Destruction and Redemption! Dragon Roars in the Great Soul Arena, the Nine Heart Begonia's First Bloom [II]

Yu Tianyu glanced at Ye Lingling beside him.

A begonia blossom, a dragon's might.

One embodied ultimate destruction, the other ultimate salvation.

"Let's call it... 'Destruction and Redemption.'"

Yu Tianyu said calmly.

"Destruction and Redemption?" the staff member muttered. "That's quite a name. Pay ten Gold Soul Coins, then wait in the rest area."

After receiving their Iron Fighting Badge, the three of them headed to the rest area.

The air here reeked of sweat, blood, and cheap tobacco. All kinds of Spirit Masters sat around them. Some were polishing their weapons, some had their eyes closed in quiet meditation, and others were eyeing the newcomers with open hostility.

"Well, if it isn't that fatso from earlier?"

A piercing voice suddenly rang out.

Pang Hu shuddered and instinctively ducked behind Yu Tianyu.

A short distance away, several Spirit Masters in leather armor were gathered together, looking like a bunch of thugs. The speaker was a bald man with a face full of coarse flesh. He toyed with a dagger in his hand, while a man as thin as a bamboo pole stood beside him.

"What's the matter? Didn't get beaten enough earlier, so you went home to fetch your parents?" Seeing Yu Tianyu and Ye Lingling standing in front of Pang Hu, the bald man burst into laughter. "Hahaha! You found yourself a pretty boy and a... Hey, that little beauty's got a nice figure. Wearing a veil because you're too ugly to show your face?"

"Boss, I think that girl's a Nine Heart Begonia," the bamboo-thin man reminded him in a low voice.

"A Nine Heart Begonia?" Greed flashed in the bald man's eyes. "That's a top-tier support Martial Soul! If we could capture her and make her heal our brothers... heh heh heh."

Yu Tianyu regarded them expressionlessly, as if he were looking at a few corpses.

"You're the Wild Wolf Team?"

"That's right! I'm the captain of the Wild Wolf Team, Wolf Head!" The bald man slapped his chest arrogantly. "Kid, if you don't want to die, get out of the way and leave the girl behind. I might just let you off."

Yu Tianyu didn't answer. He simply turned to look at Ye Lingling.

"When we get up there, you only need to do one thing."

"What?" Ye Lingling asked.

"Stand there and watch. Don't waste your Soul Power healing them, because..."

Yu Tianyu turned back. Two beams of light erupted from his mismatched eyes, as tangible as real objects—the oppressive might of the Dragon King!

"Dead men don't need healing."

"Next match: a two-on-two bout!"

"The rookie team 'Destruction and Redemption' will face... the four-win Wild Wolf Team!"

At the host's announcement, a wave of jeers and cheers erupted around the Soul Fighting Arena.

"Wild Wolf! Wild Wolf! Tear them apart!" "Hahaha, two little brats think they can come to a place like this? That pretty boy hasn't even been weaned yet!"

Yu Tianyu and Ye Lingling stepped onto the arena.

The pair made a striking impression. The young man was tall and slender, his expression cold; the woman wore black and was as cool and ethereal as an immortal. Opposite them, the bald man and the bamboo-thin man released their Martial Souls with wicked grins.

"Wild Wolf, possess me!" "Long-Armed Ape, possess me!"

Two yellow Spirit Rings rose from beneath the bald man's feet—the ideal pairing of two Century Spirit Rings. He was actually a twenty-first-level Soul Grandmaster!

The bamboo-thin man was a nineteenth-level Spirit Master.

"Kid, it's not too late to get on your knees and beg!" The bald man's claws extended into sharp blades. He licked his lips and leered at Ye Lingling.

Standing in front of Ye Lingling, Yu Tianyu slowly raised his head.

"You're annoying."

"Buzz—"

A deep yellow Spirit Ring slowly rose from beneath his feet.

The moment it appeared, the noise in the arena dropped by half.

"Yellow? A First Spirit Ring?" "Wait! That color's wrong! It's way too deep—almost purple!" "How old is it? Five hundred years? Six hundred?!"

The bald man's smile froze. As a veteran who had spent years in the Soul Fighting Arena, he could tell at a glance just how valuable that Spirit Ring was.

"A six-hundred-year First Spirit Ring? Who is this kid?!"

Before he could react—

Yu Tianyu moved.

"Ye Lingling, give me a light. Shine it on their path to the grave."

"Nine Heart Begonia, bloom."

Ye Lingling gently raised her hand. Pink-and-white begonia petals drifted down, and a soft white light instantly enveloped Yu Tianyu.

An increase to all attributes!

Though the Nine Heart Begonia specialized in healing, the high quality of its Soul Power also carried a certain purifying and enhancing effect.

Bathed in the white light, Yu Tianyu felt his Dragon Slayer Magic Power surge to life within him.

"Fire Dragon's—Iron Fist!"

He didn't use his First Spirit Skill. Instead, he went straight for the most basic magic.

Crimson flames instantly wrapped around his fists. He planted his foot hard, and his whole body shot forward like a burning meteor, covering the twenty meters between them in an instant and charging straight at the bamboo-thin man!

"What?!"

The bamboo-thin man had no time to react. He felt a wave of heat rush toward him, then saw an iron fist wreathed in flames fill his vision.

