"So you guys also picked up this quest." Jupiter suddenly understood why the robots were so fragile – they had stolen the monster.

Jupiter was secretly gloating. Even when facing other guilds, the usually arrogant Sanctuary would never apologize or back down, especially against their old rival, Sky Territory.

"So what if we stole it? Suck it up."

The argument quickly escalated into a brawl. After a group beating, the Sky Territory members, already in poor condition, were wiped out.

"Old Ju, I f***ing... just you wait!" Huangtian Dangli sent a private message, cursing up a storm.

Jupiter simply closed the private chat.

What's the point of playing the game if you don't steal monsters?

With the quest objective in hand, the Sanctuary members immediately returned to turn in the quest. As long as they made it a done deal, Sky Territory could only accept it, no matter how unhappy they were.

However, when Jupiter and the others arrived in the upper area, they were turned away.

"We completed Lord Han Xiao's instructions, why won't you let us in?"

"We have orders from above. No outsiders are allowed to enter."

No matter what they said, the guards wouldn't budge, leaving the Sanctuary members with no choice but to leave.

To turn in the quest, they would have to wait for Han Xiao to appear again.

The group headed back, but after walking for a while, their vision suddenly darkened. A group of burly men surrounded them in layers, led by Bikong Youyou, who had brought the Sky Territory members to demand an explanation.

"Old Ju, you're not being fair. Our people took the quest first, and the target was crippled by our people. You ambushed us and stole the monster. You can't just leave it at that, can you?" Bikong Youyou said with a grim face.

"Don't make such a fuss. Blame your bad luck," Jupiter said without fear. The shelter was a safe zone where no one could attack, so he wasn't afraid of being surrounded.

Their eyes met in mid-air, sparking with hostility.

The guild leaders of the major Huaxia clubs knew each other in private. Bikong Youyou and Jupiter had always been at odds, and there was a historical reason for this. The conflict originated in the professional arena. Li Ge was the pillar of the Sanctuary club, while Haotian was Sky Territory's star player. However, Haotian had lost more often than he had won against Li Ge, losing to him multiple times in crucial matches such as finals, semi-finals, or quarter-finals of other tournaments.

As a result, the two guilds had a deep conflict and didn't see eye to eye.

This monster-stealing incident was the fuse. Although it was just a minor squabble, squabbles could escalate into conflicts, especially since the two sides were already rivals.

The surrounding players looked on, carrying forward the fine traditions of the Huaxia people, and gathered around to watch, making the scene even more lively than a farmers market, blocking the middle of the road.

After exchanging insults, Jupiter said impatiently, "Bikong, what exactly do you want?"

"Return the quest item to us."

"Are you still dreaming?" Jupiter refused outright.

Why should he return a monster he had stolen with his own ability? Besides, he represented the reputation of a guild. If he backed down, wouldn't others say they were afraid of Sky Territory?

Bikong Youyou couldn't possibly swallow his anger, and since neither side could back down, there was no way to mediate. In that case, they could only let their strength do the talking, but he was unwilling to start a large-scale guild war, as the mutually destructive outcome would allow other guilds to surpass them.

A thought flashed through Bikong Youyou's mind, and he suddenly remembered the arena's betting feature, which was perfect for resolving this kind of conflict.

"Fine, since you don't want to return it, then we'll go to the arena for a bet!"

"What are you talking about? Why would I fight you? There's nothing to gain if I win, and if I lose, I have to hand over my own things."

"Hmph, we'll also put up a stake – money, equipment, items, anything," Bikong Youyou provoked. "I'm formally issuing you a challenge. If you have the guts, accept it."

He really wanted this chain quest. First of all, the Black Phantom's quest rewards were very generous, and secondly, it would increase his favor with the Black Phantom, making it a worthwhile deal.

However, Jupiter was not provoked at all. He pushed aside the Sky Territory members and left.

Since the item was in his hands, as long as he turned in the quest, all the benefits would be his. Why risk a bet? He didn't want to give his enemy what they wanted.

The Sky Territory members were furious, and Huangtian Dangli said indignantly, "Guild leader, are we just going to let it go?"

Bikong Youyou's face was gloomy. He said angrily, "Start a smear campaign! Force them to accept the challenge. I won't swallow this. Have all the members post on the forums and bash them to death!"

...

As Sky Territory launched its media offensive, posts smearing the Sanctuary and goading them appeared all over the forums, portraying the Sanctuary as unreasonable and immoral bullies, saying that they didn't accept the challenge because they were cowards who bullied the weak and feared the strong. Since the forums required buying a game pod to post, there weren't as many hired trolls, but this time Sky Territory had reason and evidence, and directly mobilized its peripheral members to post, setting the tone and flooding the forums.

The uproar was overwhelming, but the Sanctuary remained calm and collected, not panicking at all.

In Jupiter's view, as long as he waited until Han Xiao appeared and turned in the quest, it would be a done deal, and it wouldn't matter how much Sky Territory complained.

However, several days passed, and Han Xiao never showed up.

Jupiter gradually became anxious, repeatedly asking the guards, but he couldn't find out Han Xiao's whereabouts.

