Morning sunlight streamed into the room.
Murong Ci opened his eyes to find Huo Wu holding him tightly.
Her breathing was uneven, and her eyelashes trembled.
She was pretending to be asleep.
Murong Ci gave a soft snort and ran a hand over her waist.
Huo Wu shivered but kept pretending to sleep. The blush at the tips of her ears gave her away.
[Huo Wu is pretending to sleep. Her heart rate is 150. Recommendation: kiss her awake.]
Murong Ci coughed softly, clearly in agreement with the system's suggestion.
[Make her moan!]
His lips pressed against hers again, then pulled away after the briefest touch.
But Huo Wu's eyes flew open. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close again.
"Don't stop!" Huo Wu gritted her teeth, then boldly pressed herself against him.
Huo Wu kissed him with abandon, lost in the moment.
"Knock, knock, knock..."
"Murong, are you there? My sister isn't in her dorm. Have you seen her?"
Huo Wushuang's voice came from outside.
Huo Wu jolted in fright, hurriedly yanked up the covers, and burrowed beneath them. She gestured for Murong Ci to keep quiet.
"She's not here! Big Brother Wushuang, try looking somewhere else!"
The voice outside grew fainter...
Huo Wu emerged from beneath the covers and stared at him without blinking.
"What did you do to me last night?"
"Weren't you the one who made the first move?"
"You!"
Huo Wu gritted her teeth, then looked up as if she'd just remembered something. She stared straight at him.
"What did you say last night? A Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring for your third ring?!"
The previous night, her mind had been consumed by their intimate mood. Only after waking up did Huo Wu remember how outrageous Murong Ci's words had been.
"A Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring for your third ring... Murong Ci, you're not human. You know Spirit Hall will definitely set its sights on you now."
"I was planning to visit Spirit Hall after graduation. What about you?"
"I... I'll go with you."
She had no particular goal or destination. Just one simple promise—"I'll go with you"—was worth more than a thousand words.
"Good. Let's get up first and train our Soul Skills."
After washing up, Huo Wu took Murong Ci by the hand and strode around the academy with him.
"By the way, A-Ci, do you know Feng Xiaotian from Godwind Academy?"
"Feng Xiaotian?"
[In the original story, Huo Wu's lovesick puppy. But now that you and Huo Wu are together, you're bound to fight him. Whether you settle it in one second or two, I couldn't say.]
The system's words made Murong Ci burst out laughing.
"What are you laughing at?"
"I was just wondering, since you brought him up right now, does he like you?"
"Who knows? Anyway, he challenges me every month. It's such a pain. The worst part is, I can't beat him! That's why Blazing Fire Academy has always been held down by Godwind Academy. But I heard Godwind Academy's leading teacher brought their students to the Great Soul Arena in Heaven Dou City. Have you ever been there?"
The Great Soul Arena in Heaven Dou City? No, he hadn't. He'd only been traveling around the continent for a few days.
"We can go. I might as well fight him while we're there."
Yeah! Huo Wu walked off with a swagger, still holding his hand and paying no attention to the strange looks from the younger students.
Huo Wushuang, watching from the shadows, couldn't help grinning.
A long red hair had caught on Murong Ci's doorknob. He said nothing.
Then, as expected, Huo Wu was knocked flat again.
But by then, she could already make basic use of the melting power in her second Soul Skill, Flame Fireball.
Even Murong Ci, caught completely off guard, yelped and rolled around on the ground, scorched by the heat.
He hadn't expected it to be so powerful! He hadn't even used Ultimate Fire to defend himself.
Huo Wu laughed at him for two whole hours.
That night, Heaven Dou City glittered with gold and splendor.
The group consisted of Huo Wu, Huo Wushuang, and Murong Ci.
This was their weekly ritual. Huo Wu brought Murong Ci to the registration desk.
The clerk was a middle-aged man with glasses. Without looking up, he asked, "Name, level, and Martial Soul."
"Murong Ci, Level 31 Power Attack System Battle Soul Elder, Martial Soul: All-Encompassing."
"Level 31 and you've never fought in a Soul Fighting Arena? And what's 'All-Encompassing'?"
Normally, people started fighting in Soul Fighting Arenas as soon as they reached Level 20. Someone who'd reached Level 31 without ever competing was certainly an oddity.
Meanwhile, Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang had registered as a brother-sister duo named the Wushuang Duo.
They'd each taken a character from their names. But apparently Huo Wu hadn't been pleased when they first registered, since the name seemed to leave her out entirely.
The nickname Murong Ci had chosen for himself was taken from his Martial Soul—All-Encompassing!
In the Great Soul Arena, wins and losses determined points, and points could raise the rank of your badge.
From lowest to highest, the badge ranks were iron, copper, silver, gold, and purple gold.
Murong Ci's mouth twitched when he heard that.
Why were there so many?!
Still, the higher the rank, the greater the reward.
At least Murong Ci was confident he could crush anyone in the Level 30 range.
With that in mind, he didn't hesitate. He parted ways with Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang, then picked up the most conspicuous mask—a blank one.
