True Lord Erlang of the Suotuo Great Soul Arena!

Suotuo City.

Great Soul Arena of Suotuo.

At dusk, the venue remained brightly lit and bustling with noise.

Thousands of spectators packed the circular stands, their roaring voices nearly lifting the dome.

"Mad Wolf! Tear him apart!"

"True Lord Erlang! Give us another miracle!"

"Mad Wolf, I bet all my money on you today, so take down that pretentious guy True Lord Erlang for me!"

Shouts, whistles, and the thunderous banging of railings blended together, deafening to the ears.

The bloody, violent duels between soul masters were undoubtedly the best way to stir the desires of ordinary people.

Here, one could not only watch battles but also place bets on the outcomes.

On the central soul fighting stage.

Two soul masters stood facing each other, both wearing masks to conceal their identities.

The person on the left was tall and muscular, with a ferocious wolf head painted on his mask.

Codename: "Mad Wolf".

Eighteen years old, Martial Soul: Lone Wolf, Level 22 Power Attack System Soul Grand Master.

This man had already achieved seven consecutive victories at the Great Soul Arena of Suotuo and was currently in the limelight.

The one on the right appeared much thinner.

He looked only twelve or thirteen years old, his height barely reaching Mad Wolf's shoulder.

Blue hair, black eyes—though, of course, they were disguised.

His mask was painted with three simple vertical lines, resembling the legendary Heavenly Eye.

Codename: "True Lord Erlang".

Level 20 Spirit System Soul Grand Master.

Today was his promotion match for the Bronze Soul Fighting Badge.

"Both sides, prepare!"

The referee's high-pitched voice echoed throughout the arena via a Soul Tool amplifier.

The auditorium fell silent in an instant.

Everyone held their breath, staring at the soul fighting stage.

Mad Wolf twisted his neck, producing a "crackling" sound.

He looked down at his short opponent and grinned.

"Kid, it's not too late to surrender now, so you don't end up crying for your parents later."

His voice sounded somewhat muffled through the mask.

True Lord Erlang... or rather, Lin Qing, looked up.

The corners of his mouth beneath the mask curled into a slight arc.

"People who talk too much usually lose just as fast."

"You!"

Mad Wolf's eyes sharpened.

The referee interrupted the potential argument at the right moment.

"Soul fight, begin!"

"Boom!"

Mad Wolf moved first.

Martial Soul Possession!

Gray fur sprouted from beneath his skin, covering his entire body.

His hands transformed into sharp claws that glinted with cold light.

The phantom of a Lone Wolf emerged behind him, its scarlet eyes locked onto Lin Qing.

Two yellow-century soul rings appeared beneath his feet.

"First Soul Skill: Wolf Transformation!"

"Second Soul Skill: Bloodthirsty Frenzy Strike!"

Mad Wolf unleashed his full power immediately!

He knew this kid in front of him was strange.

For the past month, True Lord Erlang had been on a winning streak.

Furthermore, every single opponent had inexplicably lost within seconds of the match starting.

Some jumped off the arena stage themselves, some attacked the air frantically, and others stood rooted to the spot, giggling foolishly until the referee announced the winner.

In short, it was bizarre.

That was why Mad Wolf unleashed his full strength the moment he stepped up.

He wanted a quick victory!

"ROAR!"

A wolf's howl shook the heavens.

Mad Wolf's body swelled in size, fully transforming into his werewolf form.

His speed surged!

He turned into a gray blur, lunging straight at Lin Qing!

His sharp claws tore through the air, emitting a piercing shriek.

Even a defense-type Soul Grand Master would not dare to take this strike head-on.

Yet, Lin Qing did not make a single move to dodge.

"Why isn't he moving?"

"Is he scared stiff?"

Exclamations erupted from the stands.

Some spectators who were unaware of the situation closed their eyes, unable to bear the sight of the blue-haired youth being torn to shreds.

However.

Facing such a ferocious onslaught, True Lord Erlang did not move even a fraction of an inch.

He merely revealed a 'hundred-year' yellow soul ring.

That was all.

"Just one soul ring? Isn't he a Soul Grand Master? Was the intel wrong?!"

"No way, I bet everything on True Lord Erlang. If he loses, I'm bankrupt!"

