Soul Fighting Training: Two Months to Earn Gold Soul Badges

The results of this period of special training were even better than I had imagined.

Yu Xiaolou was the first to break through. After running the simplified version of the Nine Heavens Thunder God Art for thirty-six cycles a day for ten consecutive days, his Soul Power rose from level twenty-two to level twenty-four.

Qing Luo also broke through to level twenty-five. As her Soul Power increased, the Dragon Scale Tulip Vine's poison became even more potent, and the tulip phantom at the vine tips grew more solid than before.

Lei Dong and Lei Jiu broke through to level thirty-nine and level thirty-five respectively. Lei Dong's Thunder Spider Silk range extended from twenty paces to twenty-five, and its stickiness had increased enough to trap Soul Masters below level forty-three.

Lei Jiu's Thunder Drum Inspiration had also improved considerably, while the consumption of his third soul skill, Thunder Drum Heavy Strike, had decreased.

Lei Li rose from level thirty-six to level thirty-seven. The range of his Thunder Turtle Formation Wall expanded by a full circle, and it could now protect four teammates at once.

The greatest breakthrough came from Yu Tianxin.

During the special training, he broke through the level-forty bottleneck. That very afternoon, Yu Tianxin returned to his clan.

When he came back the next day, he had gained a purple soul ring. According to him, the soul skill was called Blue Lightning Divine Dragon Dash, gathering power to transform into a thunder dragon and unleash an overwhelmingly powerful strike.

That evening, at the training grounds behind the mountain, everyone watched Yu Tianxin release his new soul skill and stared at the thunder dragon in silence for several seconds.

A level-forty Soul Ancestor raised the entire team's upper limit by a whole tier.

The next morning, everyone was training separately on the field.

I walked to the center of the training grounds and clapped my hands.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and gathered around me.

"During this period of cultivation, I have seen every one of your improvements." My gaze swept across their faces.

"Your current strength has already reached the point where training alone can no longer improve it. If you keep practicing, it will only be empty theory. True strength must be tempered in real battle. I plan to take you to the Soul Fighting Arena. Real soul fights have no protective measures, and your opponents will not hold back. You may get hurt, and you may lose, but after every match, you will be stronger than you were the day before."

Yu Xiaolou was the first to raise his hand. "I'm in! Wherever Brother Tian Lin goes, I go!"

Lei Dong followed. "The Soul Fighting Arena, huh? I've wanted to go for a long time. I'm sick of fighting those people from the academy. A change of place would be perfect."

Lei Jiu struck the surface of his drum with a hammer. "I agree to go to the Soul Fighting Arena. I've wanted to test the results of our training for a while now."

Lei Li planted the Thunder Turtle Shield before him. The shield smashed into the ground with a dull echo. "I'll defend. You can attack without worry."

Qing Luo said nothing. She merely stepped half a pace behind me and gently linked her arm through mine.

Yu Tianxin was the last to state his position. He looked at me, his tone steady. "You're the captain. Your word goes."

I nodded. "Good. Let's go."

Suotuo City lay southeast of Thunder Academy, and the carriage ride took a full three days.

By the time we arrived, night had just fallen. A long queue had formed outside the city gates. Suotuo City was not large, but its prosperity rivaled the royal capital of the Balak Kingdom. Both sides of the streets were lined with shops at least three stories high, including restaurants and all kinds of stores.

Yet only one building stood out above the rest. It could be seen from afar: a massive circular building in the center of the city, built entirely from obsidian. Its outer walls were set with over a thousand soul-guided lamps, shining brilliantly in the night—the Soto Grand Arena.

We did not stop and went straight to the entrance of the arena. The reception hall was decorated with impressive grandeur, its floor paved with polished white marble and its walls lit by uniform white lamps.

People came and went through the hall. There were nobles in luxurious spectator attire, lone Soul Masters covered in scars, and academy students who had arrived in groups like us.

Behind the registration counter sat a middle-aged woman wearing gold-rimmed glasses. She glanced up at us, expressionless, and pushed over a stack of forms. "Team registration is on the left, individual registration is on the right. The registration fee is ten Gold Soul Coins per person, plus an additional fifty Gold Soul Coins for a team. These are Iron Soul Badges. Keep them safe. Replacements cost fifty Gold Soul Coins."

Yu Xiaolou's hands trembled as he took out his money pouch. The Gold Soul Coins his father had given him had long since been spent. All their current expenses came from the funds I had brought from the clan.

The middle-aged woman collected the money quickly and stamped the forms even faster. In less than the time it took to burn an incense stick, seven Iron Soul Badges lay before us. The badges were small and iron-gray, with two crossed swords engraved on the front and a line of small words on the back: Soto Grand Arena.

The middle-aged woman put away her stamp and delivered the usual explanation. "Iron Soul requires one hundred points to advance to Copper Soul. Copper Soul requires five hundred points to advance to Silver Soul. Silver Soul requires one thousand points to advance to Gold Soul. Each victory earns ten points, and each defeat deducts five. If all your points are deducted, you will be eliminated immediately. Your badge will be reclaimed, and you will have to register again and pay again."

After leaving the arena, we found a quiet hotel in the western part of the city.

After dinner, I called everyone to my room.

The room was not large, and seven people crammed inside made it feel rather cramped. Yu Xiaolou sat on the edge of the bed, Lei Dong leaned against the window frame, Lei Jiu sat cross-legged on the floor hugging his Thunder Drum, Lei Li stood at the door with his arms folded, while Qing Luo and Yu Tianxin sat on opposite sides of the table. Through the window, we could see the dome of the Soto Grand Arena in the distance. Thousands of lights flickered in the night sky like a field of low-hanging stars.

I arranged the seven Iron Soul Badges across the table one by one. The iron-gray badges gleamed dimly under the candlelight.

"Two months."

Everyone's eyes turned to me at once.

"Within two months, all seven of these badges will be turned gold. Any objections?"

The room fell silent for several seconds.

Lei Jiu was the first to break the silence. He slammed the Thunder Drum onto the floor with a dull thud. "If the captain says we're changing them, then we're changing them! Gold Soul is nothing! I'd even find Silver Soul too shabby!"

Lei Dong leaned against the window frame, the corners of his mouth slowly lifting. "Two months, one hundred matches. An average of one and a half matches a day. Exciting enough. I like it."

Lei Li still wore the same nearly expressionless face, but his words were shorter and more forceful than ever. "No problem."

Yu Tianxin did not shout any slogans. He simply picked up his Iron Soul Badge from the table, looked at it once, then put it back down and nodded at me.

Yu Xiaolou sprang up from the bed. "Let's go! Our goal! Gold Soul! Gold Soul!"

Qing Luo was the last to speak. She stood and moved the lamp closer to the corner of the table. The dim yellow light fell across the seven iron-gray badges. She said only one sentence. Her voice was soft, but every word was clear.

"If Young Master says we change them, then we change them."

Watching their fighting spirit burn so brightly, I felt deeply gratified. At the same time, I thought that I could begin building a reputation without exposing my true strength. That would also help me complete the first trial for the divine position.