Soul Fighting Arena

"Brother Lang Lei, it looks so lively over there." Griseo, who had been strolling around while holding Lang Lei's hand, suddenly pointed in a direction and asked curiously.

Lang Lei followed the direction of Griseo's finger. A magnificent, resplendent building stood there, and the crowd was noticeably denser than elsewhere.

Its grand architectural style symbolized the glory and strength of Soul Masters.

Lang Lei watched for a moment and understood. After all, he had lived on Douluo Continent for more than seven years and knew some things.

"That's the Great Soul Arena. Every city at the level of a main city has one. It's a place for Soul Masters to compete, though plenty of ordinary people also like going there to watch all kinds of matches," Lang Lei explained to Griseo. "All sorts of commercial activities go on inside, including duels between Soul Masters and trades in soul rings and soul bones. It's a bustling commercial center. Um, to put it simply, it's a huge mall where you can watch matches."

Lang Lei was rather curious about the Great Soul Arena as well.

The Great Soul Arena had been jointly established by the Seven Great Soul Master Families, the most prestigious families on the continent. It belonged neither to the Heaven Dou Empire nor the Star Luo Empire, nor did it belong to Spirit Hall. It was an independent force, but its wealth rivaled that of nations.

Although the original work had not specifically introduced the Seven Great Soul Master Families that first proposed establishing the Great Soul Arena, the fact that they could remain independent of the continent's three strongest powers meant they were clearly no ordinary people.

Lang Lei guessed that the Seven Great Soul Master Families were probably forces similar to the Noble Families of his hometown, Blue Star.

As the saying went: dynasties came and went, but Noble Families endured. Even emperors had little they could do against those Noble Families.

Even Li Er of the Tang Dynasty had fought a prolonged battle with those Noble Families and had not dared to flip the table outright. Later, Huang Chao forcibly flipped the table and destroyed some of them. Only with the rise of the Imperial Examination System was the power of the Noble Families gradually weakened, until they were nearly wiped out amid the chaos of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.

Then, during Zhu Yuanzhang's era, that decisive ancestor had finally scattered and thoroughly eradicated those so-called Noble Families. (This was speculation based on historical records, just for fun.)

The Noble Families had been so formidable, so the Seven Great Soul Master Families were surely even more terrifying.

What was more, Blue Star had no supernatural power, while Douluo Continent did. Soul Masters needed to cultivate, and the Seven Great Soul Master Families, which controlled resources, were destined not to be weakened by the Imperial Examination System like the Noble Families of Blue Star. Instead, they would continuously recruit outside Soul Masters and grow stronger without end.

Yet what made them was also what could destroy them.

Before a Titled Douluo, even the Eight Great Soul Master Families had to keep their tails tucked between their legs, let alone before a Limit Douluo.

Still, the Eight Great Soul Master Families clearly knew their place and had a sufficiently clear understanding of their own position. That was how they had developed to this point.

Seeing Griseo's curious expression, Lang Lei smiled and asked, "Little Griseo, do you want to go in and take a look?"

"Mm!" Griseo nodded.

Lang Lei chuckled and led Griseo into the Suotuo Great Spirit Arena.

The moment they entered, clamorous shouts surged into Lang Lei's ears as though competing with one another.

Seeing Griseo frown as well, Lang Lei quietly used Soul Power to set up a Soundproof Barrier around them.

The noise immediately lessened considerably.

"Thank you, Brother Lang Lei."

"It was nothing."

Before long, watching Griseo keep hopping about, Lang Lei realized a problem: Griseo was a little too short. With the crowd blocking her view, she could not see the Soul Fighting Stage at all.

"Pfft—"

Griseo heard Lang Lei laugh and puffed out her cheeks. "Brother Lang Lei, you're mean!"

"Sorry, sorry. Little Griseo just looked too cute."

A blush briefly spread across Griseo's little face. She opened her arms, making her meaning obvious.

Lang Lei raised his brows in surprise, but still followed Griseo's wishes. He crouched down and lifted her from the ground.

Griseo was only shy for a moment before becoming absorbed in her new view.

With the help of Soul Power and several rounds of physical strengthening, twenty-ninth-level Lang Lei was already fairly tall. In any case, no one could tell his real age.

Moreover, Griseo was now sitting on Lang Lei's shoulders, and her field of vision had become much broader.

Lang Lei rather enjoyed being close to Griseo. At the same time, for some reason, he was a little glad that every seat below was occupied.

"Brother Lang Lei, can we always, always do this in the future?" Griseo, seated on Lang Lei's shoulders, suddenly lowered her head to look at him as he held her legs.

"If Griseo wants to, then anytime." Lang Lei froze for a moment before the words slipped out.

A smile appeared on Griseo's expressionless face, and then she raised her head again to watch the Soul Fighting Stage.

After a while, perhaps finding it uninteresting, Griseo took the initiative to slide down and sat on Lang Lei's arm.

"Bored?" Lang Lei asked.

"Mm." Griseo nodded.

Lang Lei was not surprised. After all, her strength was right there. She had only been curious at first, but once she realized it was not that interesting, she lost interest.

It would have been fine if there were high-level Soul Masters; they could at least watch the visual effects of soul skills that resembled special effects. But high-level Soul Masters would not come to a Soul Fighting Arena. There was simply no need.

"How about... we go up and try?"

Lang Lei suddenly became a little interested.

He could register for a two-person match together with Griseo.

As for whether sending Griseo into a two-person match would be bullying the others too much...

He just would not let Griseo make a move.

Besides, he would not use his martial soul either. He would carry Little Griseo and give them two hands' worth of handicap.

Incidentally, the Soul Fighting Arena's matchmaking rules paired contestants of the same level.

And Lang Lei's physical qualities...

Even if he stood still and let a Soul Grandmaster attack him, the other party would not be able to break through his defenses.

He did not have any fixed Gold Soul Coin income either, so this was the perfect chance to make a fortune by betting on himself to win.

Griseo's eyes lit up.

"But Little Griseo can't attack, okay~? I'll hold Little Griseo. This little cutie only needs to be cute~" Lang Lei pinched Griseo's little cheek in his arms. "Just think of it as watching from up close."

"Okay!"

Before long, the two arrived before the registration counter.

"Are you sure you want to bring an ordinary person into a two-person match?" After using the Spirit Power Crystal Ball to test Lang Lei's Soul Power Level, the receptionist looked uncertainly at Little Griseo.

The receptionist admitted that she had never seen such a cute little girl before, but their opponents would not surrender just because she was adorable!

"I'm sure," Lang Lei said firmly.

Very soon, the Painting World Combination was formed.

Griseo curiously examined the large iron plate in her hand, feeling a little excited.

"Sir, it will soon be your turn. Please head to the preparation area as quickly as possible," the receptionist reminded him.

"Okay, thank you for the reminder." Lang Lei nodded, picked up Little Griseo, and headed toward the preparation area.

The Suotuo Great Spirit Arena had no idea that it was about to welcome its nightmare...