Heaven Dou Grand Soul Fighting Arena

Heaven Dou City was as prosperous as ever.

Watching the crowds flowing through the streets, Dugu Chen could not help but marvel that Heaven Dou City truly deserved to be called the most prosperous city on Douluo Continent.

Although Spirit Hall commanded more than half the continent's Soul Masters, Spirit City was a city of Soul Masters. Only Soul Masters were allowed to live there, putting it at an inherent disadvantage in terms of population.

Competition within the Star Luo Empire was fierce, and its style from top to bottom was thoroughly iron-blooded. Star Luo City likely could not compare to Heaven Dou City either.

Yet prosperous Heaven Dou City also had its iron-blooded side.

A month had passed since Oscar consumed the Eight Petal Immortal Orchid.

Dugu Bo brought the three of them away from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye and to the Heaven Dou Grand Soul Fighting Arena to practice their soul skills and gain combat experience.

A Soul Master's life could not avoid killing, and the Great Soul Arena had become one of the places to build combat experience for one's own geniuses.

Dugu Chen did not believe that the Great Soul Arena had no involvement from the major powers behind it. It could earn profits while also uncovering overlooked talents. It was a business guaranteed to make money.

As they drew nearer, Dugu Chen looked at the magnificent structure before him. By his estimate, it was no less impressive than the Heaven Dou Auction House.

The Heaven Dou Grand Soul Fighting Arena was oval overall and stood one hundred and eighty meters tall. Inside, it was divided into three Main Soul Arenas and forty-eight Sub Soul Arenas. It could accommodate one hundred thousand spectators at the same time, including one hundred VIP boxes. Not only was this a place for Soul Masters to spar and exchange techniques, it was also a place for various powers to display their strength.

Dugu Bo introduced the Great Soul Arena to the three somewhat astonished youths beside him.

There were three main types. The first was mutual sparring, where taking a life was forbidden. This was the type in which the geniuses of major powers usually participated.

The second was a deathmatch, where one could use any means necessary to kill the opponent. It was used to settle irreconcilable disputes.

The third was betting combat, which was also a form of deathmatch, except it was basically a method used by nobles to resolve conflicts.

There were also three match formats: one-on-one, two-on-two, and group battles. For group battles, the number of participants on each side was negotiated beforehand. According to the Great Soul Arena's rules, it was generally limited to seven to ten people.

"Teacher, are we going to participate in two-on-two matches as well?" Dugu Chen looked at Dugu Bo.

"You, Yan Yan, and Oscar will be paired separately with Soul Ancestors and Soul Elders. But with your strength, you should be able to handle it. It will also give you more experience against opponents," Dugu Bo said casually.

After hearing this, Dugu Chen nodded at Dugu Yan, who was holding his arm, making her smile brightly.

Oscar stood to the side and looked at Dugu Chen expectantly. Yet as they were about to enter the Great Soul Arena, Dugu Chen showed no reaction at all, and Oscar pouted in disappointment. If Dugu Chen did not take him along, was he supposed to go up there and throw himself away?

Upon entering the Great Soul Arena, the first thing they saw was an enormous stone monument covered in densely carved names. Those names belonged to people who had died in Soul Combat battles.

Only then did Dugu Chen remember Oscar and speak to him.

"Oscar, you and I will form one team, while Senior Sister and I will form another. Although Support System Soul Masters cannot get much training in a place with such limited space, seeing different soul skills and Martial Souls is still valuable experience."

Oscar nodded happily. With someone to carry him up the ranks, of course he was delighted.

This kind of arena-style sparring was not particularly friendly to Support System and Agility Attack System Soul Masters. The space was too small, limiting the Agility Attack System's range of movement and hindering its performance. As for the Support System, once they released their skills, they had nowhere to evade and could only rely on their teammates' protection.

But it was more than enough for broadening their horizons.

Registering for Soul Combat here was very simple. They only needed to fill out a form containing their name, age, birthplace, and Martial Soul, and they could receive an initial Iron Soul Fighting Badge. Of course, registration also required each person to pay ten gold coins as a registration fee.

At the same time, they underwent a Soul Power test similar to the one at Spirit Hall to confirm their respective levels.

Dugu Chen and the other two finished registering very quickly, with astonishing efficiency. The staff were obviously professionals and did not show any surprise at their ages. After all, they had seen plenty.

At the Great Soul Arena, one could only participate in Soul Combat matches at the Main Soul Arena after achieving more than five consecutive victories, reaching a sufficiently high Soul Fighting Badge rank, or possessing an extremely high Soul Master level.

Thus, the three of them could only compete in the smaller Soul Arenas, but they did not mind.

Dugu Chen and Dugu Yan had to wait a while for their individual Soul Combat matches, so the three went to the spectator stands to familiarize themselves with the place.

The entire Great Soul Arena gave Dugu Chen a dazzling impression. Battles were taking place nonstop on the forty-eight Sub Battle Soul Platforms and three Main Battle Soul Platforms: one-on-one, two-on-two, and group battles involving several people. Listening to the cheers around him, he felt his blood begin to boil.

The Soul Arena was also divided into the Gambling Zone and the Deathmatch Zone. Betting Arena matches were held at the Main Battle Soul Platform.

Dugu Bo led the three around and gave them a general understanding of the Great Soul Arena's layout.

The crowd gathered in one corner was particularly polarized. Some were overjoyed, while others cursed furiously. That was clearly the betting area.

People bet on the contestants they favored, much like gambling on stones. One side was heaven, the other hell. Even after coming to Douluo Continent, gamblers were still impossible to get rid of.

When they arrived at the corridor outside the rest area, the Soul Masters participating in Soul Combat were all assigned to rest in a spacious room while waiting to go on stage.

