said faintly.
"Darkness is my greatest advantage. It can help me think calmly and discover enemies who are also lurking in the darkness but are not as calm as I am.
"Tell me, Yezi, have you ever hunted before?"
Yezi shook his head.
Most rat people were farmers and gatherers.
Hunting was the work of the brave, and it was also the right of the brave.
"When hunting, there will be a lot of people following the prey openly. They will chase after the prey with great fanfare. They will chase the prey until it is exhausted and dizzy. However, in the end, the one who will deliver the fatal blow to the prey is usually not them, but the person lurking in the darkness, observing the whole situation calmly and locking on to the prey's vital points."
The black-haired rat man said, "Being a grower and a gatherer is an essential profession for a civilization, but if you want to become stronger and avenge your family and home, you must become a hunter, a … harvester."
The black-haired rat man's gaze made the teenager's mouth dry and his heart tremble.
He really wanted to know what the black-haired rat man wanted to hunt with him.
However, he vaguely understood that even if the black-haired rat man told him the answer, he would not be able to understand.
Or rather, he did not dare to understand.
"I, I can't."
Yezi swallowed hard and stammered, "What you said is too complicated, too difficult, I can't do it."
"If you don't try, how would you know?"
The black-haired rat man said. "Even if you don't have confidence in yourself, at the very least, you should have confidence in my judgment. Why do you think I used up my precious energy to talk so much to you and was even willing to invest the energy that was supposed to be used to heal myself into you?
"It's not just because you've already cultivated your vitality magnetic field and have the ability to soften and extend your body at will.
"It's also because of your performance when you fought for the fried Mandala Fruit just now. You observed carefully, thought calmly, lurked around, created chaos, took advantage of the chaos, and quietly launched the final attack.
"Yezi, you have the potential to become an assassin. This mission won't be difficult for you.
"It's also because you haven't been brainwashed by glory and forgotten all your hatred.
"Then, why don't you give it a try? Walk out of this place side by side with me and see what exactly is hidden behind the so-called 'glory'?"
The black-haired rat man opened his palm to Yezi in the dirty water.
Through the dark water, the teenager felt like he could see the rat man's palm lines shining, like a faint golden flame.
The golden flame had a strange attraction, and the teenager instinctively extended his hand.
His hand was immediately glued to the black-haired rat man's hand.
An electric current surged into Yezi's arm from the black-haired rat man's palm. It went through his blood vessels and nerves and went straight to his heart.
Yezi instantly widened his eyes.
He felt the heart-wrenching pain of being sliced by a thousand blades.
He remembered a time when lightning flashed and thunder roared in his hometown. A bolt of lightning had struck a Mandala Tree at the top of a mountain and split the towering tree in half. It was then burned to a crisp.
That was the pain he felt at that moment!
But he could not make a single sound, and he could not move his limbs either.
It was as if a mysterious power had taken control of every bundle of muscles and tendons.
Even the trembling of his muscles was out of his control.
A few red-eyed rat men noticed the abnormality between them.
But they had no interest in meddling in other people's business.
In the depths of the underground prison, where energy was incredibly precious, everyone was resting and waiting quietly for the next round of food to be delivered to them.
No one was willing to waste their energy on two people who were definitely going to die.
An unknown amount of time passed.
The pain faded away like a receding tide.
Yezi gradually regained his ability to shout and move.
But the inhuman pain had already disappeared without a trace.
What replaced it was a feeling the teenager had never experienced before.
Yezi felt that the shining lines and arrows in his body seemed to be thicker and brighter than before.
The little sparkling figures dancing in his mind were also more active than before.
He clenched his fists lightly underwater. He could feel that his body was filled with unprecedented power.
"This is …"
Yezi could not believe it. He was surprised and delighted.
"Don't be happy too early. The concoction isn't over yet," the black-haired rat man said.
"Now, you must lie down and focus. You must look like you're sleeping, but you're not. Sense the spirit energy I just poured into your body, and rely on your own strength to make the spirit energy circulate.
"Remember, the faster these shining lines and arrows spin, the faster they can reach the center of your brows, your fingertips, your heart … The more places they reach, the stronger your strength will become!"
"I-I understand. Thank you, uncle. I'll definitely train seriously and complete the mission!"
Yezi was so excited that his face turned red. He no longer doubted the black-haired rat man. He thought about it and asked respectfully, "I almost forgot. How should I address you, uncle?"
"My name is Meng Chao."
A faint light shone in the strange rat man's eyes as he spoke calmly.
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