Suotuo City.
Soto Great Soul Arena.
At dusk, the arena was still brightly lit and packed with people.
Over a thousand spectators crammed the circular stands, their roaring cheers nearly lifting off the dome.
"Mad Wolf! Tear him apart!"
"True Lord Erlang! Give us another miracle!"
"Mad Wolf, I bet all my money on you today! Take down that pretentious True Lord Erlang!"
Shouts, whistles, and the thunderous banging of railings blended together, deafening the ears.
Bloody, violent battles between soul masters were undoubtedly the most effective at stirring ordinary people's desires.
There were battles to watch here, as well as gambling pools for wagers.
On the central Soul Fighting Platform.
Two soul masters stood facing each other, both wearing masks that concealed their faces.
The man on the left was tall and heavily built, his muscles bulging. A vicious wolf head was painted on his mask.
Codename: "Mad Wolf."
Eighteen years old, martial soul: Lone Wolf, a level twenty-two assault-type Soul Grandmaster.
He had already achieved seven consecutive victories at the Soto Great Soul Arena and was currently riding high.
The one on the right looked much thinner.
He appeared to be only twelve or thirteen, barely reaching Mad Wolf's shoulders.
Blue hair and black eyes—though naturally, they were disguised.
Three simple vertical lines were painted on his mask, resembling the legendary Heavenly Eye.
Codename: "True Lord Erlang."
A level twenty spiritual-type Soul Grandmaster.
Today was his promotion match for the Bronze Soul Fighting Badge.
"Both sides, prepare!"
The referee's ringing voice spread throughout the arena through an amplifying Soul Tool.
The spectator stands instantly fell silent.
Everyone held their breath and stared at the Soul Fighting Platform.
Mad Wolf rolled his neck, producing a series of cracking sounds.
He looked down at his smaller opponent and grinned.
"Kid, it's not too late to surrender. Save yourself from crying for your parents later."
His voice sounded somewhat muffled through the mask.
True Lord Erlang—or rather, Lin Qing—raised his head.
The corners of his mouth beneath the mask curled slightly upward.
"People who talk too much usually lose quickly, too."
"You!"
Mad Wolf's gaze turned sharp.
The referee promptly cut off the potential argument.
"Begin the soul fight!"
"Boom!"
Mad Wolf moved first.
Martial Soul Possession!
Gray fur burst from beneath his skin and covered his entire body.
His hands transformed into sharp claws gleaming with cold light.
The phantom of a Lone Wolf emerged behind him, its scarlet eyes fixed firmly on Lin Qing.
Two yellow Hundred-Year Soul Rings appeared beneath his feet.
"First Soul Skill: Wolf Transformation!"
"Second Soul Skill: Bloodthirsty Frenzy Strike!"
Mad Wolf went all out from the start!
He knew that this kid was strange.
For the past month, True Lord Erlang had been winning match after match.
And every opponent had somehow lost only seconds after the battle began.
Some had jumped off the platform themselves, some had crazily attacked empty air, and others had stood there grinning foolishly until the referee announced the result before snapping out of it.
In short, it was bizarre.
That was why Mad Wolf erupted with his full strength right away.
He wanted to end this quickly!
"Awoo!"
The wolf's howl shook the arena.
Mad Wolf's body swelled by a full size, completely transforming into a wolfman.
His speed surged!
He became a gray afterimage and lunged straight at Lin Qing!
His claws tore through the air with a piercing shriek.
Even a defense-type Soul Grandmaster would not dare take this blow head-on.
Yet Lin Qing showed no sign of dodging at all.
"Why isn't he moving?"
"Don't tell me he was scared stupid?"
Cries of alarm rose from the stands.
Some spectators who did not know what was going on had already shut their eyes, unable to bear the sight of the blue-haired boy being torn apart.
However.
Faced with such a ferocious assault, True Lord Erlang truly did not move even an inch.
He merely revealed a yellow Hundred-Year Soul Ring.
That was all.
"Only one Soul Ring? Isn't he a Soul Grandmaster? Was the information wrong?!"
"No way, I bet everything on True Lord Erlang! If he loses, I'm bankrupt!"
