Arriving in Suotuo City

Ye Lingling, seated beside Lan Si, heard him refuse and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

It wasn't that she didn't want him to join any faction besides the Nine Heart Begonia. On the contrary, as long as Lan Si could have a better future, she was willing to support him.

It was just that joining a faction was no simple matter. It was a commitment for a lifetime.

Especially with a faction like the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, which regarded the inheritance of its Martial Soul as everything. Joining would be asking for trouble.

Fortunately, Lan Si had refused. Otherwise, she truly wouldn't have known how to handle things.

She probably would have dragged Lan Si aside to talk him out of it before he could agree, acting completely out of character.

Perhaps noticing what Ye Lingling was thinking, Lan Si gave her a reassuring smile. Then he moved on from the earlier topic. "By the way, where's Teacher Qin Ming? Hasn't he come back yet?"

Dugu Yan glanced around and shook her head. "He's probably negotiating with the Soul Fighting Arena about something. After all, we've been here for almost a month, winning every day. The nobles who've been betting alongside us must be making a fortune. What is it? Do you need him for something?"

Lan Si nodded. "Yeah. I asked Teacher Qin Ming to place a few bets for me, too."

"How much?" Dugu Yan asked with interest.

"Ten thousand." Lan Si smiled mysteriously.

"Ten thousand?" The other members of the Imperial Fighting Team were stunned, then swallowed hard. Ten thousand was no small sum. Even though they were all noble scions, none of them could come up with that much money at once. It wasn't that their families lacked the money, but with their current standing, they had no authority to ask their clans for a fortune like that.

Only someone on the level of Ning Fengzhi, the head of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, could casually spend a hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins to buy a catgirl.

"My goodness, A-Si, are you sure you don't mean ten thousand Copper Soul Coins or ten thousand Silver Soul Coins? No, wait, ten thousand Silver Soul Coins is equivalent to a thousand Gold Soul Coins. That's already a lot." The most flighty of them, Yu Feng, stared wide-eyed, unable to believe it.

"Does your family count Copper Soul Coins and Silver Soul Coins in tens of thousands?" Lan Si rolled his eyes.

"Where'd you get that much money? Did your uncle give it to you? You know almost no one thinks the Imperial Fighting Team can beat the Undying Phoenix Team this time. The odds are one to five. Ten thousand Gold Soul Coins would turn into fifty thousand in a flash!" As he spoke, Yu Feng turned to look at Ye Lingling.

Ye Lingling shook her head and explained in her cool voice, "It's A-Si's own money. Before every Soul Fight, he asks Teacher Qin Ming to bet on the team he's fighting for."

At that, the room erupted:

"Come on, A-Si! You've made all this money without us even noticing, and you didn't bring me in on it?"

"If I'd known, I would've bet, too."

"Leopard, you? A-Si bet on himself. Would you dare bet on yourself?"

"Yu Feng, what's that supposed to mean? What's wrong with me?"

"All right, what are you two yelling about? Look at you, acting like this over nothing. Keep it up, and I'll castrate you both!"

The private room buzzed with noise until Dugu Yan put a stop to it. Then she turned to Lan Si. "Little A-Si, you made so much money this time. Don't forget about your big sister."

"Any restaurant in the Heaven Dou Empire. You can pick." Lan Si smiled faintly, unconcerned. Money was merely a bonus to him; as long as he had enough, that was all that mattered. He wanted to earn so many Gold Soul Coins only to gather the finest materials and forge himself a complete set of the strongest firearms.

He'd been coveting the Barrett and Gatling, two devastatingly powerful firearms, for ages. Unfortunately, with his current smithing skills, making them would be difficult. Even if he managed it, they'd take a long time to forge and would delay his cultivation—not worth the cost. Instead, he could commission a blacksmith in Gengxin City to make the parts, then assemble them himself. That seemed like a good plan.

Just then, the private room door creaked open, and Qin Ming walked in with a stack of documents and a broad smile. "You're all here. What a lively crowd! What are you talking about?"

As he spoke, Qin Ming walked up to Lan Si and handed him a gold card.

The members of the Imperial Fighting Team saw the gold card in Lan Si's hand and their eyes lit up. Smiling, they said, "Teacher Qin Ming, A-Si's been secretly making all this money behind our backs. We were just wondering where he should take us to celebrate!"

"That's easy. Our next stop is Suotuo City. There are a few good hotels there. I'll take you once we arrive," Qin Ming said with a chuckle.

The members of the Imperial Fighting Team all chimed in. Only Lan Si was lost in thought. Has that time already come? Looks like I can start planning to get the Immortal Herbs after the Soul Fights in Suotuo City. I wonder how Little Kitten is doing...

Seven days later, with Qin Ming leading the way, the eight members of the Imperial Fighting Team arrived in Suotuo City.

Following their original plan, they first found a place to stay. Then, with Qin Ming leading them, they went to one of Suotuo City's most prestigious restaurants that evening.

After the meal, they returned to their lodgings to rest and prepare for the Soul Fights the next day.

In his room, Lan Si sat cross-legged on the bed as usual, cultivating his technique and tempering his Soul Power.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Lan Si emerged from his cultivation, got up, and opened the door. Ye Lingling's familiar, sweet voice greeted him.

"Lingling, is something the matter?" Lan Si asked, slightly surprised.

"Are you free right now?" Ye Lingling first glanced at the neatly made bed, then asked hesitantly.

"I'm free, sure..." Lan Si was a little confused. Since they'd reconnected, they had grown much closer. He could tell Ye Lingling sincerely cared about him, and he returned her feelings in kind. But neither of them was the type to seek out company, so this was the first time either had invited the other out.

Before he could finish, Ye Lingling took him by the right hand and gave him a light smile. "Then come out for a walk with me. Besides, your clothes seem a little too small now."

Hearing that, Lan Si looked down at what he was wearing. After obtaining his third Soul Ring, he seemed to have grown taller, and his once-loose black outfit now felt a little tight.

"Then let's go. I've been wanting to look around Suotuo City, too." And maybe we'll run into Little Kitten while we're at it.

Since they had Soul Fights to attend, the Imperial Fighting Team's hotel was near Suotuo City's Great Soul Arena. Just outside the hotel stood a broad street. As one of the two major cities in the Balak Kingdom, Suotuo City certainly lived up to its reputation. Its streets were wide and clean, lined with shops.

Even at night, the streets were bustling with crowds coming and going without pause.

Lan Si and Ye Lingling, who was like his older sister, found a decent clothing store near the hotel. At Ye Lingling's direction, Lan Si picked out several outfits that fit him.

Then, at Lan Si's suggestion, the two headed early to the Great Soul Arena in Suotuo City.