Initial Arrival in Heaven Dou, the Great Soul Arena

"Wait, a qi and blood tonic?"

Chen Yumo felt like he had just discovered the key point.

He had just been thinking that cultivating the Bloodline Secret Technique felt somewhat like eating whale rubber, and only now did he suddenly realize—wasn't whale rubber the best qi and blood tonic?

He had not forgotten what whale rubber was mainly used for in this era.

An aphrodisiac! A kidney tonic!

They said one drop of essence equaled ten drops of blood. Swallow a chunk of whale rubber, and battling all night would not be a problem. If all that vital essence were used to refine his bloodline, wouldn't he take off on the spot?

After taking whale rubber, women would only waste your precious qi and blood. Only the bloodline refinement method could fill your entire body with overwhelming power!

"Nice, the whale rubber is still chasing me!" Chen Yumo did not know whether to laugh or cry.

It seemed that after reaching Heaven Dou City, he would have to keep purchasing whale rubber.

But that also meant his resource consumption during cultivation seemed to have grown even greater...

Five hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins.

At first, he had thought it was quite a lot, but now that he thought about it, it did not seem much different from the previous two times!

When he had been given ten thousand, it had barely been enough. When he had been given one hundred thousand, it had still barely been enough. Now that he had five hundred thousand, it was somehow still only barely enough.

Sure enough, he could not always count on the system's funds. He needed to find a way to make some money himself.

Increase income and reduce expenditure.

Reducing expenditure was impossible. Everything he consumed was necessary for cultivation, and cutting back would be equivalent to slowing his cultivation speed—just like during his first evolution, when he had given up Mulberry Fruit and switched to the less efficient Mulberry Leaf to ensure his resource supply would not be interrupted.

That had been a helpless measure, something he had done only because he had no other choice.

If he wanted to accelerate his cultivation and improve the quality of the resources he used, he could only increase his income and find other ways to make money.

With that, Chen Yumo had another task after arriving in Heaven Dou City.

Primary task: prepare for his third Metamorphosis, purchase the corresponding resources, and identify the Spirit Beast needed for his third Spirit Ring.

Secondary task: determine Dugu Bo's movements, decide what attitude to take toward him, and figure out how to obtain the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Side task: cultivate the Bloodline Secret Art and earn enough Gold Soul Coins for cultivation.

He silently committed his plans to memory.

A week later.

After crossing nearly half the territory of the Heaven Dou Empire, Chen Yumo finally arrived in Heaven Dou City.

Along the way, he first left Fasinuo Province, then crossed the entire Silves Kingdom. Only after traveling farther still did he finally reach Heaven Dou City.

Looking at it this way, Nuoding City really was a backwater. It was simply too remote.

But that made sense.

After all, it had been the place Tang Hao chose to live in seclusion. It was only natural for it to be more isolated.

Back then, he and Ah Yin had been hunted down by Qian Xunji. Although he had ultimately used the power of the Ten-Turn Wife-Death Gu to successfully kill Qian Xunji, he had also been wanted by Spirit Hall for the crime of 'killing the Pope,' and had even been pursued by Qian Daoliu.

Though no one knew just how much Qian Daoliu had held back while hunting him, Tang Hao must have gained at least some understanding of a Limit Douluo's abilities.

Finding a hidden little rat hole to hide in was the most normal thing to do.

Wait...

If he put it that way, didn't that make Holy Soul Village, where Tang Hao had hidden, a rat hole?

So the rat was actually me?

Chen Yumo froze slightly.

But when he thought back on how he had behaved over the past few years, he had basically prioritized caution and staying alive. He did not seem all that different from a little rat...

Then it was fine. Little rats were great. I'm a little rat, and I'm proud...

After teasing himself, Chen Yumo's turn finally came at Heaven Dou City's gate. After paying five Copper Soul Coins, he successfully entered the imperial capital of the Heaven Dou Empire.

Of course, he could also have chosen not to pay.

Spirit Masters held a high status on Douluo Continent. Not to mention a Soul Grandmaster like Chen Yumo, even low-level Spirit Masters with only a single white Spirit Ring had the privilege of entering and leaving major cities for free.

Without having to queue, at that.

Chen Yumo was unfamiliar with Heaven Dou City, so he needed to keep a low profile during his early days there. Unless he encountered trouble, he did not intend to reveal his strength.

After entering Heaven Dou City, Chen Yumo saw that it was still early and began wandering around. He bought some things, sampled some food, and silently memorized the various layouts of the city.

As the imperial capital, Heaven Dou City covered a vast area. Chen Yumo spent an entire day exploring, yet he had not even covered one-tenth of it—and that was with many places off-limits.

If he wanted to investigate the entire Heaven Dou City, he would not be able to finish in less than half a month.

Fortunately, Chen Yumo was quite patient.

After finding an inconspicuous inn to stay in, Chen Yumo acted like a genuine country bumpkin who had come to Heaven Dou City from elsewhere, following the crowds as he explored every corner of the city.

There were countless people like him in Heaven Dou City. Blended into the crowds, no one paid him any attention.

Chen Yumo visited all of Heaven Dou City's more famous areas.

The imperial palace, the Tiandou Auction House, the Great Soul Arena, the Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce, Jade Phosphorus Mansion, the Strength Clan, and even Blue Tyrant Academy.

Wait...

After more than half a month of scouting, Chen Yumo had gained a fair understanding of Heaven Dou City and had basically integrated himself into life there.

When you had money, you were treated like a lord wherever you went, and you could live comfortably anywhere.

Chen Yumo felt this deeply, and he had also come up with some ideas about making money.

Spirit fighting and betting.

Heaven Dou City's Great Soul Arena was the largest within the Heaven Dou Empire. Countless people threw money around there every day. So long as one had sufficient confidence in one's strength, the Great Soul Arena was undoubtedly the fastest place to make money.

As it happened, Chen Yumo was not only short on money, but also lacking in actual combat experience.

Fighting at the Great Soul Arena would not only temper him, but also resolve his financial problems.

With two thousand-year Spirit Rings and an External Soul Bone, Chen Yumo was almost certain to have no opponents among Soul Grandmasters. With the White Tiger Transformation stacked with the External Soul Bone's fifty-percent boost to all attributes, his capabilities nearly rivaled those of an assault-type Soul Ancestor.

Moreover, even while in the White Tiger Transformation state, he could still use the Spiritual Detection developed through the Bloodline Secret Art. It did not need to rely on his Martial Soul.

Spirit Rings beyond the limit + a body far stronger than others at the same level + an External Soul Bone + a White Tiger Transformation comparable to a top-tier Martial Soul + Spiritual Detection granting a god's-eye view.

He had sufficient confidence in his strength and was certain he could make money at the Great Soul Arena.

Thus, the Great Soul Arena became Chen Yumo's most suitable destination at present.

Having made his decision, Chen Yumo stopped wandering around Heaven Dou City over the next few days. Instead, he focused on scouting the Great Soul Arena, personally experiencing the arena's most classic betting process and learning its rules.

On the final day of his first month in Heaven Dou City, the Great Soul Arena welcomed a legend.

"I want to register for individual spirit fighting."

"Codename: Mountain Lord."