Dragon-Cloud Duo

Shi Mo chimed in, "Let's hear what little brother Ling Yun thinks!"

"What do you say, little brother Ling Yun?"

Ling Yun nodded. Everyone present got along well with Dugu Yan. After learning his age and Soul Power, they were shocked, but they didn't have any ill intentions toward him. He was still acceptable in their eyes.

Yu Tianheng had even thought of how his young age might cause trouble for him. That showed he had a thoughtful streak!

Whether he was extending his affection for Dugu Yan to Ling Yun, or simply trying to get closer and build a relationship with him, his actions made Ling Yun feel quite comfortable.

Ling Yun would remember this show of support!

"I have no problem going up!"

Just as Ling Yun agreed, Dugu Yan changed her mind again.

She had suggested that Ling Yun take the field partly because she wanted to see how her friends would react. Would they consider Ling Yun's feelings? Would they care about him?

Now it seemed this group of friends could be counted on.

"I forgot to mention earlier that Xiao Yun's Soul Ring is a bit of a problem!"

"What's the matter?" Yu Tianheng asked.

Shi Mo and Shi Mo chimed in as well. "What's the problem? Is his Soul Ring unusual?"

Ye Lingling also cast a puzzled look their way.

"He has a thousand-year second Soul Ring. Xiao Yun, show them."

Ling Yun summoned his Martial Soul, and a yellow and a purple ring rose from beneath his feet. The dazzling purple filled Yu Tianheng and the others' vision.

They had all seen purple Soul Rings before, but never one on a Soul Grandmaster.

In that instant, they all thought of the effects of Whale Rubber that had recently become the talk of the town.

It could increase Soul Power and raise the age limit of the Soul Rings one could absorb.

They had their own ideas about how Ling Yun, so young yet possessing such powerful Soul Power, had managed it. He must have taken Whale Rubber, and perhaps some other things too.

They hadn't expected the effects to be so astonishing.

The news about Whale Rubber had first come from Dugu Bo. Before the information was released, Dugu Bo had also purchased a large quantity of it.

At first, everyone thought the old Dugu Bo had found a young woman who had captured his heart, which was why he'd bought the Whale Rubber.

Later, Dugu Bo announced in his capacity as a Titled Douluo that everything he had said was true. Only then did the major powers begin to take it seriously.

The Spirit Hall, the two great empires, and the various Soul Master sects had all conducted secret experiments.

Naturally, they couldn't get accurate results so quickly.

But every faction confirmed that Dugu Bo had been telling the truth: Whale Rubber could indeed increase the age limit of Soul Rings one could absorb. How much it could increase it, however, still required extensive testing.

They had also confirmed that the age limit of the Soul Rings one could absorb was directly linked to physical fitness.

"That's incredible!"

"Just in terms of physical strength, little brother Ling Yun is already no weaker than our captain, thanks to that thousand-year second Soul Ring."

"But with that, it really might not be a good idea for him to take the field!"

"The impact would be too great!"

"It doesn't matter. It'll be exposed sooner or later. A little earlier or later makes no difference!" Ling Yun chimed in.

He was already prepared. The storm was brewing, and the balance of power on the continent was now exceptionally stable. The various factions were all building up their strength and doing their utmost to keep each other in check.

This was the golden age for their generation of young people to grow.

Whale Rubber was only the first step. Once Dugu Bo's Soul Power Level rose a little further, he would introduce other things as well.

Gather the wealth of the world, build up their influence, and increase their say in the world.

"Even so, the later we can put it off, the better!" Shi Mo said.

"Why don't I take the field instead?" Ye Lingling offered.

Seeing that Ling Yun had already made up his mind, Dugu Yan said, "Since Xiao Yun has made his decision, let's do what we discussed at first. Register him as nine years old, and report his Soul Power Level as 21 when we register his Soul Fighting identity."

Yu Tianheng chimed in, "Let's do that!"

Dugu Yan brought Ling Yun to the registration desk. As soon as they arrived, a staff member said, "The registration fee is ten Gold Soul Coins."

After they paid, the staff member continued, "Please give me your name, Martial Soul, age, and Soul Power Level."

"Ling Yun, Martial Soul: Yin-Yang Mirror, nine years old, Level 21," Dugu Yan replied.

Under normal circumstances, they would have to check his bones to determine his age, then use a Soul Power testing crystal ball to check his Soul Power Level.

But Dugu Yan was a regular at the Heaven Dou City Great Soul Arena, and she was also the granddaughter of a Titled Douluo.

The staff member gave Ling Yun a surprised look, then began to register him.

After entering Ling Yun's information into a computer-like Storage Soul Tool, they produced an Iron Soul Badge a few breaths later.

Unlike the Sun-Moon Continent, Douluo Continent had no complete tradition of Soul Tool craftsmanship. Most Soul Tools nowadays came from various ruins.

Among them, everyday-use Soul Tools were fairly common.

Every major faction had people specifically studying Soul Tools. Since there were quite a few everyday-use Soul Tools, they had managed to make some progress.

Lighting Soul Tools, amplification Soul Tools, and the computer-like Soul Tool in front of Ling Yun were all fairly common.

Attack-type Soul Tools were much rarer. So far, no one had managed to replicate one.

Dugu Yan handed the Iron Soul Badge to Ling Yun.

Yu Tianheng took out ten Gold Soul Coins. "Register a team name for him and me."

"Let's call it the Dragon-Cloud Duo!"

Soon, a team badge appeared in Yu Tianheng's hand.

The group headed for the competition registration area.

As they went, Dugu Yan explained the Great Soul Arena's rules to Ling Yun.

"The badges go from lowest to highest: Iron Soul Badge, Copper Soul Badge, with eight ranks based on the value of the ores, then Silver Soul Badge, followed by Gold, Purple Gold, Sapphire, Ruby, and Diamond."

"Anyone with fewer than 100 points is an Iron Soul Fighter. From 100 to 1,000 is Copper Soul Fighter, from 1,000 to 10,000 is Silver Soul Fighter, and so on."

"Iron Soul Fighters gain one point for a win and lose one point for a loss, though you don't have any points to lose yet. Copper Soul Fighters gain ten points for a win and lose ten for a loss. Silver Soul Fighters gain 100 points for a win and lose 100 for a loss..."

"If you win five matches in a row, each additional win adds ten points directly. If you win ten matches in a row, each additional win adds 100 points directly."

After explaining the points system, Dugu Yan paused to give Ling Yun time to understand and remember it.

A moment later, she continued, "Soul Fighting is divided into one-on-one matches, two-on-two matches, and team battles."

"You can only take part in each type of Soul Fighting once per day. That means each person can fight at most three times a day."

"Soul Fighting is also divided into match fights, wager fights, and death matches."

"Death matches have nothing to do with us. We'll mainly take part in match fights, and occasionally in wager fights."

"For wager fights, say Yu Tianheng and Shi Mo need to compete. Both sides put up their stakes and hand them over to the Great Soul Arena."

"The winner takes everything."

"Whether it's a match fight, wager fight, or death match, we can also place bets at the betting counters the Great Soul Arena sets up for spectators."

"If you're competing, you can bet on yourself, but you can't bet against yourself. That would be match-fixing."

Dugu Yan finished explaining just as they reached the competition registration area.

"Register the Black Tortoise Team against the Dragon-Cloud Duo!" Yu Tianheng and Shi Mo took out their Soul Fighting badges.

Each of them paid a registration fee of ten Gold Soul Coins.

Once they had registered, the group returned to their earlier private room and waited quietly.