Challenge!

Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena, Solo Arena District.

Boom—!

Purple-red flames exploded, sending his opponent flying off the arena in a miserable heap.

A fat man wearing a dark red mask stood in the center of the arena. Phoenix wings blazed behind him, making him look like a king of fire.

With his arms folded, he swept his gaze across the surrounding audience, a sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.

"This is the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena? I'd say it's nothing special. It's not much better than Suotuo City."

Over the past few days, Ma Hongjun had relied on his Evil Fire and all sorts of underhanded tricks.

Not only had he claimed five consecutive victories, but he had also thoroughly slapped the capital's spectators in the face.

Setting his character aside, this fellow's talent and strength truly made him a genius among his peers.

But upon hearing his nearly insulting remarks, the audience immediately erupted.

"He's just some country bumpkin. If the Karma Fire Phoenix weren't absent, what chance would you have?"

"Oh? That's quite the big mouth!"

"You're already getting cocky after five wins? The Karma Fire Phoenix won fifty straight matches and wasn't as arrogant as you!"

"Fatty, you can't even reach his heels!"

Beneath his mask, Ma Hongjun's chubby face instantly flushed bright red. His tiny eyes widened as fury shot straight to his head.

"Bullshit!"

He pointed at the stands and roared, "What fucking Karma Fire Phoenix? Fat Master here is the Evil Fire Phoenix, a genuine top-tier beast martial soul! Who the hell does he think he is?"

"Aren't you all bragging about how amazing that Karma Fire Phoenix is? If you've got the guts, bring him out and let him fight Fat Master!"

"Fat Master can pin him to the ground and grind him into the dirt with one hand!"

"I'll let him know what a real phoenix is!"

The stands fell silent for a moment before even fiercer laughter erupted.

"One hand? I don't think you can even beat one of his fingers!"

"Karma Fire Phoenix! Someone wants to challenge you! Come out and entertain your guest!"

"Fatty, are you sure you're not just delivering yourself to the slaughter?"

Ma Hongjun trembled with rage, the fat all over his body shaking as he pointed at the audience and shouted, "Just wait! Fat Master will sign up to challenge him tonight! I'll show you who the real phoenix is!"

With that, ignoring the expressions of the audience, he made a thunderous leap off the arena and vanished into the contestants' passageway.

Inside the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

Ye Feng opened his eyes from meditation and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

After half a day of cultivation, his body, spirit, and energy had all reached their peak. It was time to obtain his fourth Soul Ring.

"I probably won't find a suitable soul beast in Sunset Forest. I'll have to try my luck in the Star Dou Great Forest."

"The Snow Empress's identity is somewhat sensitive, so it wouldn't be suitable for her to appear in the Star Dou Great Forest..."

Ye Feng pondered briefly, then took out a token and infused it with a trace of Soul Power.

Half an hour later, a dark green figure descended from the sky.

It was none other than Dugu Bo.

"Young Master, what are your orders?"

Ye Feng stood and stretched his limbs. "You came at just the right time, Senior. I was planning to make a trip to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for my fourth Soul Ring."

Dugu Bo raised his brows. "Young Master, your Soul Power has reached level forty? That speed... tsk, tsk. Back when I reached level forty, I was two years later than you."

"I just got lucky."

Ye Feng waved modestly.

At that moment, the cold aura around Shui Bing'er, who had been meditating with her eyes closed nearby, suddenly surged.

Ice-blue light flooded out like a tide, instantly freezing the ground within thirty feet into ice.

Ye Feng and Dugu Bo retreated at the same time, avoiding the bone-piercing chill.

"Is this... a breakthrough?" Dugu Bo stroked his beard, surprise flashing through his eyes.

Ye Feng raised a brow. Looking at the icy crystals and snowflakes swirling around Shui Bing'er, he grinned. "What timing. Better to arrive at the right moment than early."

A moment later, the ice-blue radiance abruptly contracted. Shui Bing'er slowly opened her eyes, a smile appearing on her face before she turned to look at Ye Feng.

