The Grand Soul Arena, the Mysterious Masked Man

Several days later, the three of them returned to Dragon City and checked into the same inn again.

After a brief day of rest, the following evening—

After dinner, Shui Qinghan brought Jiang Lan and Shui Bing'er to the entrance of Dragon City's Grand Soul Arena.

As a fortress city on the northern frontier, Dragon City naturally qualified as a main city. It was hardly surprising for it to have a Grand Soul Arena.

"Lan'er, Bing'er, you are both now two-ring Grand Soul Masters. You barely meet the minimum requirements to participate in soul fights. Therefore, for the next period of time, the two of you must take part in one one-on-one match and one two-on-two match every day. Actual combat will allow you to quickly familiarize yourselves with and master your newly acquired soul skills," Shui Qinghan said calmly as she came to a stop.

"You cannot become strong by shutting yourself away."

"Teacher, isn't this a little too early?" Jiang Lan asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, wouldn't it be better to wait until Mom breaks through to Titled Douluo?" Shui Bing'er nodded in agreement.

If their soul ring configurations were exposed, the secret method of absorbing soul rings beyond their limits would inevitably attract the covetous attention of countless factions.

Only once Shui Qinghan became a Titled Douluo would she be able to suppress those petty schemers with ill intentions.

Even powerful forces such as Spirit Hall and the Upper Three Sects would have to sit down and negotiate amicably instead of daring to resort to force.

After all, no faction wanted to face a Titled Douluo willing to fight to the death.

"There's no need to worry. The academy has already bought up nearly all the Whale Glue on the market. Even if the secret of Whale Glue is exposed, it won't matter. We can even use that secret to earn some resources for you," Shui Qinghan said with a soft laugh, raising a hand to rub their heads.

"Besides, I've prepared things to conceal your identities. Those major factions may not be able to find us anytime soon."

As she spoke, Shui Qinghan took out two masks and black robes from her storage soul tool and handed them to Jiang Lan and Shui Bing'er.

Jiang Lan accepted the mask and black robe Shui Qinghan handed him. The mask was a black smiling human face that concealed the entire face. The robe was extremely loose and came with a hood; once worn, it would be difficult to discern one's build or gender.

"You'll have to handle the soul fight registration yourselves," Shui Qinghan said.

"Yes, Teacher (Mom)~" the two replied. They put on their masks, donned their black robes, and entered the Grand Soul Arena.

"I'd like to register for soul fights." Jiang Lan walked up to the counter, placed twenty gold soul coins on it, deliberately lowered his voice, and spoke.

"Certainly. Please fill out these forms, you two." Seeing Jiang Lan and Shui Bing'er in black robes and masks, the receptionist was unsurprised. She took out two forms and handed them over.

Jiang Lan picked up one of the forms and gave it a quick glance. It required information such as name, age, birthplace, and martial soul.

"Can I use an alias for my name?" Jiang Lan asked in a lowered voice.

"Yes."

Jiang Lan nodded slightly, glanced at his attire, then swept his pen across the page and wrote five words: "Mysterious Masked Man."

For his age and birthplace, Jiang Lan casually wrote twelve and Dragon City.

As for the martial soul section, Jiang Lan did not write something random. Instead, he wrote the name of his martial soul—Lord of Tides.

Nobody would recognize it anyway.

Shui Bing'er glanced at the form Jiang Lan had filled out and followed his example, writing her alias—Ice Phoenix.

For her age and birthplace, she also wrote twelve and Dragon City, just like Jiang Lan.

As for the martial soul section, Shui Bing'er wrote Ice Luan.

The receptionist collected the forms, then took out a white crystal. "Please test your soul power," she said.

Jiang Lan nodded, raised his hand, placed it on the soul power testing crystal, and infused it with soul power.

In an instant, the white crystal shone as brilliantly as a diamond. Intense light filled nearly ninety percent of the crystal.

"Soul power, rank twenty-six." The receptionist recorded his soul power rank.

After testing his soul power, Jiang Lan tossed the crystal to Shui Bing'er beside him.

Shui Bing'er caught the soul power testing crystal and poured her soul power into it.

The white crystal immediately lit up with a bright white glow, filling eighty percent of its interior.

"Soul power, rank twenty-four." After recording Shui Bing'er's soul power rank, the receptionist took out two iron soul fight badges and handed them to the pair. "Please keep your soul fight badges safe. If you lose them, you will need to register again."

After saying that, the receptionist asked in a businesslike tone:

"Would you two like to register for a standard match or a death match?"

"A standard match."

"Very well. Please proceed to the waiting area and wait for a moment. The Grand Soul Arena will match you with opponents of comparable strength," the receptionist said.

After leaving the one-on-one soul fight area, Jiang Lan brought Shui Bing'er to the two-on-two soul fight area to register.

"The registration fee is ten gold soul coins. For each victory, the two of you will receive a total of ten gold soul coins," the receptionist said.

Jiang Lan took out ten gold soul coins and placed them on the counter.

After accepting the registration fee, the receptionist continued, "Please choose a name for your team."

"Let's call it Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix," Jiang Lan said after giving it some thought.

Jiang Lan had originally intended to call it Crouching Dragon and Young Phoenix, but due to internet culture, that phrase had come to carry a seemingly complimentary yet actually mocking meaning.

If he used that name, it felt like he was insulting himself, so he simply changed it to Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix.

Fun fact: Crouching Dragon and Young Phoenix was not an idiom, merely an internet buzzword. Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix was the actual idiom.

"Very well, the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix team has been registered." As she spoke, the receptionist took their iron soul fight badges and used a soul tool to engrave the words "Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Team" onto them.

"Would you two like to register for a standard match or a death match?" the receptionist asked after returning their iron soul fight badges.

"A standard match."

"Very well. Please proceed to the waiting area and wait for a moment."

After the two took their iron soul fight badges and left, Shui Bing'er reached out to tug on Jiang Lan's sleeve and asked:

"Little Junior Brother, what does Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix mean?"

"Hidden Dragon refers to a dragon lying in wait, while Young Phoenix refers to a juvenile phoenix," Jiang Lan explained.

"So that's what it means. It's very fitting," Shui Bing'er said with a smile.

Chatting and laughing, the two arrived at the waiting area.

The moment Jiang Lan and Shui Bing'er entered the waiting area, they immediately drew the attention of the other soul masters.

It could not be helped. Their masks and black robes made them far too conspicuous.

However, those soul masters merely gave them a few extra looks before turning away.

Some soul masters participating in soul fights did not wish to expose their identities or martial souls, so concealing their identities was perfectly normal.

After entering the waiting area, the two did not continue talking.

Before long, the voice of a Grand Soul Arena staff member came through the soul tool broadcast in the waiting area.

"Iron Soul Fight Ice Phoenix, please proceed to Division Eleven Arena for your match!"