Han Xiao could also see the forums. He deliberately didn't show up, putting the Sanctuary on the hot seat. As long as the Sanctuary didn't turn in the quest to him, the quest item would only bring them trouble.

From the moment he issued the quest, he had prepared this series of dirty tricks, forcing the two guilds to bet in the arena, attracting public attention, and letting more players know what the arena betting was for.

As long as there was a first mover, letting many players see what the arena betting could do, it would awaken the potential needs of the crowd.

The Sanctuary and Sky Territory only regarded this incident as an accident or coincidence and couldn't guess that the "NPC" who issued the quest, Han Xiao, was behind it all, completely outside their realm of thought.

Seeing that the situation was becoming more and more unfavorable to the Sanctuary, Jupiter began to have a headache.

Finally, after Han Xiao "disappeared" for another day, Jupiter couldn't bear it anymore. In the official name of the Sanctuary guild, he accepted Sky Territory's bet on the forums.

"I represent the Sanctuary guild and agree to the bet with Sky Territory. Our stake is the quest item [Out-of-Control Robot Chip]. We demand that Sky Territory put up a stake of equal value, location: the arena, individual duels, best of five, the loser steps down, and the winner can continue to fight. Win or lose, we must acknowledge that this is the final result, accept it willingly, and not cause any more trouble."

Bikong Youyou quickly replied.

"Good!"

The battle between the two major guilds made the entire shelter suddenly lively.

...

The arena's betting service was officiated by the shelter, which collected the stakes before the battle and guaranteed to hand them over to the winner, but to enjoy the official notarized bet, you had to book the arena first.

Booking the arena required a fee, which was included in the arena's revenue.

The two major guilds were rich and generous, and because they wanted other players to be the judges, they directly booked the largest central arena, while the other areas were audience seats for the players, making it very high-profile.

On the day of the duel, the shelter's players flocked to the arena, bustling and crowded, with a deafening roar.

"Who do you guys think will win?"

"Definitely Sanctuary, Sky Territory is far behind."

"Actually, Sanctuary is in the wrong this time. It's very immoral."

"Are you kidding me? What's wrong with stealing monsters in a game? Don't overreact."

"The bookie over there is taking bets. I'm going to bet on Sanctuary."

"There's betting?! Let's go, let's go!"

The scene was extremely noisy, comparable to a concert of a superstar. The audience waited for a long time, and finally, the forces of the two sides arrived late. After seeing the IDs of the two teams, the audience was stunned.

The ones who were fighting weren't the guild members at all, but all the professional players from the two club teams!

After a moment of愣, many viewers gave out cheers of joy. If the arena wasn't open-air, their enthusiasm could have blown the roof off!

Originally, most of the audience was there to watch the excitement, but when the professional players appeared, all the audience's interest was immediately aroused.

The Star Sea League hadn't been formed yet, and ordinary players had basically never seen the strength of professional players, so their enthusiasm was high.

"Sanctuary really has a strong foundation. All the players who came are ranked in the first tier and close to the first tier. It's a pity that [Li Ge] is not here. I heard that he went to participate in the expedition."

"Yeah, Changkong's foundation is a bit weaker. Most of them are second-tier, and the first-tier players, Mingyue Changzhong and Shanguang Chaofan, also went to war... Wait, that's... I'm not mistaken, is that Lord Haotian?!"

Haotian was expressionless, mixed in the Changkong team, and the audience cast unbelievable and admiring gazes.

Wherever he went, the audience unconsciously slowed down their discussions, as if he carried a calm aura.

As Changkong's pillar, Haotian was naturally also brought over by Bikong Youyou. His fame and strength far exceeded those of the first tier, and he was the most watched professional player in the field. Faced with this great god, the Sanctuary players immediately felt pressure.

The two major guilds belonged to the clubs and had invited their team players to help without any prior communication.

Seeing the other party's personnel, Bikong Youyou and Jupiter were covered in cold sweat, and they thought at the same time, "Luckily, I also brought in professional players. Damn it, I was almost tricked by this old schemer."

The central arena was very spacious, shaped like a hexagon, with a square fighting area in the middle, and triangular waiting areas on both sides. The people from Sky Territory and Sanctuary were waiting in the arena's waiting areas.

The audience below whispered, waiting excitedly.

And some of the players had different thoughts.

"Betting in the arena seems to increase exposure..." Some of the watching guilds thought secretly.

"If you defend the arena, you can learn from players of various styles and earn bets." Some players who liked to PK thought secretly.

The professional players watching all nodded. "Defending the arena not only provides exposure but also hones skills. This feature is good."

Seeing the spectacle and effect of the arena betting with their own eyes, many players saw the benefits and entertainment value in it... Han Xiao instigated the battle between the two major guilds precisely to let other players experience the role of this feature, thereby causing the players to exert their own creativity, expand the use of this feature, and meet various different needs.

The money earned from renting the arena was secondary. What was more important in Han Xiao's eyes was to cultivate players' demand and habit for the arena, so that the impression of the "main city" would be more deeply rooted in people's hearts.