Defeat Magic with Magic

The person next to him gnawing on a roast chicken, Xu Yao, the second young master of the Dingguo family, immediately wiped his greasy hands on his expensive silk cuffs and echoed repeatedly, That is exactly right! My father mortgaged the Xishan tin mines to your Eastern Depot! My participation in this tournament is purely to show my face and make an appearance in front of those fairies on the Divine Beauty Rankings. When the time comes, all the heavy lifting, dirty work, and manual labor of fighting will be left to this guy surnamed Xiao. I am only responsible for rushing up and striking a handsome pose when the enemy falls, do you hear me? Your painters must be the absolute best.

Xiao Chen stood dumbfounded on the spot. Listening to the righteous yet foul remarks of these wealthy playboys, he felt as if heavenly thunder was rolling through his mind, shattering his entire worldview.

He, Xiao Chen! A dignified Son of Fortune! A peerless monster who could challenge opponents above his realm as easily as drinking water, and who was as decisive in slaughter as eating a meal! And now he actually had to act as a bodyguard for this bunch of trash? He even had to be their stepping stone so they could pick up girls?!

Wei Zhongxian! Are you playing with me?! Xiao Chen finally could no longer suppress the humiliation in his heart. His eyes turned so red they looked ready to drip blood. He took a fierce step forward and roared, Just based on these useless wine sacks and food bags who haven't even reached the Organ Forging Realm? Are they fit to represent the Great Zhou Imperial Court in battle alongside me? Sending them into the arena is just complaining that they aren't dying fast enough. You're specifically sending them to feed kills to the geniuses of those hidden sects!

Insolent!

Before Wei Zhongxian could even open his mouth to reprimand him, the heir of Prince Jing, Wang Xu, grew angry first.

A broke wage-slave who sold himself dares to speak to a pay-to-win whale like this? He reached directly into his robes.

Swish, swish, swish!

Accompanied by a blinding golden light, the prince's heir actually pulled out a full ten Level-7 Supreme Vajra Talismans covered in complex runes, as if performing a magic trick, and slapped them all directly onto his forehead and chest. Immediately after, he ripped open his outer robe, revealing five Earth-tier upper-grade defensive inner armors worn underneath!

His entire person now looked like a glowing humanoid idol. Because he had so many items on his body, he even emitted the jingling sound of colliding metal when he walked.

Wang Xu walked up to Xiao Chen, pointed at his own nose, and spoke in an extremely arrogant tone, Do you see clearly now, you pauper? Even though my cultivation is low and I can't even be considered to be in the Organ Forging Realm, I was born well, and I have money! This entire set of god-tier equipment was bought with pure cash! Even if I stand completely still and let those so-called broke geniuses hack at me with their swords for half an hour, they still won't be able to break through my protective golden light! Do you understand? You penniless beggar, just as my imperial cousin said, times have changed. It is now the era of capital in martial arts!

Xiao Chen stared dead at the supreme magical weapons and talismans that were blinding his eyes. His mouth fell slightly open, and it felt as if a mouthful of thousand-year-old blood was stuck in his throat.

He recalled how, in order to obtain a damaged Earth-tier lower-grade armor, he had barely survived a near-death experience in the Yinshan Forest, being chased by Level-4 anomalies for three days and three nights until even his undergarments were worn through. Yet this piece of trash in front of him was actually wearing five Earth-tier upper-grade soft armors? Was there any justice left in this world?

In the face of absolute financial superpower, the talents Xiao Chen was so proud of, such as his ability to challenge higher realms and his unextinguishable battle intent, seemed to have suffered a devastating psychological insult. He suddenly felt that the history of struggle he used to take pride in was nothing but a joke.

Alright, alright, stop arguing, Wei Zhongxian said, holding back a smile as he tapped the heir's shoulder with his whisk. Young Master, your golden light is too blinding, rein it in a bit. Lord Xiao is our main combat power after all, and we will have to rely on his damage output later. Let us go to the gladiator arena to familiarize ourselves with the grounds.

Watching Wei Zhongxian lead that group of glowing pay-to-win players swaggering away, Xiao Chen stood alone in the wind. His hands were clenched into tight fists, his nails digging so deeply into his flesh that blood dripped down.

Wang Hao... you money-grubbing mad dog tyrant who never plays by the rules... just you wait... Xiao Chen's voice trembled, not just from anger, but from a profound sense of powerlessness.

At the same time, in every dark corner of the Great Zhou capital, a city-wide recruitment fair targeting down-and-out geniuses was proceeding in full swing under the forceful promotion of the two major secret police agencies.

South of the city, inside a dilapidated temple with a leaky roof.

