Soul Fighting

"Little sister, is this your first time at the Fighting Arena? Would you like to play a round?"

"How do I play?" Qingxi looked at the staff member before her with interest.

The woman covered her mouth and chuckled. Judging by her attire, she was likely some young miss who had run away from home; it would be a waste not to fleece such a fat sheep.

"Follow me." With elegant steps, she led Qingxi to the betting counter.

A male staff member wearing nearsighted glasses was hunched over, tallying the gambling funds on the table.

"The ones appearing shortly are the Iron Fighting Arena's Mad Battle Team and the Leopard Battle Team. The Mad Battle Team is a regular at our arena and has already accumulated two consecutive victories. If you're interested, little sister, you could place a small bet," the woman said with a polite smile.

Qingxi looked at the odds displayed on the board. There were a great many people betting on the Mad Battle Team, while the odds for the Leopard Battle Team were as high as four to one.

"One thousand. Bet on them." She pulled a bag of Gold Soul Coins from her Storage Bag, tossed it onto the table, and pointed at the Leopard Battle Team, which had the highest odds.

As the saying goes, wealth is sought in danger!

"One moment!" The woman's face blossomed into a smile. She prepared the betting slip for Qingxi and handed it to her. "If you win later, you can present this item here to collect your winnings."

She nodded, took the small tag, and returned to the arena's spectator stands.

What followed was an exciting and stimulating fighting match. Amidst the cheers and applause of the crowd, the Mad Battle Team secured their third consecutive victory.

Qingxi shook her head in disappointment. "Too weak."

They were basically all ten-year spirit rings and hundred-year spirit rings...

A thousand-year spirit ring only appeared occasionally on those above level thirty, and as for the so-called top-tier spirit ring configuration, she hadn't seen it once, except for the Spider Woman from the Mad Battle Team.

"Weak? Little sister, you don't understand. They are Spirit Masters! And they're level thirty-something Spirit Elders! People like us can only look up to them," a young man nearby couldn't help but retort when he heard her.

For commoners like them, just being able to see Spirit Masters was enough to satisfy their vanity; how could they dare to speak rudely?

"If you've got the skill, why don't you go up there! The Spider Woman is so beautiful." After the man finished speaking, his eyes sparkled as he stared at the scantily clad, heavily made-up Spider Woman Spirit Master below.

"I'll take your word for it." Qingxi's eyes flickered, and she rose to leave her seat.

After watching for so long, her hands were indeed itching.

She reached into her Storage Bag, took out a white smiley-face mask, put it on, and then went to the registration desk, where she paid ten Gold Soul Coins to receive a form.

Qingxi filled out the form, handed it to the staff member, and then underwent a spirit power test to confirm her rank.

"I want to participate in a death match!"

"Mingxin, is it? You want to participate in a death match?" The staff member looked at the fledgling young Spirit Master before him with some surprise, though his gaze turned to suppressed laughter when it landed on her mask.

"Yes! A death match." Only when facing life and death would one hold nothing back.

"One moment. You are assigned to the District Sixteen Death Match District arena. You can go over there to draw lots and prepare." The staff member glanced at her mask with some surprise, then suppressed his amusement and handed her the lowest-ranking Iron Soul Fighting Badge.

"Many thanks!" Qingxi offered her thanks and walked toward District Sixteen.

Not long after she left, three women and four men arrived at the registration desk together. They were dressed in poop-yellow uniforms with a sticky-looking green monster pattern on their backs, and they wore deep green masks on their faces.

Behind them stood three middle-aged men dressed in various styles. On the left was a burly man with well-developed muscles, though he wasn't very tall. In the middle was a man with salt-and-pepper hair wearing gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes revealing a hint of greed. The one on the right had a buzz cut and stiff facial muscles; if not for his lack of a smile, one might even find him sleazy.

These three were clearly their teachers.

"Wow! So hot!" Among the seven, the fat, short boy had evil light in his eyes as he glanced back and forth at the women passing by.

Indeed, this person was none other than Ma Hongjun, whose face had been beaten swollen earlier, though it was clear he hadn't learned his lesson.

"Hey! We want to register!" Xiao Wu, who wore a pink ponytail, knocked on the table with an arrogant yet innocently girlish demeanor.