"Um, I'm level forty too."

Ye Feng froze for a moment, then broke into a grin. "All right, all right. I'll take you with me."

Over the years, Shui Bing'er had often helped him suppress his Karma Fire, and her personality had visibly become more lively and cheerful.

"Then we'll have to trouble you, Senior."

"Hehe, it is my honor."

Dugu Bo's dark green Soul Power surged forth like a tide, gently lifting Ye Feng and Shui Bing'er.

"Let's go!"

The three soared into the air, passed through the clouds above Sunset Forest, and sped toward the Star Dou Great Forest.

A day and a night later, the three landed at the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Towering ancient trees cast dense shadows, while the air was filled with the damp scent of soil and the fresh fragrance of grass and wood.

Ye Feng rolled his shoulders, his long fiery-red hair gleaming faintly beneath the sunlight. "Senior, let's head in first. We can talk as we walk."

Dugu Bo nodded and quietly withdrew his dark green Soul Power. The three descended into the forest.

Stepping over soft fallen leaves, Shui Bing'er walked beside Ye Feng and suddenly asked, "What kind of soul beast are you planning to hunt?"

"A Blazing Flame Phoenix."

Ye Feng answered casually, brushing aside a vine blocking the path. "Around twenty thousand years old. That's just right for the age limit of my fourth Soul Ring."

"Twenty thousand years?"

Shui Bing'er's steps paused as though she were processing the information. Then she asked, "Is that kind of soul beast easy to find?"

"No."

Ye Feng sighed. "Blazing Flame Phoenixes are rare to begin with, and it has to be around twenty thousand years old. We may have to search for quite a while in the Star Dou Great Forest."

"By the way, Bing'er, what kind of soul beast are you looking for?"

Shui Bing'er thought for a moment. "I plan to find a Mystic Ice Cold Kite, around eight thousand years old."

"A Mystic Ice Cold Kite?"

Ye Feng raised his brows and stroked his chin. "That's a good choice. It's an ice-element flying soul beast and highly compatible with your martial soul."

"And an eight-thousand-year age is right at the edge of what you can endure for your fourth Soul Ring."

"Since that's the case, let's find the Mystic Ice Cold Kite first."

Generally speaking, the order for hunting Soul Rings was from easy to difficult.

Dugu Bo, who had been listening to their conversation, wore a strange expression.

One wanted a twenty-thousand-year soul beast, while the other wanted an eight-thousand-year one.

When he had been a Soul Elder, he would not have even dared to imagine such ages.

Then Dugu Bo asked tentatively, "Young Master, will you need me to act later?"

"Probably not."

Ye Feng considered it. "A twenty-thousand-year soul beast is equivalent to a human Soul King in strength, while an eight-thousand-year one should only be around the strength of a Soul Ancestor. The two of us should be able to handle them."

"Senior only needs to ensure our surroundings are safe."

He possessed Ultimate Fire, which naturally suppressed all fire-element soul beasts.

It was also a good chance to stretch his limbs.

After all, the battles at the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena had truly been rather boring.

Deep within the Star Dou Great Forest, a solitary snow peak five thousand meters high pierced the clouds.

The summit was covered in snow, and blade-like winds swept up ice crystals that filled the sky.

Ye Feng and Shui Bing'er crouched behind a massive wind-sheltered boulder, their gazes fixed on a giant ice-blue bird nearly five meters across in wingspan a hundred meters ahead.

The bird was using its sharp beak to peck through the ice, searching for moss and grass roots hidden beneath the snow. Its movements were calm, completely unaware that it was being watched.

"A Mystic Ice Cold Kite. An ice-element flying soul beast. It's extremely fast and excels at ice spikes and freezing breath."

Ye Feng lowered his voice, his eyes sharp. "It has eight thousand years of cultivation, right at the limit for a fourth Soul Ring."

Shui Bing'er nodded slightly, her ice-blue eyes fixed on the giant bird. She asked softly, "What are its weaknesses?"