A one-on-one?
As soon as Yu Xiaogang said this, the crowd around them grew even noisier.
Some people wanted to speak up for Luo Chen and demand justice, but the oppressive presence of those two Hundred-Year Soul Rings kept them from stepping forward. After all, nearly everyone present was just an ordinary person.
At the very center of the crowd, Luo Chen heard Yu Xiaogang's challenge and raised an eyebrow, eyeing him with some suspicion.
Level 29?
Then he glanced at Luo Sanpao, who was standing by Yu Xiaogang's feet and snarling viciously at him. The answer came to him at once.
"Uncle, if you win, I'll take you as my master. But if I win, I get nothing. Isn't that a little unfair?"
Luo Chen spoke with a pleasant smile.
It wasn't that he was blindly confident in his own abilities. With innate level 20 Soul Power and a top-tier Martial Soul, he was confident he could handle someone like Yu Xiaogang even without any Soul Rings.
After all, in the original story, this guy had nearly been killed single-handedly by an ordinary Hundred-Year Soul Beast.
So since Yu Xiaogang had come knocking, taking the opportunity to squeeze him for a little something didn't sound too bad.
In Luo Chen's eyes, Yu Xiaogang was already no different from a lucky charm that showered people with money. He was a little short on cash right now, too.
But Yu Xiaogang was stunned by Luo Chen's response. He had never considered the possibility that he might lose.
Frowning, he pretended to hesitate before slowly saying, "If you win, I can promise to take you to hunt a Soul Ring once."
Luo Chen: "..."
"Uncle, you say you're a master of Martial Soul Theory. Is this how a master tricks children?"
Luo Chen was already at a loss for words. That move could only be described as worthy of Yu the Great Wet.
"If I'm already strong enough to defeat you, why would I ask you—a weaker person—to take me into danger and face Soul Beasts so I can hunt a Soul Ring? Wouldn't that just be making trouble for myself?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd's already lively discussion grew even louder.
Even the two guards on Yu Xiaogang's side couldn't keep a straight face. They huddled together and whispered. Even they thought Yu Xiaogang had gone too far with his shamelessness.
Tang San was also frowning as he watched Luo Chen and Yu Xiaogang face off.
Actually, he thought Yu Xiaogang had been right earlier. Using any means necessary was a skill in itself, but that last remark really had been shameless.
At the center of the commotion, Yu Xiaogang was surrounded by people staring at him strangely and talking about him. At last, he couldn't keep up appearances any longer.
His fists clenched tight as he glared at Luo Chen, several blood vessels already showing in his eyes.
This brat was deliberately humiliating him, wasn't he?!
"Fine. What do you want?"
Yu Xiaogang's face darkened as he spoke in a low voice.
He was already getting angry.
Even if he had started this, so what? He was doing this for the boy's own good! And now the boy had the nerve to make him look this bad!
He had already decided that once he defeated Luo Chen and forced him to become his disciple, he would settle the score properly. He would make the boy kneel and apologize.
Luo Chen had no idea that Yu Xiaogang was already daydreaming. He was considering the question Yu Xiaogang had thrown back at him.
What did he want?
Luo Chen's eyes darted around as he looked Yu Xiaogang up and down.
In the original story, the guy was flat broke and didn't have a single decent treasure on him. There really didn't seem to be anything worth coveting.
"I want the Soul Tool at your waist, plus 150 Gold Soul Coins. That shouldn't be a problem, right?"
When Luo Chen noticed Yu Xiaogang seemed hesitant, he continued, "If you win, I'll have to become your disciple. That's a huge commitment, one that lasts a lifetime. If I win, all I'm asking for is a few things you own."
"Or is it that, Uncle, you're not confident you can beat a little kid like me?"
Luo Chen asked with a pleasant smile.
His provocation worked just as he'd hoped. Yu Xiaogang eventually agreed.
Just as Luo Chen had said, Yu Xiaogang was already so full of himself that he simply couldn't believe a dignified Soul Grandmaster like him would lose to a six- or seven-year-old child.
Soon, once they had settled the terms of their wager, the people around them cleared a huge space.
It was now a very crude dueling ground.
Still, even such a shabby arena couldn't dampen the excitement of the spectators.
Most of those present were ordinary commoners, and almost none of them had ever seen real Soul Masters fight. Naturally, they were eager to see how this battle would unfold.
Soon, with Luo Chen and Yu Xiaogang standing at opposite edges of the space, the battle officially began.
Yu Xiaogang summoned his external Martial Soul, Luo Sanpao, once again.
Two yellow Soul Rings appeared beneath his feet, and he looked at Luo Chen with a smug expression.
Truthfully, he was curious, too. He wanted to see what Luo Chen's Martial Soul was.
Various details made it clear that Luo Chen was a genius with high innate Soul Power, but there was no way to tell what his Martial Soul was just by looking at him.
Once Luo Sanpao was ready, everyone's eyes followed Yu Xiaogang's and turned toward Luo Chen.
With all eyes on him, Luo Chen smiled slightly and raised one hand.
In an instant, a dark, cold aura swept over the entire area.
Yu Xiaogang's expression changed at once, turning unbearably grim.
"This familiar feeling... Could your Martial Soul be..."
Before he could finish, a layer of hard, purplish-black armor had already appeared over Luo Chen's body.
Then, as the chill grew more intense, the phantom image of a gigantic spider appeared behind him.
"Luo Chen. Martial Soul: Death Spider Emperor. Please, enlighten me!"
Boom!
Those words exploded beside Yu Xiaogang's ears like a thunderclap.
He knew this Martial Soul all too well. Wasn't it the same one his old lover, Bibi Dong, had?
This had to be a genius with at least innate Soul Power of level eight or nine—maybe even full innate Soul Power!
The two of them stood facing each other, their eyes locked.
Luo Chen remained calm, but it was obvious he had entered his battle stance.
Yu Xiaogang, who had been the one to initiate the challenge, was completely dazed.
Although Luo Chen had two fewer Soul Rings than Yu Xiaogang, he completely overwhelmed him in both Martial Soul aura and personal bearing.
The scene had taken nearly everyone present by surprise.
They had thought an old hand was bullying a child. Now it seemed the roles had been reversed.
The sudden turn of events had filled the battle with suspense. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the duel between the two of them to begin.
"Master of Martial Soul Theory, if you call yourself a master, you should know about my Martial Soul, right?"
Luo Chen smiled slightly and spoke slowly.
"Just so you know, my Martial Soul only awakened a moment ago, and it's poisonous. If anything happens, don't blame me, okay?"
Before you continue