Teng Qingshan turned his head, seeing a handsome youth being escorted by several people, walking over with a smile—it was Young Master Li.

“Sir—” Young Master Li began to speak, but stopped dead in his tracks.

Teng Qingshan had completely ignored his presence, not even acknowledging him, and was instead addressing the slightly built, small-eyed fat man, “I’ll take both of those Crimson Wind War Hounds you have here!”

“Six thousand taels of silver for the pair. I’ll go fetch the Head Steward.” The small-eyed fat man was visibly thrilled and hurried off to call the steward in charge.

Young Master Li, having been so blatantly disregarded by Teng Qingshan, couldn't help but feel a surge of annoyance, though he took a deep breath to forcefully suppress his anger.

I wonder which Martial Saint expert on the Duanmu Continent isn't arrogant? It would be strange if they weren't proud, Young Master Li tried to reason with himself. Father always said that when dealing with those at the Martial Saint level, one must be sincere! Only then might it be possible to truly enlist their aid. Though he couldn't precisely gauge Teng Qingshan's strength, Young Master Li judged that the man before him very likely stood at the Martial Saint tier.

“Are you gentlemen looking to purchase both Crimson Wind War Hounds?” An elder dressed in brocade robes smiled towards Teng Qingshan and his companions. Suddenly, his gaze flicked to Young Master Li standing to the side, and he gasped in shock, immediately bowing deeply in greeting. “Young Master!”

“Mm.”

Only then did Young Master Li step forward with a smile, turning to Teng Qingshan. “Sir, please accept these two Crimson Wind War Hounds as a gift from me.” On the Duanmu Continent, the appellation ‘Sir’ was generally reserved for those accorded the deepest respect.

“Thank you!” Teng Qingshan replied calmly. He certainly wasn't one to refuse a gift. Why say no if something was offered freely?

“Sir, there is a place nearby to rest and have tea.” Young Master Li said with a smile. “Sir, shall we go there together…”

“No need. I still need to purchase some other items,” Teng Qingshan stated.

“Whatever Sir intends to buy, please just say the word. I will instruct my servants to handle it,” Young Master Li continued smoothly.

A thought sparked in Teng Qingshan’s mind, and he glanced at Young Master Li with a flicker of interest, thinking, Let’s see what this little fellow is truly plotting. In Teng Qingshan’s estimation... the young master of the Fang family was indeed just a little fellow! After all, based on Teng Qingshan’s understanding, the Duanmu Continent had thirty-six major cities and over a hundred minor ones.

By rough estimates, although the Duanmu Continent covered the territory of two of the Nine Provinces’ lands, its population was only around two to three hundred million. While there were quite a few Xiantian realm experts, when distributed across the major cities, perhaps only one or two Xiantian experts per city. Some powerful families might have a few Martial Saints. Weaker families might not have any Martial Saints at all.

Martial Saints? The Martial Saints of the Duanmu Continent are merely at the Xiantian level—what are they to me! Teng Qingshan was now merely a single step away from breaking through to the Void Realm. At the Xiantian level, he suspected few could stand against him. With such strength... he indeed had the right to disregard a mere Fang family.

If every Martial Saint on the entire continent were to gather here, it would only take a few thrusts of my spear, Teng Qingshan thought, his confidence rooted in his actual power.

“I wish to purchase a carriage—the finest kind!” Teng Qingshan smiled. “One capable of bearing ten thousand catties of cargo while still maintaining swift travel speed.”

Young Master Li blinked slightly. Ten thousand catties of cargo? Most carriages would have their axles buckle under such a load, so Teng Qingshan’s request was indeed quite demanding.

“Consider it done. My men will bring the carriage in an hour,” Young Master Li replied readily.

“The silver for this...” Teng Qingshan began to speak.

Young Master Li cut him off immediately, “Such trivial expense—Fang Li does not care for it. Sir, shall we sit and have tea over there?”