"Murong Ci! I'll treat you to drinks and dinner after the match!"
Huo Wu's voice faded into the distance.
The betting area was packed. The two fighters had already been announced.
"All-Encompassing" Murong Ci versus "Cannon Hammer" Luo Sanpao!
Murong Ci nearly choked on his own saliva.
Luo Sanpao? The one whose farts thundered like cannons—Earth-Shattering Luo Sanpao?
All right, all right. He put away his stunned expression and glanced at his purse.
On the way here, he'd also stopped by a Spirit Hall Branch to collect some allowances.
He hadn't gone to get certified when he reached Level 20. Now, after certifying at Spirit Hall at Level 31, he could claim last month's Soul Grandmaster allowance of 10 Gold Soul Coins, plus this month's Soul Elder allowance of 100 Gold Soul Coins. That came to 110 Gold Soul Coins in total.
So he bet all his Gold Soul Coins.
"I'll bet on the eight o'clock and nine o'clock matches tonight. All-Encompassing will win!"
"Big spender!"
The gamblers were ecstatic!
But when they saw the fighters' levels, they couldn't help but pause.
Luo Sanpao was Level 39, while this newly registered fighter... Wait, he was newly registered?!
Only Level 31?!
In no time, the odds had been driven down to 1:10.
Murong Ci was naturally the one with odds of 1.
As the numbers kept rising, he was still pondering what to eat that night.
Meanwhile, Huo Wu watched the numbers jump, steeled herself, and bet all 500 of her Gold Soul Coins on Murong Ci.
Then she skipped off to tell her brother they'd be having a feast tonight!
In the end, the odds were driven up to 1:50.
Only Murong Ci and Huo Wu had bet on him, for a total of 650 Gold Soul Coins.
Come on!
Step onto the stage! A flash of white light swallowed him whole!
Luo Sanpao was a burly man, nearly three meters tall. His already-released Red Copper Cannon Hammer Martial Soul stood half as tall as he did.
Luo Sanpao looked down at the lean young man, who was far younger than him. The scorn in his eyes was almost tangible.
"A rookie? You're unlucky to have drawn me for your first match. Hurry up and get off the stage before I smash that soft, pretty face of yours."
As expected, neither things named Luo Sanpao nor people named Luo Sanpao were any good.
"Why don't you try?"
Murong Ci slowly stretched out a hand, held four fingers together, and beckoned him over in open provocation.
"Bastard!"
Luo Sanpao roared. The host, hovering in the air, announced the start of the match!
Luo Sanpao fought with brute force. He stomped hard, and the Red Copper Cannon Hammer flew toward Murong Ci.
Murong Ci immediately sidestepped. The Red Copper Cannon Hammer whistled past him.
It circled around and returned to Luo Sanpao's hands.
[Make an example of him in your first match. Don't play around.]
"Fine."
"Sanpao, here, boy! Here, boy!"
"You're asking for death!"
Luo Sanpao flew into a rage and unleashed his third Soul Skill, Heaven-Shaking Hammer. Gripping the handle in both hands, he leapt into the air as the Red Copper Cannon Hammer swelled dramatically and came crashing down.
Murong Ci remained calm. At last, he released his All-Encompassing Martial Soul. Two purple Soul Rings and one black Soul Ring blazed with dazzling light!
"A... a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring!"
Gasps of astonishment rang out from the stands, mixed with curses. With odds of 1:50, who knew how many families would be ruined!
But that had nothing to do with Murong Ci.
"Third Soul Skill! Hundred Years in an Instant!"
Murong Ci raised his left hand and snapped his fingers.
The phantom of the Demon Eye Demon Tree King took shape behind him. It opened its great maw and unleashed countless vines and black sap, which wrapped around Luo Sanpao, suspended in midair.
The corner of Murong Ci's mouth never stopped curling up as he sauntered over to Luo Sanpao, looking up at the man who had truly lived through a hundred years inside the domain of the Hundred Years in an Instant Soul Skill.
[His Soul Power consumption is enormous. He can maintain it for ten seconds at most!]
"That's enough! Second Soul Skill, Ice Scorpion Pincer!"
With a boom, the vines and sap around Luo Sanpao exploded. He shot straight out of the ring.
From the moment Murong Ci unleashed his third Soul Skill to the moment Luo Sanpao crashed off the stage, only three seconds had passed.
"Referee, I won."
Only then did the referee come around and announce the winner.
Murong Ci slowly left the stage, but the stands were now full of curses. Everyone had lost their money...
Down below, Luo Sanpao was still trembling...
Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang were also panting, clearly having fought a fierce battle.
"Let's go collect our winnings!"
The three exchanged smiles, then walked hand in hand out of the Great Soul Arena.
In the shadows, a handsome, refined young man in white held a glass of red wine, his smile as warm as a spring breeze.
He beckoned to the tall, thin man in black beside him, who exuded a chilling aura.
"Two purple and one black. Interesting. Investigate him."
The man in black bowed respectfully. "Young Master, understood!"