"Bang!"

A thunderous impact rang out.

The bamboo-thin man didn't even get a chance to scream before he was blasted off the arena. His chest was scorched black, and he lay unconscious.

"Second Brother!" the bald man cried in alarm.

A one-hit kill?!

He'd taken out a nineteenth-level Spirit Master in a single blow?

"Don't worry. You're next."

Yu Tianyu turned around. The flames on his body slowly died away, replaced by a heart-stirring purple-black miasma of poison.

The bald man sensed the mortal danger. He roared, and his Second Spirit Ring lit up.

"Second Spirit Skill: Wolf King Rending Claw!"

He swung his claws, sending several blood-red blades of wind toward Yu Tianyu in an attempt to force him back.

But—

Yu Tianyu didn't retreat. He charged forward.

He drew in a deep breath and tensed his right leg. His deep yellow Spirit Ring blazed with light.

"First Spirit Skill..."

"Poison Dragon's—Spiral Jaw!!!"

Purple-black poisonous mist instantly gathered into the phantom of a dragon's claw and wrapped around his right leg. Yu Tianyu's figure spun through the air in a bizarre twist, dodging every blade of wind. Then, with the force of a mountain crashing down, he brought his leg down hard!

The bald man could only raise both arms to block.

"Crack—!"

The sound of breaking bones rang out clearly.

"Ahhh!!!"

The bald man let out a piercing scream.

Yu Tianyu's kick had not only broken both his arms; the domineering corrosive poison surged through the wounds and burrowed into his body.

"Boom!"

The bald man's knees slammed into the ground, cracking the arena floor.

Yu Tianyu didn't stop there.

His foot remained on the bald man's shoulder as he looked down at the bully who had just been acting so invincible.

"Who did you call a freeloader just now?"

He pressed down slightly with his foot.

"Sss..."

The sound of poison eating through flesh made everyone's scalp crawl.

The bald man's face was drenched with tears and snot as he writhed in agony. "Sir! Please spare me! I'm a freeloader! I'm useless! Please, let me go!"

"Let you go?"

Yu Tianyu sneered. "When you beat up my brother, did you think about letting him go? When you insulted Ye Lingling, did you think about letting her go?"

"Once you step onto the arena, you'd better be prepared to get crippled."

"Get lost!"

Yu Tianyu kicked him hard in the stomach.

The bald man flew off like a broken sack and crashed beneath the arena. He foamed at the mouth, his whole body turning purple. He was clearly finished.

The entire arena fell silent for three seconds.

Then deafening cheers erupted!

"Destruction and Redemption! Destruction and Redemption!" "That was incredible! That kid's ruthless!" "Now that's a Soul Fighting match! That's the beauty of violence!"

Amid the thunderous cheers, Yu Tianyu turned and walked over to Ye Lingling.

The murderous aura around him vanished in an instant, and he became the bright, sunny young man he had been before.

"Well? Did you enjoy the show?"

Ye Lingling gazed quietly at him.

The image of him standing over their enemy like a demon, standing up for her and Pang Hu, had been etched deep into her mind.

No one had ever gone so far to defend her honor.

The heart that had been frozen by her family's curse for so long cracked wide open.

"I did."

Ye Lingling nodded softly. Her voice was still cool, but it trembled slightly. "But... don't be so violent next time. It's a pain to heal."

"Haha, I'll listen to you."

Yu Tianyu took her hand naturally. "Come on, let's take Pang Hu out for a good meal and celebrate our first win."

Ye Lingling looked down at the hand holding hers. This time, she didn't pull away.

In the shadows beneath the arena—

Pang Hu wiped his tears as he grinned foolishly. "Brother Yu... that was damn cool."

In a VIP box on the second floor of the Great Soul Arena—

Two figures stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows.

One was Yu Tianlei, the current captain of the Imperial Fighting Team at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Beside him sat a young man in an ornate robe, his features soft and feminine.

"Is that your cousin? The so-called Abandoned Disciple?" The young man swirled the wine in his glass, a playful glint in his eyes. "How interesting. A six-hundred-year First Spirit Ring, that purple-black poisonous flame... and that dragon-like aura. Tianlei, it seems your Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's elders really misjudged him this time."

Yu Tianlei watched Yu Tianyu leave the arena below and smiled proudly.

"It was those stubborn old fools who misjudged him, not me."

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, I'll protect this younger brother of mine."

Xue Qinghe—the young man known as the "Crown Prince"—narrowed her eyes slightly.

She watched Yu Tianyu's retreating figure, but her thoughts had turned to another question.

"That aura... it isn't just dragon-like. Why does that devouring quality make me sense... a divine presence?"

"Yu Tianyu... It seems Heaven Dou City has gained yet another variable."

At the same time, at another exit from the Soul Fighting Arena—

A burly man with a full beard was supporting the bald man who had been crippled. His eyes were filled with venom.

"You crippled my brother... The Wild Wolf Team will never let you get away with this!"

"Go get Brother Mad Rhino! That kid's a little strange. We'll need someone stronger to deal with him!"

The storm had only just begun.

But to Yu Tianyu, who was taking a beautiful girl and his little brother out for a late-night snack, all of this was nothing more than stepping stones on the road ahead.