The Whole Arena Was Stunned!

The wind from their fists was fierce!

Their footwork was nimble!

Their palms and fingers moved in a bewildering dance!

Hidden weapons pierced the air!

At that moment, the match was growing increasingly intense.

Everyone stared unblinkingly at the two women and one man on the field, dumbfounded.

The Nine Heart Begonia, a Martial Soul known mainly for healing and support, was now swinging its fists, each strike carrying a fierce gust of wind. The sight was enough to make anyone's heart leap into their throat.

Tang San was even more astonishing. His speed was incredible, and his movements were so strange that the eye could barely follow him.

And then there was Dugu Yan. Her Martial Soul was supposed to be the Jade Phosphor Snake, so whether she followed the path of a Beast Martial Soul or specialized in poison, either would have made sense. But now her palms and fingers moved in an intricate dance, her techniques as elusive as a gazelle's horns caught on a branch, leaving everyone watching with their hearts in their mouths.

"Blue Silver Grass can be used like that?"

"Can a healer really be that fierce?"

The stands erupted in an uproar... Was this really a battle between Soul Masters?

As the saying went, outsiders watched the spectacle, while insiders saw the deeper meaning.

At that moment, in the highest-ranking VIP box, Xue Ye, Prince Xue Xing, Platinum Bishop Salas of Spirit Hall, Ning Fengzhi, Bone Douluo, and the three members of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's educational committee were all dumbstruck.

Anyone who had heard even a little about the Soul Master World knew that the Nine Heart Begonia was a damn healing-type Martial Soul. No matter what Soul Rings were added to it, they could only produce healing effects.

But...

What was going on with Ye Lingling on the Soul Fighting Platform?

"The Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul... can have offensive capabilities, too?"

Salas stroked the beard on his chin, deep in thought.

"Is that... a Self-Created Soul Skill? And a whole system of them, with impressive power?"

Bone Douluo narrowed his eyes, as if doing so would let him see through the Ye Family girl on the platform.

Ahem—

Xue Ye cleared his throat and looked at Ning Fengzhi. "This Shrek Team you spoke so highly of seems..."

He left the rest unsaid, but the meaning was clear. You said we should wait and see, and this is what you wanted me to see?

Ning Fengzhi gave a wry smile. Even he, usually so smooth with words, took a good while to manage a reply. "The students of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy are simply too outstanding!"

There was no helping it. Before the match began, he had just told Xue Ye that he favored Shrek. His daughter, Ning Rongrong, was even studying there. But what had happened? Shrek had lost its very first match—and been thoroughly crushed!

It was like boasting with great confidence, only to have someone slap him hard across the face before he could even finish basking in his own words. The slap had come completely out of nowhere.

"Of course!"

Prince Xue Xing chimed in. "I told you long ago that the Heaven Dou Royal Academy represents the face of the empire and the highest standard of its young Soul Masters. It's not like Shrek, which came out of nowhere, and can't hold a candle to us!"

He was responding to Ning Fengzhi, but his smug gaze fell on the three members of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's educational committee. Those three old fogeys had just tried to undermine him in front of his imperial brother when Tang San revealed his ten-thousand-year Soul Ring. And now, look at them!

Meng Shenji, Bai Baoshan, and Zhilin, under Prince Xue Xing's gaze, kept their heads bowed, drenched in sweat. They had just told His Majesty that Shrek had originally intended to join the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, but Prince Xue Xing and Poison Douluo had driven them away. Then, in the blink of an eye, Shrek had been soundly defeated!

And by the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Second Team, packed with spoiled young masters!

How could they say anything? How could they respond?

All they could do was duck their heads and play ostrich.

Meanwhile, in another part of the stands, Yu Xiaogang watched the two women steadily force Tang San onto the defensive. He was even beginning to take hit after hit, and at last, he couldn't hold back any longer.

Tang San's movements might have been extraordinary, but even one hit was enough to make him spit up a mouthful of blood.

And although his attacks against the women had landed, Ye Lingling's Martial Soul was the Nine Heart Begonia. She could recover in the blink of an eye.

With one side gaining ground while the other lost it, Tang San could only end up defeated!

"Referee! Referee..."

He shouted his protest at the referee overhead, his voice hoarse with desperation. "They're not competing—they're trying to kill someone! I demand that you stop the match at once and declare them the losers!"

