However, Ling Chen still hadn't inspected the information on Martial Soul Origin. After all, this power was so mysterious that it was hard to explain.
He placed his hand on the Golden Dragon Pillar, and information about Martial Soul Origin appeared in his mind.
[Martial Soul Origin]: Tool Martial Soul: 369 points. Beast Martial Soul: 442 points. Body Martial Soul: 104 points. Special Martial Soul: 122 points. [Function]: Touch a corpse, and you can deprive the dead of their Martial Soul Origin before it dissipates, storing it in this Martial Soul Origin Space. [Effect One]: You can use the Martial Soul Origin in the space to temporarily condense your own Martial Soul. [Effect Two]: You can use Martial Soul Origin to strengthen your own Martial Soul, improve its quality, and possibly gain its Martial Soul traits. [Effect Three]: When you have accumulated a certain amount of Martial Soul Origin of one type, you can awaken a new Martial Soul (regardless of age).
Ling Chen paused in surprise. The Golden Dragon hadn't lied to him, and he was especially looking forward to this [Effect Three].
With another Martial Soul, he could also take advantage of the benefits of Twin Martial Souls.
He only needed to cultivate one Martial Soul until he became a Titled Douluo. Then he could immediately equip the second Martial Soul with Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings.
Usually, people saved their strongest Martial Soul for last when cultivating them this way.
But that wasn't a problem for Ling Chen. He could stack Soul Rings, so even if the later Martial Soul wasn't very powerful, he could still stack Soul Rings of the appropriate age onto his First Martial Soul, the Green Steel Sword.
Pulling his thoughts back, Ling Chen recalled that when he used Martial Soul Origin, it had felt as if he were using it in portions. Now that he could see it clearly, each portion seemed to be about 100 points of Martial Soul Origin.
When Ling Chen strengthened the Green Steel Sword, he had probably used around 100 points of Martial Soul Origin. He just didn't know how many points the next strengthening would require.
Ling Chen tried to draw Martial Soul Origin from the Golden Dragon Pillar to strengthen the Green Steel Sword. The Martial Soul Origin points in his mind began plummeting.
"Damn it!"
Ling Chen looked at the Martial Soul Origin nearly reduced to zero. Instead of feeling pleased that the Green Steel Sword had improved, he felt a terrible premonition rise in his heart.
There were plenty of creatures like the Lion-Man in Slaughter City. Ling Chen couldn't be sure whether he would find any intact corpses now.
One reason there were fewer corpses was that these half-human, half-beast creatures were eating them. That was slowing down Ling Chen's collection of Martial Soul Origin.
Returning to reality, Ling Chen cautiously checked the buildings around the alley for unlocked doors. Scarface's home would have been the perfect place for him to stay.
But the search was a huge disappointment. Finding Scarface's home in Slaughter City was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
After Ling Chen tried several doors without success, he was attempting to open the next one when the door of the previous house quietly swung open. It seemed the owner had heard someone picking the lock and come out to investigate.
Ling Chen put the key in the lock and gave it a gentle turn. The door... opened!
Before he could even feel pleased, Ling Chen sensed a thick murderous intent directed straight at him.
How could Ling Chen stop to think? He bolted.
The homeowner next door saw that it was a six-year-old child and froze for a moment, but quickly came to his senses and hurried after him.
This was practically a windfall. If he brought the child to the Hell Slaughter Arena, his odds of winning the next match would improve.
"Stop right there!"
Hearing the shout behind him, Ling Chen couldn't help but quicken his pace.
The thing Ling Chen had least wanted to happen had happened anyway: he had been discovered again.
Hearing the cries, the people nearby looked toward the sound and saw an adult chasing a six-year-old child.
They thought it over for a moment, quickly understood what was happening, and joined the pursuit.
The scene shifted. The streets and alleys had emptied of people.
In the blood mist that never dispersed, a blood-red Full Moon hung overhead. Its scarlet light fell upon a gigantic circular arena, where ten people stood, fighting desperately to the death.
The air was thick as blood plasma. Every breath was filled with the stink of rotting corpses and the sour tang of sweat, so pungent it burned the throat.
Yet the ten fighters paid it no mind. Their eyes held nothing but a thirst for slaughter.
"I never expected there to be a six-year-old child in the Hell Slaughter Arena!"
Tang San, wearing a mask, spotted a small figure darting about on the arena floor and felt somewhat surprised.
This was mostly a battlefield for adults. Bringing a little kid somewhere like this was practically sending him to his death.
On the other side, Hu Liena had arrived at the betting counter. She set down five cups of Yellow Spring Dew, then pointed at the six-year-old child.
"Five cups. I bet he dies!"
It wasn't surprising to hear such words from Hu Liena, whose face was alluring and charming. She was currently a Hell Envoy on a seventy-two-win streak, a person who killed without batting an eye.
Clearly, she didn't think much of the child's chances either.
After all, no one had ever heard of a child killing an adult on the front lines in Slaughter City.
What was more, Slaughter City had rules: Soul Skills couldn't be used. Fighters could rely only on their bodies, combat techniques, and killing intent.
That made the child's chances of dying even higher. But no one cared much. Instead, many people placed bets alongside Hu Liena, using their Yellow Spring Dew.
As for whether the child lived or died, in a place like Slaughter City, where the strong preyed on the weak, he could only become a stepping stone for someone else to escape.
What they didn't know was that the child's very presence here proved he was no ordinary person—and that he had no choice.
He had made too much noise while escaping the pursuit, attracting everyone's attention. Nearly everyone in Slaughter City's inner city had come running.
To make things easier for himself, Ling Chen had no choice but to lead them to the Hell Slaughter Arena.
Only ten living people could fight in the Hell Slaughter Arena. The last person alive would be the only one allowed to leave. By using the arena's rules, Ling Chen could avoid facing a hundred opponents at once.
But even against just nine people, a six-year-old's chances of survival were slim.
Now, those nine were still attacking Ling Chen without pause. Fortunately, he was still small and nimble. As he kept dodging, he tried to get the nine men fighting each other.
Outside the arena, the people who had just chased Ling Chen regretted failing to catch him. They had missed their chance to win a match with a little less pressure.
Ling Chen hadn't released his Martial Soul from the start. The reason was simple: he was still more than 90 points short of the Martial Soul Origin needed to condense it.
The situation was indeed grim. No one believed in him; they all hoped he would be the first to die here.
Still, Ling Chen's plan worked.
The nine men found each other in the way and didn't think Ling Chen posed a threat, so they began fighting among themselves.
The surging killing intent from the nine men made Ling Chen shiver. They hadn't even condensed their domains yet, and they were already this terrifying.
Ling Chen didn't let his guard down. Instead, he watched for his chance to feel for corpses.
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