The Rules of the Competition Have Changed

"I think this is great! Young people should socialize more!"

Xue Ye smiled in satisfaction, and both their gazes fell on Ning Fengzhi.

Ning Fengzhi naturally expressed his agreement and support as well.

The outcome of this situation had already been decided.

The Heaven Dou Empire desperately needed a Titled Douluo of its own. They would not let any opportunity slip by.

That Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo, had only reluctantly become a guest elder out of personal gratitude. In reality, he could not be considered a member of the empire.

It was said that not long ago, someone named Qin Ming had gone to work at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. At such a young age, he had already reached the Soul King realm and was on the verge of breaking through. It was just a pity that no one knew who his teacher at his previous academy had been. That teacher had actually allowed him to absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring as his Fifth Soul Ring.

Even so, the Heaven Dou Empire had still given him generous treatment, hoping to tie Qin Ming to the empire's chariot.

While the few of them were talking, Lin Li had already finished his battle below.

Although he had expended considerable energy and suffered fairly serious injuries, Lin Li still had not used his precious mid-match break.

He knew that the Great Soul Arena would definitely arrange its strongest opponent for the final match. He just did not know who it would be.

After all, even a Soul King could not defeat him, or even inflict serious injuries on him.

His body, continuously transformed by the God-level Spirit Bone and Divine Power, had developed extremely strong recovery and resistance to blows. Even with his own strength, it was difficult to inflict a severe wound on him.

Meanwhile, in the Great Soul Arena's workroom, the supervisor and a group of others were arranging the upcoming battles.

"Even the Golden Armored Rhinoceros couldn't defeat him. What should we do?"

"How about we bet on him winning too? That way, our losses will be smaller."

"...Can you guess whose money would be paying for that?" The supervisor slapped the person who had proposed the terrible idea, then said calmly, "Don't worry. We already have an arrangement. For now, we just need to keep sending strong fighters up to wear him down."

The workers were all curious when they heard this. They hurriedly asked the supervisor what his plan was.

The supervisor gave two strange laughs. "You all overlooked his greatest weakness!"

"Weakness? What weakness?"

"Let me ask you this: What is his nickname?"

"Yi Zhao Xian. What about it?"

In present-day Heaven Dou City, that name was practically known by everyone.

Yet they had not thought of what was wrong with the name, or what weakness it had exposed.

"Idiots!"

The supervisor cursed, then explained, "He took the initiative to request that he not use his Martial Soul. That's obviously unreasonable. And with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect pushing things from behind the scenes, I suspect Yi Zhao Xian was deliberately promoted to build momentum!"

"If I'm not mistaken, his Martial Soul and Soul Skills must be weak and mismatched with his actual strength. The only thing powerful about him is his body! That's why he took the initiative to request that he not use his Martial Soul in the competition—because it creates the greatest gimmick!"

After hearing the supervisor's explanation, the workers were still puzzled. So what if they knew?

"When it's time for the final match, the atmosphere will be at its most heated. At that point, I'll arrange for someone to suggest that Yi Zhao Xian use his Martial Soul—but his opponent will be a Soul Emperor we've arranged!"

"A Soul Emperor!"

Everyone was astonished.

A Soul Emperor's strength was terrifying to them. Even at the most prosperous Great Soul Arena in the imperial capital, Soul Emperors rarely appeared.

"What if Yi Zhao Xian refuses?"

Someone raised the question. After all, the suggestion would be made on the spot, so he could simply refuse.

"Their goal is to build momentum. With the entire arena's atmosphere at its peak, even if he refuses, he'll have no choice but to agree!"

At this point, the supervisor's tone softened slightly. "Of course, our Great Soul Arena won't completely offend the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect either. They want fame, while we want money. So I'll arrange for a High-Rank Soul Emperor to take the field. Even if Yi Zhao Xian loses, it won't matter. That's reasonable."

After hearing the complete plan, everyone was stunned by the supervisor's scheme.

It was practically flawless. It had accounted for the audience's mindset, the other side's plans, the situation at the venue, and the needs of both factions.

This was probably the best possible outcome.

Time passed little by little. Not one of the opponents arranged by the supervisor was weaker than Rank 45, and a total of three Soul Kings even took the field.

Time soon reached the end. With only the final match remaining, Lin Li also requested to leave the arena and rest.

"The plan succeeded."

The corners of the supervisor's mouth rose uncontrollably. A Sword-Holding Man stepped out from the shadows behind him.

"It's my turn."

"Wait a little longer. Also, remember to show restraint when you attack later. His backer is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

The Sword-Holding Man's tone was somewhat cold. "Even if he were from the Spirit Hall, I wouldn't hold back."

The supervisor was extremely disdainful inwardly.

What are you pretending for? You're merely a man in his forties who reached Rank 66. You're neither a genius nor powerful, yet you actually dare look down on the Spirit Hall.

On the surface, however, he still gave him plenty of respect.

"Do whatever you want, as long as you can win."

"Don't worry. I'll win."

Back in the waiting room, Lin Li confirmed that no one was around and immediately activated his Martial Soul. Then, through its properties, he rapidly recovered from his injuries.

Half an hour later, he felt that his condition had greatly improved. He rose and returned to the arena once more.

At this moment, the Host spoke:

"This is the final match of the competition! Let us congratulate Yi Zhao Xian for defending his arena up to this point. His undefeated legend has already been etched into the hearts of every one of us!"

"Those of you who came here today must all be very curious about what Yi Zhao Xian's Martial Soul actually is, right?"

Lin Li froze when he heard this, while the audience erupted into unprecedented commotion, asking what Lin Li's Martial Soul was. They were clearly extremely curious.

"Therefore, in this match, we will lift the rule forbidding Yi Zhao Xian from using his Martial Soul. At the same time, considering his strength, we have specially invited a Soul Emperor expert to participate!"

Hearing that a new rule had been introduced and that they would get to witness a Soul Emperor's battle, all the spectators' enthusiasm was ignited. One after another, they cheered Lin Li's signature chant: "Yi Zhao Xian, conquer the world!"

"Now, let's ask the Arena Defender if he has anything to say!"

Seeing the microphone held out to his mouth, Lin Li smiled involuntarily.

He had originally been somewhat worried that the Great Soul Arena would arrange some powerful opponent to fight him.

He had not expected them to make this plan instead.

Could it be that they were misled by the name I came up with on a whim?

"Crush him," Lin Li said calmly.

If you want to set a trap for me, then go all out.

Wasn't this also a form of respect for his opponent?

After hearing Lin Li's words, the audience's various strange voices all transformed into one unified shout:

"Crush him!!!"

The lights focused, half shining on Lin Li and the other half illuminating the opposite side of the arena.

As the lights shifted, a middle-aged man carrying a sword stepped into the arena. He was dressed in white, his eyes filled with arrogance.

"I originally didn't want to bully someone younger than me. Besides, your talent is so exceptional. But young people are too hot-blooded, so I've decided to become a whetstone for you."

"A whetstone? If you want to sharpen my blade, you'll have to replace it."

"Words are useless. Come and fight!"