Ever-Victorious Duo, Cat-Mouse Duo

"Yu Yan, what kind of coordination do you think the two of us can manage?"

Having noticed a few clues, Xiao Wu asked Yu Yan how the two of them should work together.

"Our soul skills aren't easy to coordinate."

Yu Yan's soul skills were Frost Scale Armor and Scorching Breath, while Xiao Wu's was Full Amplification. On the surface, these three soul skills had no synergy whatsoever.

Fortunately, the two of them were very strong. Even without much coordination, they had at least an eighty percent chance of winning.

The only thing that displeased Yu Yan was that Balak Great Soul Arena stipulated that contestants participating in soul fights could not take part in betting matches.

This rule, intended to prevent cheating, cost Yu Yan the chance to double his Gold Soul Coins once more.

Under the guidance of a Balak Great Soul Arena staff member, Yu Yan and Xiao Wu drew lots with three other teams that were equally prepared, determining their next opponents.

"...The thirteenth two-on-two soul fight: the Ever-Victorious Duo versus the Cat-Mouse Duo."

After following the Soul Master passage onto the fighting platform, Yu Yan and Xiao Wu saw their opponents in this two-on-two soul fight: the Cat-Mouse Duo.

The Cat-Mouse Duo consisted of a young man and woman. The young man's Martial Soul was a Gray Cat, while the young woman's Martial Soul was a Brown Rat.

As Yu Yan and Xiao Wu assessed the Cat-Mouse Duo, the two members of the Cat-Mouse Duo were also assessing them.

After sizing each other up for a while, the young woman from the Cat-Mouse Duo asked, "Are you two students of Balaque Soul Master Academy?"

"Why do you ask?"

Yu Yan did not answer her question. Instead, he asked why she wanted to know.

"Don't misunderstand. My name is Song Qingqing, and this is my companion, Li Kang. We graduated from Balaque Intermediate Soul Master Academy. You two look quite young, so I merely asked out of curiosity. It's fine if you don't want to answer."

The young woman, Song Qingqing, explained away Yu Yan's doubts.

"Yes, we are indeed students of Balaque Soul Master Academy."

Seeing how sincere she was, Yu Yan gave her an answer. As for whether they were from the junior, intermediate, or advanced division, that was for her to guess.

"I knew it. In Balaque City, any children who reach Soul Master cultivation at this age must be students of a Soul Master Academy." After receiving the answer, Song Qingqing happily said something to Li Kang, then smiled at Yu Yan and Xiao Wu. "Junior brother, junior sister, don't worry. Brother Li and I won't be too harsh during the fight."

Prejudice in people's hearts was like a great mountain. Everyone they had encountered since coming to participate in soul fights had assumed that he and Xiao Wu were weak.

Though there was nothing particularly wrong with their assumption, a small flame of anger still rose within Yu Yan. No one liked being looked down upon.

"Brother Li, Sister Song, underestimating us will cost you."

They seemed like decent people, so Yu Yan did not mind giving them a kind warning before the match officially began.

Yu Yan's warning was not taken to heart by either Li Kang or Song Qingqing.

"Xiao Wu, one each. End this quickly."

After letting out a soft sigh, Yu Yan told Xiao Wu their plan. It was simple and direct.

Frost Scale Armor covered Yu Yan's fists as he charged toward Li Kang, who possessed the Gray Cat Martial Soul.

After standing in place and twisting her waist, Xiao Wu activated Full Amplification and closed in on Song Qingqing, whose Martial Soul was a Brown Rat. From Xiao Wu's serious expression, it was obvious that the repeated condescension had also made her somewhat angry.

Upon seeing the yellow Soul Rings swaying around Yu Yan and Xiao Wu, Li Kang and Song Qingqing put away some of their disdain. They simultaneously activated Martial Soul Possession, taking on feline and rodent traits as two white Soul Rings emerged.

As Yu Yan approached Li Kang, his fist shot toward the other man's chest.

Unaware of how hard Frost Scale Armor was, Li Kang shouted, "Kitty Punch!" and met the attack with a fist glowing gray.

The collision with Kitty Punch forced Yu Yan half a step backward.

Li Kang, on the other hand, was sent stumbling five or six steps back by Yu Yan's strength before he managed to steady himself.

Feeling the terrifying force transmitted through his opponent's fist, Li Kang no longer had any trace of contempt in his heart. He could only hope that Xiao Wu was a little weaker, so they might still have a chance of victory.

The disparity in Martial Soul quality, as well as the gap between a Soul Ring over four hundred years old and one under a hundred years old, had produced this result.

Yu Yan pressed his advantage and charged forward again, throwing punch after punch until Li Kang could barely defend himself.

After Xiao Wu closed in on Song Qingqing and caught the fist she swung at her, she grabbed Song Qingqing's arm and used it as a point of leverage.

Then, before Song Qingqing's disbelieving eyes, Xiao Wu moved nimbly and wrapped her legs around Song Qingqing's waist.

"If you surrender now, you can still suffer a little less."

Prepared to throw her, Xiao Wu gave Song Qingqing one final warning in her ear. This was only because Song Qingqing had said earlier that she would hold back.

"Mouse Tail."

Song Qingqing glanced at Li Kang, who was being suppressed by Yu Yan. She had no intention of surrendering. Her first Soul Ring pulsed and merged into her body as she prepared to activate her soul skill for one last attempt.

Just as Song Qingqing activated her soul skill, Xiao Wu leaned backward, braced herself with both hands on the ground, and flung Song Qingqing away.

Song Qingqing crashed into the structure at the edge of the Soul Fighting Arena and was unable to stand due to her injuries.

Li Kang, who was being suppressed by Yu Yan, heard his friend Song Qingqing's scream. Distracted, he tried to see what had happened, allowing Yu Yan to seize the opportunity and punch him in the chest, leaving him unable to continue fighting.

Li Kang and Song Qingqing had achieved a best record of three consecutive wins in two-on-two soul fights, and that was inseparable from their seamless cooperation. Yet in this battle, because they had underestimated their opponents, they were defeated before displaying even a hint of coordination.

After today, they would likely never underestimate opponents based on age again.

Balak Great Soul Arena would be responsible for treating Li Kang and Song Qingqing's injuries. This was also one reason why so many Soul Masters were willing to compete within the Great Soul Arena.

After collecting the twenty Gold Soul Coin victory reward for the two-person soul fight, Yu Yan and Xiao Wu's total reached one hundred and ten Gold Soul Coins.

One hundred and ten Gold Soul Coins was quite a lot. Yu Yan and Xiao Wu did not have storage Soul Tools, so they had no way to carry so many Gold Soul Coins. Fortunately, the "considerate" Great Soul Arena offered another service: deposits.

The Soul Fighting Arena had been jointly established by the seven great families. Among them, the Qian Family's main business was banking, and its banks were spread throughout the major cities of Douluo Continent.

After filling out a series of documents, Yu Yan received a passbook that allowed him to withdraw money from any Qian Family bank.

They kept ten Gold Soul Coins on hand for everyday expenses and deposited all the rest in the bank.

With no more soul fights left for the day, Yu Yan and Xiao Wu left Balak Great Soul Arena in the evening afterglow and enjoyed an exceptionally lavish dinner worth one Gold Soul Coin at a bustling restaurant in Balaque City.