(A gorgeous illustration of Dugu Yan from the manga)
The crowd drew in a sharp breath.
"That's the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's Dragon Transformation! He can turn parts of his body into a dragon's, massively boosting his strength and defense!"
"How does that kid dare fight him? They're not even in the same league!"
Yu Tianheng's lips curled into a smirk. He pushed off the ground, shooting forward like a cannonball.
"Die!"
His dragon claw, wrapped in blue-violet arcs of electricity, lunged straight for Lin Jiang's face!
The strike was fast and vicious. The air split with a piercing shriek.
The spectators didn't even have time to blink—
Lin Jiang threw a punch.
"Bam—!"
Fist met claw, and a shockwave burst outward!
The smile froze on Yu Tianheng's face.
His dragon claw went numb from the impact, and his whole arm trembled. His body staggered back three steps, completely beyond his control.
Each step cracked the stone tiles beneath his feet.
Lin Jiang, meanwhile, stood where he was, without taking a single step back.
Yu Tianheng looked down at his trembling right hand, his pupils contracting.
How was this possible?!
His Dragon Transformation, his full-powered strike—had been knocked back by a single punch from a boy his own age?
Even more bizarre, his Martial Soul was trembling.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, a top Beast Martial Soul of the Upper Three Sects, cowered inside him, as if it had encountered some terrifying natural enemy.
Fear seeped from the very depths of his bones.
Yu Tianheng gritted his teeth, forcing down the tremor.
There was no time to worry about that!
"Second Soul Skill—Thunderbolt!"
Blue-violet lightning surged wildly from his body, transforming into countless bolts that shot in every direction!
Each bolt carried paralyzing power, covering a radius of ten meters—
Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling were in range, too!
Lin Jiang frowned.
He could dodge. But the two behind him couldn't.
A golden phantom surged skyward behind him!
The Golden Dragon King!
Its head reared high, and its golden scales blazed in the sunlight. Dragon might crashed down like a tangible force!
The air at the entrance to the entire Soul Fighting Arena froze.
Lin Jiang crossed his arms, shielding Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling.
Countless bolts struck him. Blue-violet arcs crackled across the golden dragon-scale patterns on his body, but he stood completely unmoved.
He took every last bolt by himself.
And the dragon might continued to spread.
Every Beast Martial Soul Soul Master in the crowd turned pale at once.
Some buckled at the knees, some backed away, and some broke out in a cold sweat.
It was a suppression carved into the very origin of their Martial Souls. No matter how high their level, they couldn't resist it.
And of them all, Yu Tianheng, with his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul, suffered the most.
His Martial Soul was wailing. Submitting. Begging him to run.
"H-how..." His mouth hung open, and his voice cracked. "Can this be...? What kind of Martial Soul is that?!"
His legs shook, his hands shook, and even his teeth chattered.
A layer of gray dulled the blue-violet scales, and every electric arc went out.
Everyone around them gaped at the golden dragon shadow.
What kind of Martial Soul was that?
What level of pressure was this?
Before Yu Tianheng could recover from his shock, a foot slammed into his chest.
"Bam—!"
He flew backward, rolled three times across the ground, and came to a stop facedown, motionless.
The entire arena fell silent.
Lin Jiang lowered his foot, brushed the dust off his sleeve, and glanced back at Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling.
"Come on. Let's go sign up."
Dugu Yan wrapped her arm around his and smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.
Ye Lingling followed behind them. She stole a glance at him, lowered her head, and clutched the hem of her skirt.
Behind them, Yu Feng and Osler stood rooted to the spot, looking as if they'd swallowed a fly.
"B-Boss..."
The two exchanged a glance. Neither dared step forward to help him.
The crowd parted on its own, watching the three walk through the Soul Fighting Arena's gates.
"That Martial Soul... What is it?"
"No idea. But it's definitely stronger than the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon."
"Obviously! Didn't you see Yu Tianheng practically hit his knees?"
Whispers rose all around them, but everyone kept their voices low.
At the entrance, Yu Tianheng lay facedown on the stone tiles. His fingers twitched, but he couldn't get up.
Dugu Yan walked along with her arm around Lin Jiang's, chin tilted slightly upward.
"I knew you could do it. Now they won't dare mess with us again."
Lin Jiang shook his head. "Not necessarily."
Ye Lingling followed behind them, still clutching her skirt. Her voice was soft. "They won't let this go."
Lin Jiang glanced back at her, his tone casual. "But they won't do anything to you two. They'll only come after me."
Ye Lingling looked up. The lights of the Soul Fighting Arena were reflected in her blue eyes.
"Lin Jiang..."
"It's fine." Lin Jiang turned back and headed for the registration desk. "Let's go fight, Lingling."
Ye Lingling froze for a moment, then hurried to catch up and softly said, "Okay."
At the entrance, Yu Feng and Osler hauled Yu Tianheng up from the ground.
Yu Tianheng clutched his chest, his face livid and his breathing ragged.
Yu Feng supported him and asked gingerly, "Boss, are you all right?"
Yu Tianheng clenched his jaw, staring in the direction Lin Jiang had disappeared.
"Damn it... He's picked a fight with me? He's in for a world of trouble!"
He slammed his fist into the ground, cracking the stone tiles.
"So they want to fight in the arena, huh?"
He raised his head, a cold smile tugging at his lips.
"I'll make sure they get their fight!"
Lin Jiang easily won every one of his matches that morning.
One punch each, clean and decisive.
The name Golden Scale spread through the Soul Fighting Arena like it had grown wings.
"The Golden Leaf Duo won again! That's their fourth match today!"
"Who's that masked guy? He hasn't even used his Martial Soul!"
"I heard someone went out of their way to dig up his background. They couldn't find a thing."
More and more people in the stands placed bets on the Golden Leaf Duo.
Yesterday they'd been outsiders. Today they were the favorites.
But when evening came—
The matchups for the last Soul Fighting match were posted, and the entire arena erupted.
"The Golden Leaf Duo will face—the Electric Arc Duo!"
The stands buzzed with conversation, the noise rising in wave after wave.
"The Golden Leaf Duo has already racked up more than ten consecutive wins in just two days. So why did the arena match them against the Electric Arc Duo?"
"The Electric Arc Duo are Soul Ancestors over level forty! The two of them are unbeatable at the Soul Ancestor level. They deliberately stay at level forty-nine instead of advancing, just to make money in the Soul Fighting Arena."
"I heard their opponents end up either dead or crippled..."
Someone lowered their voice and said aloud what everyone knew but no one dared state openly.
"Looks like someone pulled strings. They don't want the Golden Leaf Duo to keep winning."
"Better stick with the Electric Arc Duo for this one. The level gap is way too big!"
The spectators shook their heads, placing their money on the Electric Arc Duo.
A few tried to bet on the underdogs, but when the people beside them talked them out of it, they pulled their hands back.
In the viewing room.
Yu Tianheng sat in a chair with one leg crossed over the other, a cup of tea in his hand.
The floor-to-ceiling window in front of him looked directly onto Soul Fighting Platform No. 5, offering an excellent view.
Yu Feng and Osler stood on either side behind him, both wearing the same smile.
"Hmph." Yu Tianheng took a sip of tea, the corners of his mouth slowly lifting. "On the Soul Fighting Platform, blades and swords have no eyes. The Electric Arc Duo won't go easy on them."
Yu Feng chimed in with a grin. "Brilliant plan, Boss! That kid may be good, but can he really take on two level-forty-nine Soul Ancestors?"
Before you continue