The Spirit Hall Academy's Soul Fighting Arena was located inside an indoor arena.
The academy forbade students from fighting one another. Any conflicts could be settled through matches in the Soul Fighting Arena.
The rules were simple: a contestant won if their opponent left the arena or lost the ability to fight.
Of course, it was absolutely forbidden to take the other person's life.
Qin Xuan made his way through the bustling crowd and headed to the front row of the stands.
There, he caught sight of two graceful figures.
Song Qingling stood on the left side of the circular arena, dressed in a snow-white battle skirt and holding the Ice Soul Dragon Abyss Spear.
On the right stood Zhu Zhuqing, clad in a tight black leather outfit.
Meanwhile, between them stood a teacher at the Soul Emperor level, acting as the referee.
The atmosphere was tense, with sparks practically flying.
Zhu Zhuqing's face was cold, and her eyes held a hint of fury.
Song Qingling, by contrast, wore a look of disdain. The Ice Soul Dragon Abyss Spear in her hand hummed.
"Xia Hui, what's going on?" Qin Xuan glanced at Xia Hui, who was also standing in the front row, and walked over to her.
The girl's attention was entirely fixed on the arena. She hadn't noticed Qin Xuan standing nearby at all.
At the sound of his voice, she turned her head. Seeing Qin Xuan standing before her, she cried out in surprise:
"Brother Qin, when did you get back?"
"I just got to the academy." As he answered, Qin Xuan looked toward the arena with a furrowed brow.
"What's going on?"
"Why are Qingling and Zhuqing fighting?"
"It's a long story..." Xia Hui replied, somewhat awkwardly, then explained how it had all come about:
"Qingling and I only arrived at Spirit Hall Academy today."
"She and Zhu Zhuqing had a bit of a history. Before long, a few words turned into an argument."
"Then Qingling took the initiative and challenged Zhu Zhuqing."
"Oh?" Confusion crossed Qin Xuan's face. "What could those two possibly have had to quarrel over before?"
"The Purple Heaven Sect is on the outskirts of Star Luo City. It has no connection to the Zhu Mansion whatsoever, right?"
"Ah..." Xia Hui gazed at Song Qingling, her eyes dimming as she sighed.
"Brother Qin, there's something you don't know. Qingling isn't from the Star Luo Empire. She comes from the Extreme North, a place with a brutally harsh environment."
"Since both her parents had ice-type Martial Souls, the whole family lived near the edge of the Extreme North for years, hoping to speed up their cultivation."
"When Qingling was five, her father reached the bottleneck of a Soul Douluo. He only needed one more Soul Ring to break through to Titled Douluo."
"But disaster struck all the same."
"When Song Qingling's parents reached the Core Circle of the Extreme North, they encountered some powerful Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. In the end, they both perished there."
"And so, at just five years old, Song Qingling was left to wander the world."
"During her travels, she came to Star Luo City and tried to ask the Zhu Family for work. But Zhu Zhuqing drove her away without mercy, mocking her as a little beggar."
"Later, I happened to run into Song Qingling, so I took her in at the Purple Heaven Sect."
"Now that the two enemies had met, their eyes were blazing with hatred."
"After learning about Zhu Zhuqing's relationship with you, Song Qingling became very scornful."
"She thought that a fallen young lady of the Zhu Family, who could barely look after herself, had no business staying by your side, Brother Qin. So she taunted Zhu Zhuqing a few times."
"But Zhu Zhuqing wasn't one to take it lying down. She immediately summoned her cat claws and was about to attack Qingling."
"Just then, our homeroom teacher came in and suggested that the two of them settle their grudge in the Soul Fighting Arena."
"So Qingling took the initiative and challenged Zhu Zhuqing to a Soul Fighting match."
"I see!" Qin Xuan couldn't help sighing inwardly.
Song Qingling's past is much like mine. She's had a hard life too.
Could her parents have run into the Ice Empress and Snow Empress in the Extreme North?
Judging by the timeline, the Snow Empress should have over six hundred thousand years of cultivation by now. She hasn't chosen to take human form and cultivate anew yet.
Just then, Soul Rings began to shine around Song Qingling and Zhu Zhuqing.
When Zhu Zhuqing's third purple Soul Ring rose above her head, Song Qingling stared in disbelief.
"How did you break through to Soul Elder before me?"
"Judging by Innate Soul Power, the Ice Soul Dragon Abyss Spear should far surpass the Hell Spirit Cat."
"Your Innate Soul Power could only have been six or seven levels at most!"
"Could it be..."
As she trailed off, she glanced meaningfully at Qin Xuan in the stands.
"You're only a two-ring Soul Grandmaster, and you dare challenge me? You'd better surrender now. I don't want to bully someone weaker than me!" Zhu Zhuqing scoffed disdainfully.
"Is there some misunderstanding between you two?"
"Qingling, Zhuqing is my friend. You shouldn't have this pointless Soul Fighting match."
Hearing this, Song Qingling shook her head and spoke firmly.
"Brother Qin, you came at just the right time!"
"Today, I'm going to teach this second young lady of the Zhu Family, who doesn't know how high the sky is, a proper lesson!"
"You think you can?" Zhu Zhuqing summoned the phantom of the Hell Spirit Cat, releasing a fierce aura from her entire body.
"It looks like this match can't be avoided. Both of you, keep it to a friendly match, and don't let your tempers get the better of you!" Qin Xuan said helplessly.
"The match between Zhu Zhuqing, a level thirty-two agility-type Soul Elder, and Song Qingling, a level twenty-nine assault-type Soul Grandmaster, begins now!"
After making the announcement, the Soul Emperor teacher quickly retreated beyond the arena.
Song Qingling swung the Ice Soul Dragon Abyss Spear and lunged at Zhu Zhuqing first.
Zhu Zhuqing was extraordinarily nimble and dodged more than ten thrusts in a row.
But when the final thrust aimed at her lower abdomen, she knocked it aside with her cat claws.
A thin layer of frost immediately spread over her left hand.
That's powerful ice energy. I absolutely can't let the Ice Soul Dragon Abyss Spear touch me again! Zhu Zhuqing thought. She gathered Soul Power in her left hand and shook off all the frost clinging to its surface.
"First Soul Skill, Ice Scale Spear Shadow!"
Song Qingling poured the power of ice into her spear, and fine ice scales immediately formed around its tip.
She then darted up to Zhu Zhuqing in a few quick steps and unleashed three overlapping spear images of ice!
Staring at the three icy spears appearing at point-blank range, Zhu Zhuqing shouted:
"You really think I'm afraid of you in close combat?"
"Third Soul Skill, Nether Slash!"
As she spoke, Zhu Zhuqing brought both hands together above her head. The claws on her fingers fused rapidly into a black blade about a foot long.
Bang—
With a single sweep of the black blade, the three icy spears shattered into pieces.
"First Soul Skill, Hell Stab!"
Seizing the opening after breaking her opponent's attack, Zhu Zhuqing thrust out her claws and tried to counterattack Song Qingling, only to find her own speed had dropped by at least thirty percent!
Even so, Zhu Zhuqing still looked incredibly fast.
But to Song Qingling, she seemed to be moving in slow motion. With nothing more than a slight turn to the right, Song Qingling easily dodged the claws coming straight at her!
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