Soul Fighting

Six years later.

On the day of graduation from the junior soul master academy, Di Lintian brought Na'er to Heaven Dou City. He calculated in his mind that Tang San should have also set foot on the road to Soto City by now, though he wondered if Tang San, whose first soul ring was only ten years old, could pass the Shrek entrance exam.

"You're going to the Great Soul Fighting Arena to participate in soul fighting?"

Na'er looked at Di Lintian, puzzled. "With your strength, no one below a Soul Ancestor can withstand a single blow from you, and even a Soul King couldn't defeat you. Why go participate in a useless soul fight?"

"Na'er, my stats are indeed very high now, but I lack any real combat experience," Di Lintian said. "That is why in these soul fights, I will not use any soul skills, so as to hone my combat techniques."

Na'er did not understand what Di Lintian meant by "stats," but she grasped the gist of it. "You mean your soul skills are very strong, but you lack the corresponding combat techniques?"

"That's about the size of it." Di Lintian nodded.

Heaven Dou City Great Soul Fighting Arena.

Di Lintian walked into the Great Soul Fighting Arena clutching a black Dragon Scale Sword and headed straight for the front desk.

This black Dragon Scale Sword was forged by Di Lintian from his own reverse scales, which he shed once every ten thousand years.

"Register." The two words spilled from Di Lintian's mouth, devoid of any emotion.

"The registration fee is ten gold soul coins." The receptionist handed a form to Di Lintian.

Di Lintian took the form and looked it over carefully; it required him to fill in his name, martial soul, soul power, and age.

After filling it out, Di Lintian handed it back to the receptionist along with ten gold soul coins.

"Mr. Sword Demon, this is your Iron Soul Fighting Badge. You gain one point for every victory and lose one point for every defeat. When your Iron Soul Fighting Badge accumulates one hundred points, it will be upgraded to a Copper Soul Fighting Badge. Once the Copper Soul Fighting Badge reaches one hundred points, it upgrades to a Silver Soul Fighting Badge, and so on."

"There are three types of soul fighting. The first is a Sparring Match, which is a friendly exchange where killing is prohibited. The other two are the Death Match and the Gambling Match, where you are permitted to kill your opponent. Of course, if you lose the match, you will be killed by your opponent as well."

The receptionist skillfully explained the rules of the arena to Di Lintian.

Di Lintian nodded, took the Iron Soul Fighting Badge, and walked toward the registration desk for participants.

"Registering for a Death Match."

At the registration desk, Di Lintian slid his Iron Soul Fighting Badge through the window to the staff member inside.

"Registration complete. Go to the waiting area." The staff member slid the badge back through the window.

Di Lintian did not go to the waiting area; instead, he stood on the spectator platform, observing how the combatants below handled every detail of their fights.

Before long, a broadcast echoed throughout the entire Great Soul Fighting Arena.

"Will Sword Demon and Fierce God please proceed to the third district arena!"

"The third district? The third district is the Death Arena, right? This is the first death match of the day. Let's go, let's go!"

Right behind Di Lintian, someone urged their companion forward.

Di Lintian followed the flow of the crowd toward the third district arena.

"Hello everyone, I am the host for this soul fight, Guang Bo." Guang Bo, dressed in a proper tailcoat, stood on a platform suspended above the arena and spoke loudly. "Today's soul fight is between... a newcomer participating for the first time, the Battle Soul Master Sword Demon. This is his first soul fight, so everyone, please look forward to it! As for his opponent, he is a Battle Soul Master who has achieved a ten-match winning streak in the Death Arena—Fierce God!"

Guang Bo pointed his palm toward the arena entrance on his left and said with rising intensity, "Now, let us welcome Fierce God to the stage!"

"Fierce God! Fierce God!"

"Fierce God, kill that Sword Demon!"

"Fierce God, I've bet everything on you! You must kill him!"

A powerful roar of cheers erupted from the spectator stands. Amidst the cheering, a middle-aged man covered in bulging muscles walked out.

"Next is his opponent, who just registered for his Iron Soul Fighting Badge—Sword Demon!"

The cheering in the stands vanished instantly. In the quiet of the arena, Di Lintian walked out, gripping his Dragon Scale Sword.

"Mr. Sword Demon, weapons are not allowed in the arena," Guang Bo noted from his suspended platform, offering a friendly reminder upon seeing the sword in Di Lintian's hand.

"This is my martial soul." When Di Lintian had filled out his form, he had listed it as the Dragon Scale Sword.

"It seems the contestant Sword Demon is well-prepared, having already completed his martial soul manifestation before entering the arena. Then—let the soul fight begin!"

Fierce God's martial soul manifested instantly. Three soul rings—white, yellow, and yellow—emerged. Sharp wolf claws sprouted from the back of his hands, resembling those of Wolverine, his hair turned blood-red, and a phantom of a blood-colored Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf appeared behind him.

No wonder he participates in death matches; his martial soul is a Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf. In Soul Land 2, he would definitely be considered an Evil Soul Master.

The Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf martial soul is just as its name suggests: it grows stronger by consuming blood. The opponents who died at the hands of this Fierce God must have all been turned into dried husks.

After his martial soul manifested, Fierce God dropped to all fours and charged at Di Lintian at high speed. Upon reaching him, he stood upright and swiped his sharp wolf claws at Di Lintian's face.

"Pretty boy, meeting me in your first match—I'm going to enjoy torturing you." Fierce God sneered.

"That depends on whether you have the ability," Di Lintian replied coldly, blocking the wolf claws with his Dragon Scale Sword.

After parrying the claws, Di Lintian tapped his toes lightly against the ground and drifted backward with ease.

This was a lesson he had summarized from observing others: when facing a soul master with such strong close-combat capabilities, one must maintain an appropriate distance. If one is already engaged in close quarters, one must quickly create space and restart the battle.

"First soul skill, Frenzy!"

The white soul ring at Fierce God's feet flashed, granting him a slight boost in speed and attack power.

No wonder this guy is so arrogant; his first soul skill is literally "Frenzy."

Having activated his first soul skill, Fierce God dropped to all fours again and rapidly closed the distance to Di Lintian.

Facing the Fierce God as he closed in once more, Di Lintian smiled slightly. He executed the Roaming Dragon Steps, retreating a single body-length, and held the Dragon Scale Sword toward the Fierce God's throat, waiting for him to collide with it.

In six years, Di Lintian had mastered several martial arts recorded in the Nine Abysses Dao Treasury and could now use them with proficiency.

The Fierce God was truly a ruthless man worthy of his ten-win streak in the Death Arena; upon seeing Di Lintian's movement, he immediately executed the optimal countermeasure.

He rolled rapidly to the right, a move that left a significant opening for Di Lintian. Had his opponent been a veteran of combat, they would have certainly seized the opportunity to land a strike upon him.

Yet, had he not dodged, his throat would surely have been pierced by that black sword.

Of two evils, choose the lesser.

Although Di Lintian lacked combat technique as a human, he did not lack combat experience. He shifted his Dragon Scale Sword from a thrust to a hack, bringing it down squarely upon the Fierce God's unprotected arm.

Di Lintian felt a pang of regret for forging the Dragon Scale Sword; he should have forged a hammer instead. Why had he been so impulsive as to forge a sword?

The Dragon Scale Sword slammed into the junction of the Fierce God's body and arm without the slightest resistance. Wherever the blade passed, the Fierce God's skin, flesh, tendons, and bones split apart upon contact.

An arm flew high into the air, and blood sprayed from the wound.

The thick scent of blood instantly permeated the air.