The Shameless Ma Hongjun!

"Yeah, so what if it is!"

Ma Hongjun craned his neck, forcing himself to look tough. "Fat Master always keeps his word! You... you stop putting on that mysterious act!"

"Oh."

Ye Feng nodded and flicked his hand.

That wisp of reddish-gold flame drifted out and landed on the edge of the arena.

"Sizzle—!"

A soft sound rang out.

The metal railing at the edge of the arena, reinforced by a soul tool formation, instantly melted into a fist-sized gap upon contact with the flame.

Molten iron flowed down the edge and dripped onto the ground with sizzling sounds.

The entire Soul Fighting Arena fell silent.

The color drained from Ma Hongjun's chubby face at a visible speed.

He looked at the still-smoking gap, then at the wisp of flame that had reignited on Ye Feng's fingertip. His Adam's apple bobbed.

"You... what kind of monster are you?"

Ye Feng chuckled and slowly stepped onto the arena. "Me? I'm the cowardly turtle and the grass chicken you were talking about."

"Well? Now that you've seen me, aren't you going to say hello?"

Ma Hongjun's mouth twitched, and he instinctively took another half-step back.

He suddenly felt that he might truly have kicked an iron plate today.

No, not an iron plate—a steel plate.

The kind covered in spikes.

After two seconds of silence, the spectator stands erupted in thunderous laughter.

"Hahaha! Fatty, weren't you acting all cocky just now?"

"I'm dying! You said you'd rub him into the ground with one hand. Why are you chickening out now?"

"Karma Fire Phoenix! Teach that fat bastard who doesn't know his place a lesson!"

Listening to the jeers around him, Ma Hongjun's chubby face flushed crimson, and a flash of malice passed through his tiny eyes.

He took a deep breath, then gritted his teeth. "Referee! I challenge the Karma Fire Phoenix!"

The referee was a middle-aged soul master. He nodded at this and stepped onto the arena, motioning for the two to take their positions.

Once the two were standing in place, just as the referee was about to announce the start, a glint flashed through Ma Hongjun's eyes, and he suddenly kicked off the ground.

His bloated body actually burst forth with astonishing speed as he lunged straight at Ye Feng.

"First Soul Skill—Phoenix Fire Line!"

A purplish-red pillar of fire erupted with a whoosh, blasting straight at Ye Feng's face.

The spectator stands instantly exploded.

"Holy shit! A sneak attack?"

"This fatty is way too shameless!"

"The referee hasn't even announced the start! That's a foul!"

"Disgusting! Fucking disgusting!"

At that moment, an incongruous voice rang out.

"How can they not fight?"

Leaning against the wall with his arms folded, Dai Mubai spoke lazily. "In Suotuo City, as long as a soul master steps onto the arena, they can fight at any time. Besides, this is also a kind of tactic."

The spectator stands fell silent for a moment.

Then even fiercer curses erupted.

"Are you another idiot the fatty hired?"

"Tactics? A sneak attack counts as tactics? Then taking a shit counts as tactics too!"

"Are all people from Suotuo City this shameless?"

"No wonder they say birds of a feather flock together!"

On the arena.

Ma Hongjun turned a deaf ear, his chubby face full of a vicious grin.

Karma Fire Phoenix or not, he would take a hard hit first!

Yet the next second, the smile on his face froze.

Half a foot from Ye Feng's face, the purplish-red pillar of flame seemed to crash into an invisible wall and abruptly split to either side.

It brushed past Ye Feng's body and slammed into the arena behind him, leaving behind a charred black mark.

"...That's it?"

Ye Feng tilted his head, his tone carrying a hint of disappointment. "I thought your sneak attack would have more power than that."

Ma Hongjun's mouth twitched. A flicker of panic flashed through his tiny eyes, but his words remained defiant.

"C-Cut the crap! Fat Master was only warming up!"

"Warming up?"

Ye Feng chuckled, raising his hand as the reddish-gold flame danced on his fingertip. "Then I'll warm up too."

Before his voice faded, he lightly flicked his index finger.

The flame shot out, drawing a slender golden line through the air as it flew straight at Ma Hongjun's face.

Ma Hongjun's pupils constricted. He instinctively activated his second Soul Skill. "Phoenix Roaring Sky Strike!"

His bloated body suddenly leaped into the air, and purplish-red flames condensed into a pair of wings behind him.

Like a miniature flaming missile, he crashed viciously toward that wisp of flame.

"Boom!"

The instant the purplish-red flames collided with the reddish-gold flame, a dull boom rang out.

Ma Hongjun only felt a terrifying wave of heat rush at him. It was as though he had slammed into a red-hot iron wall, and he was sent flying backward, crashing heavily at the edge of the arena. He rolled twice before stopping.

He struggled to his feet and looked up, only to freeze.

That wisp of reddish-gold flame was still floating in midair, without even changing shape.

"H-How is this possible?!"

Ma Hongjun's voice trembled.

He was a Soul Elder, yet he could not even destroy a single wisp of flame!?

If word got out, the reputation of his Evil Fire Phoenix would be utterly ruined!

Ye Feng stood casually in the center of the arena. "What, you're scared already? Didn't you say you'd rub me into the ground with one hand?"

Ma Hongjun's face turned bright red. He suddenly gritted his teeth as the purplish-red flames around him surged again, and all three Soul Rings around his body lit up.

"Third Soul Skill—Phoenix Wings Soaring!"

The wings behind him spread open with a snap, purplish-red flames burning wildly as his entire body transformed into a flaming meteor and dived toward Ye Feng.

Watching him charge over, Ye Feng chuckled and raised his right hand. He pressed his index and middle fingers together and lightly pointed forward.

"Hellfire Meteor."

A cluster of reddish-gold fireballs, about the size of a fist, flew from his fingertips. It was not fast—one could even say it drifted along leisurely.

Seeing this, delight flashed through Ma Hongjun's eyes. Thinking Ye Feng's Soul Skill was only this powerful, he immediately poured all his Soul Power into his wings and accelerated toward the fireball.

"Break for Fat Master—!"

The next second, he crashed into the fireball.

Then he flew away.

At an even faster speed than when he came.

Like a ball struck away, Ma Hongjun slammed into the railing at the edge of the arena with a thud, then bounced back.

He rolled seven or eight times across the ground before finally landing flat on his back, limbs sprawled wide, while the purplish-red flames completely went out.

He coughed twice and spat out a mouthful of black smoke, his tiny eyes filled with confusion.

He had lost—completely and utterly.

Ma Hongjun opened his mouth, wanting to say something, only to realize that his entire body was trembling.

Not from fear, but from the instinctive reaction of having his flames suppressed.

His Evil Fire Phoenix did not even have the courage to resist before Ye Feng's Karma Fire.

The spectator stands erupted in deafening laughter.

"Hahaha! Weren't you acting all cocky just now? Why are you lying down now?"

"Evil Fire Phoenix? More like Evil Fire Grass Chicken!"

"Karma Fire Phoenix! Karma Fire Phoenix!"

Seeing this, the referee stepped onto the arena, cleared his throat, and raised his right hand. "The winner of this match, Karma Fire Phoenix..."

At that moment, a flash of malice passed through Ma Hongjun's eyes as he lay on the ground.

He suddenly bit the tip of his tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood essence, which turned into a bloody mist and fused into his body.

The purplish-red flames instantly surged, but instead of spreading outward, they compressed inward frantically, condensing into a flame only as thick as a finger, yet so scorching it was nearly black.

"Die!"