Chen Ren froze the moment his eyes landed on the man.

  For a heartbeat, his mind stalled. The face felt familiar, but he wasn't able to recall the name and where he had interacted with him. After all, he had talked to so many people in different cities and towns. Then the man opened his mouth, and recognition struck like a hammer.

  “What?” the man sneered. “Terrified to see me here?”

  He spat the words sharply, and they were filled with old resentment. He took a step closer, eyes burning.

  “I looked for you in Cloud Mist City after I recovered,” he continued. “But you ran away like a coward. And now, of all places, I find you here.” His lips curled into a cruel smile. “The heavens truly work in mysterious ways. They’ve handed me a perfect chance to kill you.”

  It clicked then.

  The man was Cang Rui.

  Young master of the Cang Clan from Cloud Mist City.

  Chen Ren remembered the tournament clearly—the clash, the crowd, and the fight that ended with Cang Rui lying broken on the ground. After that, the man had vanished. He had heard no rumors. No sightings. As if he had been swallowed by the city itself. Though, he hadn't stayed in the city for long after that.

  But now he was here.

  Chen Ren’s senses brushed against him, and the result made his eyes narrow slightly. Third-star foundation establishment realm. The man was much stronger than before and had clearly been taking cultivation seriously.

  Cang Rui was still waiting for a response and his glare practically demanded one.

  Chen Ren finally exhaled and spoke calmly. “Nice to meet you again, Young Master Cang Rui. It’s been a while. How have you been?”

  The man’s brows twisted in anger.

  “Don’t act friendly with me,” Cang Rui snapped. “I haven’t forgotten what you did.”

  Chen Ren tilted his head slightly. “But I have,” he said honestly. “It was a good fight during the tournament. I didn't expect you to be here, but I wish you the best in climbing the pagoda. I hold no grudges against you.”

  He said it as sincerely as he could. But as he looked at Cang Rui’s expression, Chen Ren knew it didn’t matter.

  The man’s eyes gleamed with obsession, like a hunter who had finally cornered prey he had been chasing for years.

  Cang Rui sneered. “You can’t run away, no matter what you say. I’m going to punish you and—”

  “Kill me,” Chen Ren finished calmly.

  Cang Rui blinked, clearly caught off guard. “…Yes. You guessed right.”

  “Then good luck with that,” Chen Ren said. “If we meet in the arena, I wouldn’t mind another round. But for now, I have things to do.”

  He didn’t wait for a reply. He knew if he didn't move, the young master wouldn't let him go. Chen Ren turned on his heel and bolted, slipping into the maze of arena corridors. Footsteps echoed as he moved fast, weaving past shouting spectators and wandering figures he had already started calling NPCs in his head. On his waist, Wang Jun let out a low chuckle.

  Only after a while did Chen Ren slow down. He glanced back, and didn't see Cang Rui anywhere.

  That didn’t relax him. If anything, it confirmed what he already knew. A fight was coming sooner or later. Death, taxes, and young masters being idiots. Some things were universal.

  “Are you confident you can kill him?” Wang Jun asked suddenly.

  “No,” Chen Ren replied without hesitation. “And I don’t want to.”

  “You are soft.”

  “Unnecessary enemies are bad for business,” Chen Ren said. “The Cang Clan still matters in Cloud Mist City where I have my business. And even if no one outside knows what happens in the pagoda, I don’t want blood on my hands. At least not when I can avoid it.”

  Wang Jun snorted but said nothing more.

  Chen Ren kept walking, letting the noise of the arena wash over him. Shouts, laughter, arguments, cheers. Just like Princess Yanyue had said, this place wasn’t only about fights. The crowd wasn’t just decoration. Every face he passed looked busy with its own worries, desires, and stories, and Chen Ren took it all in as he continued exploring.

  It was a perfect replica of a real arena, and because of that, Chen Ren knew it would follow familiar rules. Where there were fights, there was gambling. Where there was gambling, there was money to be made.

  To test his guess, he walked up to two men talking near the stands. “Hello,” Chen Ren said casually. “Can I ask you something? I’m new here. One of the competitors.”

  One of the men glanced at him, then nodded. “Go on.”

  “Do you know where I can make some money?” Chen Ren asked.

  The man’s lips curved into a knowing smile as he looked at his companion. “A gambler, huh?”

  Chen Ren nodded.

  “Good,” the man said, his grin widening. “Most newcomers only think about killing each other.” He pointed ahead. “Go straight. You’ll see stairs. Go down two floors, then keep walking until you hear a crowd. You’ll find what you’re looking for.”

  Chen Ren inclined his head. “Thanks. And where do I spend that money?”

