Mission Complete

Only then did the packed Soul Fighting Arena erupt with thunderous screams and cheers.

"Now this is Soul Fighting!!"

"From now on, I'm only betting on Yi Xian to win!"

"That was awesome! So damn awesome!!"

The host finally came to his senses and raised a hand to punch himself under the chin. With a crack, his dislocated jaw snapped back into place.

The host swallowed with difficulty and looked at Butcher, who was kneeling below and crying out in pain.

"Butcher, do you choose to concede?"

Mission complete. Claim reward now?

The cold mechanical voice rang out in his mind. Lin Tianyi's heart stirred, but he chose not to claim it for now.

Lin Tianyi's gaze fell on Butcher. The icy, destructive intent in his eyes gradually faded, returning to normal.

Hearing the host's question, Butcher stopped screaming and forced out the words with difficulty.

"I... can still fight. I still... haven't lost!"

As he spoke, Butcher gritted his teeth and forcibly straightened himself, glaring fixedly at Lin Tianyi with a savage expression.

Lin Tianyi looked at Butcher, who was already at the end of his strength yet still stubbornly refusing to concede. Then he lowered his gaze to the Golden Scale Arms soaking in blood on the ground.

"If you get treated now, your arms can still be reattached. Showing off for a moment will only make you miss the treatment window.

Besides, even at your peak, you wouldn't have been my opponent, much less now."

Lin Tianyi tried to persuade him kindly.

Butcher's expression twisted as he forcefully suppressed his pain. His words squeezed out from between clenched teeth.

"I... know. But I can't lose. I can only win!"

With that, Butcher raised a thick leg and kicked fiercely at Lin Tianyi.

Lin Tianyi easily stepped back half a pace, dodging Butcher's sweeping right leg. Butcher himself lost his balance and fell to the ground instead. The wounds at his severed arms struck the floor, pressing blood and chunks of flesh back into the wounds against the hard white arena.

Butcher let out another beastlike howl of agony, yet he still did not give up. He struggled to get up and continue fighting.

Walking slowly up to Butcher, Lin Tianyi asked in confusion, "Is this really necessary? It's just a Soul Fighting match. Everyone loses sometimes."

Butcher's pale lips trembled faintly. His body temperature kept dropping from the massive loss of blood. He felt cold all over, as though trapped in a freezing ice cavern, chills spreading through his entire body.

Yet he still forced himself upright, standing tall and unyielding. He looked at Lin Tianyi in pain.

"To you, this is only a Soul Fighting match. But to me, it concerns my little brother's life, so...

I can't lose even once!!"

Butcher roared and charged at Lin Tianyi with all his strength. As he exerted himself, blood sprayed from his severed arms, making him look like a monster spewing blood from both sides.

So he really did have a reason he couldn't lose. Why does it feel like I've become the villain in a hot-blooded anime who has to be defeated...? Lin Tianyi shook his head and smiled.

His expression sharpened. Lin Tianyi ducked beneath Butcher's whip kick and rolled forward nimbly.

As Butcher's kick had just landed and his body was still unstable, Lin Tianyi planted both hands on the ground and shot both legs upward like cannonballs.

His feet slammed viciously into Butcher's back, kicking him into the air.

Immediately afterward, Lin Tianyi bent his arms sharply! Straightened them! Launched himself skyward!

In midair, Lin Tianyi's feet continuously hammered Butcher's back like the Foshan Shadowless Kick, sending Butcher flying toward the edge of the arena.

In the end, he mercilessly kicked him out of the ring.

Then, without even turning around, he reached behind him and grabbed. The two Golden Scale Arms lying in the pool of blood flew over as though seized by an invisible hand and were tossed to Butcher, who stood there dazed and despairing.

Shifting his gaze to the Healing Soul Master nearby, Lin Tianyi said, "Treat him. I'll pay."

The Healing Soul Master nodded repeatedly and hurried over. He picked up the arms from the ground, reattached them to Butcher, wrapped them in white bandages, then summoned a healing scepter that emitted a dense green glow as he treated Butcher.

After a long while, the Healing Soul Master was drenched in sweat from exhaustion. He had finally reattached Butcher's arms, having used up nearly half his Soul Power.

Then the Healing Soul Master looked at Lin Tianyi expectantly.

"That'll be twenty gold coins."

Lin Tianyi, who had just been about to take out the money, froze. He stared blankly at the Healing Soul Master.

"What? Twenty gold coins? Why is it so expensive?"

The Healing Soul Master said, "How is it expensive? It's been this price for years. Don't make things up with your eyes wide open. Being a Healing Soul Master is hard."

Lin Tianyi said, "Y*T&T*(%￥#..."

In the end, he still took out twenty gold coins from the Soul Tool Qian Renxue had given him and handed them to the Healing Soul Master with a pained expression.

Even though he had made quite a bit of money from Soul Fighting bets over the past month, twenty gold coins still hurt.

That much money was enough to buy Lin Xianxian snacks for half a month.

Watching the Healing Soul Master leave happily, Lin Tianyi curled his lips, jumped down from the arena, and looked at Butcher, whose face was still pale.

"You helped me comprehend the sword path, so I can help you once. Tell me what happened to your little brother. If it isn't too troublesome, I'll take care of it while I'm at it."

Butcher, who had been in despair, seemed to have grasped his final lifeline. With a thud, he fell to his knees before Lin Tianyi. This burly, resolute man spoke with tears in every word.

"As long as you can save my little brother, this life of mine is yours. Whatever you ask me to do, I won't so much as frown."

"I already said this is free help. Tell me the details," Lin Tianyi said helplessly.

Butcher pressed his forehead to the ground and knelt at Lin Tianyi's feet, telling him everything.

After hearing it, Lin Tianyi understood. "So, because you have great talent, that bastard viscount took an interest in you. He captured your biological younger brother to threaten you, forcing you to maintain a winning streak and never lose so he could profit from betting.

Every time you lose, the viscount cuts off one of your brother's arms. You can lose at most four times, and on the fifth loss, he'll cut off his head. Is that right?"

Butcher nodded bitterly, his eyes filled with hatred and pain. He had never imagined that awakening such good talent would bring disaster upon his brother.

"You can definitely do it. You're so powerful; the force behind you must be able to rival a viscount. Please save my little brother. From now on, I'll serve you like an ox or horse to repay this great kindness!"

You'll be disappointed. My parents are only ordinary farmers too. But if it's just a viscount, it shouldn't be a problem... Lin Tianyi looked at Butcher and asked, "What is that viscount called?"

Butcher said hatefully, "Viscount Zhang Yong. He has a mansion in the west of Heaven Dou City. My little brother is there."

Lin Tianyi nodded. "Come wait for me at the entrance of Heaven Dou Royal Junior Soul Master Academy tomorrow at dusk. I'll let you see your brother."

Butcher was overjoyed and bowed down again.

Waving a hand, Lin Tianyi turned and walked directly toward the contestants' waiting area.

He still had one more match.

Walking through the dim passageway, Lin Tianyi wondered how he should bring this up to Qian Renxue.

He definitely could not handle a viscount alone. The man's household had at least a Soul King, perhaps even a Soul Emperor-level expert. Naturally, he would not take such a risk.

When he emerged from the dark passage before reaching the contestants' rest area, he saw three people appear in his field of view...