Dugu Chen asked Dugu Bo, "Teacher, should Senior Sister and I wear masks to conceal our appearances?"

Dugu Chen worried that exposing their cultivation might bring them trouble.

Dugu Bo thought for a moment before saying, "Once Yan Yan releases her Martial Soul, won't everyone know anyway? Besides, who would dare come looking for trouble with me?"

Dugu Bo was brimming with confidence now.

Clear Sky Douluo Tang Hao was formidable, right? The previous Pope and two Titled Elders fought him three against one. They had the advantage in level and the upper hand in battle, yet they still suffered a crushing defeat.

Clear Sky Douluo equaled the Pope plus two Titled Elders.

Not long ago, he, Dugu Bo, had fought Tang Hao to a draw. Neither could do anything to the other.

Therefore, Dugu Bo equaled Tang Hao, which equaled the Pope plus a Titled Elder. There was nothing wrong with that, right?

If Dugu Chen knew what Dugu Bo was thinking, he would have cursed him to death. Could the current Pope be compared to the previous one? He did not have that level of strength, did he?

Seeing Dugu Bo's confident expression, Dugu Chen could only turn back and remind Dugu Yan.

"Senior Sister, when you go on stage later, try not to reveal all your Soul Rings. The later you expose them, the better!"

Although Dugu Yan did not know why Dugu Chen was being so cautious—he was Power Attack System, not Defense System—she still nodded in agreement.

Suppressing the visible display of Soul Rings was a very simple technique, but generally no one paid attention to it because there was no need. Dugu Chen had figured it out when he had only two Soul Rings.

Seeing his disciple being so careful, Dugu Bo said impatiently, "Enough. Yan Yan will look more mature with a mask on. Fifteen- or sixteen-year-old Soul Ancestors are not unheard of. As long as her Soul Rings are not exposed, no one will pay much attention."

Dugu Chen finally relaxed. With a mask on, Dugu Yan's figure did indeed look much more mature than her actual age, partly due to the effects of her cultivation.

Dugu Chen and Dugu Yan put on masks and entered the contestants' rest area.

Inside the rest area, Dugu Chen and Dugu Yan's arrival immediately drew the attention of the other Soul Masters. Judging by their bearing and clothes, they were clearly no ordinary Soul Masters. They were probably disciples from some family who had come to gain experience.

After their initial surprise, no one paid them any further attention. Those who meditated continued meditating. They needed to maintain their best condition for Soul Combat, since some of them relied on this to earn Gold Soul Coins and make a living.

After sitting down, Dugu Chen said to Dugu Yan, who was leaning against him, "Senior Sister, don't be nervous when you go on stage. Just pretend the people below do not exist. Besides, people and Soul Beasts are different, and you—"

Dugu Yan lifted her head and looked at him with a smiling gaze, leaving Dugu Chen puzzled.

"What is it?"

Dugu Yan leaned close to Dugu Chen's ear and whispered, "Junior Brother, you looked just like an old grandpa just now. But Senior Sister likes it!"

After saying that, she extended her rosy little tongue and licked Dugu Chen's earlobe.

"Hiss!!!"

Dugu Chen shuddered, and then his blood surged. His sword seemed ready to leave its sheath for the first time. He moved a little farther away from Dugu Yan, crossed one leg over the other, took several deep breaths, then turned to her and continued.

"In any case, safety comes first."

Dugu Yan looked at Dugu Chen with an ambiguous smile. Just as she was about to continue teasing her junior brother, notification came that it was her turn for Soul Combat. She had no choice but to stop, whispering into Dugu Chen's ear.

"I'll let Junior Brother off this time since we're outside. Next time won't be so simple."

With that, she turned and prepared to go on stage, her departing figure exceptionally carefree.

Dugu Chen shook his head and suppressed the amorous thoughts in his heart. Hearing his name announced, he calmed himself, stood up, and went to meet his first Soul Combat match.

He followed the staff toward the one-on-one Soul Combat area, seeing quite a few contestants coming and going along the way.

Matchups in the one-on-one Soul Combat area were determined by drawing lots. While other Soul Masters were fighting, those waiting could choose to watch or rest. Each area of the Sub Soul Arenas had a designated place for participating Soul Masters to observe matches, very close to the Battle Soul Platform.

Looking at the surrounding spectators, Dugu Chen knew that Dugu Bo and Oscar were among them, watching his and Dugu Yan's matches. He swept his gaze around, but there were too many people to find them.

Although it was only a Sub Battle Soul Platform, its area was still considerable. With a diameter of thirty meters, it provided enough room for Soul Masters to perform.

Unfortunately, the audience around this one-on-one Battle Soul Platform was not as numerous as those around the Main Battle Soul Platform, though it was still about two-fifths full.

On the Battle Soul Platform, a young woman wearing an ultra-short skirt stood at the center. She cleared her throat and announced loudly, "Next, please welcome Battle Soul Elder Niu Qing, who possesses the Beast Martial Soul Ironclad Rhinoceros and has already won four consecutive matches, as well as Battle Soul Elder I'm Not Good at Fighting, who possesses the Beast Martial Soul Kirin Martial Soul. Please come on stage."

A tall, burly figure quickly stepped onto the Battle Soul Platform. He stood nearly two meters tall, with broad shoulders and a wide back, his entire body covered in granite-like muscles.

Dugu Chen stepped onto the stage wearing his mask and calmly looked at his opponent.

Seeing Dugu Chen's slender body, cheers in support of Niu Qing erupted throughout the spectator stands.

Niu Qing looked at the slender Dugu Chen opposite him and laughed. "Kid, looks like my fifth victory is in the bag."

Dugu Chen said blandly, "Good luck. I'm not good at fighting in this kind of match."