Fierce Tiger and Charming Cat

Soto Great Soul Arena, Soul Battle Stage No. 35.

The entire arena was covered in purple vines, like a sea of violet.

In a one-on-one duel, Control-type Soul Masters held an enormous advantage, especially against Soul Masters of the same rank. Unless a Strong Attack-type Battle Soul Master was exceptionally gifted, they could hardly gain any advantage. As for Agility Attack-type Battle Soul Masters, they were completely countered.

Kusana's Purple Ghost Vine Martial Soul was particularly so. It was innately venomous, and in a one-on-one match, there were no Healing-type or Recovery-type Soul Masters to dispel the adverse effects caused by the poison. Once struck, there was practically no chance of recovery.

Besides, he had already taken control of the entire arena.

Just then, Ye Buqun formed a sword with two fingers and slashed several Sword Qi through the air. Like a cutting machine, they instantly shredded the surrounding purple vines, clearing a large area of the arena.

"Sw-Sword Qi?!"

As Kusana hesitated, Ye Buqun himself had already closed in. Soul Power had condensed into a short sword roughly two feet long in his hand, its tip less than two inches from Kusana's throat.

That overbearing sword intent and razor-sharp killing aura even forced Kusana's Martial Soul and Soul Rings back. The sea of purple on the arena instantly vanished, and calm was restored.

Facing the blade at such close range, cold sweat streamed down Kusana's face. If it moved even a little farther forward, he would probably lose his life.

"I... I surrender." Seeing that his opponent's strength was unfathomable, Kusana immediately chose to concede.

When that Soul Power-condensed blade neared him, Kusana felt an unprecedented pressure from the sword. It was simply more than he could bear.

Sharp Tool Martial Souls like the Seven Kill Sword naturally countered plant Martial Souls, not to mention the disparity in Soul Power Level that no one else could see.

Just like that, Ye Buqun claimed his thirteenth consecutive victory.

According to the schedule, Ye Buqun still had one match today: a two-on-two free battle with the Ye-Doudou Duo.

A free battle meant neither side knew the other's rank. That meant they could theoretically encounter opponents at the Soul Douluo or even Title Douluo level, though the odds were incredibly small, practically zero.

Still, that did not mean it was entirely impossible.

While waiting in the lounge, Doudou's expression could not be seen beneath her Clown Mask, but she kept rubbing her two thumbs together, clearly nervous.

After all, this was her first battle since obtaining her Third Soul Ring, and she had no idea what kind of opponents she would face.

At that moment, a man and a woman entered the waiting room. The man was a stereotypical brute, over two meters tall and a full three heads taller than Ye Buqun. His upper body was nearly bare, exposing exaggerated yet solid muscles. He looked like a Strength-type Soul Master.

Following him was a seductive woman wearing heavy makeup. She appeared to be around twenty years old. Her clothes were simple, and a neither strong nor faint fragrance wafted from her body.

The man swaggered over, sat down with great fanfare, and looked Doudou up and down beside Ye Buqun. Then he said, "Little girl, you've got such a nice figure. Why wear a mask? Take it off already and let big brother have a look."

Although Doudou's face was covered, her figure had developed quite well at thirteen or fourteen. She drew plenty of looks wherever she went, mostly from men, of course, but none had been as rude and insulting as this brute.

"Y-you, get lost!" Doudou snapped coldly at his crude words.

"I'm giving you face by calling you that. Don't be ungrateful. Why don't you go ask around? Do you even know who I am?" As he spoke, the brute reached out to tear off Doudou's mask.

At that moment, a figure darted forward. The brute immediately felt something seize his descending arm, preventing it from moving down even an inch.

A young man wearing a Clown Mask stood before him, his hand, utterly incomparable to the brute's, gripping his arm.

The brute tried to pull his arm free, but his right hand felt as though it were caught in a pair of pincers with immense force. He could not budge it in the slightest!

Needless to say, the youth was Ye Buqun.

"I'll tell you something. When you're out and about, keep your mouth clean. Otherwise, it's easy to get beaten up." Ye Buqun's tone was calm, but anger had already risen in his heart.

The brute was shocked. This kid looked thin and small, yet possessed such tremendous strength. Startled and enraged, he still could not pull free his right arm. Even so, to save face, he shouted fiercely at the youth, "What backwater did you crawl out of? How dare you speak to me like that?!"

"Looks like you really don't want to live anymore," Ye Buqun muttered, then seemingly without much force, drove his right fist into the brute's chest and abdomen.

Before the man could even react, a muffled bang rang out. His whole body flew backward like a kite with a snapped string and slammed into the lounge wall, leaving a deep dent in it.

"Fierce Tiger?!" The seductive woman cried anxiously as she rushed over to see whether her partner was all right.

"Charming Cat, help me up—" Fierce Tiger was unexpectedly weak even as he spoke to his female partner.

As Charming Cat helped him to his feet by supporting his arm, Fierce Tiger suddenly coughed violently several times and spat out mouthfuls of blood.

He clutched his faintly aching chest and abdomen, feeling unbearably stifled. His face had gone pale, and he no longer carried the same domineering, arrogant air as before.

"Y-you're Clown?" Fierce Tiger had fought countless battles in the Soto Great Soul Arena. There was no way he had not heard of this newly risen star.

Ye Buqun smiled disdainfully. "What does who I am have to do with you? Remember, don't swagger around like that when you're out in the future. Otherwise, what happened to you today will count as a good outcome."

Little did Fierce Tiger know that Ye Buqun had not used his full strength at all. Otherwise, that punch might have torn through his body or blown his head apart. Ye Buqun did not want to make things too ugly.

Fierce Tiger could not stop himself from coughing twice more. Whether to conceal the terror and shock in his heart or because he truly felt unwell and needed rest, he still forced himself to speak arrogantly. "Clown, Ye-Doudou Duo... Hmph, enemies really do meet on narrow roads. Perfect. I'll give you two a proper beating later. Just wait and see."

After saying that, he left supported by Charming Cat.