Lang Lei did not give much thought to why Qian Renxue was paying him such close attention. After all, in this world of Douluo Continent, all manner of demons, monsters, ghosts, and strange beings existed. To Lang Lei, his own strength was what mattered most. No matter who the other party was or what their motives were, strength would ultimately decide everything.
Moreover, Lang Lei could roughly guess why Qian Renxue was being so helpful. She simply wanted to recruit him to compete for that position. However, Lang Lei did not care much about that. If Qian Renxue could truly produce another item imbued with divinity, he would not mind helping her out. After all, such treasures were not something one could find everywhere.
Still, Lang Lei knew full well that the chances of that were minuscule. She was only the Crown Prince—how could she repeatedly produce treasures so precious? Even Xue Ye, the emperor, might not be able to produce one so easily. Thus, Lang Lei did not place much hope in Qian Renxue.
Even so, Lang Lei was grateful for Qian Renxue's reminder. Before classes had even ended, he eagerly asked the teacher for leave and hurried toward the Great Soul Arena in Heaven Dou City.
"Whose child is this? Why has he come to a place like this at such a young age?" Whispers rose from the crowd as people cast curious looks at the child who had suddenly appeared.
"No idea. Hey, kid over there, where are your parents?" someone shouted, trying to get Lang Lei's attention.
"Do you think he came here to participate in soul fighting?" someone else guessed, drawing a burst of laughter from the people around them.
"What a joke. He's so young, he probably hasn't even grown all his hair yet. Does he even know what soul fighting is?" someone retorted disdainfully.
However, Lang Lei seemed not to hear the jeering and doubts around him. He walked straight toward the Heaven Dou Grand Arena, completely ignoring the surrounding crowd.
Lang Lei's name had long resounded through noble circles, and even some smaller soul master families had heard of him. But to commoner soul masters, Lang Lei's name was still relatively unfamiliar. Not to mention these thug-like soul masters—their standing was far below Lang Lei's, so there was no way they could know of his existence.
As the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire, Heaven Dou City was prosperous and bustling, but with its enormous population, it was inevitably a mixed bag. It was home not only to nobles and soul masters, but also to vast numbers of ordinary citizens.
There was nothing to be done about that. Lang Lei could not expect everyone to know his name. It was enough for the major powers to know it.
Lang Lei would not take the initiative to bully these ordinary people, but that did not mean he had to get close to them either.
"Sir, this is your Bronze Soul Fighting Token. Please keep it safe. You will need it as well if you advance later on."
"Alright, thank you."
The Great Soul Arena's staff displayed considerable professionalism. They did not refuse to process Lang Lei's arena credentials simply because he was a child. Thanks to the staff's efficient work, Lang Lei quickly completed his registration. This meant he could finally show his skills in the Soul Arena.
Just as the receptionist was about to check Lang Lei's Soul Power Level and arrange a suitable opponent for him, Lang Lei suddenly made a request. "Could you arrange for a Soul Ancestor to be my opponent?"
The request surprised the receptionist somewhat, but she still politely asked whether Lang Lei was willing to display his Soul Power Level.
Lang Lei agreed without hesitation and gently placed his hand on the crystal ball. In an instant, the crystal ball emitted a faint glow, and a clear number—"29"—slowly appeared.
"Level 29!" The receptionist cried out in shock, her eyes widening like bells as disbelief covered her face. A Soul Power Level of 29 was already outstanding among those of the same age, while Lang Lei looked no more than a child. Such a level was truly astonishing.
But at this age, level 29... Could the crystal ball be broken? She had originally assumed he was some young genius from a noble family here to gain experience, at most around level ten. The Soul Arena did have plenty of opponents at that level, since ordinary soul masters made up the majority of soul masters. Not every soul master could reach the level of those monsters in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament.
"Is that enough now?" Lang Lei slowly withdrew his hand without expression, as though he had long grown accustomed to the reactions around him. He secretly sighed. Over this period of time, he seemed to have gradually adapted to other people's constant shock.
Lang Lei thought back for a moment and ultimately decided that the Crown Prince's reaction back then had been the calmest.
"Um, little friend," the receptionist began hesitantly, "according to the rules, we can only arrange opponents at the Soul Grandmaster level for you. If there are special circumstances, the highest we can arrange is a Soul Elder. As for a Soul Ancestor... that would be rather difficult."
Lang Lei was not surprised. He nodded to show that he understood. After all, those were the rules here, and he did not want to make things too difficult for the receptionist.
"Then could you arrange a seven-person team of Soul Elders for me?" After thinking it over, Lang Lei made his request. Though such an arrangement might make the battle more difficult, he felt the risk was still acceptable.
Upon hearing Lang Lei's request, the receptionist could not help looking troubled. She hesitated, and even a faint sheen of cold sweat appeared on her forehead. After all, she had never encountered anything like arranging a battle between an individual and a team before, let alone making such a decision on her own.
After all, the Great Soul Arena had gambling-like betting. If Lang Lei's individual strength was insufficient, it could easily cause the Great Soul Arena to lose money.
After all, it was one person against a team, and the team's average Soul Power Level was higher than that one person's. No matter how one looked at it, the team would win. In fact, the audience would think so too, and they would place heavy bets. How could a mere receptionist dare shoulder such a risk?
"Still not possible?" Lang Lei frowned, but he did not make things difficult for her. "Forget it. Then let's follow your Soul Arena's rules."
"Wait. We can agree to this young brother's request." At that moment, a man walked over and said to the receptionist with a smile, "Arrange it for him. Do as this young brother requested."
"Alright."
"Young brother, I am—"
"Arrange it quickly. I'll go to the waiting area first." Lang Lei did not bother exchanging pleasantries with him.
Anyone who dared say that most likely knew his identity and had come with some other purpose in mind. Although one did not slap a smiling face, Lang Lei could not be bothered with pleasantries. He simply ignored the man.
Before you continue