Dugu Yan's Killing Intent

On the arena stage.

The host descended slowly from the air, landing in the center of the stage to announce the results of the match, his voice booming through the amplified Soul Tool.

"What a truly spectacular soul duel! Let us congratulate the Dragon-Cloud Duo on their victory."

"After leaving the stage, do not forget to register your points. We look forward to your next soul duel."

The three of them left the arena amidst the cheers of the audience, with Shi Mo supporting his older brother, Shi Mo, as they stepped off.

"Boss, don't you usually prefer aggressive frontal assaults? To think you'd actually resort to tricks today just for a kiss from Sister Dugu Yan—I despise you!"

"This is called having a tactical mind. Who told you not to anticipate it?" Yu Tianheng didn't take Shi Mo's words to heart at all.

So what if he used a trick? He wasn't a fool; was he supposed to leave Shi Mo on the stage and let the two brothers gang up on him?

While chatting, the four of them walked toward the point registration area.

On the arena stage, the host's voice continued to ring out, the excitement ongoing, the spectacle never-ending.

After registering their points, the four returned to their private viewing box.

"Dugu Yan, my reward..." Yu Tianheng took the initiative, demanding his prize without giving Dugu Yan any chance to stall. He hadn't forgotten her words before the match: if he won, she would reward him with a kiss.

The gazes of Shi Mo, Shi Mo, and Ling Yun were strangely synchronized, sweeping back and forth between Dugu Yan and Yu Tianheng.

Ye Lingling's gaze, however, remained fixed on Ling Yun.

Dugu Yan usually ignored the stares from the Shi brothers, as she was long accustomed to them, but being watched by Ling Yun made her feel uncharacteristically uneasy. Her face flushed with heat and extreme embarrassment, but she was a woman of her word. She walked up to Yu Tianheng, pecked him lightly on the cheek, and then, feigning nonchalance, changed the subject.

"Shi Mo, what was wrong with you? To make such a low-level mistake and get kicked off the stage like that."

Shi Mo felt stifled; some things were truly better left unseen.

"I reflect upon my actions. My grasp of the combat was insufficient, my considerations were not thorough enough, and my tactical thinking needs improvement..."

Shi Mo rattled off a profound analysis of his performance in the duel, speaking with great eloquence.

Dugu Yan interrupted him promptly, "Alright, alright, that's enough! I know!"

"Lingling, let's go. We should participate in a two-on-two duel as well. It's been a long time since our Twin Beauties Duo graced the stage."

Ye Lingling nodded, and the two quickly arrived at the registration desk before returning to the box to wait.

The brothers Shi Mo and Shi Mo sat in the box meditating, while Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan were busy being lovey-dovey.

Ye Lingling stood quietly before the glass of the box, watching the arena outside and observing the soul duels taking place.

The glass of the box was one-way, preventing those outside from seeing in, and it possessed a certain degree of mental isolation, along with excellent soundproofing.

Ye Lingling watched the myriad of strange and varied soul skills, mentally simulating how she would protect herself from such attacks should she encounter them.

As a support-type soul master, the most important thing to consider was how to protect oneself as much as possible while supporting teammates.

Before long, the broadcast sounded once more; it was time for the match between Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling.

Their match was on the twenty-first soul arena, and their opponents were a duo consisting of one tall man and one short man.

"Attention, audience. The third round of matches on the twenty-first soul arena is about to begin. Allow me to introduce the contestants."

"The members of the Twin Beauties Duo are Ye Lingling, whose martial soul is the Nine Heart Begonia, and Dugu Yan, whose martial soul is the Jade Phosphorous Serpent."

"The members of the Twin Rats Duo are Huang Yue, whose martial soul is the Weasel, and Wang Ying, whose martial soul is the Field Mouse."

"Into whose hands will the victory fall? What kind of spectacular soul duel will they bring us?"

"Next, keep your eyes peeled and watch closely!"

"Contestants, please note: you have one minute to release your martial souls. After one minute, the match begins."

