Soto Great Soul Arena

Night had deepened, and the moon had risen to its highest point.

At a street corner in Suotuo City, three sharp sleeve arrows tore through the air and pierced straight through Bule's body.

Another pig-like scream rang out. Three bloody holes instantly appeared in his body. Coupled with the pain of his martial soul being torn apart moments ago, Bule collapsed headfirst onto the ground, whether unconscious or dead unknown.

Ye Buqun remained expressionless. He put away the Silent Sleeve Arrow, turned, and prepared to leave.

"Sir, thank you so much." Doudou stepped forward and thanked Ye Buqun.

Ye Buqun said, "It was nothing. Girls need to protect themselves when they're out. Don't wander around at night."

Doudou understood this perfectly well. Although her martial soul lacked much combat power, it was a white dove capable of flight. She had believed that she could escape instantly if she encountered danger, but she had never expected to run into a lecherous Control-type Soul Master like Bule. She had truly been unable to flee even with wings.

Doudou then took a ring set with a pink gemstone from a pouch at her slender waist and handed it to him. "This is the Soul Tool, the Ring of Ten Pink. It can store ten cubic meters of items. It's for you."

Ye Buqun waved his hand at the sight. "I didn't save you for your things. If I accepted it like this, wouldn't that make it seem—"

Before he could finish, Doudou stuffed the ring into his hand. "If you don't accept it, Doudou will be unhappy. If it hadn't been for you today, I really wouldn't know what to do. Just saying thank you makes me seem too ungrateful, so you have to accept it."

Since the girl had put it that way, Ye Buqun had no way to refuse. "All right. In that case, I'll hold onto it for you for now."

Soul Tools were extremely precious. Even one with only a cubic meter of storage space would be worth a fortune, perhaps even impossible to buy at any price. But this truly meant nothing to Ye Buqun, because he carried Mirror Space himself, which was equivalent to possessing a Soul Tool with limitless storage.

Doudou was not only exceptionally beautiful, but also kind-hearted and someone who repaid kindness. Such people were truly rare.

The young man had saved Doudou, so she was naturally deeply grateful. Moreover, he had crippled Bule's martial soul with a single strike, so his strength was certainly not weak. She studied him carefully. He was handsome and refined, his skin as delicate as mutton-fat jade. How could she possibly dislike him?

Naturally, Doudou was reluctant to leave just like that. "You don't seem to be from around here. What did you come here to do?"

There was nothing to hide about that, so Ye Buqun answered honestly, "I'm from a place called Holy Soul Village. By the way, do you know how to get to the Soto Great Soul Arena?"

Although he had a navigation system in his mind that could automatically indicate the route, Ye Buqun did not dislike the girl, so he asked her directly.

Upon hearing this, Doudou smiled. "You're going to the Soto Great Soul Arena? Haha, what a coincidence. Doudou works there."

Ye Buqun smiled at her as well. "That really is perfect."

Doudou said, "It seems the two of us really are fated."

Although night had fallen, Suotuo City seemed as though it had only just awakened. Its prosperity and liveliness were no less than during the day. Especially near the commercial district, the roadsides remained brightly lit, and many shops stayed open around the clock. Many street vendors also took advantage of the bustling night to sell snacks and little trinkets.

Ye Buqun and Doudou, a handsome young man and a beautiful young woman, walked down the street together. Doudou in particular drew countless glances.

Several times, Doudou wanted to take the boy's arm, but she feared it would be too abrupt.

"It looks like we're almost there. Why do you want to go to the Soul Arena to compete?" Doudou asked.

Ye Buqun answered, "I had already heard of this place back in the village. You could say I came here because of its reputation, to test my skills."

"There, that's the Soto Great Soul Arena."

Doudou pointed with her delicate hand. Ye Buqun looked in the direction of her finger and saw a towering building. From afar, it stood over a hundred meters tall. In the darkness of night, it resembled a majestic mountain with a neat, orderly shape. The enormous structure was brilliantly lit, and faint cheers and screams could be heard coming from within.

Ye Buqun said, "Then let's go in now."

Doudou nodded. "All right."

"Wait a moment." With a thought, Ye Buqun put the Clown Mask directly over his face.

Doudou naturally understood. Many outstanding Soul Masters wore masks when competing in order to conceal their identities.

The two then entered the magnificent building. Ye Buqun looked around after entering and found that it seemed even larger inside than outside.

The entire Soto Great Soul Arena was oval-shaped, over a hundred meters tall, and covered an immense area, like a small town. Inside were one main Soul Battle Stage and over a hundred smaller Soul Battle Stages. At maximum capacity, it could accommodate more than one hundred and twenty thousand spectators. Not only that, there were also several hundred VIP lounges, specially provided for distinguished Soul Masters to wait and rest.

As they continued inward, Doudou, being a staff member here, gave Ye Buqun a detailed introduction to the place.

Generally speaking, Soul Battles were divided into three categories. The first was sparring, where Soul Masters exchanged moves and stopped short of causing fatal injury. The second was duels. Some Soul Masters held blood-deep grudges against one another and signed life-and-death agreements, fighting to the death until one party died. The third was wagered Soul Battles, where both sides placed bets beforehand, and the victor claimed the wager.

The more Ye Buqun listened, the more interested he became, signaling for Doudou to continue.

Doudou went on with her explanation. There were also many formats for matches. They could be one-on-one or group battles, with no more than ten people on either side. For fewer than ten participants, the number of fighters was negotiated by both sides. However, the usual formats were one-on-one and two-on-two, and most spectators came to watch these common types of matches.

As they walked, Doudou spoke. They came upon a massive purple stone monument engraved with densely packed red characters. These were the names of Soul Masters who had died in the Soul Arena.

As she spoke, the two arrived at the Soul Master registration desk.

"Ah, Vice Manager Doudou. Are you participating in a Soul Battle too?"

The tall woman at the registration desk recognized Doudou and spoke very politely.

Only then did Ye Buqun realize that this girl was also a minor official at the Soto Great Soul Arena.

"Not me, this gentleman." Doudou pointed at Ye Buqun beside her.

However, Ye Buqun said to Doudou, "I suggest you register as well—"