Lu Lin had no idea he'd become a formidable rival in the eyes of a certain pair of brothers. He also didn't know that one of them, spurred on by him, was planning to absorb a Soul Ring above his level.
Of course, even if Lu Lin had known, he wouldn't have cared.
All in all, Yan Jun's first Soul Fighting match against a higher-level opponent had ended with a spectacular start.
His points had reached eleven, bringing him one small step closer to earning a Silver Soul Badge.
If Lu Lin hadn't agreed to Xiao Huohuo's condition, earning those dozen or so points would've taken at least five or six matches. It wouldn't have been nearly this easy.
According to the Great Soul Arena's basic rules, the points system was fixed regardless of a Soul Master's tier: win one match and gain one point. After five consecutive wins, the points were multiplied by ten.
After ten consecutive wins, the points gained were multiplied by ten again, and the increase continued until the winning streak was broken.
With this challenge, though, Lu Lin earned ten points for each victory. After five consecutive wins, he could easily rack up a hundred points for every additional victory.
In short, the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena might make a small profit, but Lu Lin wasn't losing out either.
Of course, the one thing to consider was that playing this way carried a risk of defeat.
After all, he was only a twenty-first-level Soul Grandmaster, while his opponents were all Soul Elders or stronger.
His opponents would inevitably grow stronger as time went on. This was Heaven Dou City, the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire, where Soul Elders were everywhere. There was no shortage of powerful Soul Masters here.
But Lu Lin could take a loss. One defeat wouldn't wipe out all his points.
Besides, if a Soul Grandmaster lost to a Soul Elder, he wouldn't be the one who looked bad.
Instead, those Soul Elders of ordinary ability would become stepping stones on Yan Jun's path to fame.
A little later, after his match, Lu Lin stood in the lower level of the Great Soul Arena, waiting for Mo Yin while casually watching the duels taking place in the ring.
The entire Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena was divided into one main arena and twenty-four subsidiary arenas.
It was enormous, nearly the size of the superstadiums from Lu Lin's previous life.
Tickets for the main arena and the subsidiary arenas were priced differently, too.
The minimum requirement for competing in the main arena was Soul Ancestor level and Gold Soul Master Tier, or being part of a Gold Soul Master Team.
Even Yan Jun, a VIP at the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena, wasn't qualified to compete in the main arena yet—he'd just come from one of the subsidiary arenas.
Thanks to Xiao Huohuo's publicity and his own popularity, the subsidiary arena where Lu Lin had competed had been exceptionally busy.
What surprised Lu Lin, though, was that this subsidiary arena was packed, too. It was at least as full as the one he'd been in.
At first, Lu Lin was a little puzzled. But after watching two matches in a row, his confusion vanished.
Because every Soul Master competing in this subsidiary arena was a woman!
All Lu Lin could say was that Xiao Huohuo knew exactly how to play to the tastes of lechers.
Both matches Lu Lin had just watched had featured women of striking beauty, each with a different figure.
As a curvaceous female host in a flashy dress stepped onto the stage, the third match was about to begin.
Both female Soul Masters who entered the ring were graceful and stunning.
One was tall, with waist-length hair and a cool, aloof air. She was covered from head to toe.
The silvery-white mask covering half her face couldn't hide her elegant bearing. She had a mature, commanding aura in spades!
The other wore a purple robe and was somewhat petite. She also wore a cat-shaped mask, which covered the upper half of her face.
Though she was shorter than her opponent, her figure was strikingly voluptuous—slender branches bearing ample fruit.
Even Lu Lin couldn't help stealing a few glances at her.
He leaned casually against the railing in the spectator area, taking an interested look at the two figures in the ring.
Tsk. No wonder there were so many spectators here.
The match began.
The Soul Elder wearing the silvery-white mask had eyes as cold and clear as snow.
Her Martial Soul was an Ice Staff. Two yellow Soul Rings and one purple Soul Ring circled her, marking her as a Control System Battle Soul Elder.
With a graceful wave of her hand, one of the yellow Soul Rings around her lit up.
Layers of ice and frost mist quickly formed across the ring, spreading into a vast field of cold.
The other female Soul Master, who wore a cat-shaped mask, seemed to have a spirit cat Martial Soul. Her Soul Ring configuration was also two yellow and one purple, marking her as an Agility Attack Battle Soul Elder.
In her Martial Soul Possession state, two fluffy cat ears sprouted from her head, adding a touch of charm and allure.
The cat-eared Soul Elder moved with extraordinary agility.
Her fluffy ears twitched with her movements, and she was so fast that she blurred into a streak of pink light.
She darted within striking distance in an instant. Her first yellow Soul Ring flashed as she crossed her claws, aiming straight for the relatively vulnerable side of the Ice Soul Elder's waist.
The Control System Soul Master stood firm as the second Soul Ring on her body blazed. A crystal-clear ice shield formed at her side in a single breath.
Clang!
A piercing crash rang out!
Her glowing claws raked against the ice shield. Ice shards flew, and cracks like a spiderweb spread across its surface, but the shield held.
The tremendous impact made the Ice Attribute Big Sister grunt and slide back several steps, but it also put distance between her and her opponent.
Cheers rang out one after another from the stands below.
Lu Lin gave a slight nod.
But if it had been him, this Ice Attribute Big Sister wouldn't have been able to withstand his Soul Skill. The difference in Soul Ring power was simply too great.
"Cough, cough!"
Lu Lin was wondering how Cat Girl would respond when he heard someone cough behind him. He turned around. Who else could it be but Mo Yin?
"Young Ji, what are you doing here?"
Mo Yin's expression was rather strange. What was this Little Poker Face doing here? He'd been looking everywhere for him.
"..."
"Just looking around."
Mo Yin nodded. He assumed Ji Ming had been waiting for him here and didn't think much of it.
He habitually lifted his wine gourd for a sip, then glanced at the ring and shook his head.
"Ah, that Ice Attribute youngster is bound to lose. Nothing worth watching..."
Lu Lin didn't feel like commenting. He gave a slight nod, turned calmly, and left the Soul Fighting Arena with Mo Yin.
After leaving the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena, the two first stopped by the Immortal Wine Pavilion to replenish Mo Yin's stock, then returned to the hotel where they were staying. The night passed without incident.
The next evening, at eight o'clock.
Lu Lin arrived at the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena on time for his match.
What surprised him was that his opponent that night was the same graceful woman he'd seen the day before—the Control System Battle Soul Elder with the Ice Staff Martial Soul.
All right, so that was how they were going to play it.
Now, even if Xiao Huohuo said it wasn't match-fixing, Lu Lin wouldn't believe him.
There wasn't much to say about the fight itself.
This Ice Staff Soul Elder's Soul Power Level was even a little lower than Magic Tiger's.
Lu Lin wasn't about to go easy on her just because she was beautiful.
He relied on nothing but his first Soul Skill and Battle Skill to crush her, winning the match with ease.
It was easy to foresee that for days—or even weeks—to come, the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena would have only one name on everyone's lips.
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