At night, the Soto Great Soul Arena was far more raucous and feverish than it was during the day.
Deafening cheers, roars, and the thunderous crashes of Soul Skills colliding mingled with sweat, dust, and the faint smell of blood, forming the distinctive background noise of this city of soul battles.
The nine members of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team had just finished a team Soul Fighting match.
Their opponents were a veteran powerhouse from Suotuo City, with an exceptionally fierce, bloodthirsty fighting style. The moment the battle began, they had traded wounds for wounds, their attacks coming like a surging tide.
After weighing their options, Qin Ming had decided to send Tang Yin in place of Osler. The result, naturally, was victory for the Heaven Dou Team.
Still, their opponents were a veteran powerhouse and could not be underestimated. By the time the group left the arena, most of them were injured, and their Soul Power was severely depleted.
Qin Ming walked at the front, his expression grave. Their very first match had been this difficult; the brutality of the Soto Great Soul Arena far exceeded his expectations.
But that was precisely why he had brought the team here.
"Let's return to the inn first. Lingling will treat everyone, and the rest of you should recover as quickly as you can," Qin Ming ordered solemnly, his voice tinged with weariness.
The group nodded silently and walked along the main street outside the arena. Its lamps were bright, but the number of passersby had dwindled. They headed toward the inn.
However, just as they turned a street corner and were about to enter a relatively quiet alley, three figures stepped into their path beneath a streetlamp.
They were three young girls.
The girl on the far left wore a