A sword genius holding a rusted iron sword, possessing a cold and arrogant gaze, and radiating an astonishing sword intent, silently stood up. However, his stomach let out a highly inappropriate rumbling sound. He took a deep breath, preparing to draw the rusty sword that had accompanied him for years to hunt the two wild dogs outside the ruined temple to satisfy his hunger.

Young hero, hold your hand. Dogs are innocent, and besides, their meat is sour.

Accompanied by a genial laugh, a Thousand-Household Commander of the Brocade Guards, leading two burly subordinates, stepped over the broken threshold with a face full of spring breezes.

The sword genius's eyes sharpened, instantly entering a combat-ready state. Imperial lapdogs? I, Ye Guyun, have dedicated my life to the sword and ignore worldly affairs. Why have you come here?

The Brocade Guard Commander was entirely unafraid of the fierce sword aura. He strode forward, directly pulled a gold coin from his sleeve, weighed it in his hand, and then accurately tossed it right into Ye Guyun's embrace with a smack.

Ye Guyun subconsciously caught the gold coin. Feeling its heavy texture, a crack appeared in his cold and arrogant expression.

The Commander immediately pulled out a flyer printed with colorful patterns, placed it in Ye Guyun's hand, and spoke at a rapid-fire pace, Looking at your aura, you're a sword genius, right? You're an orphan, aren't you? You must have suffered emotional trauma in the past and been bullied by the disciples of major sects, correct? You want to make a name for yourself in the world with your sword, but you suffer from empty pockets and can't even afford a bowl of plain noodles, let alone pay the registration fee.

Ye Guyun's pupils quaked, looking at the Commander as if he had seen a ghost. You... how did you know?

Don't worry about how I know, this is all the result of big data analysis, the Commander said, throwing an arm around Ye Guyun's shoulders and enthusiastically pitching his offer. Join the 'Poor Genius Support Plan' recently launched by our Brocade Guards! As long as you sign this employment contract, not only will we cover your room and board, but you will also have meat at every meal. We even provide the top-tier sword-testing stones at the Royal Martial Arts Arena for your cultivation.

The Commander held up five fingers, his eyes full of temptation. Listen well, tournament registration is free, and the base salary is five hundred silver coins a month! In the arena, for every match you win, you get a commission of five thousand silver coins! If you have bad luck and get severely injured or disabled, don't be afraid! The imperial court will fully pay your 'five insurances and one housing fund', and the premium VIP ward at the Western City Hospital under the Imperial Academy of Medicine will be open to you for free for life! The royal physicians will personally set your bones and heal your wounds! How about it, brother, are you in?

Ye Guyun stared blankly at the gold coin in his hand, then looked up at the picture of a golden, dripping roast whole sheep on the flyer. He swallowed an extremely loud gulp of saliva.

He originally thought his sword was born only for the Great Dao, but he now realized that the Great Dao could not be eaten for dinner.

"I..." A trace of a wage earner's compromise flashed through Ye Guyun's cold eyes, but he still made his final struggle. "Not only do I want money, but I also want the best sword. My sword must be worthy of my sword intent."

"Oh my, what a trivial matter!" The Battalion Commander slapped his thigh and said with soaring heroism. "The Royal Arsenal under the Bureau of Armaments has hired the eighth-tier artifact forging master, Ouyang Ye, and has already begun mass-producing Profound-tier high-grade swords! Swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks, or tridents—you can choose whatever style you want, and we can even engrave your name on it! If you want Master Ouyang to personally forge a sword exclusively for you, that's not impossible either. Stop hesitating and sign the contract! You can start work tomorrow!"

"...Bring me a pen." The kendo genius lowered his noble head and pressed down his red thumbprint.

In the east of the city, inside the woodshed of a cheap inn.

Several effeminate-looking guards from the Western Depot were surrounding a beast-faction prodigy who was rolling on the ground. This youth had awakened the bloodline of the Ancient Violent Ape. He originally had a boundless future, but because of his impoverished background, he had no money to buy the expensive medicinal herbs needed to suppress the bloodline's backlash. At this moment, his veins were bulging from the pain, making him wish he were dead.

"Ouch, little brother, look at how much pain you're in. It breaks my heart just watching." The leading guard squatted down with a smile, took out an Earth-tier supreme-grade Blood-Suppressing Pill exuding a rich medicinal fragrance from an exquisite jade box, and dangled it in front of the prodigy's scarlet eyes.

"Roar... give... give it to me!" The prodigy let out a beast-like roar and reached out to grab it.

The guard gently pulled his hand back, dodging the other party's pounce, and said unhurriedly, "This medicine is of supreme grade, and it won't cost you a single cent. All you have to do is sign this contract and become an outsourced employee under our Western Depot. In tomorrow's arena, beat the living daylights out of whatever young masters and holy maidens from those orthodox sects you encounter! Show off your beast-like explosive power! As long as you fight beautifully and brutally, we will issue you three of these pills on time every month. We're all about mutual benefit and win-win cooperation. Will you sign it or not?"

