By now Lu Changsheng was tallying his gains. His second victory had earned him fifty-six spirit stones, and together with the thirty-one he had won from his wager, his total had reached one hundred and eighteen. 

Though it was still a long way from ten thousand, Lu Changsheng was in no hurry. He understood well enough that everything hinged on this third fight. After so many days in the arena, he had gained a decent understanding of how things worked. 

There's a trend. Many fighters who won their first two fights end up dying in the third. About eighty percent of them lose, unable to win the three matches in a row. The arena made that three-match rule specifically so as to not let martial artists go so easily. Another reason would be the betting. The arena waits precisely for that third match to harvest all the wagers…

Lu Changshen realized that, in the end, the arena only cared about the spirit stones being staked. 

After two promising fights, some spectators would become...