Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena, Hundred Years in an Instant!

The morning sun spilled into the room.

Murong Ci opened his eyes to see Huo Wu clinging tightly to him.

Her breathing was unnatural, and her eyelashes were trembling.

She was feigning sleep.

Murong Ci let out a soft hum, his hand tracing the curve of her waist.

Huo Wu shivered, still pretending to be asleep, but the crimson flush on the tips of her ears betrayed her.

[Huo Wu is feigning sleep, heart rate 150. Suggest kissing her awake.]

Murong Ci gave a light cough, clearly in agreement with the system's suggestion.

[Moisten her!]

His lips pressed against hers, only to pull away the moment they touched.

But Huo Wu's eyes snapped open, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him back in.

"Don't you dare stop!" Huo Wu gritted her teeth before pressing herself against him with overbearing force.

Huo Wu kissed him with self-forgetful passion, lost in the moment.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

"Brother Murong, are you in there? My sister isn't in her dormitory; have you seen her?"

It was the voice of Huo Wushuang.

Huo Wu jolted in fright, hurriedly pulling the quilt over her head to hide, and gestured for Murong Ci to stay silent.

"He's not here! Brother Wushuang, go look somewhere else!"

The footsteps outside faded into the distance...

Huo Wu emerged from the quilt, staring at him intently.

"What did you do to me last night?"

"Wasn't it you who made the first move?"

"You!"

Huo Wu gritted her teeth, then looked up, as if remembering something, and stared at him point-blank.

"What did you say last night? A ten-thousand-year third soul ring?!"

Last night, Huo Wu's mind had been clouded by the ambiguous atmosphere; only upon waking this morning did she realize how explosive Murong Ci's words had been.

"A... a ten-thousand-year third soul ring. Murong Ci, you're really not human. Do you know that Martial Soul Hall will definitely target you for this?"

"I was just planning to pay Martial Soul Hall a visit after graduation. What about you?"

"I... I'll follow you."

Without a specific goal or a specific destination, that single sentence, "I'll follow you," outweighed a thousand words.

"Alright, let's get up now. We should train our soul skills."

After a quick wash, Huo Wu took Murong Ci's hand and strode through Blazing Fire Academy.

"By the way, A-Ci, do you know Feng Xiaotian from Godwind Academy?"

"Feng Xiaotian?"

[In the original work, he is Huo Wu's simp, but now that you and Huo Wu have pledged your love, a battle between you and him is inevitable. Though, whether it ends in one second or two, I couldn't say.]

The system's words made Murong Ci burst into laughter.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I'm laughing because you mentioned him in this situation—does he like you or something?"

"Who knows? Anyway, he sends me a challenge letter every month. It's so annoying, and the worst part is I can't even beat him! That's why Blazing Fire Academy has always been suppressed by Godwind Academy. But I heard the Godwind Academy instructors have taken them to the Great Soul Arena in Heaven Dou City. Have you ever been?"

Heaven Dou City Great Soul Arena? He hadn't been there; he had only been traveling the continent for a few days, after all.

"We can go. It'll be a good chance to fight him."

"Yay!" Huo Wu swaggered off, though she kept holding his hand, completely ignoring the strange looks from the younger students.

Hidden in the shadows, Huo Wushuang couldn't help but grin foolishly.

He clutched a long strand of red hair he had found on Murong Ci's doorknob, remaining silent.

Then, as expected, Huo Wu was knocked down again.

However, Huo Wu's second soul skill, Flame Fireball, was now capable of utilizing the power of melting.

Caught completely off guard, Murong Ci had howled and rolled on the ground.

He hadn't expected it to be so strong, so he hadn't used his Ultimate Fire to defend himself.

He was then laughed at by Huo Wu for two full hours.

At night, Heaven Dou City was resplendent with golden light.

The group consisted of Huo Wu, Huo Wushuang, and Murong Ci.

This was their weekly ritual, and Huo Wu brought Murong Ci to the registration desk.

The staff member at the registration desk was a middle-aged man wearing glasses; he didn't even look up as he asked, "Name, rank, and Martial Soul."

"Murong Ci, level 31 Power Attack System Soul Elder, Martial Soul Yongzhen."

"Level 31 and you've never fought in the Great Soul Arena? And what is Yongzhen?"

Indeed, normally one should be frequenting the Great Soul Arena to participate in soul duels by level 20, so a level 31 with no combat history was certainly an oddity.

Looking to the other side, the brother-sister duo of Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang went by the name "Wushuang Duo."

They had each taken one character from their names, though it was said that when they first registered, Huo Wu wasn't very happy because it felt like her name wasn't represented at all.

As for Murong Ci, the nickname he chose for himself was derived from his Martial Soul—Yongzhen!

In the Great Soul Arena, the outcome of matches determined points, and points were used to increase one's badge rank.

Badge ranks from lowest to highest were: Iron, Copper, Silver, Gold, and Purple Gold.

Murong Ci's mouth twitched slightly when he heard this.

How are there so many?!

However, the higher the rank, the higher the rewards.

At the very least, Murong Ci was confident that within the level 30 bracket, he could insta-kill anyone.