Teng Qingshan glanced at Li Jun and nodded with a smile. At this moment, Young Master Li wouldn’t spare a second glance for the alluring Li Jun. In his eyes, Teng Qingshan was infinitely more important than a beautiful woman. On the turbulent Duanmu Continent, true power was what attracted all the great families.

On the second floor of a large structure resembling a courtyard house in the slave market district.

Teng Qingshan, Li Jun, and Young Master Li were seated around a square table. Their gaze passed over the open latticework beside them, clearly showing the vast courtyard in the center of the building. This large structure was built in a '' shape, and the central courtyard spanned at least fifteen zhang in length and width.

Currently, a massive iron cage, ten zhang long, ten zhang wide, and over one zhang high, was placed squarely in the middle of the courtyard. A faint, chilling scent of blood seemed to emanate from the huge metal enclosure.

“Hmm, what is this iron cage for?” Teng Qingshan asked, surprised.

“Sir doesn't know?” Young Master Li looked somewhat astonished.

Li Jun, standing nearby, explained, “My older brother is visiting the slave market for the first time, so he’s unfamiliar with such places.” Young Master Li nodded in sudden understanding and smiled. “I imagine Sir must have heard of ‘Caged Arena Combat,’ correct? This, Sir, is the so-called ‘Cage.’”

“Caged Arena Combat?” Teng Qingshan understood immediately. From Young Master Li’s tone, it seemed everyone on the Duanmu Continent was expected to know what this was.

Young Master Li continued, “It should start shortly.”

Teng Qingshan and Li Jun both focused their attention downwards. The entire first floor of the large structure was already packed with guests, all chatting excitedly.

“For the first match today, Second Brother, are you betting on a man or a beast?”

“I lost betting on a man yesterday, but I refuse to lose again today. I’m still betting on the man!”

“Boss Wang, you won several thousand taels of silver yesterday, didn’t you?”

Murmurs of discussion rose from the floor below. Teng Qingshan listened and began to grasp the situation: “From what they’re saying, this Caged Arena Combat involves putting one human and one wild beast into this large iron cage. They fight until only one survives! The spectators around can then bet on which side will win!”

“Roar~~” A sudden, deep roar of a beast echoed.

The entire building fell silent. Teng Qingshan peered down from the second floor and saw two figures entering through the main entrance. The first was a burly man, almost ten feet tall, clad in animal hides, his face carved like rough stone. In his hand, larger than a human face, he gripped an iron chain tethering a snow-white Snow Lion. Following him was another giant, equally tall, dragging a lean, scarred man whose limbs were bound by heavy chains.

“Hmm?” Teng Qingshan watched the two figures leading the chain with surprise.

“So tall?” Li Jun also gasped. On the Nine Provinces Continent, a height of ten feet (two and a half meters) was extremely rare. Yet, two such figures appeared here at once.

“Sir, those two are from the distant northern regions, from the Stone-Green Clan near Green Stone Lake in the Northern Desolate Domain,” Young Master Li explained with a smile. “The Stone-Green Clan lives year-round in the extreme northern cold; most people couldn't survive there. Every Stone-Green Clan member is physically robust, possessing innate divine strength! Every adult Stone-Green Clan member stands nearly ten feet tall, is born with a strength of two to three thousand catties, and fears no severe cold.”

Teng Qingshan marveled internally. A ten-foot-tall physique truly qualified them as giants!

The Sovereign Yu once told me that the environment of the North Sea Continent was harsh, Teng Qingshan reflected. Survival of the fittest—any race that can endure such a hostile environment must possess formidable inherent strengths.

In the courtyard below.

A middle-aged man wearing a golden felt cap and a thick fur coat laughed loudly. “Distinguished guests, the usual rules apply! Today’s first match is Man versus Beast. The slave designated to fight has already competed twice before—both times Man versus Man, and both times he killed the other two. This Snow Lion has fought once before and tore the human he fought to pieces.”

“Man wins, pays 1 to 3. Snow Lion wins, pays 1 to 1.3. Please place your bets!”