The stands erupted into an uproar.
"Buzz!"
An invisible ripple spread outward.
Yet it seemed as though nothing had happened.
His soul skill did not appear to cause any change.
But despite that, Mad Wolf's charging figure strangely... turned in front of Lin Qing!
That was right, he turned.
As if an invisible wall stood in front of him.
Or as if Lin Qing had suddenly shifted several meters in his eyes.
"Whoosh!"
Brushing past Lin Qing's clothes, Mad Wolf charged straight beyond the edge of the platform.
"Thud!"
He crashed heavily onto the granite floor outside the platform, rolling several times before finally stopping.
The entire arena fell deathly silent.
Everyone stood with their mouths agape, staring blankly at the scene.
What had happened?
Mad Wolf... had charged off the platform himself?
"I..."
Mad Wolf struggled to his feet and shook his dazed head.
He turned to look at Lin Qing on the platform, then looked at where he was standing.
His face was utterly bewildered.
"I clearly... caught him just now..."
In his memory, his claws had already touched the other party's collar.
So how had this happened?
"Winner! True Lord Erlang!"
The referee was the first to recover, loudly announcing the result of the soul fight.
"Whoa!"
The stands exploded.
"Again! It happened again!"
"What kind of soul skill is that? Can a spiritual-type soul master's mental attack do something like this?"
"But he only has one Soul Ring! How could he affect a level twenty-two Soul Grandmaster?!"
Discussion, cries of surprise, and doubtful questions mixed together.
Lin Qing merely nodded faintly at the referee, then turned and unhurriedly walked down from the platform.
His back was composed.
As if winning a promotion match just now had been nothing more than a trivial matter.
After leaving the Great Soul Arena.
Lin Qing quickened his pace as he moved through Suotuo City's maze-like streets and alleys.
Two minutes later, he turned into a secluded alley.
After confirming that no one was around, he stopped and reached up to remove the mask from his face.
Immediately afterward, the outline of his body began to change.
He grew shorter and thinner. His blue hair faded back to its original black, while his black eyes gradually turned a clear blue.
In just three seconds, the twelve-year-old "True Lord Erlang" disappeared, replaced by a black-haired, blue-eyed boy who looked only eight years old.
His appearance was utterly ordinary, the kind that would vanish in a crowd.
Of course, that ordinary face was also a disguise.
Only his age and height were real. He was already eight years old and had been in Suotuo City for two years.
"Phew..."
Lin Qing let out a long breath and rolled his shoulders.
"Battles like that are getting a little boring."
He quietly complained.
Throughout the previous soul fight, he had maintained the appearance altered by his First Soul Skill. He had even disguised the color of his Soul Ring as yellow, making it look like a Hundred-Year Soul Ring.
In truth, he really did have only one Soul Ring.
His Soul Power had reached level twenty half a year ago, but he had yet to find a suitable Soul Ring.
Twice, he had hired soul hunting groups to enter the Star Dou Great Forest in search of a thousand-year soul beast suited to a spiritual-type martial soul.
Unfortunately, neither trip had yielded anything.
Spiritual-type soul beasts were simply too rare, something one could only encounter by chance.
And Lin Qing had no intention of settling.
That was why he still had not obtained his second Soul Ring.
But even with only one Soul Ring, dealing with ordinary Soul Grandmasters was more than enough.
After all, his Soul Ring possessed a two-thousand-year quality, and his Spiritual Power had rapidly risen to an extraordinary level over the past two years through cultivation with the Gold of Life.
Mad Wolf had been an example just now.
Lin Qing had not even used his full strength. He had merely distorted his opponent's vision and senses with an illusion, making Mad Wolf "see" him standing elsewhere, causing him to charge off the platform himself.
Simple, efficient, and unlikely to expose his true strength.
Nearly all the previous opponents he had faced had been toyed with by his illusions.
Still, he naturally needed a second Soul Ring.
"Looks like I'll have to make another trip to the Star Dou Great Forest in a few days."
He was determined to obtain this second Soul Ring.
Lin Qing withdrew his Soul Ring and headed toward the secluded small courtyard he rented in southeastern Suotuo City.
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