A Deal with Dugu Bo

The crowd looked toward the VIP room with a huge hole blasted through it and saw a green-haired old man step out in a fury, staring straight at Aizen.

After severing Dugu Yan's arm, Aizen had not moved an inch. He merely turned his head and looked calmly at the old man.

Dugu Bo, Dugu Yan's grandfather.

"Mr. Dugu, is there something you need?" Aizen asked calmly.

"You injured my granddaughter! Why do you think I came out here?!" Dugu Bo roared furiously.

"Isn't it perfectly normal for people to get hurt on the Soul Arena Stage?" Aizen neither confirmed nor denied it as he slowly looked toward Dugu Yan, who had already passed out from the pain.

Of the Royal Fight Team's seven members, aside from his own people, whether they were dead or injured was none of his concern.

That was the logic of it, but Dugu Bo was not a reasonable man.

"I know this is the Soul Arena Stage, but my granddaughter lost an arm. I have to intervene! Tell me, will you cripple both your hands yourself, or shall I take your life?!" As he spoke, an intense green light suddenly burst from his body. One ring after another then rose from beneath his feet.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black.

Nine Soul Rings rose in succession, their dazzling radiance turning the entire Soul Arena into a spectacle of brilliant color.

At that moment, the other VIP rooms also stirred.

"Mr. Dugu Bo, what you are doing violates the rules. The match is still ongoing. Whatever the matter is, it must wait until after the match."

A sharp, swordlike voice rang out from one of the VIP rooms, like the cry of a blade.

The other VIP rooms immediately recognized the owner of that voice, and the situation grew tense.

"What rules? This fellow deliberately concealed his strength. He is the one who broke the rules!" Dugu Bo pointed at Aizen and shouted.

Aizen smiled faintly. "You say I concealed my strength. Then what exactly did I conceal?"

Dugu Bo declared without hesitation, "Your Soul Power is absolutely not the registered Level 41!"

Aizen paused slightly, then burst into laughter.

"My registered level was from back then. Of course I am no longer Level 41 now. Does that affect anything? As I recall, the opponents the Soul Arena arranged for me were never matched according to Level 41."

Dugu Bo snorted and bellowed, "Sophistry! Did I say you were in your forties? I believe your Soul Power has even surpassed Level 50!"

The moment those words were spoken, all the VIP rooms erupted into commotion.

"Above Level 50? No way. He only has four Soul Rings."

"Exactly. With four Soul Rings, Level 50 should be the limit. How could he be above Level 50?"

"No, unless he blew up a Soul Ring. That would let him possess strength above Level 50 while retaining only four Soul Rings."

"But why would he blow up a Soul Ring? He looks so young and talented. Wouldn't that be a terrible waste? Just to maintain a winning streak in Level 40 Soul Ancestor matches at the Soul Arena? What benefit could that bring him? Losing a Soul Ring Skill is permanent."

Hearing this, Aizen sighed and shook his head.

"Senior Dugu Bo, you should think before you speak. What motive would I have for doing that? Crippling a Soul Ring just to compete against Level 40 Soul Ancestors for a winning streak?"

"And even if I were above Level 50, some of my opponents are Level 50 Soul Kings. The Soul Arena arranges matches based on actual combat strength, not levels!"

"You can only say that the combat strength I displayed is greater than that of a Level 50 Soul Master, but that proves nothing."

"This match was never about levels from the very beginning. It was only about strength. You brought out an argument favorable to your intervention and accused me of cheating, because there is no other way to stop what I am about to do. You are afraid. You are afraid that I will kill your granddaughter right here, while you can do nothing about it. To you, who cannot interfere with a legitimate match, the truths that prevent you from stopping me are the real facts."

Dugu Bo's eyes were bloodshot as he glared fixedly at Aizen.

Even though he had smashed through the VIP room and released all nine Soul Rings, he still did not dare attack. Countless eyes in the other VIP rooms were waiting for him to make a mistake, so they could eliminate him with just cause.

Aizen chuckled and turned his gaze toward Dugu Yan's lonely, frail figure.

He crouched down and placed a hand over Dugu Yan's chest.

"If I were to rip open her chest, how would you feel?"

"You dare?!" Dugu Bo shouted violently, his face twisted and veins bulging.

"Dugu Bo, you have gone too far!" Two waves of Imposing Manner bore down on Dugu Bo, neither one weaker than his own.

Aizen shook his head, raised his hand slightly, and pointed at Dugu Yan's tragically beautiful face.

"If I were to shatter her head, then how would you feel?"

"I would feel nothing else. I would only kill you!" Dugu Bo said through gritted teeth. His gums were bleeding from how hard he was biting down, and his fists were clenched tight. If not for the two Titled Douluo watching him, he would have killed Aizen long ago.

"Hahaha, interesting. If you kill me, your granddaughter's arm will never recover." Aizen raised his chin and cast Dugu Bo a sidelong glance.

"What do you mean?" Dugu Bo seemed to have understood Aizen's implication, but he was not certain.

Aizen lifted Dugu Yan into his arms. The weakened Dugu Yan was as light as nothing in his embrace.

He looked at Dugu Yan's pale little face with an expression full of pity and could not help shaking his head, as though he were standing up for her.

Anyone unaware of the truth would never have guessed that Aizen himself was the culprit who had injured her.

"This match was meaningless from the very beginning. I had intended to end it simply, but this pitiful, foolish woman saw that Electric Lizard over there had been seriously injured and started making wild threats. She forgot the iron rule of the Soul Arena Stage—that strength speaks for itself. Having one arm cut off is her punishment. You may speak harshly if you wish, but please do so only after gaining absolute strength."

After saying that, Aizen looked to the left side of the Soul Arena, toward the Royal Fight Team's lead instructor, and asked,

"Do you surrender?"

Still immersed in shock, Qin Ming hurriedly shouted, "We surrender!"

As Qin Ming's voice fell, the match officially ended.

Dugu Bo impatiently leaped down, snatched Dugu Yan from Aizen's hands, and looked tearfully at the utterly weakened girl in his arms.

"My poor Yan Yan!"

With Aizen, the culprit who had harmed Dugu Yan, right beside him, Dugu Bo suddenly raised his hand and gathered the Soul Power of a Titled Douluo, intending to slap Aizen to death.

"It seems you truly want your granddaughter to have only one arm for the rest of her life," Aizen said coldly.

Those words instantly brought Dugu Bo back to his senses, and he lowered his hand.

"You! Sigh, say it. What conditions do you need to heal Yan Yan?"

Aizen smiled faintly and raised one finger.

"Very simple. Help me establish an Advanced Soul Master Academy, one qualified to participate in the Soul Master Competition. Its name will be Central Spirit Arts Academy. You will be the principal, but I will control the academy!"