Half a Year

For some time afterward, Qin Ming went to the Soul Fighting Arena twice every day, accumulating combat experience while continuously refining his Thousand Spin Steps.

With the contrast between his age and strength, Qin Ming quickly became famous throughout the Suotuo Great Soul Arena, becoming a new generation's Rookie King.

The name Lone Wolf stood alongside Shrek Dragon, and the two were known as the two rising stars of the Soto Great Soul Arena.

Of course, Qin Ming fighting two matches a day did not mean that two matches were his limit. He simply wanted to ensure that his Soul Power cultivation would not be delayed.

Moreover, Qin Ming discovered that cultivating after rapidly exhausting his Soul Power and Mental Power slightly increased the speed at which he absorbed Soul Power and developed his Mental Power. Though it was not even half a percent, it was still an unexpected delight to him.

From then on, Qin Ming's daily routine became this: studying theoretical knowledge in the Main Hall's library in the morning, fighting two matches at the Soto Great Soul Arena in the afternoon, and cultivating Soul Power at night. His Soul Power Level steadily advanced toward Soul Power Level Fifteen.

Qin Ming was like a machine operating at full power, packing every day to the brim. However, the rewards of doing so were equally substantial.

In Qin Ming's eyes, laziness was irresponsibility toward the talent and resources one possessed.

In the original story, Ning Rongrong had Innate Soul Power of nine and a half levels, along with the immense cultivation resources provided by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Yet when she first arrived at Shrek Academy, her Soul Power Level was actually the lowest among the Seven Monsters, on the same level as Zhu Zhuqing, who had Innate Soul Power of Level Seven.

Ultimately, it was because she was too playful and did not devote herself to cultivation.

But Qin Ming would not be like that. He would seize every opportunity to improve himself.

Naturally, Qin Ming's fame at the Soul Fighting Arena could not be hidden from Nuo Si and Sha Sha.

The two immediately came to find Qin Ming and asked him about the Soul Fighting matches and the abnormality in his Soul Power.

With no other choice, Qin Ming repeated the excuse about the Vermilion Fruit to them. Unexpectedly, neither of them showed much surprise.

Perhaps, just as Nuo Si had said before, one became numb after seeing such things too many times.

As for the Soul Fighting matches, after watching several of Qin Ming's battles, they said nothing more. After all, Qin Ming was simply far too overpowered at the Spirit Master stage. There was no danger to speak of.

Qin Ming had only come to the Soul Fighting Arena to refine his Thousand Spin Steps.

Just like that, half a year passed in the blink of an eye.

Nothing major happened during those six months, and Qin Ming's Soul Power Level rose from Soul Power Level Fourteen to Soul Power Level Seventeen.

He was already at the middle stage of Soul Power Level Seventeen. In a little while, he would be able to break through to Soul Power Level Eighteen.

A cultivation speed of roughly one level every two months would probably make countless people cry in shock if it were spoken aloud.

But on Qin Ming, it was still somewhat acceptable. After all, he had the talent of Innate Soul Power Level Eight, a top-tier Meditation Technique, and the Sun Vine Core as a cultivation accelerator.

As for the library, Qin Ming had stopped going over the past month. He had already finished learning all the books on Martial Soul knowledge, Soul Beast identification, and the like. As for the other miscellaneous subjects, Qin Ming did not believe there was any need for him to study them.

As for more profound knowledge, he could not access it yet. In the end, Suotuo City was simply too small and had too few good things.

There was also a small problem at the Soul Fighting Arena. Over the past six months, with Qin Ming unwaveringly fighting two matches every day, his Soul Fighting Badge had nearly reached the threshold of Silver Rank.

He had fought nearly every Spirit Master-level contestant in the entire Soul Fighting Arena.

"You mean you want me to voluntarily apply to challenge opponents at the Soul Grandmaster level?"

In the reception room of the Soto Great Soul Arena, Qin Ming stared darkly at a man in magnificent black clothing seated across from him.

The Well-dressed Man wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. He was the person in charge of the Soto Great Soul Arena. Though he had long occupied a high position, he could not help but tremble inwardly when facing the talented youth before him.

It was not only because of the strength Qin Ming had displayed, but also because of his background.

Charlton, the red-robed Bishop of the Suotuo City Martial Soul Main Hall, had personally instructed him regarding Qin Ming, telling him that he absolutely had to ensure Qin Ming's safety.

Although the Soul Fighting Arena had certain forces backing it, they were naturally insignificant compared to Spirit Hall, the continent's foremost power.

How could he not take a red-robed Bishop's personal instructions seriously? He had therefore emphasized to every referee responsible for Qin Ming's matches that if Qin Ming encountered danger, they had to rescue him without fail and could not allow him to suffer serious injuries.

However, after some time, the person in charge discovered that Qin Ming did not need his protection at all. He was clearly a humanoid Soul Beast.

Many opportunists had noticed Qin Ming's invincible strength at the Spirit Master realm and bet large amounts of Gold Soul Coins on him. Although the odds were extremely low, the Soul Fighting Arena had still lost quite a bit of money.

Recently, his superiors had held him accountable for those losses. Left with no choice, he could only come personally to discuss the matter with Qin Ming.

"That is correct, Contestant Lone Wolf. As you know, our Great Soul Arena no longer has a single Spirit Master contestant capable of competing with you. We believe you possess the strength of a Soul Grandmaster who has just entered the Second Ring."

"As long as you agree to apply for a challenge across ranks, our Soul Fighting Arena will pay you an additional one thousand Gold Soul Coins for every match!" The Well-dressed Man sat upright before Qin Ming.

Yet the urgency in his eyes still revealed his thoughts. It was as if he were begging Qin Ming to agree quickly.

Qin Ming unhurriedly picked up the tea on the table and took a sip. He roughly understood the Soul Fighting Arena's intentions. It was nothing more than him farming weak opponents here and causing them to lose too much money.

To be honest, Qin Ming himself had played a part in this. The Soul Fighting Arena stipulated that each person could bet at most one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins per match, ostensibly to control the market and mitigate risks.

Yet Nuo Si and Sha Sha wagered the full one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins every time. Over the past six months, they had accumulated profits of around twenty thousand Gold Soul Coins.

Naturally, the Soul Fighting Arena did not want to keep losing money like this. Since no one at the Spirit Master stage could restrain Qin Ming, they would use Soul Grandmasters instead.

The Soul Fighting Arena's matchmaking system would never match a Spirit Master against a Soul Grandmaster. Qin Ming could only apply for it himself.

Applications for challenges across ranks were not uncommon at the Soul Fighting Arena. In the original story, Tang San and the others had applied to challenge the Imperial Fighting Team, whose members were all Soul Elders, across ranks.

"Then pay more." Qin Ming gave a wicked smile and held up three fingers, waving them before the person in charge.

Qin Ming's thoughts were simple. There was no longer any point in remaining at the Spirit Master stage. Fighting across ranks was routine for geniuses.

Moreover, his Thousand Spin Steps had approached perfection over the past six months. If he wanted to improve it further, he needed more intense battles.

"Fine! Three thousand Gold Soul Coins per match!" The Well-dressed Man agreed without the slightest hesitation. He was not afraid of Qin Ming making demands; he was afraid Qin Ming would make none.

A genius Spirit Master fighting a Soul Grandmaster across ranks was the kind of match rarely seen even once in several years. It would undoubtedly bring tremendous crowds to the Soul Fighting Arena.

Where there were people, there would be spending. Even if Qin Ming ultimately won, the Soul Fighting Arena would still profit.

Most importantly, it would remove Qin Ming from the Spirit Master tier of Soul Fighting.