The prodigy's eyes were bloodshot as he stared fixedly at the life-saving pill. A muffled roar came from his throat: "Roar! I... will sign!"

In just two short days, under Wang Hao's terrifying financial offensive, as well as the extreme coercion and bribery tactics of the two major secret service agencies, the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Western Depot, over ten "grassroots children of destiny," "ill-fated avengers," and "down-and-out peerless geniuses" in the entire capital were all packaged and incorporated by the Great Zhou Imperial Court, gloriously becoming temporary workers within the Great Zhou system.

...

Inside the Sweet Spring Palace of the Great Zhou Imperial Palace.

Wang Hao was leaning back on the dragon throne. Two stunningly beautiful palace maids were kneeling on either side, carefully massaging his legs.

Wei Zhongxian was using the sharp voice unique to eunuchs to give a detailed report of the crazy results from the past few days.

"Your Majesty, your divine calculations are brilliant! The outsourced prodigies of this 'Great Zhou Royal Representative Team' now account for ten of the total number of participants in this grand competition!"

Wang Hao did not speak immediately. He sat up slightly, picked up a cup of chilled Western Regions grape wine at hand, sniffed it gently at the tip of his nose, and then slowly swirled it. The scarlet wine refracted a charming halo in the glazed cup.

"Companion Wei, you have been by my side for so long. Do you know what a 'child of destiny' is?" Wang Hao chuckled softly. His voice wasn't loud, but it echoed in the spacious hall.

Wei Zhongxian froze for a moment and quickly kowtowed to the ground. "This old slave is dull-witted. I only know that they are rebellious seedlings with extraordinary talents and extremely good luck. I beg Your Majesty to enlighten me."

"Extraordinary talents? Good luck?" Wang Hao sneered, slamming his wine cup heavily onto the imperial desk. "You underestimate them too much. These so-called children of destiny are all extraordinarily outstanding. If they fall off a cliff, not only will they not fall to their deaths, but they will definitely pick up the inheritance of an ancient mighty figure. If they go strolling through a rundown marketplace and randomly buy a piece of scrap metal, a peerless divine artifact will definitely be hidden inside. God is like their biological father, constantly opening the back door for them at all times."

Wang Hao stood up, clasped his hands behind his back, and paced over to the massive map of the world's territories on one side of the grand hall. Using his slender finger, he ruthlessly drew a circle right in the center of the map.

"If I follow the usual practice and directly send an army to besiege them, or dispatch top-tier imperial guards to assassinate them, do you believe that the Heavenly Dao would immediately make things difficult? Either a mysterious old grandpa would pop out halfway to rescue them, or the army would suddenly encounter a natural disaster and suffer heavy casualties. If things go wrong, our entire Great Zhou Imperial Court will become the ultimate stepping stone on their path to achieving world renown and ascending to immortality, becoming the 'villain experience pack' in their mouths!"

Wei Zhongxian listened in a cold sweat. Although he didn't fully understand what an "experience pack" meant, when he thought of his colleagues who had previously gone to capture Ye Chen only to repeatedly die inexplicably and tragically, he instantly felt that His Majesty's words were absolute gems of wisdom, terrifying upon closer thought. But Your Majesty, have you forgotten that our family has an Old Ancestor?

"But things are different now." Wang Hao turned around, looking down at Wei Zhongxian from above. The smile at the corner of his mouth was as crazed as a demon manipulating everything from behind the scenes. "What if I don't use the imperial court's violent institutions to deal with them, but instead have good men fight good men, and heroes fight heroes?"

"I will recruit all these most troublesome individuals with the most heaven-defying luck and the toughest lives. I'll pay them salaries and buy them social security and housing funds! Then, I'll let them stand in the arena to deal with the prodigies from other sects and factions!"

Wang Hao's eyes grew brighter as he spoke. It was the radiance of a pure capitalist seeing top-tier leeks ready for harvest: "Let the aloof holy maiden of the Ice and Snow Divine Palace fight the demoness who walked out of the Hundred Thousand Mountains! Let a show-off king like Xiao Chen, who specializes in the 'trash whose engagement was broken off making a comeback' trope, face off against those divine sons who specialize in the 'invincible aristocratic family foundation' trope!"

"As soon as they step into the arena, it will be a mutual suppression of destiny against destiny, a face-to-face collision of protagonist halos against protagonist halos! When that time comes, who can the Heavenly Dao protect? Even God, acting as the referee, will crash! This is called defeating magic with magic."