Victory Without a Fight

Soto Great Soul Arena, soul master waiting room.

Hearing that something had happened here, Manager Qian hurried over in a panic.

But it seemed the matter was already over. All he saw was a dent in the wall, while the scene looked somewhat messy.

"I say, Buqun, I heard you beat up Fierce Tiger just now?" Manager Qian had caught wind of it and asked this the moment he entered.

Ye Buqun said, "I don't know who that guy was. If a burly man got beaten up just now, then I suppose I was the one who beat him."

Manager Qian's expression became somewhat exaggerated. "Oh, young man, why did you hit him? Do you know who he is? He's the second son of the Fierce Tiger Family's patriarch, and Fierce Tiger's older brother is even more formidable!"

Ye Buqun shrugged. "What Fierce Tiger Family? I've never heard of it."

Manager Qian continued, "Fine, fine, you haven't heard of the Fierce Tiger Family. But did you know that the Fierce Tiger Family belongs to a family under another great clan?"

Ye Buqun seemed somewhat impatient. "Manager Qian, just say what you want to say."

Manager Qian said, "Since you don't even know that, let me tell you. The Fierce Tiger Family is affiliated with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, one of the Upper Three Sects. They absolutely cannot be provoked!"

Hearing this, Doudou became a little flustered. "Manager Qian, this all started because of me. Ye Buqun only clashed with Fierce Tiger because he was protecting me."

Yet Ye Buqun secretly found the manager's words amusing. His face remained calm as he said, "Who he is has nothing to do with me. If they want trouble, let them come. Manager Qian, I still have a match to compete in. We can talk after it's over. Doudou, let's go."

On the way to the arena, Doudou felt uneasy. "We're in trouble now, aren't we? You beat Fierce Tiger. Did we offend a family from the Upper Three Sects?"

Ye Buqun smiled. "With me here, don't worry about anything."

As they spoke, they had already arrived at the venue: Soul Battle Stage Number Twelve.

Doudou looked around. About half the seats for this match were already filled, which was quite a large audience for one-on-one and two-on-two matches.

Among them were Fierce Tiger's fans, as well as some of Ye Buqun's fans. Naturally, Fierce Tiger had more supporters, though some had come to watch Charming Cat as well.

Once the contestants were in place, the host took the microphone and said, "All right, next is the fourth match on Soul Battle Stage Number Twelve. The Cat-Tiger Duo will face the Ye-Doudou Duo. So far, the Cat-Tiger Duo has achieved an impressive eight-match winning streak. But the male member of the Ye-Doudou Duo, Ye Buqun, representing our Soto Great Soul Arena, is even more noteworthy. He has already achieved a remarkable thirteen-match winning streak. So which side is more skilled? Let's see how they perform!"

"Fierce Tiger, do your best!"

"Fierce Tiger and Charming Cat, get up there and teach them a lesson!"

"Go, Fierce Tiger! I bet five hundred Gold Soul Coins on you this match!"

Before the host had even finished speaking, the audience below began shouting like mad. From their cries, it was clear that the Cat-Tiger Duo had no small amount of support.

Normally, Fierce Tiger would greet the audience beforehand, then provoke his opponents to whip the atmosphere into a frenzy before defeating them and gaining even more popularity.

But today, something was clearly off about him. His complexion looked poor, he walked sluggishly, and his mood seemed low. He did not interact with the audience or provoke his opponents at all.

Charming Cat also noticed that something was wrong with her partner and began to mutter to herself.

"Match begin!"

At the host's announcement, Doudou impatiently prepared to release her martial soul and soul rings, but Ye Buqun stopped her.

Doudou did not understand why, but their opponents were already preparing to attack.

A cat-shaped martial soul appeared in Charming Cat's palm. After using Martial Soul Possession, her hands immediately transformed into two furry claws, sharp nails extending from her fingers as her entire body bloomed with a dazzling pale blue radiance. Her eyes became double-pupiled, two cat ears sprouted from her head, and pale blue, fine fur covered her body. Three soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple—rose beneath her feet.

She was a level thirty-eight Soul Elder. At her age, that was not a low rank.

Though she had undergone Martial Soul Possession, Charming Cat looked even more bewitching.

"Kid, do you know what it means when enemies meet on a narrow road? Watch this lord teach you a proper lesson."

Whether to bolster his own courage or for some other reason, Fierce Tiger remained as arrogant as ever. He immediately let out a roar with all his strength, and the muscles throughout his body swelled another round, making his frame appear even more burly. A massive Tiger Beastman phantom nearly four meters tall appeared behind him, looking immensely imposing. At the same time, four soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple—rose beneath his feet.

His martial soul was the Beast Fierce Tiger, and he was a level forty-two, four-ring Attack System battle Soul Ancestor!

But then, a jaw-dropping scene unfolded.

Fierce Tiger's face turned even paler. Suddenly, he felt a crushing force sweep through his entire body, as though every inch of flesh and every cell were being squeezed dry, while his chest and abdomen felt as if they were about to be pierced through.

Then Fierce Tiger felt the world spin around him, as though his brain matter and blood had mixed together. He clutched his chest, vomited a large pool of blood, and collapsed to the ground, his entire body convulsing violently.

"W-What happened?"

This sudden turn of events plunged the audience into brief silence.

The host hurriedly called the Soul Arena's medical staff onto the stage. By the time they examined Fierce Tiger, he had already stopped breathing.

In shock, the host announced Fierce Tiger's death.

"He died?!"

"What rotten luck. I bought a five-hundred-Gold-Soul-Coin betting slip on that guy."

"What trash. If he was sick, he should've gotten treated. And we were even here supporting him."

"Clown is amazing!"

"Keep it up, Clown!"

Fierce Tiger's death once again stirred up heated discussion below the stage. Some thought he had suddenly suffered a fatal acute illness, while others were annoyed that the contestant they had bet on had lost. Of course, those who supported the Ye-Doudou Duo and Ye Buqun cheered for their victory.

In truth, Fierce Tiger's death was entirely due to the lingering effects of the punch Ye Buqun had thrown after he harassed Doudou in the waiting room. Although Ye Buqun had used less than one-twentieth of his strength at the time, it had still left Fierce Tiger with severe aftereffects.

Even Ye Buqun had not expected this outcome. His opponent had been far too fragile.

No matter what, they had won this match without a fight—