Soul Fighting

Qian Renxue stood outside Qin Yuan's courtyard for a long time before stopping. At last, she let out a soft sigh. "I hope Xiao Yuan won't be upset." Then she walked through the gate.

Qin Yuan was practicing his sword when he saw Qian Renxue arrive. His face lit up, and he ran over with a grin.

Seeing Qin Yuan's radiant smile, Qian Renxue affectionately took a handkerchief from her arms and wiped the sweat from his face.

After they had chatted for quite a while, Qian Renxue finally told him about Song Qingshuang's broken engagement. She anxiously studied Qin Yuan's reaction, ready to comfort him.

Instead, she saw that his expression was calm. Aside from a hint of surprise at first, he showed no further emotion.

"Heh, it's just as well that she broke it off. I never liked that arrogant woman anyway."

Hearing this, Qian Renxue breathed a long sigh of relief. It was exactly the reaction she had hoped for.

She smiled and said:

"I'm relieved you can think of it that way. But the Song family dared to break off the engagement themselves. I won't let this go so easily!"

As she spoke, a cold glint flashed in Qian Renxue's eyes.

Qin Yuan shrugged indifferently. It was only a minor interruption, hardly worth his attention. Practicing his sword mattered far more.

After seeing Qian Renxue off, he immediately put Song Qingshuang out of his mind and devoted himself wholeheartedly to sword practice.

Two and a half months into his sword training, Qin Yuan's Soul Power broke through to level thirty-eight. He couldn't help marveling at how quickly the Golden Dragon Martial Soul cultivated.

Of course, his Soul Power had already reached level thirty-seven and a half after he absorbed his third Soul Ring.

But after two and a half months of sword training, his Sword Path had advanced to the fifth stage, and his progress had clearly slowed. This left him quite dissatisfied.

His sword instructor, meanwhile, saw that Qin Yuan had reached the fifth stage of the Sword Path after only two and a half months of training and still wasn't satisfied—he even thought he was too slow. The instructor nearly spat blood.

He had studied the sword for decades, and even with a sword Martial Soul, had only just managed to reach the sixth stage of the Sword Path!

This kid was practically calling him a good-for-nothing to his face!

Could he put up with that?

Ha. What a joke. Of course he could.

He had no choice. Qin Yuan's status was too exalted for him to offend.

In the end, he pointed Qin Yuan toward a path, saying:

"The sword is a weapon of slaughter. Only through fighting can you improve the fastest."

With that, he laughed heartily as he headed out, saying, "Young Master Qin Yuan, you've graduated. I won't be coming back."

In truth, he was afraid that if he stayed a moment longer, his Dao heart would shatter.

After hearing his advice, Qin Yuan thought his instructor was right. So he put on the Golden Dragon Mask, adopted the name Ling Tian, and headed to the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena to hone his swordsmanship.

He hid his identity because, in the eyes of the world, he was a good-for-nothing with only half a level of Innate Soul Power.

If he revealed that he had level thirty-eight Soul Power at twelve years old, along with a Golden Dragon Martial Soul,

he feared he would never know another moment's peace. Not only would Spirit Hall come after him—even his uncle, Emperor Xue Ye, might covet his power and force him to reveal his secrets.

He had learned firsthand how ruthlessly Emperor Xue Ye could turn on someone.

Only Qian Renxue would treat him well, no matter the cost.

So until he was strong enough to protect himself, he would not reveal his true identity.

Looking at the grand structure before him, which resembled an ancient Roman colosseum, Qin Yuan smiled silently behind his Golden Dragon Mask and strode inside.

At the registration desk, he chose the alias "Ling Tian." With an iron Soul Fighting badge hanging on his chest, he headed for the competitors' waiting area.

The Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena had four badge ranks: Iron, Bronze, Gold, and Purple Gold.

A competitor earned one point for each victory and lost one for each defeat. At ten points, they could advance to a Bronze badge; at one hundred, to a Gold badge; and only at one thousand could they advance to a Purple Gold badge.

But ever since the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena had been established, those who had earned Purple Gold badges could be counted on one hand. Every one of them was a top powerhouse renowned throughout the land, and without exception, all were Titled Douluo!

Thus, any Soul Master who earned a Purple Gold badge became a target that every faction on the continent would desperately try to recruit. Even Spirit Hall was no exception!

After entering the Soul Fighting Arena, Qin Yuan passed by the competition grounds and glanced at the Soul Masters battling fiercely in the ring. Then he turned and headed toward the competitors' waiting area.

He didn't have to wait long before his first match began.

Qin Yuan didn't wear a Storage Soul Tool, lest someone close to him recognize it. He carried only a standard longsword on his back as he stepped into the ring.

The stands were packed with people. Cheers and roars surged in from every direction, making his ears ring slightly.

His opponent was a young man with a bare chest and black trousers. A scar ran across his face, adding a hint of menace and cruelty to his appearance.

The scarred young man was clearly well-known. The moment he entered the ring, the crowd erupted in cheers dozens, even hundreds, of times louder than before.

"Scarface! Scarface! Scarface!"

"Scarface, crush your opponent! I've bet my entire fortune on you!"

The young man basked in the crowd's cheers, a savage smile curling his lips. He stared at Qin Yuan with a mocking look and raised a hand to mime slitting his throat.

To improve his Sword Path as quickly as possible, Qin Yuan had signed up for Soul Fighting matches where people could be killed.

"Hahaha, it seems our contestant Scarface can hardly wait! But before the match, I must introduce the contestants to everyone."

The host's hearty laughter rang out from high above:

"Contestant Scarface, to my left, is surely familiar to you all. He's won seven matches in a row and is a formidable fighter even among the Bronze badge contestants in the Soul Elder division.

"As for his opponent, well..."

The host suddenly gave a sly chuckle:

"This contestant, Ling Tian, is visiting our Great Soul Arena for the first time. It seems his luck is truly terrible—his very first match has paired him against a Bronze badge fighter.

"I can already imagine how this will end. Let's hope he doesn't die too horribly! Hahaha! Without further ado, I now declare the match... begun!!!"

Hearing the match begin, Scarface gave a vicious grin and growled:

"Martial Soul Possession!"

In the blink of an eye, Scarface's body swelled dramatically. His limbs grew powerful, and his hands became as sharp as a beast's claws, making him look like a werewolf.

Two yellow and one purple Soul Rings, the optimal configuration, wound around him. One of the yellow Soul Rings flashed brightly, and Scarface shot toward Qin Yuan like an arrow loosed from its string.

"Ha! It seems my contestant Scarface can't wait to tear our poor contestant Ling Tian to shreds. Let's all observe a moment of silence for him."

Up above, the host dramatically covered his eyes, as though he couldn't bear to watch.

Laughter rose from the stands. There was no pity in it, only the excitement and mockery of people eager for a spectacle.

Qin Yuan didn't use Martial Soul Possession. He simply drew the longsword from his back and raised it to meet the charging Scarface.

"Is his Martial Soul a sword?" Scarface wondered as he watched Qin Yuan approach with his blade raised.

But when he sensed that Qin Yuan had no trace of Soul Power about him, he was visibly taken aback. Then he sneered.

"Looking to die!"

Under everyone's gaze, the two collided. But instead of a one-sided fight, they seemed evenly matched.

"What?!" Scarface thrust his right claw at Qin Yuan's neck, but Qin Yuan parried it with his sword. The force of the blow was completely deflected, and Qin Yuan's body didn't even sway. Scarface cried out in shock.

The audience and the host were just as stunned by the sight.