It had been a long time since anything like this had happened in the small Soul Dueling Arena to the west.
A Slaughter Guard stepped forward, gave Xiao Yun an expressionless look, and took a small blue flag from inside his clothes, handing it over.
"Ten consecutive wins. This is your proof. With this flag, you may enter the Main Soul Dueling Arena."
Xiao Yun accepted the little blue flag. Its fabric was cold to the touch, with the blood-red character for "ten" embroidered on it. He nodded, then turned and walked back to Ling'er.
Ling'er came to meet him, a smile finally appearing on her face. "Master, I knew you'd be all right," she whispered.
Xiao Yun tucked the blue flag into his sleeve and glanced back at the enormous Main Soul Dueling Arena. Beneath its blood-red dome, the stands of the Great Soul Arena were still packed with people, their cries for blood rising one after another. The "Slaughter Guard flag" near the Great Soul Arena swayed gently in the blood-red wind, the countless living souls within the banner lying quietly dormant.
Xiao Yun withdrew his gaze, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"Let's go. We'll head back for now."
He turned and left with Ling'er. Behind them, another match had already begun in the small Soul Dueling Arena.
And within the Inner City of the City of Slaughter, Xiao Yun's ten consecutive victories were no more than a tiny pebble cast into a deep pool seething with hidden currents.
Over the next few days, Xiao Yun and Ling'er settled into the hotel called the Bloodbrew Inn.
During the day, Xiao Yun took Ling'er wandering around the Inner City.
Ling'er was curious about everything. Sometimes she slipped into bookshops to leaf through ancient Soul Tool diagrams; sometimes