Facing Ma Hongjun

"Are all the students at your academy strong?"

Hearing him say they were all geniuses, Qingxi couldn't help taking an interest. It would be even better if she could test those geniuses and see what they were made of.

Yu Xiaogang clasped his hands behind his back. Seeing her interest, he raised his chin arrogantly.

"Of course. My students all have the best Soul Ring Configuration. They're training at the Soul Fighting Arena right now, and I believe it won't be long before they earn their Silver Soul Fighting Badges. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm the author of the legendary Ten Core Competitiveness Theories of Martial Souls. You may call me Grandmaster."

At the mention of this, Yu Xiaogang felt immensely proud.

"Ten Core Competitiveness Theories?" Qingxi furrowed her brow slightly. The name sounded familiar, and she quickly searched her memories.

"So it was you?" She remembered. The book she'd kicked into the Ice and Fire Spirit Pool all those years ago had been written by this guy in front of her.

If she'd had some interest in the geniuses he'd mentioned before, now all she felt was disappointment.

What kind of students could a man who wrote such a contradictory theory possibly teach?

Qingxi even suspected that his theories were either plagiarized or made up out of thin air.

If there were no useless Martial Souls, only useless Soul Masters, then why was Innate Soul Power proportional to the strength of a Martial Soul?

And why were Titled Douluo so rare?

Was it because Soul Masters were useless and didn't work hard enough?

And as for the recommended age of the best Soul Rings, Yan'er's fifth Soul Ring had come from a sixty-thousand-year-old Blazing Poison Flame Jiao. She hadn't exploded and died!

In Qingxi's view, the problem was simply that the body wasn't strong enough to withstand a Soul Ring's power. All they had to do was solve that problem.

As for producing Soul Bones, the more a Soul Beast suffered before dying, the greater the chance it would leave behind a Soul Bone. That was utter nonsense.

In Qingxi's view, if you'd already chosen to kill, why torture your victim?

Taking someone's life wasn't enough; you had to torture them, too. What a piece of trash.

This man didn't just mislead his students; he didn't know what he was talking about.

"That's right! It was me." Yu Xiaogang nodded arrogantly.

His Ten Core Competitiveness Theories had been praised and embraced by countless people across the continent, including the Spirit Hall. If he wasn't mistaken, the girl before him also had the best Soul Ring Configuration; otherwise, she couldn't possibly be so strong.

He believed that his status alone would be enough to win the girl over.

"Our academy doesn't accept just anyone. To receive an invitation from me is your—"

"Get lost!"

Before he could even say "honor," one end of the Universe Staff was already pointed at Yu Xiaogang's head. Killing intent swept over them in an instant.

A trace of astonishment crossed Yu Xiaogang's already stiff face, and a bead of cold sweat slid down his forehead.

"Look over there." Their dispute had already drawn the attention of the people nearby.

"You two, private fights are strictly prohibited in the Soul Fighting Arena's rest area. Please don't break the rules." Just then, a staff member stepped forward.

Noticing the strange looks around her, Qingxi put away the Universe Staff and walked past Yu Xiaogang toward the Sparring Area.

It was a long while before Yu Xiaogang came to his senses. Watching the girl's retreating figure, he was overcome with shame and anger. He was the illustrious Grandmaster, yet he'd been frightened by a little girl.

Qingxi drew her lot from the staff, then found a place to wait.

After a while, the host's passionate voice rang out across the arena. "For our next match, please welcome the Tool Spirit Universe Staff's 'Mingxin' and the Beast Spirit Evil Fire Phoenix! Both are twenty-eighth-level Battle Soul Masters. You should know that Universe Staff Mingxin has already won six matches in a row, while Evil Fire Phoenix is a seasoned fighter with nine consecutive victories. If he wins one more, he'll achieve a ten-match winning streak."

"Both are peerless experts. Who will emerge victorious? Let's wait and see!"

Next, a very fat man wearing mustard-yellow clothes and a green mask walked onto the Soul Fighting Stage.

"Evil Fire Phoenix is sure to win!"

"So handsome, so strong..."

"Go, Evil Fire Phoenix!"

The whole arena erupted with excitement, filled with shrieks and cheers.

After all, strength was paramount on Douluo Continent. Even though Ma Hongjun was fat and ugly, people were still captivated by the skill he displayed.

Ma Hongjun strode with his feet turned outward, somehow managing to exude an air of domineering majesty. Seeing the girls nearby shriek at him, he blew them kiss after kiss.

He knew he'd have plenty to eat again tonight.

Ever since Ma Hongjun had started competing at the Soul Fighting Arena and racking up win after win, more and more women had thrown themselves at him. Naturally, he'd accepted every one of them, and his Evil Fire had eased quite a bit these past few days.

Qingxi looked at the fat man onstage and furrowed her brow slightly. As she walked, she took a pair of black silk gloves from her Storage Bag and put them on.

When Ma Hongjun saw that his opponent was a little girl with a smiling face, he planted his hands on his hips and laughed. "Is the Great Soul Arena out of fighters? They've actually sent a little girl up here."

"Hey, you over there! Take off that mask and let me have a look. If you're pretty, maybe I'll let you off easy." Ma Hongjun rubbed his fists, his lecherous gaze sweeping over her slender waist and slightly raised chest.

Judging by her figure, she was probably quite pretty. It wasn't often he met a female Soul Fighter, and he didn't mind having some fun.

"It's Evil Fire Phoenix!"

"Evil Fire Phoenix, burn her clothes off!"

People shouted from the stands. Having watched Evil Fire Phoenix's matches, they naturally knew what he was like.

Whenever he faced a female Soul Master, he always had to tease her.

The last female Soul Master who used vines had ended up with only two scraps of cloth left on her body, giving everyone quite a view.

"You hear what the guys in the stands are saying? Do as they say, and do it nicely. Otherwise, I won't mind burning your clothes off." Ma Hongjun pointed toward the stands behind him, looking at Qingxi with ill intent.

"Enough talk." A cold glint flashed through Qingxi's eyes as she pointed the Universe Staff at Ma Hongjun.

"Both Soul Masters, get ready. Three, two, one—begin!" The host counted down.

Ma Hongjun attacked first. "Phoenix Possession!"

A purple-red heat radiated from his body, and then two Yellow Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet.

"First Soul Skill, Phoenix Fire Line!" Ma Hongjun opened his mouth and spat out a purple-red flame that stretched into a line of fire and shot toward Qingxi. The intense heat made the air ripple and warp.

"Hahahaha, look at her! She's frozen with fear!"

"This isn't a place for women. Get off the stage, female Soul Master!"

"Evil Fire Phoenix, make her run naked!"

Most of the huge crowd had come to watch Ma Hongjun, and now they were more excited than ever.

Seeing the girl standing motionless as if frozen with fear, Ma Hongjun felt a surge of smugness.

But in the next moment, her figure scattered like smoke.

"What..." The crowd stared at one another in confusion.

Ma Hongjun froze for an instant, but he reacted quickly. He was just about to pull back his stream of fire and defend himself when a cool female voice sounded beside his ear. "Where are you looking?"

"Of course I'm looking at you, pretty lady. You smell so good!" Ma Hongjun turned and swung a punch at Qingxi, releasing Phoenix Fire Line again.

At such close range, he didn't believe she could dodge it.