"Damn it!"
Seeing Yang Jian and Chen Zifeng's names already displayed on the Soul Tool screen, Dai Yueheng could only take his frustration out on the chair beside Gongyang Mo.
Seeing this, Gongyang Mo couldn't help smiling.
"What's the matter? You beat Luo Chen, didn't you? There's no need to be this upset."
At that, Dai Yueheng glared fiercely at him without saying a word.
Ever since he broke through to Soul King and obtained his fifth Soul Ring, he'd been thinking about having a proper battle with Ma Xiaotao. But Ma Xiaotao had been troubled by her Evil Fire and hadn't appeared in the Soul Fighting Arena for a long time.
At long last, he'd run into Yang Jian, the childhood rival he'd fought since they were young. He'd even seen Ma Xiaotao. Yet neither of them had drawn him as an opponent!
Seeing this, Gongyang Mo couldn't help smiling. "I just saw that you'd finished fighting Luo Chen and worried you might be worn out. What if you lost and tried to wriggle out of paying up like last time?"
"Wriggle out of paying? Boss Dai does that?"
"Of course. He, Yang Jian, and I have known each other for ages. Back when the three of us used to hang out, Dai Yueheng left behind plenty of embarrassing stories."
At those words, Dai Yueheng's expression darkened further.
To be precise, those weren't embarrassing stories. They were the path that had brought him here.
The time Gongyang Mo was talking about, when Dai Yueheng had wriggled out of paying up, was when he'd momentarily lost his head and agreed to Yang Jian's unfair request for a rematch.
In a one-on-one fight, he'd always been able to keep Yang Jian somewhat in check thanks to his advantages in age and Soul Power Level. But then the guy had suddenly suggested that Gongyang Mo assist him, and that they fight again.
Dai Yueheng had been winning so much he'd forgotten the sky from the earth, and he accepted the challenge. The result was a crushing defeat.
Gongyang Mo's support was simply too overpowered, so Dai Yueheng had jokingly tried to wriggle out of paying up.
In the end, he'd honored the bet, but all these years later, Gongyang Mo still brought it up now and then to tease him.
That hateful little troll!
If the guy weren't a support type, he'd drag Gongyang Mo onto the Soul Fighting stage and have a proper talk with him.
Since Ma Xiaotao and her opponent had higher Soul Power Levels, Yang Jian and Chen Zifeng's match had been scheduled first.
Soon, it was time for Yang Jian and Chen Zifeng to enter the arena.
Before a match began, the big screen displayed both contestants' names and basic information. But the moment Yang Jian's name appeared, the entire arena fell silent.
A little while later, waves of discussion rang out.
Generally speaking, anyone with no match information listed was either a student who had just entered the Inner Court or a student from the Outer Court. The key point was that it had been a long time since an Outer Court student had come to the Inner Court's Soul Fighting Arena to compete.
So most of those present assumed Yang Jian was simply a student who'd just entered the Inner Court.
Only Han Ruoruo and Jin Ming had a glint of interest in their eyes.
"So he really is an Outer Court student. I can't believe he came to compete in our Inner Court's Soul Fighting Arena, and his very first opponent is Chen Zifeng... What do you think, Ruoruo?"
What did she think? She was sitting down, wasn't she?
Han Ruoruo furrowed her brows and replied seriously, "I think... the result might not be what everyone expects. Anyone who can make Ma Xiaotao look like that can't be just an ordinary Outer Court student. But the little dog in his arms is pretty adorable. I'd like to pet it if I get the chance."
"Hmm... now that you mention it, that little dog really is pretty cute."
Inside the arena, the Soul Tool Shield slowly closed.
Yang Jian and Chen Zifeng stood facing each other. Though Yang Jian was still holding the little dog in his arms, Chen Zifeng showed no sign of looking down on him. His gaze was utterly focused.
"Chen Zifeng, forty-ninth-level Power Attack System weapon-type Soul Ancestor. Please, instruct me."
Yang Jian, who was used to fighting without all the formalities, couldn't help being taken aback when he heard Chen Zifeng introduce himself so properly.
He'd never introduced himself like that in any of his previous fights. Hearing someone do it so abruptly felt a little strange.
But... what type was he supposed to be?
He had three Soul Rings and could both attack and control. At the same time, his Ultimate Water Soul Skills could just about count as an agility-attack type. So what did that make him?
An all-rounder?
Forget it. He'd just pick one.
"Yang Jian, thirty-eighth-level Power Attack System Battle Soul Elder. Please, instruct me."
A thirty-eighth-level Soul Elder?
Chen Zifeng didn't even have time to look surprised before his expression suddenly went blank. Before his eyes were three utterly outrageous Soul Rings!
Xiao Bai's body abruptly swelled, and three completely unreasonable Soul Rings—purple, purple, and black—appeared before the gaze of the entire arena.
Xuan Zi, sitting in the very last row of the stands, shot to his feet.
Perhaps there were Soul Masters in the Soul Master World capable of simulating the colors of their Soul Rings, but he was certain that the Soul Rings on Yang Jian were absolutely real!
Especially after the little dog transformed into a majestic divine hound, the stirring in his heart grew even stronger!
Though Xuan Zi still couldn't identify Yang Jian's Martial Soul, he was certain that its quality surpassed even his own Godly Taotie Bull!
And with that unprecedented Soul Ring configuration...
This child had the makings of a Sea God Pavilion Master!
Although Shrek Academy was still riding high, the truth was that the moment Sea God Pavilion Master Mu En passed away, the academy would immediately face the awkward predicament of having no successors to carry on its legacy.
It had high-level combat power—himself, Xuan Zi.
But he knew his own limitations. He wasn't suited to become Sea God Pavilion Master and lead all of Shrek Academy.
Of course, that was Xuan Zi's own assessment of himself.
In truth, "not up to the task" might have been a more fitting description.
Apart from him, Shrek Academy's high-level combat power fell off a cliff. Whether it was the other Sea God Pavilion Elders or the heads of the Martial Soul Department and Soul Guidance Department, their Soul Power Levels were still a long way from Limit Douluo.
Once Mu En passed away, Shrek Academy would be left in the awkward position of having no Limit Douluo to hold down the fort.
But Yang Jian's appearance had shown Xuan Zi another possibility.
Though Yang Jian's Soul Power Level was still low, his talent was more than enough to support him in becoming a Limit Douluo in the future—and it wouldn't take long.
In the meantime, whether he stepped in or Yan Shaozhe did, they only needed to hold things together for a few years. Once Yang Jian came of age, he could become the cornerstone that supported all of Shrek Academy.
Besides, the current Sea God Pavilion Master, Mu En, could hold on for a few more years. There was plenty of time for Yang Jian to grow.
Xuan Zi was thrilled by the thought.
He could hardly wait to go to the Sea God Pavilion and tell Mu En the news. But then he reconsidered. Yang Jian was an Outer Court student, and the fact that he could appear here meant Mu En or Yan Shaozhe had already discovered this boy with his heaven-defying talent.
Thinking about it that way... perhaps there was no need for him to worry about it after all?
After thinking it over again and again, Xuan Zi sat back down and continued gnawing on the chicken leg in his hand. But the slightly cloudy eyes that had looked so muddled were now utterly clear.
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