  “Same place,” the man replied. “Just walk past the crowd and you’ll see a merchant. Keep some distance, though. His breath stinks, but his goods are decent. Stuff from the other floors.”

  Chen Ren smiled at the joke. “Appreciate it.”

  Just before leaving, he paused and looked back at them. “If you want to make good money,” he said calmly, “put everything on Chen Ren.”

  The second man frowned. “Who’s that?”

  Chen Ren smiled. “Me.”

  He turned and walked away, leaving the two men staring after him. The faster he placed his bets and finished his fights, the sooner he could climb higher. He had no intention of staying on this floor longer than necessary.

  As he walked, Wang Jun spoke up, his tone curious. “Why did you say that to them?”

  Chen Ren didn’t stop. “They aren’t natives of this floor.”

  Wang Jun went quiet for a moment. “What do you mean?”

  “They said the merchant has goods from another floor,” Chen Ren replied. “That means people can move between floors. They were betting too, and they smelled like expensive perfume. They have money, connections, or both. It’s good to leave an impression.”

  Wang Jun hummed softly. “You’re adapting to this place faster than I expected.”

  Chen Ren paused for half a step, then kept walking. He didn't tell him that the pagoda felt familiar in a strange way. Too familiar. Like a game with rules hidden beneath the surface. Talk to the right people. Learn the systems. Make yourself known. He had done this before—in RPG games, though by sailing the seas, but he had played his fair share of them and he knew how to work around something like a pagoda.

  Building relationships with NPCs was a major thing if you want new quests and rewards and he was doing just that.

  It didn’t take long to find the stairs. He went down two floors, just like he was told, and the noise reached him before the sight did. Shouts, cheers, arguments. When he turned the corner, he saw a wide counter with a crowd packed in front of it.

  Two men stood behind the counter, taking bets. On the wall behind them was a large board filled with names.

  Chen Ren’s name was there too.

  He pushed his way forward, ignoring the looks he earned. One guy tried to shove him, but he calmly sidestepped and reached the counter.

  “I want to place a bet.”

  One of the men glanced up from behind the counter. “On who, and how much?”

  “Chen Ren,” he said calmly. “Two thousand tokens.”

  ***

  Chen Ren ducked as a sword swept over his head, the blade whistling through empty air. The crowd went crazy at his movement and cheered loudly, the noise ringing in his ears. Before his opponent—A female cultivator—could strike again, lightning snapped from his palm and shot toward her, forcing her to twist aside mid-step.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  This was the second round.

  The first fight had ended almost the moment it began. He had fought an early qi refinement rogue cultivator who barely managed to raise his spear before Chen Ren’s palm had found his face. But the woman in front of him was different. She was a peak qi refinement realm cultivator. Light on her feet. Fast enough that his strikes kept cutting through afterimages.

  She seemed to know it too.

  She darted across the arena floor, boots barely touching the stone, sword flashing as the crowd roared her name. Chen Ren didn’t chase her. He planted his feet instead and let his qi spread out, thin and quiet, sinking into the arena like invisible threads.

  Her movement immediately felt easier to follow.

  Left. Behind. Above. She moved everywhere, trying to confuse him, and finally, she leapt.

  Steel came down toward his neck, aimed to split him clean in two. Chen Ren shifted a half step to the side. The blade missed by inches.

  His hand shot up.

  Fingers closed around her throat.

  The woman gasped, feet leaving the ground as he lifted her with one arm. She thrashed, trying to bring her sword up, but his reach held her just far away. His recent breakthrough had given him more than strength—it had given him leverage in height, and he used it to his advantage.

  Lightning surged out of him the next second.

  It burst from his body in a tight wave, slamming into her armor. Sparks danced across the metal as she screamed, the sound sharp and short before her body went limp. Chen Ren released his grip, letting her fall hard onto the stone.

  Before she could even twitch, he kicked her sword away. It skidded across the arena floor and vanished into the boundary.

  She didn’t get back up.

  A low hum ran along his wrist as the bracelet vibrated. Pale light formed in front of him.

  [Victory confirmed. Second round cleared. The next match will begin in two minutes.]Chen Ren exhaled and rolled his shoulder once.

  Two rounds down and fortunately, he had no injuries. He simply needed to win the next one, and he would be a step closer to the fifth floor.

  Down on the ground, the girl slowly opened her eyes and Chen Ren said calmly, “You fought well. Good luck in the next round.”

  She didn’t reply. Two arena attendants moved in at once, lifting her by the arms and dragging her out as the crowd gave a mixed response—some cheers, some disappointed groans. A few voices even shouted her name in anger—probably having lost the bet—before the noise settled.

