Twentieth Level

More than four months passed in the blink of an eye. Great Soul Arena, Main Soul Arena.

A two-versus-one Life and Death Battle stage.

Under the bright lights, three people faced each other with solemn expressions.

On one side stood a lone man, wielding an extraordinary-looking, seemingly formidable Sickle against two opponents.

It was Fang Ling.

On the other side were two people.

One of them was huge, with knotted muscles and arms as thick as tree trunks.

He held an enormous Stone Hammer in both hands, every swing accompanied by a howling wind.

The other was small and lean, slightly hunched, with hard carapace plates and jet-black fur covering his body.

His sharp gaze brimmed with ferocity and killing intent as he fixed Fang Ling in his sights.

After observing each other for a moment, the battle began.

Fang Ling rushed forward.

The hulking man with the Stone Hammer raised it high, then brought it crashing down.

Fang Ling calmly watched his opponent's movements. Just as the Stone Hammer was about to fall, he swiftly sidestepped and swung his Sickle. Its blade sliced through the air with a piercing whistle.

The smaller man trying to coordinate an attack was forced back by the Sickle.

Boom—!

The Stone Hammer smashed heavily into the dried blood on the ground, exploding into a cloud of Blood Mist.

Fang Ling's figure had already swept past like the wind, easily evading the attack.

The smaller man lunged from the side again, attempting to ambush him with his speed and claws.

Sensing the danger, Fang Ling spun around. The Sickle followed the motion, carving a graceful arc through the air.

The smaller man nimbly retreated, dodging the blade and having his advance directly stopped.

But Fang Ling moved even faster. He charged after him, swinging the Sickle again and forcing him to retreat again and again.

The hulking man raised his Stone Hammer, trying to attack from behind.

Yet Fang Ling seemed to have eyes in the back of his head and rolled away.

The Sickle chopped toward the back of the hulking man's knee.

The hulking man was too clumsy to react at all. The tendons behind his thigh were instantly severed.

Fang Ling followed through with a kick, and Fresh Blood poured out.

"Die—!"

His knee gave out, and the hulking man dropped to one knee with a thunderous, chilling roar.

Consumed by pain, he swept the Stone Hammer sideways, trying to force his enemy back.

Fang Ling leaped lightly, stepped on his back, and flipped through the air. He pulled the Sickle back with a casual motion, slicing open the hulking man's throat and carotid artery before landing on the ground.

The situation of the two-man team, which had originally held the advantage, took a sudden turn. The battle was reversed in an instant.

The hulking man, their main attacker, was dead.

The smaller agility-type Soul Master serving as support hastily stopped in his tracks.

His expression changed several times before he jumped off the stage at a speed even Fang Ling could not catch.

The two of them together had been unable to defeat Fang Ling, while Fang Ling had remained perfectly composed. Going alone would just be serving himself up on a platter, and he had no intention of dying.

Fang Ling, Sickle in hand, froze for a moment before putting away his Martial Soul.

At least the old bastard knew better and ran fast.

Otherwise, Fang Ling could have earned a little more.

"Good! Kill him, kill him!"

"Throat Cutting Ling is invincible!"

"Invincible! Fang Ling is invincible!"

The venue was already packed, every seat filled by people drawn by Fang Ling's reputation.

Seeing such a clean and decisive battle,

they immediately erupted into cheers.

The host enthusiastically clapped as well. "Let us congratulate 'Throat Cutting Ling' on claiming the final victory in this one-versus-two Gambling Battle!"

"Soul Master Fang Ling, please register after leaving the stage and collect your monetary reward."

"Thank you." Fang Ling nodded slightly and gave a small wave in response.

"Fang Ling! Over here~" Shimu and his teacher both wore especially radiant smiles.

Fang Ling smiled at them. After cleaning himself up, he walked over with a smile.

He then took the Soul Tool from them, collected the money, and returned to the academy surrounded by the two of them.

"When do you think you'll reach the Twentieth Level?"