The first floor immediately erupted into noise, with bets being called out continuously. The second floor was comparatively quiet. Attendants moved discreetly from table to table to inquire.

“Honored guests, would you like to place a bet?” A young boy with bright eyes looked toward Teng Qingshan and Young Master Li.

“Sir, shall we try a hand?” Young Master Li grinned.

Teng Qingshan looked down below, then took a small piece of silver from his pocket. “One tael of silver, betting on the Man to win!” He noted that the odds clearly indicated the probability of the man winning was exceptionally low.

“One tael of silver?” Guests on the second floor nearby were somewhat taken aback, as even sipping tea up here cost dozens of taels, and typical wagers started at a hundred taels or more... even most bettors on the first floor rarely staked less than ten taels. However, seeing Young Master Li nearby, no one dared to comment.

“Is that too little?” Teng Qingshan asked the boy.

“No, no,” the boy said quickly, accepting the silver.

“I’ll also take one tael of silver, betting on the Beast to win,” Young Master Li laughed.

The boy accepted the wager with a faint grimace. Soon after, he delivered both betting slips.

“Roar~~~” A heaven-shaking roar echoed through the building. The powerful Snow Lion had been released into the iron cage. Once freed from its restraints, the lion roared, clawing at the surrounding iron bars, causing the specialized cage to vibrate violently and emit a jarring clang.

“Everyone, betting is closed!”

“The Caged Arena Combat begins!”

The middle-aged announcer shouted, and another Stone-Green tribesman quickly unchained the slave, pulling him into the cage before slamming the door shut and tossing in a short knife.

“Clang!” The iron door closed again.

Now, inside the massive cage, there was only one man and one beast.

“Ahhh!” The slave in the cage shrieked like a wild animal, the short knife flashing as he continuously dodged within the cage. The Snow Lion, however, advanced slowly and deliberately, seemingly searching for an opening. Clearly, the beast recognized that the human before it was no easy opponent.

Suddenly—

Whoosh!

The Snow Lion lunged with lightning speed, aiming directly for the slave.

“Ah!” The slave’s eyes turned bloodshot, his face contorted in ferocity. With a fierce cry, he plunged his knife forward in the split second before impact.

“Thump!”

The Snow Lion’s massive body slammed the slave against the edge of the cage, shaking the structure violently. The lion was already falling, its strength failing. But the slave, holding onto the lion's head, roared and relentlessly thrust his short knife again and again into the Snow Lion’s neck.

Blood stained the white fur crimson.

“Awoo~~” The slave threw his head back and let out a cry of triumph; he had survived. Though other fights lay ahead, he had, for now, escaped death.

“Hahaha, I won!”

“Damn it, I lost several thousand taels of silver, but I finally won once!”

The entire building erupted in cheers.

“Sir, you won,” Young Master Li said, turning to Teng Qingshan with a smile. “I’ve been to the Caged Arena Combat many times, but for the man to win against the beast, I’ve only seen it happen three times. This is the third.”

Teng Qingshan smiled faintly and cast a glance down at the surviving slave.

“Do you know who is the most famous slave from this Caged Arena Combat?” Young Master Li asked.

“No,” Teng Qingshan shook his head.

The tall middle-aged man beside Young Master Li, clearly aware of his young master’s thoughts, spoke up with a smile. “There was once a legendarily fierce slave in the Caged Arena Combat. It is said that as a child, he was thrown into a den of wild beasts, yet he grew up drinking their milk, possessing innate divine strength! Although he never cultivated any Neijin (Internal Energy), his physical strength surpassed that of Neijin masters. He fought ninety-eight matches in the Cage, winning every single one. He even tore apart a late-stage Houtian peak expert alive. This slave was known by all as the ‘Fierce Beast.’”

Teng Qingshan felt a touch of surprise. Not cultivating Neijin, yet able to tear apart a Houtian peak expert alive?

Could it be that he also practices an internal martial art? Teng Qingshan harbored this strange thought.