Thinking of this, he no longer hesitated, parted ways with Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang, and picked up the most conspicuous faceless mask.

"Murong Ci! I'll treat you to drinks and dinner after the fight!"

Huo Wu's voice grew distant.

The betting area was packed, and the two combatants had already been announced.

"Yongzhen" Murong Ci versus "Cannon Hammer" Luo Sanpao!

Murong Ci nearly choked on his own saliva.

Luo Sanpao? The one whose farts are like thunder, the earth-shattering Luo Sanpao?

Enough, enough, he composed his expression and glanced at his wallet.

On the way here, he had gone to a branch of the Martial Soul Hall to collect a bit of a subsidy.

He hadn't gone for certification at level 20, so now that he was level 31, he went to the Martial Soul Hall for a one-time certification, allowing him to claim the previous month's Soul Grand Master subsidy of 10 Gold Soul Coins, plus this month's Soul Elder subsidy of 100 Gold Soul Coins, totaling 110 Gold Soul Coins.

So, he bet all of his Gold Soul Coins.

"I bet on the 8 PM and 9 PM matches, Yongzhen wins!"

"The boss is generous!"

The gamblers were ecstatic!

However, upon seeing the levels of both parties, they couldn't help but pause in surprise.

Luo Sanpao was level 39, and this newly registered person... he's newly registered?!

Only level 31?!

In a brief moment, the odds were pushed to 1:10.

Murong Ci was naturally on the side with the 1:10 odds.

Watching the numbers climb, he was still calculating what he would eat tonight.

On the other side, Huo Wu looked at the jumping numbers, steeled her heart, and bet all 500 Gold Soul Coins she had on Murong Ci.

Afterward, she skipped back to tell her brother they were having a feast tonight!

Eventually, the odds were stretched to 1:50.

Only Murong Ci and Huo Wu had bet on him, totaling 650 Gold Soul Coins.

Come on!

Enter the arena! The white light swallowed him!

Luo Sanpao was a burly man, nearly three meters tall, and the Red Copper Cannon Hammer Martial Soul he had already released was a full half-person high.

Luo Sanpao looked down at the lean youth, who was far younger than himself, the disdain in his eyes almost solidifying.

"A rookie? Getting matched with me on your first try, consider yourself unlucky. Get off the stage quickly, lest I smash that delicate, tender face of yours."

Sure enough, neither those who have Luo Sanpao nor those named Luo Sanpao are good news.

"Want to try?"

Murong Ci slowly extended his hand, fingers pressed together, and beckoned him over, full of provocation.

"Bastard!"

Following Luo Sanpao's roar, the host flying in the sky announced the start of the match!

Luo Sanpao's fighting style was extremely savage; he stomped his foot hard, and the Red Copper Cannon Hammer came flying over.

Murong Ci dodged to the side immediately, the Red Copper Cannon Hammer whistling past his body.

It circled back, returning to the hands of Luo Sanpao.

[Establish some prestige in the first match, stop playing around.]

"Understood."

"Sanpao, come here, boy."

"You're courting death!"

Luo Sanpao, burning with shame and rage, activated his third soul skill, Heaven-Shaking Hammer. Gripping the handle with both hands, he vaulted into the air as the Red Copper Cannon Hammer expanded rapidly, smashing down with ferocious force.

Murong Ci remained unhurried, finally releasing his All-Encompassing Martial Soul. Two purple and one black soul rings shone with dazzling brilliance!

"Ten... ten-thousand-year soul ring!"

Gasps erupted from the stands, accompanied by a chorus of curses; with odds of 1:50, who knew how many families would be ruined by this!

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 with a sharp crack!

The phantom of the Demon Eye Demon Tree King manifested behind him, opening its massive maw to unleash countless vines and black sap that engulfed Luo Sanpao, who was still suspended in mid-air.

The smirk on the corner of Murong Ci's mouth never faltered as he strolled leisurely toward Luo Sanpao, looking up at the man who was truly experiencing a century of time within the domain of his soul skill.

[Soul power consumption is massive, maximum duration is 10 seconds!]

"Enough! Second soul skill, Ice Scorpion Pincer!"

With a thunderous boom, the vines and sap covering Luo Sanpao's body exploded outward, sending him hurtling straight toward the edge of the arena.

From the activation of the third soul skill to Luo Sanpao being blasted off the stage, not even three seconds had passed.

"Referee, I have won."

Only then did the referee shake himself back to his senses and announce the victory.

Murong Ci slowly exited the stage, though the stands were filled with curses, as everyone had lost their bets...

Down below, Luo Sanpao could not stop trembling...

Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang were already panting, clearly having just finished a fierce battle.

"Let's go, time to collect our winnings!"

The three of them exchanged smiles and walked out of the Great Soul Arena hand in hand.

In the shadows, a refined young man in white held a glass of red wine, his smile as gentle as a spring breeze.

He beckoned to a tall, thin man in black beside him, who radiated a cold, sinister aura.

"Two purple and one black, interesting. Investigate him."

The man in black bowed slightly in respect, "Young Master, your subordinate understands!"