The Ticket Problem for the Underground Soul Fighting Arena

"Watch closely." Kong Bo condensed a fist-sized block of ice and tossed it into the air. With a snap of his fingers, he detonated the fine soul power contained within, causing the ice to shatter instantly.

"Not bad, not bad. That is indeed how Ice Explosion works," the Snow Empress said. "I never expected you to master Ice Explosion without the soul bone of an Ice Jade Scorpion. Even among humans, your talent is truly top-tier. In all my hundreds of thousands of years, I have never seen a human like you."

Kong Bo tapped his temple. "Observation, reflection, and learning—that is what sets humans apart. Those who cannot do these things are not even worth comparing to soul beasts; they belong at the same table as wild animals and do not deserve to be called human." His words were a clear jab at Shrek Academy.

"Alright, I am moving on to the next stage of training. From now on, I will be spending my afternoons at the Underground Soul Fighting Arena in Ming Capital," Kong Bo said. "The Evil Emperor should have everything arranged on her end."

The Ming Capital Underground Soul Fighting Arena was different from the Ming Capital Grand Soul Fighting Arena. The underground venue was akin to the illegal underground fighting rings of the Douluo world. In a formal arena, killing someone would eventually lead to an investigation, but the underground arena was different; it was designed for death matches, catering specifically to the high-ranking officials and nobles who enjoyed such spectacles.

Such underground arenas existed everywhere, whether in the Douluo Three Kingdoms or the Sun Moon Empire, serving as prime revenue streams for various underground organizations. The arena in Ming Capital was located on the border between the inner and outer city, with investments from the three major factions: the native Pingfan Alliance, the Aodu Chamber of Commerce backed by the Ming Capital military, and the Xishui Alliance backed by the Holy Spirit Cult, with the Xishui Alliance holding the largest share.

Now that Kong Bo intended to frequent the underground arena, he naturally needed an identity. However, he was stumped on how to obtain one. He had considered asking the Evil Emperor to approach Xu Tianyuan—the mastermind behind the Aodu Chamber of Commerce and a representative of the Sun Moon Empire's military—to secure entry. As a significant figure in Ming Capital's upper echelons, the Evil Emperor would surely be granted a pass if she asked.

Later, Kong Bo dismissed this idea. Xu Tianyuan certainly knew that the Evil Emperor's disciple was Kong Bo. Kong Bo could not guarantee that Xu Tianyuan would keep his mouth shut; if he let it slip to Kong Deming, Kong Bo's days of freedom would be over. Thus, he had to find another way, seemingly by seeking help from within the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.

Students at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy either possessed extraordinary talent or formidable family backgrounds. Kong Bo thought about leveraging his classmates to see if any of them could ask their parents for help. He was currently enrolled at the academy, but he could take leave whenever he pleased, as Zhuang Yi and Lin Jiayi felt the academy had nothing left to teach him—he had the Evil Emperor for soul master training and Kong Deming for soul guidance technology.

Nevertheless, Kong Bo still attended school, primarily for history lessons, as he needed to understand the national situation of the Sun Moon Empire. He usually listened to Zhuang Yi's lectures and took diligent notes. After class, he sought out his classmate Wang Longqing, whose father had retired from the Imperial Dragon Soul Master Legion and was now a manager at the Aodu Chamber of Commerce.

Seeing that Zhuang Yi had left, Kong Bo approached Wang Longqing, who was currently opening his bag with Zhao Chaoyong to secretly sell contraband items to their classmates.

"Brother Longqing, I have a favor to ask," Kong Bo said.

"Oh? Brother Kong Bo, you need something from me?" Wang Longqing replied. "Just tell us both whatever it is."

Kong Bo shook his head. "Brother Longqing, come with me. I can only ask you this."

He pulled Wang Longqing aside and cast a sound-insulation barrier with his martial soul.

"Brother, this is something only I can help with? Can't even Zhao Chaoyong hear it?" Wang Longqing asked.

"Brother Longqing, I heard your father works at the Aodu Chamber of Commerce? And he's a manager, right?" Kong Bo asked.

"Yeah, that's right. What, do you need me to bring you something?" Wang Longqing asked.

"It's like this: I want an entry card for the Underground Soul Fighting Arena," Kong Bo said. These cards allowed for both participation and spectating, though the nobles of Ming Capital would never actually step into the ring themselves.

"Brother, don't try to get me killed," Wang Longqing's expression changed the moment he heard the request. "My old man would never let me touch those. He keeps those access cards on his person at all times, terrified I'd sell them to the well-connected students at school—like you, for instance."

Wang Longqing emphasized the last part, "Yes, especially you, Brother. My father specifically warned me about you."

"Me?" Kong Bo looked surprised. "What does that have to do with me?"

Wang Longqing mimicked his father's tone to show him. "Brother Kong Bo, let me tell you exactly what my old man said. 'Longqing, is Elder Kong's great-grandson in your class? Oh? How is his strength? Is he talented? Are you close with him? Longqing, I have to keep the underground arena tickets under lock and key. Kong Bo is so talented that if he just sits there watching, he'll definitely end up in the ring. If anything happens to him and Elder Kong blames us, our family won't be able to bear the consequences.'"

"..." It had to be said that Wang Longqing's father had a sharp eye for people. A young genius like Kong Bo was restless by nature. Having considered this, Wang Longqing had taken all the arena cards from his home, fearing his son would steal one for Kong Bo.

"Alright, Brother Longqing, I understand," Kong Bo sighed helplessly. "I just wanted to go and take a look. Since you can't get one, then forget it. And if you don't have one, no one else will."

Since Wang Longqing was the wealthiest student in their class besides Kong Bo, it meant his father had the most connections. If Wang Longqing couldn't find a way, no one else in the class would. As for the Hongchen siblings, that was out of the question; if Jing Hongchen found out Kong Bo wanted to go to the underground arena, he would report it to Kong Deming immediately.

Sigh, forget it. I might as well have the Evil Emperor ask Xu Tianyuan. If I don't say it's for me, I can say it's for Gu Long'er, Kong Bo thought.

After the history lesson, Kong Bo decided there was no point in staying for the practical combat class. He left the classroom, intending to find the Evil Emperor and have her secure a pass for the Underground Soul Fighting Arena from Xu Tianyuan.