Chapter 9: The Great Tiandou Arena

After the auction of the whale gelatin, the event continued with various intriguing items. Yang Potian found many of them interesting, but since he was too young, he couldn't use or afford them. The last item of the auction turned out to be a thousand-year-old spirit bone, causing the crowd to go wild.

Although Yang Potian wasn't impressed, the audience was captivated by the emcee's seductive introduction: "Ladies and gentlemen, the grand finale is a thousand-year-old Iron Bear Right Arm Spirit Bone. Known for its immense strength and defense, it is a treasure beyond measure, perfect for power-type spirit masters."

Yang Potian felt a twinge of desire for the spirit bone. It wasn't just about gaining an additional spirit ability; spirit bones could greatly improve one's physical attributes and even improve the flow of spirit energy. It was no wonder that they were so valuable.

However, his mother, Niu Jinfeng, seemed indifferent, "A thousand-year spirit bone isn't worth much. This one barely qualifies, maybe just over a thousand years old. It's of little use to me."

"Mom, this is a spirit bone! Aren't you even a little bit tempted?" he asked.

Niu Jinfeng scoffed, "Son, remember, a spirit bone must match the strength and potential of a spirit master. A thousand-year bone might be useful for a Spirit Saint or below, but this one, barely a thousand years old, will become useless and even a burden after you reach Spirit King rank."

She continued, "Think about it. My third spirit ability is already stronger than what this bone can offer. This bone is worthless to me. It's more useful for spirit masters who have reached the limit of their potential and can't progress any further. But I'm far from my limit."

"Mom, do we have such spirit bones in our family?"

"Of course, but such low-level bones have no value to our family. Only those who are stuck in a bottleneck would think of absorbing them. For us, they're more like collectibles."

Her words made Yang Potian reflect on the disparity between spirit master families. For elite clans like his, lower-level items like a thousand-year spirit bone were almost insignificant. He thought of the Haotian Clan, which had produced several Title Douluo despite setbacks. Their hidden power must be immense.

As the bidding reached a fever pitch, the spirit bone sold for a staggering 500,000 gold soul coins, leaving Yang Potian astonished.

"Mom, you said it wasn't worth much, so why would someone spend so much on it?"

"Son, you're too young to understand. The most valuable things in this world are controlled by the great powers. If you brought this bone to the Haotian Clan, the elders wouldn't even look at it. But for commoners or ordinary people, it's priceless."

Yang Potian watched the excitement in the auction hall, especially that of the person who won the spirit bone. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly: Is this the true inequality in this world? The difference between humans here is greater than that between humans and animals.

After the auction ended, Niu Jinfeng and Yang Potian went to the back to collect their whale gelatin. Once it was confirmed to be genuine, Niu Jinfeng paid the 50,000 gold coins with a swipe of her card, and they left without further incident.

Despite the awkwardness of a mother and son buying whale gelatin, none of the auction staff showed any sign of surprise. Their professionalism was impeccable.

After leaving the auction, the two made their way to the Tiandou Grand Arena. The arena was considerably larger than the auction house, stretching for several kilometers. Admission seemed to be unrestricted, with no membership card required, though security was noticeably tighter - probably due to the presence of Spirit Masters.

Niu Jinfeng approached the front desk and casually displayed a black membership card. "Are there any upcoming games?"

The receptionist respectfully replied, "Honored black card member, there are four matches remaining today: a spirit ancestor one-on-one, a spirit expert one-on-one, a spirit expert two-on-two, and a spirit king one-on-one. All of them are battle duels."

Niu Jinfeng thought for a moment. "Book a private room for the Spirit King duel."

"Certainly, ma'am. The match is in arena two. I'll arrange the private room right away."

After paying, Niu Jinfeng took the room number and led Yang Potian away, as there were too many people for a personal escort.

"Mama, what is Arena Two? Are there many arenas inside?"

"Yes, son, there are several, each of different sizes. The main one is Arena One, where higher level matches like Spirit Emperor Battles or team matches are held."

"Mom, I saw a lot of people near the front desk. What were they doing?"

"That's the betting area. People can place bets on the matches, and each match has fixed odds. If you win, you can collect your payout according to the odds."

"Can fighters bet on their own fights?"

Niu Jinfeng tapped her son's head lightly. "Technically, you are not allowed to bet on your own fights. But betting on your own victory is usually overlooked. However, betting on your own loss or involving close friends is strictly forbidden."

"But aren't there any loopholes?"

"Son, you're underestimating the management of the arena. They're very strict about the integrity of the games, and the forces behind the arena are powerful. No one would dare fix a match for personal gain."

"Is the arena's support really that strong? Stronger than our Haotian Clan?"

"Don't be silly. No power is stronger than the Haotian Clan. But every major power on the continent has ties to the arena. Even the Haotian Clan has shares, so no one dares to cross the arena."

With that, they arrived at the private room. After showing their number to the guard, they entered the room.

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