Great Soul Arena, I Don't Believe

Let's rewind the clock to many days ago.

In a dark corner of Suotuo City, Liu Jiayi was cornered into a dead end by debt collectors.

With a dead end in front and pursuers behind, Liu Jiayi, who owed a mountain of debt, didn't know which way to turn.

"Damn it, can't you just give me a few more days? It's all because yesterday's opponent was too strong, causing me to lose."

Liu Jiayi panted heavily, cursing. At this moment, he was level 37, while his pursuers were generally all above level 40.

The footsteps behind him grew increasingly urgent, and Liu Jiayi had a flash of inspiration, ducking into a pile of trash.

He was all too familiar with this maneuver; whenever debt collectors chased him in the past, this was how he solved it. Based on his experience, these collectors didn't want to dirty their hands, and before long, they would compromise and let him go.

But this time seemed different.

"Hmm? That piece of trash hid again? Heh, the higher-ups are pressing hard this time; we can't let him go."

Listening to the approaching footsteps, Liu Jiayi felt his heart turn cold.

This was the rhythm of someone about to rummage through the trash.

Not long after, he heard the sound of trash being tossed aside.

It's over, they're playing for real.

Liu Jiayi's heart hammered against his ribs, but buried in the pile, he dared not move, terrified that they might find him prematurely.

As long as they didn't find him, perhaps they would give up halfway.

Liu Jiayi thought naively, and yet, it seemed that was exactly what happened.

Before long, Liu Jiayi could no longer hear the sound of trash being rummaged through.

Did they leave?

He carefully pushed aside the trash, digging out a hole, but as he peered out, he froze.

He saw an eye—a pitch-black eye with no whites. The eye rolled a few times, as if confirming he was still a living person.

"Since when did these debt collectors have such strong nerves?"

Seeing that he had been exposed, Liu Jiayi resigned himself to his fate and climbed out of the trash.

"Fine, you win this time. I'll go with you..."

Then, Liu Jiayi was hit by a second wave of shock.

That person was not a debt collector, at least not one he recognized.

The debt collectors he knew were currently lying scattered not far away, their bodies covered in strange wounds, with black mist seeping from the gashes.

This further confirmed the fact that the person before him was not one of the collectors.

Taking a closer look, the black mist on the person before him poured endlessly from his wounds, more than all the black mist radiating from the debt collectors combined.

Was the person before him even human?

Liu Jiayi dared not dwell on it.

The figure had messy black hair, wore a black robe, and stood hunched over, looking up at him.

"Let's talk this out..."

Liu Jiayi was so frightened he took half a step back.

"Hehehe... I smell desire." The man let out a strange laugh. "You want power, don't you?"

Liu Jiayi hesitated.

Of course he did. With power, he could shine in the Great Soul Arena, earn Gold Soul Coins, and save his elderly parents back home.

"I do!"

He said, his gaze incredibly firm.

"I can give you power, but what are you willing to pay?"

"Aside from money, you can have my life!"

"Is that so... hehehe, I don't believe you. Prove it to me."

"I don't believe you."

Hearing the familiar words, Liu Jiayi's fighting spirit was ignited once again.

"Fine, then I'll prove it to you. But let's be clear, if you miss your chance, don't come looking for me later."

Ning Rongrong watched the subtle change in the other's expression, feeling a bit puzzled.

She had actually wanted to see his reaction when he found out she was a support-type Soul Master; she hadn't had enough fun yet.

Unfortunately, she was disappointed.

However, she didn't overthink it and settled into a combat stance.

"The match—begins!"

Liu Jiayi revealed his martial soul; it was a pitch-black plant martial soul, covered in sharp thorns and emitting a faint, fishy stench.

Tang San, with his sharp eyes, recognized this martial soul from the spectator stands at a single glance.

"Ghost Vine!"

He couldn't help but exclaim. As the source of his second spirit ring, he naturally knew exactly what a Ghost Vine looked like.

He just hadn't expected to encounter a holder of the Ghost Vine martial soul so soon.

He decided to watch the match intently, hoping to learn the techniques for using the Ghost Vine and apply them to his own Blue Silver Grass martial soul.

"Ghost Vine? San, what is that? Is it very powerful?"

Xiao Wu asked, her face full of curiosity.

"Of course. The Ghost Vine not only possesses potent toxins but also the ability to parasitize." Tang San nodded. "My second spirit ring came from a Ghost Vine."

"Rongrong..."

Zhu Zhuqing stood to the side, her fists tightening slightly.

"A level 33 support-type spirit master facing a level 38 control-type battle spirit master—can Rongrong win?"

Oscar, also nearby, looked worried.

"It's difficult." Tang San reached a conclusion at lightning speed. "Referencing my Blue Silver Grass, the Ghost Vine should share these few weaknesses. First, it needs to make contact with the target to achieve maximum effect, and since Rongrong is a support-type spirit master, she is easily approached. Second, it fears fire, and it's obvious Rongrong doesn't use fire. Third, it consumes a large amount of spirit power, but as long as the fight ends quickly, that isn't an issue. All in all, I don't think Rongrong can win. Fortunately, this is just a sparring match, so there's no life-threaten—wait? What did Rongrong sign up for just now?"

He had been too preoccupied with his own thoughts and only just remembered that Ning Rongrong and Dai Mubai had registered at a different time; he wasn't clear on what exactly they had signed up for. Combined with the vague descriptions of "death or injury" he had heard earlier, he suddenly felt uncertain.

"It's a sparring match; I still have a sense of proportion." Dai Mubai hesitated for a moment before adding, "However, 'accidents' are inevitable in a match."

"That won't do, we have to pull Rongrong out."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing grew anxious and immediately wanted to go down, but Flender stopped her.

"What's the rush? In my opinion, Ning Rongrong might not necessarily lose. Besides, with me, a Spirit Saint, here, she won't die."

Flender had his own considerations.

No matter how poisonous the Ghost Vine was, could it be more poisonous than a Man Faced Demon Spider? Since Ning Rongrong could handle a Man Faced Demon Spider, a mere Ghost Vine should be nothing to her.

Yet, a faint sense of unease lingered in his heart.

Zhu Zhuqing calmed down upon hearing this, though her hands continued to tremble. The others, hearing Flender say that Ning Rongrong might not lose, also became a bit curious.

Flender was the person who currently understood Ning Rongrong's strength best. If even he said so, could it be that this support-type Ning Rongrong truly had some hidden trump card?

While they were discussing, Liu Jiayi, showing no regard for the fact that Ning Rongrong was a young girl, seized the initiative.

He closed in on Ning Rongrong in an instant, and the Ghost Vine vines in his hands began to grow, intent on binding her.

"Little girl, don't blame me for not warning you. My first spirit skill is Entanglement."

The Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda in Ning Rongrong's hand was still glowing, but she hadn't used a single spirit skill yet. She simply kept jumping and dodging, feeling more and more that her physical attribute level was too low.

She couldn't jump clear, and her right foot was caught by the vines.

She quickly applied Strength Amplification to herself, and only then did she manage to break free.