Lin Bai and Ban Ye left the Martial Arts Competition Arena and came to a passageway within the Fighting Arena. Below it, there was a vast underground palace, with many warriors coming and going.

"This place is..."

Lin Bai looked around.

Ban Ye said calmly, "This is the Underground Casino. For every martial arts competition, the Fighting Arena sets up payouts and bets within the casino. You can bet merit points, or you can bet spirit liquid — there are no restrictions!"

"In fact, this Underground Casino is the main profit center within the Fighting Arena!"

Lin Bai nodded slightly.

Immediately, Lin Bai and Ban Ye passed through the Underground Casino and arrived before a stone door.

There were two strong men guarding the stone door. Seeing Lin Bai and Ban Ye approach, they immediately shouted, "Halt! This is a restricted area. If you want to place bets, please go outside!"

Ban Ye nodded and smiled, directly stating his purpose, "This young brother beside me wants to become a fighter in the Fighting Arena!"

The two strong men glanced at Lin Bai, seeing his small stature, young age, and low cultivation, and said with disdain, "A warrior in his early twenties, with a mere Death Reversal Realm Seventh Layer cultivation, isn’t he just coming here to die?"

"Fighters in the Fighting Arena typically have Death Reversal Realm Great Perfection cultivation. I advise you not to throw your life away; go back to where you came from."

Although the two strong men looked fierce, they reminded Lin Bai out of goodwill.

Lin Bai smiled and said, "I understand your good intentions, but I want to give it a try. I wonder if you could give me this opportunity!"

The two strong men exchanged a look and said blandly, "In the Fighting Arena, any cultivation above Death Reversal Realm can participate, as long as it is below the Wending Realm. Since you insist on trying, go on in then!"

As they spoke, the two strong men opened the stone door behind them and spoke to Lin Bai.

Lin Bai stepped in, and the two strong men stopped Ban Ye, not allowing him in.

Entering through the stone door, there was a simple stone chamber ahead, with a very slovenly old man sitting inside. He held a carving knife in his left hand and a mask in his right.

At that moment, he was carving this mask, showing a satisfied expression on his face.

When he saw Lin Bai come in, he smiled and said, "Are you here to become a fighter in the Fighting Arena?"

Lin Bai nodded and said, "Yes!"

The slovenly old man chuckled, "Death Reversal Realm Seventh Layer cultivation, hmm, you have some guts, kid. Since you’ve gotten this far, it shows you’ve made up your mind!"

"So, I won’t try to dissuade you any further!"

"Now I’ll briefly explain the rules of the Fighting Arena to you!"

"In the Fighting Arena, any warrior of the Death Reversal Realm can participate!"

"As a new fighter, in your first three bouts in the Fighting Arena, there are no rewards; this is a test for new fighters!"

"If you pass, from the fourth bout onward, you officially become a fighter in the Fighting Arena. After becoming a fighter, whenever you win a bout, you earn one thousand merits!"

"Moreover, in the Fighting Arena, there are winning streak bonuses!"

"Win ten matches in a row, and you get a thousand merit points!"

"Win twenty matches in a row, and you get two thousand merit points!"

"And so on, with no upper limit!"

"Got it?"

The slovenly old man said with a smile.

Upon hearing the rules of the Fighting Arena, which were no different from what Ban Ye said, Lin Bai nodded faintly and said, "I understand!"

"Good, now choose your mask!" The slovenly old man waved his hand, and suddenly, the dim stone chamber lit up, illuminating all around.

Lin Bai saw that there were many shelves around the stone chamber, each displaying meticulously carved masks!

"What does this mean?" Lin Bai asked curiously.

The slovenly old man smiled and said, "This is the reward for every warrior who becomes a fighter here in the Fighting Arena!"

"Don’t underestimate these masks!"

"Once you put on one of these masks, no warrior can see your face by any means, unless you take it off yourself. Otherwise, no one can remove your mask!"

"This mask will be your identity within the Fighting Arena from now on!"

"Of course, if one day you no longer want to be a fighter in the Fighting Arena and decide to leave, if you want to kill and rob outside, this mask can also conceal your identity!"

"After you receive the mask, you can choose whether to wear it or not. It’s entirely up to you!"

The slovenly old man said with a cheerful smile.

Lin Bai walked up to these shelves, looking at the meticulously carved masks on them.

There were masks depicting grimacing evil ghosts.

There were ones with Yecha holding steel forks!

There were gold-faced Human Emperors!

There were Demon Tigers roaring across the world!

All kinds of masks, everything you could want.

But after looking around, Lin Bai didn’t find one he liked.

The slovenly old man smiled and said, "If you don’t like any of these masks, you can tell me what kind of mask you want, and the Old Man can carve one by hand for you!"

Lin Bai turned back to look at the slovenly old man, and upon seeing the mask the old man was holding, a gleam of interest lit up in his eyes.

This mask was the same deep black, shining with a mysterious, soul-stirring magic power.

A sharp, peerless sword seemed to emerge from the middle of the forehead, exuding a terrifying sword aura.

The sides of the cheeks had engravings, mysterious and deep!

"Senior, the mask you’re holding looks quite good," Lin Bai said with a faint smile.

The slovenly old man was taken aback, lowering his head to look at the mask in his hand, and then smiled contentedly, "Indeed, this mask is one of the top three I’ve ever carved in my life!"

"I spent three years carving it, just completed it."

The slovenly old man fondly looked at the mask, clearly attached to it.

Then he snapped back to reality, his gaze simmering with joy as he looked at Lin Bai, "Got your eye on this mask?"

Lin Bai nodded slightly.

"Then it’s yours," the slovenly old man smiled faintly, handing the mask to Lin Bai.

Lin Bai took the mask, examined it closely, and then placed it on his face.

The mask’s size perfectly fit Lin Bai’s face, as if it had been custom-made for him!

As Lin Bai donned the mask, the mask seemed to come alive, pulsing with a captivating magical power.

And Lin Bai’s clothing transformed at that moment into a different black robe!

The deep, gleaming black mask, with its mysteriously distant engravings, the sword slicing through the heavens between the brows, coupled with Lin Bai’s cold, detached eyes beneath the mask, at this moment, made Lin Bai seem like an unfeeling Demon God!

"Perfect, perfect, utterly perfect!" The slovenly old man exclaimed excitedly as he watched Lin Bai don the mask before him, "It’s as if this mask was tailor-made for you!"

Lin Bai removed the mask and asked, "What is this mask called?"

"I’ve spent three years carving this mask, and I’ve long thought of a name for it..." the slovenly old man chuckled lightly, "This mask is called... Sword Demon!"