The charming widow of the Marquis's mansion: The stable boy carries the flag and raises the dra

Ye Niannu also tried to condense it, and a wisp of light green silk thread emerged from her fingertip, finer and softer than Wang Long's, like the tenderest willow branch in spring.

With a gentle shake, the silk thread twirled gracefully in the air a few times before disappearing.

"It's definitely different now."

She nodded thoughtfully.

"When I used my mental power before, it always felt like I was holding a rough rock. I could hit people, but I couldn't hit them accurately."

"It feels like... I have a needle in my hand, and I can stab wherever I want, much more precisely."

Wang Long smiled, retracted the strand of silk, and thought for a moment before speaking.

"Now that we have a new way to use our spiritual power, why not give it a try? Isn't there a fighting arena in the center of the Spirit Realm? That's a good opportunity to test it out."

Ye Niannu's eyes lit up, the lingering sadness from before completely dispelled, replaced by a surge of eager excitement.

"Great! I'd love to try it out myself and see if that breakthrough I just made really did make me stronger."

The two left without lingering in the Heart Forging Domain.

As they crossed the vast, gray-white plain, the cultivators practicing in various strange postures occasionally glanced up at them, their eyes filled with curiosity and scrutiny.

Several people recognized Wang Long and Ye Niannu, and whispered, "It's those two."

The voice was kept low, but it still drifted over on the wind.

"I heard they drove the Holy Sons and Holy Daughters of the Qian Yuan Sect out of the Second Region..."

"How can someone from the Eastern Region be this powerful?"

"I don't know, just don't mess with them."

The chatter was quickly left behind, and the flat, gray-white ground beneath their feet began to show subtle changes, first cracking with fine lines.

Like a dried-up riverbed, the lines gradually deepened, forming a network of crisscrossing gullies.

After walking for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the terrain suddenly opened up, and a huge circular area appeared in view.

That is the fourth arena of the Spirit Realm!

The arena was much more lively than Wang Long had expected.

At least a thousand people sat around the edge of the circular area, a dense, dark mass of heads.

Some sat cross-legged on the ground, some leaned against the stone pillars at the edge of the field, and some simply stood on higher ground a little further away, looking down at the center of the field.

In the center of the arena, two figures were fiercely clashing. Their weapons, formed from concentrated spiritual energy, collided repeatedly in the air, producing a dense clang and scattering light fragments, drawing cheers from the surrounding crowd.

At the edge of the arena, several monks dressed in various colors were squatting on a protruding rock, with a simple betting table drawn in an unknown way in front of them, shouting at the top of their lungs.

"Bet on the left! Bet on the left! Odds 1 to 3! Odds on the right are 1 to 1.5! Place your bets now and never return them! No refunds for mental or physical collapse!"

People nearby laughed and cursed.

"Who would bet on the left side with these odds? Are you taking advantage of newbies who don't know anything?"

"Do you even know what venture capital is? What if you bet on the left and win? Getting rich is just a thought away!"

"Screw your get-rich-quick scheme! You can't even take a single spirit stone out of the Spirit Realm. What kind of get-rich-quick scheme is that?"

The sounds of those placing bets, stirring up trouble, and watching the spectacle mingled together, enveloping the entire arena in a cacophony of noise.

As Wang Long and Ye Niannu approached, before they could even get a good look at the battle between the two people in the center of the arena, several pairs of eyes noticed the two unfamiliar faces.

A young cultivator sitting at the edge of the field, holding a blade of grass in his hand, turned his head, looked the two of them up and down, and grinned.

"Hey, new face! First time in the arena? Want to join the fray for a game?"

His companion next to him also came over, his gaze lingering on Ye Niannu's face for a moment before he chimed in with a grin.

"You two are together? If you're looking for opponents, I have a few brothers here who's currently free!"

Several cultivators who had been chatting nearby also started laughing, their tone tinged with a mix of teasing and curiosity, clearly mistaking them for newcomers who had just arrived in the Spirit Realm and were not yet familiar with the rules of the arena.

Wang Long ignored the commotion and looked past the crowd, focusing on the center of the field.

The battle between the two figures was nearing its end.

The man on the left seized an opening, and a solid blade of mental energy swept diagonally across the opponent's defensive circle, striking his vital chest.

The person on the right suddenly stiffened, then began to disintegrate from the crack, turning into specks of light and dissipating into the air.

The winner steadied himself, slightly out of breath, with a satisfied smile on his face. He clasped his hands in a fist salute towards the sidelines, then jumped off the stage and was escorted by the crowd towards the betting area.

"It's really lively."

Ye Niannu looked around, her peach blossom eyes gleaming with interest, and turned to Wang Long.

"My lord, shall we give it a try?"

Wang Long nodded and was about to walk towards the edge of the field when a burly man in a dark gray short-sleeved shirt squeezed out of the crowd, strode up to them, looked them up and down, and grinned.

"Newbie? Want to step into the ring? Come on, I'll play with you!"

As he spoke, he winked at Wang Long, his tone slightly mischievous.

"But let me tell you first, don't cry if you lose."

Upon hearing this, the onlookers immediately perked up and began to clamor.

"Old Zhao, what kind of skill is it to bully a newbie!"

"Exactly! The young lady is still here!"

"Old Zhao, you weren't this aggressive when that guy from the Qian Yuan Sect beat you up last month!"

The burly man called Old Zhao, whose past was exposed by everyone, was not angry. He just laughed and scolded, "Go away, go away," and then looked at Wang Long again, patting his chest.

"Are you going to fight or not? If not, I'm going to find someone else!"

Wang Long looked at him and asked calmly.

"How do we fight?"

Upon hearing that there was hope, Old Zhao's eyes lit up. He immediately took out a grayish-white round jade pendant from his pocket, waved it at Wang Long, and began to introduce it to him with practiced ease.

"It's very simple. The rules of the arena are that as long as both parties are willing, they can stand in the center of the arena and a mental contract will be automatically generated. The loser will lose all the mental power they have accumulated. In other words, all the wealth you have accumulated in the spiritual realm these past few days will go to the winner."

As he spoke, he added another sentence.

"Of course, if you haven't accumulated any wealth, you won't feel bad about losing."

Wang Long and Ye Niannu exchanged a glance, and then spoke.

"Then let's give it a try."

Ye Niannu smiled and agreed, released Wang Long's arm, took a few steps back, and stood in the crowd at the edge of the venue, arms crossed, looking like she was waiting to watch the show.

Old Zhao grinned, said no more, turned around and strode toward the center of the field, each step carrying the steadiness and composure of someone who had been through many battles.

Wang Long followed him at a leisurely pace. The two stopped in the center of the field, about ten feet apart, and each stopped walking.

The surrounding noise quieted down a bit at this moment, and the cultivators who were watching the spectacle adjusted their postures, with some shouting from the side.

"Old Zhao, go easy on him! Don't chase him away!"

"Newbie! Good luck! If you beat Old Zhao, I'll buy you a drink!"

"Wine my foot! Where would you find wine in the Spirit Realm!"