As the host finished speaking, the two men opposite them did not immediately release their souls. The tall, thin Huang Yue spoke up, "Little girls, if you're smart, you'll surrender now. Otherwise, it won't be pretty when Uncle beats you up and makes you cry!"

Dugu Yan looked at Huang Yue. His hair was styled very neatly, with a single tuft in the center and the sides completely shaven; he looked to be in his thirties and was quite distinctive.

His eyes were exceptionally sharp, but for some reason, they gave off a feeling of ulterior motives and duplicity.

"If you want us to surrender, Uncle, you'll have to show us some real strength!"

"Looking at your scrawny appearance, there's no need for Lingling to even move. I can defeat you both by myself. Don't blame me for being heavy-handed if you can't find a hole to crawl into after you lose."

Dugu Yan said this partly to keep the upper hand in their verbal sparring, and partly to give the opponents a false impression, making them believe Ye Lingling was also a powerhouse. Many people were unaware of the Nine Heart Begonia martial soul, and Ye Lingling had not used her soul skills in the Great Soul Arena many times.

The short, stout middle-aged man, Wang Ying, added, "The little girl has quite the mouth on her. Uncle will be sure to take good care of you later."

"Your screams will surely be music to my ears!"

"Uncle is already getting impatient!"

As Wang Ying spoke, a lecherous glint appeared in his eyes. Soul masters in the Douluo Continent developed quickly as a result of the combined effects of soul power and soul rings; both Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling were about 1.7 meters tall.

If not for the clear traces of youth on their faces, they would be indistinguishable from adults.

Wang Ying was naturally lecherous—a depraved soul—and seeing two such great beauties, he couldn't keep his mouth shut.

He still had a shred of sense, knowing this was Heaven Dou City and that such young Soul Grand Masters must have backing, so he didn't dare use overly vulgar language, fearing he might not live to see the next day.

Wang Ying was just a rogue cultivator, and Dugu Yan didn't have "I am the granddaughter of the Poison Douluo" written on her face.

Wang Ying had no idea what kind of person he had offended, and he continued, "And this other cold, aloof, and slender little sister—Uncle will definitely make sure you surrender in agony later."

"I believe this soul duel will be exceptionally spectacular!"

"Get ready to welcome the cheers of the audience! Hehehe..."

After hearing this, killing intent surged in Dugu Yan's heart, and her fury was ignited in an instant. She was not a person with a good temper; in her eyes, this Wang Ying could go die. If it weren't for the fact that gambling duels forbade killing, she would have used the poison of her Martial Soul origin to corrode Wang Ying until not even dregs remained.

Death might be avoided, but suffering was inevitable.

She saw the lecherous glint in Wang Ying's eyes clearly. If he was this unscrupulous in front of so many spectators, there was no telling what he was like behind the scenes!

She had already made up her mind to cripple Wang Ying.

Dugu Yan released her Martial Soul. After Martial Soul Possession, her legs transformed into a snake tail, swaying back and forth on the stage, and her eyes turned into vertical pupils.

Two yellow soul rings circled her waist, rotating slowly, as her level 28 soul power pressed toward the opposite side without reservation.

Wang Ying and Huang Yue followed suit and released their Martial Souls.

After Huang Yue's Martial Soul Possession, his arms were covered in downy fur, his fingernails turned into claws, and a tail appeared behind him, with one white and one yellow soul ring circling his waist.

After Wang Ying's Martial Soul Possession, his teeth protruded outward, a few whiskers sprouted from the corners of his mouth, his arms became short and stubby, his fingernails grew sharp and long, and his eyes flickered with a bloodthirsty light—he was the spitting image of a giant rat.

His soul rings were still the optimal soul ring configuration: two yellow soul rings.

Ye Lingling did not release her Martial Soul. She stood at the edge of the arena so that if an emergency occurred, she could jump off the competition stage to avoid being attacked.

"The match begins." The host's voice rang out.

The audience at the scene erupted, basically all cheering for Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling.