Nearby,
Ning Fengzhi watched the scene, a glint flashing in his eyes.
He stepped forward half a pace and asked respectfully, with a hint of probing in his tone:
"Your Holiness the Pope, what is the background of the woman who just fought Tang Xiao?"
"How did she manage that Soul Ring Configuration?"
Qian Xunji turned his head and glanced at Ning Fengzhi.
"Heh." He chuckled, turned his gaze back to the arena below, and said mildly, "I can't tell you."
"If Sect Master Ning would be willing to share your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Distraction Control Technique with me, then I might..."
"I spoke out of turn."
Ning Fengzhi hurriedly cut in, interrupting Qian Xunji.
"Still, if this technique could be made public, it might raise the Soul Master standard across the entire Douluo Continent."
"Heh." Without turning his head, Qian Xunji said, "The Distraction Control Technique is the same..."
Elsewhere, Zhao Linchuan's side.
There was no denying it: Zhao Linchuan was one crafty kid.
After defeating a disciple of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect, he didn't stay to defend the arena. Instead, he called over a Spirit Hall Soul Master to take his place.
Zhao Linchuan himself carried the Supreme Ease Golden Edge and charged toward another arena defended by a disciple of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect.
That disciple had just defeated a challenger and was standing at the edge of the arena, panting as he recovered his strength.
When he saw Zhao Linchuan approaching, his face turned more bitter than a gourd.
He had seen all too clearly how Zhao Linchuan had defeated his clansman with a single sword strike. That golden sword light had been so fast he couldn't even make out its shadow. His clansman hadn't even had time to reveal his Soul Rings before Zhao Linchuan had pointed his sword at his throat.
"I concede." He jumped off the arena without the slightest hesitation.
Zhao Linchuan smiled at the sight. He didn't stand on ceremony and went straight up onto the arena.
Then he beckoned, and another Spirit Hall Soul Master came running up eagerly to take his place.
Just like that, Zhao Linchuan single-handedly seized four arenas.
The first, taken from a Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect disciple and handed over to Spirit Hall Soul Master A.
The second, taken from another Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect disciple and handed over to Spirit Hall Soul Master B.
The third, taken from a Clear Sky Sect disciple and handed over to Spirit Hall Soul Master C.
The fourth, taken from yet another Clear Sky Sect disciple and handed over to Spirit Hall Soul Master D.
As for Zhao Linchuan, he strolled back and forth beneath the four arenas, sword in hand.
The Spirit Hall Soul Masters on those four arenas didn't even need to fight. All they had to do was stand there and wear an expression that said, "Come at me!" That alone was enough to make all the eager challengers think twice.
Take him on?
Give me a break. Who knew whether Zhao Linchuan had a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, too?
After all, he had defeated the defenders of four arenas without even revealing his Soul Rings.
One sword strike apiece, clean and decisive.
Who would dare provoke someone like that?
Humming a tune as he made his rounds, Zhao Linchuan calculated in his mind.
He had placed a heavy bet on the tournament from the sidelines.
At the absurd odds of one to nine, he had bet that six people from Spirit Hall would advance.
And he had bet a full two hundred million Gold Soul Coins!
Two hundred million!
That wasn't two million, or even twenty million. It was two hundred million!
If he won, then even after the fees, he'd still take home one and a half billion Gold Soul Coins.
Just thinking about one and a half billion made the corners of Zhao Linchuan's mouth curl upward.
As for whether the bookmakers could afford to pay out at odds like these...
That wasn't Zhao Linchuan's problem.
His little wife was Spirit Hall's Holy Maiden, her teacher was Spirit Hall's Pope, and his own teacher was Spirit Hall's Second Worship.
If they dared offer odds like that and couldn't pay up... well, they'd be in for it.
By evening.
The sun sank toward the west, and the clouds on the horizon were dyed a deep orange, bathing the entire arena in the warm glow of dusk.
The fighting continued on all eight arenas, but it was nearing its end.
Because of Zhao Linchuan's actions, the two arenas still held by the Clear Sky Sect were under mounting pressure.
Challengers went up almost constantly, and the defending disciples changed again and again.
Some were knocked off in less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea. Others barely made it through a few rounds, only to be worn down by a succession of opponents and finally defeated in a sorry state.
No one had died, but judging by the injuries of the Clear Sky Sect disciples being carried away, they wouldn't be able to train normally for at least two or three months.
In the Clear Sky Sect's rest area,
Tang Hao's injuries had almost fully healed.
He took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and stood up, loosening his muscles.
Then Tang Hao glanced over at the arenas and couldn't help frowning.
Of the six arenas his Clear Sky Sect had originally planned to claim, only two remained.
And even those two were on the verge of falling. Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect disciples were attacking fiercely, the light of their Soul Skills flashing on and off as the sounds of clashing rang out one after another. It looked as though the arenas would fall at any moment.
"Hao, you're awake at last." Tang Xiao had recovered a little sooner than he had. He came over to Tang Hao, his expression anxious. "We need to take over now. The sun's about to set!"
Tang Hao was furious, but he still nodded.
"Let's go, big brother."
"We'll get our revenge in the next round..."
Before sunset.
The sun had already touched the mountain ridge.
The last few battles on the eight arenas came to an end.
Zhao Linchuan climbed onto an arena defended by a Spirit Hall Soul Master.
The Soul Master's eyes lit up when he saw Zhao Linchuan, and he promptly jumped down from the arena.
Before leaving, he introduced himself very carefully: "Wang Hu, Iron Arm Ape Spirit, level fifty-three Battle Soul King."
Zhao Linchuan nodded, showing that he'd remembered the man's name.
"Today's matches are over!"
Qian Xunji's voice rang out from the viewing platform, echoing like thunder among the mountains and reaching every person present.
"The eight contestants remaining on the arenas have advanced to the next round!"
"Tomorrow will be a day of rest. The matches will resume the morning after!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Qian Xunji led the Spirit Hall attendants away from the viewing platform.
Yu Yuanzhen and the others ground their teeth, but in the end, they could only leave helplessly.
After the matches.
Dusk settled in, and the last trace of orange on the horizon sank beneath the mountain ridge.
The spectators around the arena streamed away like a receding tide. The clamor gradually faded, leaving only a few staff members to clean up the venue.
"Linchuan, you were amazing."
Bibi Dong and Yan Lingji walked over to Zhao Linchuan.
"You actually came up with a method like that. If I'd known, I would've taken the other two arenas, too."
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