  Chen Ren exhaled softly and checked his qi. It was more than half, enough to win the next round. He stayed rooted to his spot, already knowing who his next opponent would be.

  The arena allowed fighters to challenge someone they were already familiar with, as long as they paid appropriate tokens for it. A feature he had found out after talking to more NPCs. And just as he expected, two minutes later, Young Master Cang Rui stepped onto the arena floor.

  He smiled when he saw Chen Ren, clearly expecting surprise on his face. When none came, his smile faded.

  “Were you expecting me?” Cang Rui asked while stretching his hand in his side.

  “Yes,” Chen Ren replied evenly. “I want to see how much you’ve grown since last time.”

  Cang Rui scoffed. “You won’t see much. Your tricks won’t work like before.”

  Chen Ren smiled faintly. “I’m not planning to use any.”

  Before Cang Rui could answer, a referee stepped between them. “Take your positions. The fight will begin in ten seconds.”

  Immediately, the chatter in the arena dropped to a low buzz as both men moved to stand right in front of each other. Chen Ren felt purple qi explode from Cang Rui’s body, thick and aggressive. He responded in kind, his own qi rolling outward, steady and controlled.

  The crowd held their breath in anticipation.

  “Begin!” the referee shouted.

  Cang Rui moved instantly.

  Dozens of glowing jian blades formed in the air and shot toward Chen Ren in a storm of sharp light. At the same time, Cang Rui vanished from sight.

  Gasps echoed through the stands. Chen Ren didn’t move.

  The blades slammed into him one after another, sparks flying as they struck his [Starlight Defense] armour. The impact rang through the arena, but Chen Ren stood firm, eyes locked forward and waited.

  The air above him suddenly twisted—and Cang Rui appeared right overhead. Two massive purple claws formed around his hands as he tore downward. Chen Ren jumped aside at the last second, the claws ripping through empty air, but Cang Rui didn’t stop. He pressed the attack, striking again and again, his figure flickering as if he were blinking through space.

  Gasps rippled through the stands.

  “He’s fast!”

  “That movement—did he teleport?”

  The loud questions were a resemblance of his own. It was clear to see that Cang Rui was far faster than the last time they had met, even though he was using the same technique. Despite him himself improving a lot, it was hard to track him. But Cang Rui was pouring out too much qi. The violent surge gave him away every time.

  Chen Ren steadied his breath. With his strengthened body, he knew those attacks wouldn’t cripple him, and decided to go on the offensive from the start.

  When Cang Rui lunged again, Chen Ren didn’t retreat.

  He stepped forward.

  Surprise flashed across Cang Rui’s face as Chen Ren’s fist, buzzing with lightning, crashed straight into his claws.

  The two forces collided with a sharp crack. Void qi and lightning slammed together, shaking the arena floor.

  The crowd roared.

  Cang Rui gritted his teeth, trying to push back, but Chen Ren poured in more qi relentlessly. Realising he was losing, Cang Rui tried to pull away, but Chen Ren’s other hand shot out and caught him.

  He immediately drove him into the ground.

  The stone cracked on impact.

  As Cang Rui struggled to rise, Chen Ren brought his foot down on his face, slamming him back. Cang Rui opened his mouth, barely managing, “How are you so—”

  Chen Ren stomped again.

  Silence fell for a heartbeat.

  Then Chen Ren grabbed him, spun, and hurled him straight into the arena wall. The impact echoed as Cang Rui hit hard, and before he could recover, a net of crackling lightning spread out and caged him in place. Electricity surged through the net, locking his body tight.

  Cang Rui convulsed once, then went limp.

  The arena erupted in shouts and cheers, and several people screamed out his name. For a moment, he stared at Cang Rui.

  He had given him so much trouble last time, but now the battle had ended in less than two minutes. His thoughts were only broken when his bracelet buzzed softly.

  Wang Jun’s voice sounded by his side. “You’re brutal, even without killing him. Getting your face stomped must hurt, especially from a body cultivator.”

  “I’m not showing weakness,” Chen Ren replied calmly. “He’ll climb further. I want him to remember this, so he doesn't come for me again.”

  The next second, he pulled up the holographic message to read.

  [You have completed the trials on the second floor. You can move to the third floor at any time.] Chen Ren dismissed it without a glance and headed for the back door instead of the portal. He still had tokens to collect, and shopping to do to set his shop up.

  ***

  A/N - You can read 30 chapters (15 Magus Reborn and 15 Dao of money) on my patreon. Annual subscription is now on too. Also this is Volume 2 last chapter.

  Magus Reborn 3 is OUT NOW. It's a progression fantasy epic featuring a detailed magic system, kingdom building, and plenty of action.