The spectator stands were in an uproar.

"HUM!"

An invisible ripple spread out.

But it seemed as if nothing had happened.

His soul skill appeared to have no effect.

Yet, just like that, Mad Wolf's charging figure eerily... took a turn right in front of Lin Qing!

That's right, he turned.

It was as if there were an invisible wall in front of him.

Or as if the Lin Qing in his eyes had suddenly shifted several meters to the side.

"SWISH!"

Brushing past the hem of Lin Qing's clothes, Mad Wolf charged right out of the arena boundaries.

"THUD!"

He crashed heavily onto the granite floor outside the ring, rolling several times before coming to a stop.

The entire arena fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone stood with their mouths agape, staring blankly at the scene.

What had happened?

Mad Wolf... had charged out of the ring himself?

"I..."

Mad Wolf struggled to his feet, shaking his dazed head.

He turned to look at Lin Qing on the stage, then looked at his own position.

His face was full of confusion.

"Just a moment ago... I clearly caught him..."

In his memory, his claws had already touched the other party's collar.

How could this happen?

"Winner! True Lord Erlang!"

The referee was the first to snap out of it, loudly announcing the result of the soul fight.

"WHOA!"

The spectator stands erupted in chaos.

"Again! It's happening again!"

"What kind of soul skill is this? Do mental-type soul masters even have attacks like this?"

"But he only has one soul ring! How could he make a level 22 Soul Grand Master fall for it?!"

Discussions, gasps, and cries of disbelief blended into a roar.

Lin Qing merely gave a faint nod to the referee, then turned and walked off the arena stage at a leisurely pace.

His back was calm and composed.

It was as if winning a promotion match just now was nothing more than a trivial matter.

After leaving the Great Soul Arena.

Lin Qing quickened his pace, weaving through the intricate, labyrinthine streets of Suotuo City.

Two minutes later, he ducked into a secluded alleyway.

Confirming that no one was around, he finally stopped and reached up to remove the mask from his face.

Immediately, his physical silhouette began to shift.

His height shrank, his frame grew thinner, and his blue hair faded away, reverting to its original black, while his dark pupils gradually transformed into clear, limpid blue.

In a mere three seconds, the twelve-year-old "True Lord Erlang" vanished, replaced by a black-haired, blue-eyed boy who looked only eight years old.

His features were incredibly ordinary, the kind you wouldn't be able to pick out if he were tossed into a crowd.

Of course, this ordinary face was also a disguise.

Only his age and height were real; he was already eight, having been in Suotuo City for two years.

"Whew..."

Lin Qing let out a long breath and rolled his shoulders.

"Battles like that are getting a bit boring."

He muttered to himself.

Throughout that soul fight, he had maintained the appearance altered by his first soul skill, even disguising his soul ring color as yellow—a hundred-year soul ring.

In truth, he did only have one ring.

His soul power had reached level 20 half a year ago, but he simply hadn't found a suitable soul ring yet.

He had hired soul-hunting squads twice to enter the Star Dou Great Forest, hoping to find a thousand-year soul beast suitable for his mental-type martial soul.

Unfortunately, he had come up empty-handed both times.

Mental-type soul beasts were simply too rare, the kind that could only be found by luck, not by searching.

And Lin Qing had no intention of settling.

That was why he still hadn't obtained his second soul ring.

But even with only one soul ring, it was enough to deal with the average Soul Grand Master.

After all, his soul ring was of two-thousand-year quality, and his mental power had rapidly ascended to an extraordinary level thanks to two years of cultivating with the Gold of Life.

Mad Wolf was a prime example.

Lin Qing hadn't even used his full strength; he had merely used an illusion to distort the opponent's vision and perception, making Mad Wolf "see" him standing in a different spot, causing the man to charge off the arena stage all on his own.

Simple, efficient, and it didn't expose his true strength.

The previous contestants he had faced were all spun around in circles by his illusions.

However, he certainly needed a second soul ring.

"Looks like I'll have to make another trip to the Star Dou Great Forest in a couple of days."

He was determined to secure this second soul ring.

Lin Qing retracted his soul ring and headed toward the secluded courtyard he rented in the southeast of Suotuo City.