However, the referee ignored him completely.

In a corner of the stands,

Huo Wu stared blankly at Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, who were displaying their might on the Soul Fighting Platform.

Gulp—

Her throat was dry. She swallowed unconsciously, fists clenched, her delicate body trembling as her eyes burned with excitement. She murmured, "Th-that's Dugu Yan's secret weapon? That Thousand Spider Poison Hand is actually this terrifying? A Self-Created Soul Skill this powerful... a million Gold Soul Coins might actually be worth it!"

"And... isn't the Nine Heart Begonia a healing-type Martial Soul? How can it have such terrifying combat power? Could Ye Lingling's transformation also be because of the Scripture Depository?"

A healer becoming the main damage dealer—this was a first in the history of creation!

Looking at Ye Lingling's bold, dashing, and wildly confident bearing on the Soul Fighting Platform, Huo Wu finally understood why that young man—no, the Pavilion Master—had scorned the Blazing Blade she had formed...

At the same time, she secretly resolved to visit the Scripture Depository again. This time, she would bring plenty of Gold Soul Coins!

She had to get the information on Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, and she had to get that book, Blazing Blade. She vaguely sensed that it was important to her.

Meanwhile, in the VIP box,

Li Jingzhe swirled the wine in his stemmed glass, watching the arena below with a smile on his lips.

"Tsk, tsk... Scoundrel couldn't escape the beating from his hometown after all."

"But..."

Li Jingzhe glanced toward the VIP platform where Xue Ye, Ning Fengzhi, Salas, and the others were seated.

Outsiders watched the spectacle, while insiders saw the deeper meaning.

Other people might not understand Ye Lingling's transformation, but the people on that VIP platform had surely understood!

"Once the effects of this battle spread, plenty of people will flock to the Scripture Depository."

Anticipation flickered in Li Jingzhe's eyes.

He could share cultivation techniques and martial arts, and whenever someone learned one, he would receive a power-return bonus. If he could use the momentum of the Soul Master Tournament to spread the Scripture Depository's name, letting its techniques and martial arts reach across the Douluo Continent...

Wouldn't the bonuses from all those people learning them let him reach level one hundred in a single day and ascend straight to godhood?

There was just one thing...

As if he had suddenly thought of something, Li Jingzhe asked the System, "Hey, System, once word of what happened today gets out, there's no way to keep the cultivation techniques and martial arts secret... But there are only so many techniques in this one floor. There won't be enough to sell."

With only nine books of techniques and martial arts on the Scripture Depository's first floor, how could he spread them across the entire Douluo Continent?

Wouldn't everyone end up learning from the same master, making it impossible to counter their moves...

[The Scripture Depository has nine floors in total. Each time the host obtains a Soul Ring, a new floor will open. The higher the Soul Ring's quality, the greater the chance that the floor will contain top-tier cultivation techniques and martial arts...]

[At the same time, each time the host obtains a Soul Ring, the bookshelves on the previously unlocked floors will automatically gain new martial arts and cultivation techniques, replenishing their stock]

Oh?

Li Jingzhe's eyes lit up.

So that's how it works?

So the nine techniques and martial arts on the first floor are actually just samples for customers to try?

"Looks like I'll have to get a Soul Ring as soon as possible..."

As he spoke, Li Jingzhe tipped his head back and downed the rest of his wine, then pushed open the door and left.

There was no suspense left in this match.

Dugu Yan had sealed off every avenue while attacking from all sides, and Ye Lingling was recklessly trading blows, taking hits to land her own. If Little Scumbag could still turn things around now, the heavens themselves would be against all reason.

Li Jingzhe left the Great Soul Arena and headed straight for the Scripture Depository.

As the saying went, to do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools. Before he went to obtain a Soul Ring, he needed to refine a Vermilion Fruit and raise himself to a higher level!

His physical strength directly affected the quality of the Soul Ring he could obtain, and the Soul Ring's quality directly affected the Scripture Depository's chances of producing top-tier cultivation techniques.

Below the divine realm, a Martial Soul could be granted no more than nine Soul Rings. Every single one was precious!

Each ring deserved nothing less than the utmost perfection!

But as he crossed half of Gourmet Street, he saw a figure as straight as a pine tree standing a hundred paces from the Scripture Depository, examining the whole building and occasionally nodding in approval...