Shimu gently stroked the back of Fang Ling's head, running her fingers over his short bristles of hair. Her words carried deep reluctance to part.

"I should need a few days of cultivation."

Fang Ling tried his best to suppress the emotion in his voice, lest he stir up their sorrow before their separation.

Once he reached the Twentieth Level, he could obtain a Soul Ring.

After obtaining a Soul Ring, it would be time to choose a new academy.

He had spent less than a year here.

His teacher, Lin Tianyang, sighed softly.

"A few months ago, when I saw your cultivation speed slow down, I truly didn't expect you to still make it to the Twentieth Level before this soul hunt."

"Hehe, a person's potential is limitless."

Fang Ling raised his chin slightly.

After more than four months, the Stats Panel had changed greatly.

Martial Soul: Sickle (Lv3, 0%) (+)

(A common farm tool used in the countryside for harvesting crops and cutting grass. After two enhancements, its Endurance and Sharpness have both improved considerably. It could be called an Enhanced Agricultural Scythe, the pinnacle of low-grade Martial Souls, standing at the brink of evolution.)

Soul Power: 15 (38%)→19 (99%)

Soul Ring: 231 (+)

Specialties: Sharpness Lv3 (Martial Soul Innate Specialty, an inherent trait of Metal Bladed Ironware. After two enhancements, the Sickle's sharpness far surpassed what it once was and could easily pierce ordinary leather armor.)

Endurance Lv3 (Martial Soul Innate Specialty, an inherent trait of metal ironware. After two enhancements, its hardness and toughness improved considerably. The wooden handle's strength increased, reaching the limit of a low-grade Martial Soul.)

Warrior's Will Lv2 (Body Talent, an unyielding fighting will. It allowed him to temporarily ignore the effects of pain on his body. Enduring solitude was also an important part of a warrior's growth. The flow speed of your Soul Power within your body passively increased by 10%.)

First and foremost, the most important growth was his Martial Soul.

After consuming twenty points, his Martial Soul had risen from Lv2 to Lv3.

Its Martial Soul Innate Specialties naturally evolved as well.

This meant that when clashing with mid- to high-grade Martial Souls like the Black Gold Sword, it would no longer suffer damage.

After his Martial Soul upgraded to Lv3, it received the evaluation: "The pinnacle of low-grade Martial Souls, standing at the brink of evolution."

The plus sign afterward had changed as well. Fang Ling tried tapping it with his mind.

The large plus sign split into two smaller ones.

This time, it plainly told him what each one could add.

The first still enhanced the Martial Soul itself—its Endurance and Sharpness—and required thirty points.

Lv3→Lv4 would no longer be an enhancement, but an evolution.

It would evolve from a low-grade Martial Soul into a mid-grade Martial Soul, greatly increasing its strength, Sharpness, and more.

The second plus sign built upon the first evolution.

It could alter the form of the Martial Soul according to a vague mental image. It could not depart from the form of a Sickle and was only useful during evolution.

However, if the difference was not too great, he could barely alter its form in advance, so long as he made up the remaining points within a certain amount of time.

His Soul Power had reached nineteen, ninety-nine percent.

He had not been joking when he said it would take a few days.

He had been at the academy for nine months. Whenever he had free time, he meditated, and at last he was about to raise a level through his own effort.

He had saved two points.

It was because he lacked points, but it was also his struggle.

More than once, Fang Ling had thought that instead of spending this time meditating, he might as well rest properly.

Then kill two more people, or kill two more Soul Beasts during the soul hunt.

But in the end, he did not put those thoughts into practice.

This represented Fang Ling's effort. It represented his firm will, proving that he was not trash who relied entirely on a cheat and could not level up without killing or the Stats Panel.

His resolve hardened, and his spirit instantly became invigorated.

Then, Warrior's Will unexpectedly grew to Lv2, and the increase to Soul Power flow speed rose to 10%.

Thank you all for your support. I hope continued reading will earn the next round of recommendations.

After it goes premium, there will definitely be a massive update spree.