Imperial Battle (I)

Bai Ge had taken down the Berserker Team one against seven. Not only had he earned a hefty sum at the Soto Great Spirit Arena, but he had also received a Gold Spirit Badge.

One against seven, five seconds—the famed members of the Berserker Team had all become corpses.

Among them, the female Spirit Master known far and wide for both her beauty and infamy, nicknamed Black Widow and possessing the Spider Martial Soul, had her neck snapped in an instant.

There had not been the slightest mercy, nor the slightest hesitation. It had been like Death's scythe.

Their captain, Berserk Rhino, had been beaten so badly that his brains spilled out.

And his opponent had not even used a single Soul Skill.

Because no Soul Rings had lit up.

This was something no one had ever accomplished in the Soto Great Spirit Arena.

Beating people without even activating one's Martial Soul was usually something only higher-ranked Spirit Masters did to lower-ranked ones.

To fight opponents of the same rank and still take down seven alone—even Titled Douluo, symbols of peak talent, could not have done that at the third or fourth rank!

And after that one battle, Bai Ge's fierce reputation spread. Anyone who encountered him would generally surrender before the fight even began.

As for the occasional stubborn few, one kick each put them all on the ground. Those who survived could count themselves lucky.

So after only ten matches, Manager Ao had perceptively delivered a Gold Spirit Badge to him.

But today, Manager Ao, who was usually imposing from every angle, came rushing over in a panic.

Bai Ge could not help teasing him. "Hey, Lao Ao, what's wrong with you today? Why do you look so awful? Did your house collapse?"

Manager Ao was a smooth and tactful man, skilled at handling people. Over the past month, Bai Ge had stepped in for him several times, knocking down quite a few Soul Ancestors who had come looking for trouble.

The Gold Coins in his private coffers had been piling up fast, and their partnership had been quite pleasant.

After all, who could refuse those little darlings that glittered, gleamed, and jingled?

There was another reason Bai Ge thought so highly of Manager Ao: his surname was Ao.

That was a dragon clan surname.

In Huaxia legends, it was the surname of dragons.

Dragons were Huaxia's faith, totem, and symbol.

Descendants of Yan and Huang often used the Eastern dragon to represent their own country.

Being in another world, Bai Ge naturally felt an extra sense of familiarity upon seeing that surname.

(This was a distinctive mark of ancient web novels; between the lines lay traces of Huaxia.)

And because of that, Manager Ao had now been promoted to Manager Ao.

Since Bai Ge and Manager Ao were well acquainted, there was no need for excessive formalities.

After arriving at the private room and taking their seats, Lao Ao spoke. "Young Master Bai, young friends, since we know one another, I'll get straight to the point.

"On behalf of the Soto Great Spirit Arena, I hope that the team battle the Shrek Team participates in today can be held in the Central Grand Spirit Arena."

Bai Ge raised an eyebrow, looking delighted by someone else's misfortune. "What, did someone come smash up your venue again? Not that I'm saying it, but are all the people you hire useless?"

"Young Master Bai, please, stop rubbing salt in the wound, will you?"

Lao Ao gave a bitter smile. "Three days ago, a Spirit Master team arrived. Every one of them is a Silver Spirit-level Spirit Master. They seem to have been hired by several great nobles of Suotuo City.

"For two days in a row, those nobles placed heavy bets on them, and they won their spirit battles without suspense, bringing enormous losses to the Great Spirit Arena.

"Over this period, you should have learned that Spirit Masters who reach the Silver Spirit level generally possess strength above level forty.

"But every member of this team is a Soul Elder. We cannot break the rules and send a level-forty Soul Ancestor team to fight them.

"Yet if this continues, the Great Spirit Arena cannot withstand such ongoing losses.

"Perhaps because they have tasted success, those nobles increased their bets again today. If we lose again, I'm afraid..."

Bai Ge folded his arms. "Heh, interesting. They're really pushing their luck."

Although Bai Ge himself never held back when he acted, that was in battle—a place where strength and fists spoke.

Business was different. Business was about relationships and social etiquette.

As long as no one had lost everything or seen their family destroyed, it did not count as much of a problem.

But after making a huge sum, refusing to stop and trying to bankrupt the Great Spirit Arena—that was breaking the rules.

Business was business, not an arena, much less a battlefield. Playing it this way was inappropriate.

Grandmaster, standing nearby, understood the situation clearly. "If Soul Elders have already reached Silver Spirit Rank One, then they must be very strong.

"What kind of teams did the Spirit Arena send to face them over the past two days?"

Manager Ao answered, "Since our Soto Great Spirit Arena has no Soul Elder-level Silver Spirit teams, we had no choice but to send Soul Elder-level Bronze Spirit teams to fight them.

"One of those teams was called Blood Blade. They had even defeated the Berserker Team before.

"But they were utterly defeated."

Bai Ge was intrigued. "Compared to ordinary Soul Elders, they're already quite formidable."

Then Blood Blade had to be considered among the best at the Soul Elder level.

Could the members of that Silver Spirit team be at a higher level than them?

Silver Spirit and Bronze Spirit rankings were like leaderboard placements. With good luck, it was entirely possible to win several matches in a row.

A top-tier Bronze Spirit team was not necessarily weaker than a Silver Spirit team.

They could not rule out the possibility that the other side simply had terrible luck.

Manager Ao shook his head. "No, it isn't a matter of Soul Power Level. The main difference lies in their Soul Rings.

Like your Shrek team, this Silver Spirit team also has the optimal Soul Ring configuration.

Their enormous advantage in Soul Skills left their opponents without the slightest chance."

At those words, Grandmaster's expression finally changed somewhat. Naturally, he knew what the so-called optimal Soul Ring configuration meant.

It meant that the first Soul Ring was a hundred-year ring, the second was over five hundred years, and the third was directly a thousand-year ring.

On a soul master, this manifested as two yellow and one purple ring. Dai Mubai, Tang San, Oscar, and Xiao Wu were all like this.

Of course, a freakish cheat user like Bai Ge, with one yellow and two purple rings, had no reference value.

Light flickered in Grandmaster's eyes. After pondering for a moment, he said, "As I recall, participating in spirit battles at the Central Grand Spirit Arena should come with additional rewards, correct?"

Seeing that Grandmaster seemed tempted, Manager Ao secretly rejoiced and quickly said, "Of course. Every soul master who participates in a main arena match will receive a direct reward of five hundred Gold Soul Coins.

And since your side has received our invitation this time, if you can win this spirit battle, the arena is willing to offer an additional reward of ten thousand Gold Soul Coins."

Lao Ao looked at Bai Ge. "Of course, if Young Master Bai is willing to personally take the field, you may name your terms."

Lao Ao knew a little more about Bai Ge's strength. He knew full well that if Bai Ge personally stepped in, it would become another legendary one-against-seven battle.

At that point, with that gimmick, they could set the odds at one to a hundred. Not only would the Great Soul Arena recoup its losses in one stroke, it could even make a huge additional profit.

However, after spending this time together, he had also come to understand that if Berserk Rhino had not courted death by teasing Zhu Zhuqing that time, he would not have lost his life.

Ever since Bai Ge received his Gold Spirit Badge, he had hardly made a move.

"Don't worry. I'll take the field this time and back you up. I guarantee you'll win."

"Thank you, thank you!" Manager Ao beamed and had a maid bring over a card worth one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins. "Please accept it."

"Oh my, how could I possibly accept this?" Bai Ge said as he casually slipped the card into his pocket.

If Shrek's other seven members had been able to beat him, Bai Ge would probably have already been turned into a pig-headed mess.