Great Soul Arena, Registering for Soul Duels

Ling Xiao leaned against the window, his fingertips tapping lightly against the cold glass as he rapidly sorted through his upcoming plans in his mind.

His core objective for coming to Heaven Dou City was singular.

He intended to seize the top-tier opportunity that belonged to Tang San in the original story: the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye located in the Sunset Forest.

It was one of the three great treasure basins of the Douluo Continent, filled with rare treasures of heaven and earth and supreme immortal herbs.

Whether for breaking through soul power, reshaping a martial soul, detoxifying, healing, or transcending realms, it possessed the miraculous power to defy fate.

In the original story, it was precisely by relying on the immortal herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye that the Shrek Seven Devils achieved a qualitative leap in their cultivation.

He could not simply watch such a peerless opportunity fall into Tang San's hands.

However, the perimeter of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye was guarded by none other than the Title Douluo, Dugu Bo.

The Jade Phosphorus Purple Mist of the Poison Douluo was incomparably tyrannical; even ordinary Title Douluos would not dare to step foot there lightly.

To seize the opportunity within, he could not afford to be impatient.

Before that, he had other matters to attend to.

Ling Xiao's gaze fell upon the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena, just a street away.

His soul power was rising too quickly, and his lack of practical combat experience remained his greatest weakness.

The Great Soul Arena was the most equitable yet brutal place for practical training on the entire continent.

Cultivating behind closed doors in Martial Soul Hall would only leave his soul power hollow and unstable.

Only through real, life-or-death combat could he fully integrate his soul power, physical body, and soul skills to lay a solid foundation.

This was the power center of the Heaven Dou Empire, where intelligence from all major factions converged.

Thinking of this, a curve formed at the corner of Ling Xiao's lips.

He turned and walked into the room's cultivation chamber.

He took down the long spear from his back, the coarse cloth sliding away to reveal the cold, piercing glint of the spear tip.

At this moment, on the roof of the building across from the hotel.

A black figure was concealed within the shadows.

Ghost Leopard Douluo's gaze remained locked firmly on the tenth-floor suite, confirming that Ling Xiao was safe and sound.

His aura vanished completely once more, merging him into the shadows.

Night fell, and the lights began to flicker on.

The clamor of Heaven Dou City did not dissipate; instead, it grew even more intense.

The most boisterous place in the entire city was undoubtedly the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena.

This circular structure, built of massive stones, resembled a prehistoric beast lurking in the night.

Several giant arches swallowed and spat out an endless stream of people, and the deafening shouts and cheers could be heard clearly from hundreds of meters away.

Just standing on the street, one could feel the surging blood and madness rushing toward them.

Ling Xiao stood before the main entrance of the Great Soul Arena, gazing at the magnificent structure.

A flicker of novelty passed through his eyes behind his mask.

He had read records about the Great Soul Arena countless times in the archives of Martial Soul Hall.

This was the recognized training ground for soul masters across the continent, as well as a brutal arena.

Countless soul masters had made a name for themselves here, fighting their way from unknown Iron Soul Fighters to the much-anticipated Gold Soul Fighters.

Countless others had met their downfall here, either retreating with severe injuries or losing their lives on the soul fighting stage.

Here, no one cared about your origins or how powerful your background was.

Only those who could stand on the stage and win until the end were the true powerhouses.

"This guest, are you here to watch a match or to participate in a soul fight?"

The attendant at the entrance saw Ling Xiao pause and stepped forward respectfully.

The youth before him looked to be only about ten years old and wore a half-face mask, yet his noble bearing made the attendant afraid to be negligent.

"Register for a soul fight."

Ling Xiao spoke indifferently, his voice cold and devoid of emotion.

"Please come inside; the registration office is in the hall on the left."

The attendant bowed to lead the way, asking nothing further.

Ling Xiao followed the attendant into the Great Soul Arena and was instantly enveloped by the surging wall of sound.

Inside the arena, a series of highly anticipated soul fighting matches were underway.

The deafening cheers threatened to lift the roof, and the shouts of tens of thousands in the stands merged into a turbulent sea of sound.

The air was thick with the intertwined scents of strong liquor, sweat, and fanaticism.

Martial Soul Hall is filled with a solemnity defined by strict hierarchy.

Everything here, however, carries an air of wildness and madness.

Ling Xiao kept his eyes straight ahead, following the attendant into the registration hall on the left.

It was relatively quiet here, with over a dozen soul masters queuing at the windows to complete their registrations.

The staff responsible for registration moved with practiced efficiency, their expressions numb, clearly long accustomed to the myriad types of soul masters.

When it was Ling Xiao's turn, the middle-aged woman in charge of registration looked up and swept a glance over him.

Seeing the mask on his face, she paused for a brief moment before speaking in a formulaic tone.

"Name, age, martial soul attribute, and soul power level. Soul fighting registration requires an on-site soul power test; any falsified information will result in a permanent ban from soul fighting."

"Zero, ten years old, control-type martial soul, level twenty-four Soul Grand Master."

Ling Xiao casually provided a pseudonym and bumped his age up by two years to avoid being too shocking.

The pen in the middle-aged woman's hand came to an abrupt halt.

She looked up sharply, scanning Ling Xiao from head to toe once more, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Ten years old? A level twenty-four Soul Grand Master?

She had worked in registration at the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena for over a decade and had seen at least eighty geniuses, if not a hundred.

A ten-year-old level twenty-four Soul Grand Master was something she had never even heard of!

"Please cooperate with the soul power test."

Suppressing the shock in her heart, the middle-aged woman pushed a soul power testing crystal toward Ling Xiao, her tone becoming more serious.

Ling Xiao said nothing more; he reached out his right hand and gently pressed it against the testing crystal.

A pale blue halo lit up from within the crystal, growing brighter and brighter.

Finally, it stopped at the level twenty-four mark.

Watching the reading on the crystal, the middle-aged woman's pupils constricted, and she drew a sharp breath.

It was actually true!

The masked youth before her was truly a ten-year-old level twenty-four Soul Grand Master!

This was undoubtedly the youngest level twenty-four soul fighter the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena had seen in years!

She quickly filled in the information on the registration form, took out a black iron badge, and handed it to Ling Xiao.

"Mr. Zero, your soul fighting registration is complete. As a new soul fighter, your initial rank is Iron Soul, and this is your Iron Soul Badge."

"With this badge, you can sign up for one-on-one, two-on-two, or team soul fights of the corresponding rank. Soul fighting points can increase your badge rank and can also be exchanged for various soul master supplies within the Great Soul Arena."

"Can I sign up for a one-on-one soul fight now?"

Ling Xiao took the iron badge; it felt heavy in his hand, engraved with the character for 'Iron' along with his serial number and basic information.

"Yes, you can."

The middle-aged woman nodded immediately and pointed toward the registration window next to them.

"You can sign up over there. The system will match you with an opponent of the same rank and soul power range. Once a match is successful, the bout and your entry order will be posted on the big screen. You just need to wait in the waiting area."

Ling Xiao offered a word of thanks, turned, and walked to the registration window, where he handed over his Iron Soul Badge and signed up for a one-on-one Iron Soul event.

The staff member in charge of registration saw the information on the badge and likewise revealed a look of shock.

Not daring to ask too many questions, they quickly entered the information and spoke to Ling Xiao.

"Mr. Zero, your registration is complete. The system is currently matching you with an opponent. Please wait in the waiting area to the left; once a match is found, you will be notified via broadcast."

Ling Xiao nodded and turned to walk into the waiting area.