Shrek Dragon!

Soto Great Soul Arena was located in the North District, which also housed the greatest concentration of entertainment venues in Suotuo City: Soul Fighting Arenas, Brothel Street, Auction Houses...

By the time Qin Ming and the other two arrived at Soto Great Soul Arena, the place outside was already packed with people.

"Why are there so many people?" Qin Ming asked with a frown.

"After all, the Great Soul Arena is the only place ordinary people can watch Spirit Masters fight. Naturally, it draws a great deal of attention from them," Nuo Si explained.

After all, having a place where Spirit Masters, normally held high above everyone else, could be casually watched like beasts in a zoo satisfied plenty of wealthy commoners' curiosity.

"But there shouldn't be this many people, right? I remember there weren't nearly this many when we came before," Sha Sha countered.

Nuo Si scratched his head and spread his hands, indicating that he had no idea either.

Just then, a burst of light flashed across the Soul Guidance Screen outside the arena. Immediately afterward came the Host's voice, transmitted from inside through a Soul Guidance Horn.

"Distinguished ladies and gentlemen! In one hour, No. 1 Soul Fighting Platform will host a peak showdown among Soul Grandmasters!"

"On one side, the rising star who has recently emerged—Shrek Dragon, a twenty-second-level Soul Grandmaster with twenty consecutive victories!"

"On the other side, a seasoned veteran who has fought in the arena for years—Iron Bear Abu, a twenty-ninth-level peak Soul Grandmaster with four hundred and eighty-one victories and twenty-one defeats!"

"The clash between old and new begins here! Who is Suotuo City's strongest Soul Grandmaster?"

"Stay tuned!" The Host's voice rose high, instantly igniting the atmosphere both inside and outside the arena. Cheers rained down in dense waves, showing just how much attention this match had drawn.

Qin Ming finally understood why there were so many people today. So there was a match being touted as a peak battle among Soul Grandmasters.

But a twenty-second-level Soul Grandmaster against a twenty-ninth-level one? That gap was far too strange...

Shrek... Shrek... A thin layer of cold sweat formed on Qin Ming's forehead as he suddenly wondered whether this could be the Shrek of Shrek Academy.

While the cheers were making Qin Ming and the other two's heads throb, they all noticed two figures appear on the Soul Guidance Screen outside.

"Shrek Dragon! VS Iron Bear Abu!"

On the screen, Iron Bear Abu was a bare-chested middle-aged man. The dense scars covering his body all spoke of his past, glorious record.

The other contestant, Shrek Dragon, was a boy dressed in dark green. He looked only twelve or thirteen years old, but the difference in their ages was not what made people's jaws drop.

It was the dense array of rental ads plastered across Shrek Dragon's clothes...

Qin Ming did not need to think any further. This was definitely Flender's handiwork. The contestant called Shrek Dragon was probably a student Flender had recruited recently.

Flender must have been thinking the same thing as Qin Ming—temper the student through real combat while seeing if he could earn a little extra on the side.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's with that Shrek Dragon guy? Why is he dressed so ridiculously? Is he planning to kick his opponent off the stage while the guy is laughing?" Seeing Shrek Dragon's comical appearance on the screen, Nuo Si could not help bursting into laughter.

He had heard before that a young man had come to the arena, but he had not expected him to be this funny.

But that single laugh immediately drew the gazes of everyone nearby toward Qin Ming's group.

"What did you say? You dare question Shrek Dragon too?"

"Who the hell are you? Shrek Dragon's martial soul is the Rock Ridge Earth Dragon! A dragon!"

"Yeah, yeah! Could this guy be jealous because our Shrek Dragon is too outstanding, so he's deliberately smearing him here?"

"Teach him a lesson!"

"Teach him a lesson!"

"Teach him a lesson!"

Curses surged toward the three of them like a violent storm. Seeing that Nuo Si had provoked public outrage, Qin Ming and Sha Sha quickly grabbed him and fled at once.

They ran for quite a while before stopping after seeing no one chasing them.

"Brother Nuo Si, you really need to watch your mouth," Qin Ming complained from the side. He also thought Shrek Dragon's outfit looked awkward, but he had only kept that thought to himself.

Didn't he see how many cheering fans were present? Saying it out loud was practically asking to be beaten.

Sha Sha clenched her fists as well, putting on a pose as though she was about to teach Nuo Si a lesson.

"My mistake, my mistake!" Seeing that both of them were unhappy, and knowing that he truly had failed to control his mouth, Nuo Si immediately pressed his palms together and apologized to them.

But after giving it some thought, he still felt unconvinced. Iron Bear Abu was genuinely formidable. He could be called the local tyrant of the Soul Grandmaster level in the arena, with few defeats.

But Shrek Dragon not only looked young, his Soul Power was only at level twenty-two. Could a battle with a seven-level gap in Soul Power really be called a peak showdown among Soul Grandmasters?

Nuo Si became interested. He wanted to see what Shrek Dragon was actually capable of.

"If you're curious, let's go watch the match later," Qin Ming said directly.

Anyone Flender recruited into Shrek Academy could not possibly be an ordinary person. Even if they were not geniuses, they had to possess exceptional talent.

Since it was called a peak showdown among Soul Grandmasters, then Shrek Dragon surely possessed the strength to fight across a seven-level gap in Soul Power.

Qin Ming was quite curious about someone like that.

"That's right, Little Brother Qin Ming is right. Didn't we come here to watch matches?" Sha Sha had always loved excitement, so naturally she wanted to take a look now that something like this was happening.

"All right, then let's go buy tickets."

After settling on it, the three went straight to the ticket booth. But after asking, they learned that tickets for Shrek Dragon versus Iron Bear Abu had long since sold out.

Left with no choice, Nuo Si found a ticket scalper at the arena and bought three tickets at several times their original price.

"Fifty Gold Soul Coins for one ticket! One hundred and fifty Gold Soul Coins for three! Why doesn't he just rob people?" Looking at the three thumb-sized tickets in his hand, Nuo Si's mouth twitched nonstop.

If it had been before, he would never have spent fifty Gold Soul Coins to watch this Soul Fighting match. Only because he had recently received that two-hundred-thousand-coin reward could he afford to be so extravagant.

"The more expensive the tickets, the hotter the sales. It shows just how many people this match has attracted. The arena must be making a fortune," Sha Sha said with a pursed mouth.

When they entered No. 1 Soul Fighting Platform, it was already abuzz with voices and packed to the brim. The three had to squeeze through the crowd for a long time before reaching their seats.

"Come take a look! Shrek Dragon merchandise!"

Amid the countless noises, Qin Ming suddenly caught a familiar voice.

Turning around, he saw that it was actually that old fellow Flender. He was carrying a basketful of goods on his back and holding a tray in his hand, displaying all kinds of Shrek Dragon merchandise. A circle of children had gathered around him.

Flender smiled as he accepted the Soul Coins the children handed him, then passed them the merchandise they had picked out.

There were badges printed with Shrek Dragon's portrait, as well as crudely made dolls...

Putting aside their appearance, the selection was quite comprehensive.