Qin Siyang made money easily, and Li Tianming made money even more easily.
Following Qin Siyang for a stroll outside the safe zone, over thirty silver coins landed in their hands.
Qin Siyang felt a bit of heartache, but he didn't plan to pocket the money unfairly.
Even though Li Tianming hadn't put in any actual effort, he had been by Qin Siyang's side the whole time, looking after his safety and staying on high alert.
Both emotionally and logically, he should be compensated according to the agreed price.
Besides, his partnership with Li Tianming was long-term—it wasn't a one-time deal where they'd go their separate ways afterward.
Over thirty silver coins—'fine, let it go.'
Having been poor for so long, Qin Siyang couldn't wait even a second longer.
The nearest Sequence Ability Users Management Bureau was the one in District 14121, where Qian Wenzhao was located.
Qin Siyang immediately decided to go there and claim his reward.
Just as he picked up his empty backpack and was about to turn and leave, someone suddenly called out to him.
"Wait a moment."
Qin Siyang turned around and saw that it was John.
"What do you want?"
"I challenge you to the combat arena."
Qin Siyang frowned, "Combat arena? What's that? A place to fight?"
"Yes. Come to the combat arena and face me in battle."
"Why should I fight you?"
"Are you scared?"
Qin Siyang was a little stunned. He glanced at the blond-haired John, who was glaring at him angrily, then turned to Li Tianming, "Did this golden retriever get hit in the head or something?"
Li Tianming explained, "You must've heard earlier—he used to be in the top five rankings at this exit, which gave him special privileges. Now that your ranking is higher, you've taken his privilege away, so he wants to challenge you in the combat arena."
"Hold on, that's a lot to take in."
Qin Siyang sorted through Li Tianming's words and asked first, "What kind of privilege?"
"The staff managing each safe zone exit have performance targets. The more gods are hunted through their assigned exit, the more rewards they receive. So, to encourage strong god-hunting teams to use their exit, the management offers rewards to the top five ranked hunters."
"This reward system is officially recognized by both the Management Bureau and the United Government."
Qin Siyang looked at the verification officer, "What's the privilege for Exit 38324?"
The verification officer remained expressionless, "One extra copper coin per payout."
"Wait, doesn't that mean I should get 880,000 copper coins?"
Qin Siyang's eyes widened, and he pointed at the verification officer, "You son of a—were you trying to pocket my privilege reward?"
The verification officer snorted, "You only gained the privilege after today. Anything before that doesn't count."
"Oh, my bad. I've been poor for too long, so I kinda lost my temper. Forgive me, yeah?"
"Hmph!"
Qin Siyang quickly put on a smile and apologized to the verification officer.
Li Tianming sighed helplessly at Qin Siyang's shameless change of attitude, 'A little embarrassing.'
"So, I took his privilege, but shouldn't he just work harder to hunt gods and earn it back? Why come after me for a fight? Also, what exactly is the combat arena?"
"Conflicts between Sequence Ability Users are inevitable. The combat arena is an official venue provided by the United Government for resolving disputes between Sequence Ability Users."
"Before entering the arena, both participants agree on a wager. After the fight, the winner claims the agreed-upon prize."
"That's right!", John, having waited for Li Tianming to finish explaining, then said to Qin Siyang, "I want to bet against you for the privilege of Exit 38324!"
"You're insane. Why would I gamble with you?"
John gritted his teeth, "I'll give you one silver coin!"
"Get lost. That little bit of money isn't even worth my time."
"If I lose, I'll give you a bottle of Sequence Elixir."
"I already have eighty bottles. Why would I need yours?"
"I'll follow your orders for two years!"
"I'm busy. No time to raise a dog."
"You—"
John was fuming.
He had to reclaim his privilege.
It wasn't just about the money—it was about his status.
At the safe zone exit, the most humiliating thing was losing a privilege that was once yours.
Especially to some random newbie who relied purely on luck and had zero real ability.
But Qin Siyang had no intention of fighting him in the combat arena.
No matter what John said, it was useless.
After all, his Sequence Ability wasn't really Phantom Assassin. If he got exposed in the arena, wouldn't that be a disaster?
Just as he was about to leave, John blocked his way and said, word by word, "I looked into it—you're in the Phantom Assassin sequence. If I lose, I'll give you a god-hunting weapon—'Blind Judge'."
"Blind Judge? I don't need—"
Before Qin Siyang could refuse, Li Tianming pulled him aside.
Li Tianming whispered in his ear, "That's a good item. You should accept the challenge."
"How good?"
"So good that even if you had money, you wouldn't be able to buy it."
"What kind of thing can't be bought with money?"
Qin Siyang wasn't convinced.
In his understanding, rich people could have everything. Except peace of mind.
Li Tianming explained, "God-hunting weapons are crafted by Sequence Ability Users in the Forging sequence. You should know—not all Sequence Ability Users care about money."
"God-hunting weapons are that impressive? Why haven't I heard about them in Godslayer Camp?"
Li Tianming chuckled. "Sequence Ability Users who qualify to own god-hunting weapons wouldn't bother with a public forum like Godslayer Camp."
So basically, his perspective was still too narrow?
It seemed that forum wasn't all that useful after all.
At least, not for Qin Siyang anymore.
If he wanted broader horizons, he needed a higher platform.
Now, he was even more eager to attend the Sequence Ability Users Academy.
God-hunting weapons sounded amazing, but Qin Siyang still couldn't accept the fight.
He wasn't about to expose his fake Sequence Ability for the sake of a weapon.
He was about to refuse again when Li Tianming whispered, "You don't have to worry. The combat arena has no spectators—it'll be just the two of you in there. Whatever happens inside, no one else will know."
"Huh? Why?"
"Every Sequence Ability User has their own trump cards. They don't want those secrets to be exposed. So, according to their demands, the United Government made the combat arena completely private."
"Then how do they determine the winner?"
"You wear a special surrender wristband when entering. Tap it three times to concede. Once one person surrenders, the fight ends, and the winner takes the wager."
Qin Siyang nodded, 'That makes sense.'
If there were only two participants, one could surrender in the arena but deny it afterward.
However, surrendering wasn't what Qin Siyang was concerned about.
He quietly asked, "What if I kill him? Will there be trouble?"
"No. Once you enter the combat arena, life and death are your own responsibility."
Qin Siyang's eyes lit up.
'No consequences for killing?'
'Now, this is getting interesting!'
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