"One moment." The staff member registered their information.

Xiao Wu took the badge, looked at it, and then hooked her arm around the boy beside her, shaking it coquettishly. "Third Brother, we're all in District Thirteen. If we run into each other, you have to go easy on me."

"Xiao Wu and Third Brother have such a good relationship." Beside Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, with her long hair draped over her shoulders, covered her mouth and chuckled.

"Don't worry, we'll draw lots separately later, so we won't run into each other." Tang San gently ruffled Xiao Wu's hair, his eyes revealing a sentiment that didn't seem like that of a brother.

"Alright, let's go. The fighting match is about to start." Dai Mubai coughed twice. Seeing the two of them being so affectionate, his gaze couldn't help but fall on Zhu Zhuqing nearby.

Zhu Zhuqing was as cold as ever. Dai Mubai secretly vowed to himself that he would conquer this woman sooner or later!

The group nodded. Xiao Wu turned back to make a face at the staff member before skipping away.

On the other side, Qingxi arrived at the District Sixteen Death Match arena. At this moment, the fighting match had already reached its third round, and dried blood still stained the massive stage. Even though it was a sub-arena, the area was still quite large, yet only about a quarter of the seats were filled. Despite this, the cheers and shouts were constant.

Compared to sparring matches, death matches were more attractive to the public; cruel battles accompanied by the blood and fall of Spirit Masters.

Qingxi drew her lot from the staff member—it was the sixth match—and found a seat in the viewing area.

The comical white smiley-face mask drew the attention of those around her from time to time.

"This person is so strange..."

"Squinty eyes—either a pervert or sick."

Whispers drifted around her, but Qingxi didn't care in the slightest, watching the battle below with composure.

To be honest, at this level, she could win quite easily even without using any spirit skills.

On the fighting stage, a young woman in a short skirt hovered in mid-air, her voice sweet. "Next, we will conduct the fourth 1v1 match of our District Thirteen Fighting Arena. Appearing will be two Great Spirit Masters. They are Jiang Bei, a level twenty-eight Battle Spirit Master who possesses the Tool Spirit Dagger, and Lu He, a level twenty-nine Battle Spirit Master who possesses the Beast Spirit Mantis..."

Accompanied by the host's introduction, the two male Spirit Masters walked into the arena from the passages on either side of the stage, immediately revealing their spirit rings—one white and one yellow each.

The thin, middle-aged man's gaze was sinister. A dagger appeared in his hand, still stained with wet blood. He licked the blade with a hint of bloodlust, his eyes fixed on the Beast Soul Master opposite him.

As the host counted down, the battle was on the verge of breaking out. Blood splattered across the stage; with their lives on the line, both men fought with everything they had. Unlike the usual brutal soul duels, the audience below grew increasingly agitated, their eyes bloodshot as they screamed with fervor.

"Kill him! Lu He!"

"Kill! Kill..."

When the blade sliced across the Mantis Soul Master's neck and blood sprayed everywhere, the crowd fell silent for a heartbeat before erupting into even louder cheers.

Qingxi watched two matches with boredom before rising to head toward the backstage area.

"Coming up next is..."

Hearing her name, she walked onto the soul fighting stage in a few strides. Her opponent was a burly, hulking man with massive, exposed muscles and a hideous, horizontal scar across his chest, radiating a murderous aura.

"A little girl? Hahaha..." Seeing his opponent, the burly man couldn't help but laugh, pointing his giant axe at Qingxi. "Little sister, this isn't a place for children like you. Oh, wearing a mask, too? Take it off and let brother have a look; maybe I'll spare your life."

"Mad Axe, tear her apart..."

A white mask concealed the young girl's features, bearing a comical smiling face that revealed only a pair of clear, black-and-white eyes.

"Please!" She held the Universe Staff behind her back and raised a hand in a gesture of invitation.

"Such an arrogant little girl, is she looking down on Mad Axe..."

"Ignorant brat, don't come crying to me after I beat you!" With a roar, Mad Axe charged toward Qingxi, brandishing his giant axe. A white and a yellow soul ring pulsed around him. "Second Soul Skill: Mountain Splitting Slash!"