Soul Elder

On the tenth day, Zhou Qiubai had just entered the venue as usual when someone blocked his path.

It was not the clerk at the window, but a middle-aged man in his forties.

He stood beside the notice board in the hall, his gaze sweeping over Zhou Qiubai before he gave a slight nod.

"Are you the White-Clothed Guest?" His voice was low, yet carried a trace of warmth.

Zhou Qiubai stopped and replied with a smile, "I am."

"Come with me." The manager turned and led Zhou Qiubai toward a side corridor. "There are some matters that need to be explained face-to-face."

At the end of the corridor was a modest office, simply furnished yet exceptionally tidy.

The manager sat behind his desk and gestured for Zhou Qiubai to take a seat as well.

"My name is Zhao Yan. I am one of the deputy managers of the Great Soul Arena's Suotuo Branch." He got straight to the point. "You have already won six matches in a row. Ordinarily, we should not have approached you so soon."

Zhou Qiubai listened quietly, signaling for him to continue.

Zhao Yan took a sheet of paper from a drawer and pushed it in front of Zhou Qiubai. "But the problem is, your strength is somewhat absurdly high."

The paper contained a detailed table showing how points were calculated.

Normally, Soul Masters relied on soul skills against their opponents. Few were like Zhou Qiubai, winning entirely through sheer strength.

If the sword at his waist had not truly been a Martial Soul, Zhao Yan might even have suspected that Zhou Qiubai had used methods beyond those of a Soul Master during his matches.

"Under the normal process, you would need to win at least another eight or nine matches before accumulating enough points. But if that happens, our Great Soul Arena will be taking a bit of a loss." Zhao Yan stated his purpose directly.

Zhou Qiubai studied the table. "So?"

"So, we have prepared an... accelerated path for you." Zhao Yan leaned forward. "Tomorrow afternoon, the Main Soul Arena will host a special exhibition match. Your opponent will be a Soul Master at the Bronze Soul Fighter level. If you win, the points from this victory will be calculated as a challenge across ranks: fifty points for one match, plus 100 Gold Soul Coins."

"The terms are appealing," Zhou Qiubai said evenly. "But what is the price?"

A smile tugged at Zhao Yan's lips. "The price is that your opponent will be a Soul Elder, someone above level thirty."

The office fell silent for several seconds, the air thick with tension.

Zhou Qiubai looked Zhao Yan straight in the eye, his face showing no fear. "An Iron Soul Fighter against a Bronze Soul Fighter, a Soul Grandmaster against a Soul Elder—doesn't that violate the rules?"

"Rules are fixed, but people are flexible." Zhao Yan's tone remained steady, as though he had prepared for this long ago. "The Soul Fighting Arena occasionally arranges matches with 'something worth watching.' It is standard practice. Of course, you may refuse and continue through the normal process, fighting your way up one match at a time, but..."

He paused slightly, his tone growing heavier. "With your current popularity, ordinary Iron Soul Fighter-level opponents will probably become fewer and fewer. After all, no one wants to lose."

There was truth and falsehood in those words.

Fear of losing was one factor, but more importantly, the Soul Fighting Arena did not want him to win too easily.

A rookie on a winning streak, with strange swordsmanship and no Soul Rings seen so far.

Mystery was always a selling point.

A contestant like that was either putting on an act or concealing extraordinary ability. Either way, he was worth "testing."

And the best way to test him was to give him a formidable opponent.

If he could crack this hard nut, it would prove that true gold feared no fire, and the Soul Fighting Arena would certainly support him vigorously.

If he could not, there was no real loss.

Before investing, they had to determine whether he was worth investing in.

Zhou Qiubai understood that clearly.

After pondering for a moment, he asked, "Who is my opponent?"

"That cannot be revealed yet." Zhao Yan shook his head. "I can only tell you that he is an agility-attack Soul Elder skilled in speed. His Martial Soul is the Gale Falcon. As for his level, soul skills, and fighting style, you will have to figure those out yourself in the arena."

Gale Falcon.

Some related information surfaced in Zhou Qiubai's mind.

It was a bird-type Martial Soul known for its speed, usually possessing wind-element abilities as well.

Fast, vicious in attack, but relatively weak in defense and lacking in killing power.

It was somewhat like a cheaper substitute for the Sharp-tailed Swift of the Single-Attribute Four Great Clans.

"Fine," he said without hesitation.

A flicker of surprise flashed through Zhao Yan's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. "A wise choice. The match will take place tomorrow afternoon at the third quarter of the hour of the Monkey, at Platform Three of the Main Soul Arena. If you win, you will receive fifty points. Besides the 100 gold, the Soul Fighting Arena will add another 200 gold. If you lose... your points will remain unchanged."

"That sounds fair."

"Then it is settled."

Zhao Yan stood, giving Zhou Qiubai no chance to refuse.

When he left the office, that enthusiastic burly fellow was already waiting outside.

"Brother Wang, what is it?" Zhou Qiubai nodded at him.

"I heard you're challenging a Soul Elder?" Wang Meng's voice was full of surprise.

This guy's information channels were as good as ever.

"Yes," Zhou Qiubai answered.

"Damn, that's shameless." Wang Meng spat. "An Iron Soul Fighter against a Bronze Soul Fighter, a Soul Grandmaster against a Soul Elder—they're obviously trying to end your winning streak!"

"It's fine," Zhou Qiubai replied.

Wang Meng looked at his calm, placid face, curiosity flashing through his eyes. "You're not nervous?"

"What good would being nervous do?" Zhou Qiubai smiled faintly.

"..." Wang Meng was momentarily speechless. "All right, you're amazing."

After chatting for a few moments, Wang Meng had to prepare for his own match and took his leave first.

The next afternoon, the atmosphere in the Main Soul Arena had been deliberately stirred up as well.

Compared with the Branch Soul Arena, this place was far grander and more magnificent.

At this moment, seventy to eighty percent of the stands were already occupied. The clamor surged like waves, as though it could burst into a tide of cheers at any moment.

Backstage, Zhou Qiubai waited quietly.

He was a rookie with six consecutive wins, and today he had been assigned a challenge across ranks. That alone was enough to draw everyone's attention.

At that moment, a staff member entered. "Number 438, White-Clothed Guest, prepare to enter."

Zhou Qiubai opened his eyes, rose to his feet, and followed the staff member through the passageway. He pushed open the door and stepped into the arena.

The noise from the stands instantly rose, as though the entire venue were cheering for him.

"He's out, he's out!"

"That's him? He looks pretty young!"

"His opponent is Wind Shadow, right?"

Zhou Qiubai stopped at one side of the arena and looked across.

His opponent was already there.

The referee stepped into the center and announced loudly, "Special exhibition match of the Main Soul Arena: Iron Soul Fighter White-Clothed Guest versus Bronze Soul Fighter Wind Shadow. Both sides, prepare!"

Three Soul Rings slowly rose beneath Wind Shadow's feet.

Yellow, yellow, purple.

The standard optimal configuration: two hundred-year Soul Rings and one thousand-year Soul Ring.

His Martial Soul was released as well.

Behind him spread a pair of azure wings, their feather edges gleaming with a metallic sheen. In his hand, wind blades hummed, faint spirals of wind curling around their edges.