When I Show My Soul Rings, Won't You Explode?

That night, Lin Yichen tossed and turned.

Hu Liena stubbornly stayed by his side, claiming she was "afraid someone else would snatch him away."

Lin Yichen could do nothing about it. But should he admit his relationships with other girls to her? How would she react then?

Then he would have no idea how she ought to reward him.

At last, when the moon hung high in the sky, Lin Yichen calmed down in Hu Liena's embrace and fell deeply asleep.

The next morning, Lin Yichen was groggily dragged out of bed by Hu Liena.

She said they needed to seize the best mounts.

Heaven Dou Royal Academy's mount grounds were located halfway up the mountain.

More precisely, several of the academy's higher-ups had tamed a few hundred-year and even thousand-year soul beasts and turned the place into a beast-training ground.

When students reached the level where they could obtain soul rings, they would take them if suitable ones were available. If not, they would head out to search elsewhere.

For the rest of the time, the beasts served as mounts.

This was humanity squeezing the living space out of soul beasts.

Lin Yichen hated that most of all.

Lin Yichen looked around, his gaze settling on a massive wolf covered in black fur.

The wolf lay in an iron enclosure at the farthest corner of the beast-training grounds, utterly uninterested in everything around it.

Lin Yichen chose the wolf because his left arm bone seemed to be connected to it.

Maybe it could give him a little extra speed?

The moment the thought occurred to him, he acted on it.

Ignoring everyone's attempts to dissuade him, Lin Yichen walked straight toward that gray wolf.

He stroked its head with his left hand, and it strangely submitted to him.

Sure enough, wolf-type soul bones suppressed ordinary wolves.

Before long, everyone had chosen their mounts.

The group set off in grand procession toward the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena.

Royal soldiers cleared the way, while the leaders of the various academies escorted them.

Pedestrians along the road all kept their distance, hiding in shops or their homes as they discussed the matter.

"It seems the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena has been booked out by the royals all week. If ordinary people want to go in and watch a match, the admission fee is ten gold soul coins!"

"That expensive? Isn't that robbery?"

"No, no. I heard that once you pay the ten gold soul coin admission fee, ordinary people can live comfortably for that entire week.

"Not only can they share in the royal cuisine, but Heaven Dou City's exclusive drink, Honey Snow Ice City, is free to drink too."

The people inside chatted in bits and pieces, apparently paying special attention to this tournament.

And at a time like this, the storytellers found in every district had to make an appearance.

The teahouse owners pooled their money to send them to watch the matches. They would recount everything vividly, boosting their teahouses' profits while letting the storytellers make a fortune.

A win-win situation.

At around eight in the morning, everyone entered the Great Spirit Arena.

Lin Yichen's first impression was that it was enormous, many times larger than the Soto Great Spirit Arena.

Each team headed backstage to draw lots.

What Lin Yichen had not expected was that Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo had already been waiting there for quite some time.

Chrysanthemum Douluo looked lazy as he yawned, clearly having just woken up.

"The drawing will determine the match order. With seven teams, one team is guaranteed a bye.

"If we get the bye in the first round, that's perfect. You can rest for a while.

"If we don't get the bye, that's even better. We'll establish our dominance right after the first match."

Before Chrysanthemum Douluo could finish speaking, a knock interrupted him.

"Young master, Xiao Rou brought you milk tea..."

Everyone: "..."

Thus, one more person and more than ten cups of milk tea were added to the room.

"To make this format more interesting, Meng Shenji just gave me a report."

Chrysanthemum Douluo opened the report, and the corner of his lips curled up.

"One-on-one, two-two-three, and seven-person team battles.

"Team battles are worth five points. A one-on-one victory earns one point, while a two-two-three victory earns two points. The highest score counts. Standard competitive battles.

"They say the top four will be selected by total points.

"And so on, until the champion is ultimately chosen."

Chrysanthemum Douluo closed the report, his tone suddenly turning serious.

"I have one requirement for you. If we don't get a bye in the first match, end the battle within thirty seconds."

Lin Yichen looked completely confident.

Thirty seconds?

That would be enough!

Ding dong!

Someone knocked, and an attendant delivered the drawing sheet.

"Please have a representative from Spirit Hall draw lots."

Lin Yichen stepped forward, reached into the box, and casually grabbed one.

Number two.

They had not gotten a bye, which meant they would have to fight for a full minute.

A whole minute.

Only after a long while did the display screen finally reveal the matchups.

With a quick glance, Lin Yichen saw that Spirit Hall would be facing Elephant Armor Academy.

A bunch of meat shields?

On the other side, Dugu Yan had drawn number three. Her opponent was Blazing Fire Academy.

She breathed a sigh of relief. At least she would not run into Lin Yichen in the first round.

But when she looked back at Yu Tianheng, whose face was still ashen, she felt she might have relaxed too soon.

"Yan, the captain's still sulking. How many seconds do you think those people from Blazing Fire Academy can last?"

Ye Lingling's voice sounded by her ear.

"We only have two matches this morning. Ours is the second, while Spirit Hall's is the first. We can watch your idol just in time."

"You're awful!"

In Heavenly Water Academy's rest area, Shui Bing'er also breathed a sigh of relief.

She had drawn number five, meaning her match was tomorrow.

So she could play to her heart's content today without any worries.

Chrysanthemum Douluo's voice rang out in the lounge.

"Alright, now that everyone's here, head to the waiting area. We'll talk after the first match."

Everyone rose to their feet. Lin Yichen walked last and casually picked up a cup of the milk tea Xiao Rou had brought, taking a sip.

It was the cup with something extra in it—slightly sweet and ice-cold.

The first event was one-on-one. Spirit Hall naturally sent Lin Yichen out to make a show of strength.

"Lin Yichen, before we came, His Holiness the Pope asked me to pass along a message. For the first round, His Holiness has given you one task: one opponent every ten seconds."

Lin Yichen's heart skipped a beat.

Ten seconds?

That should be enough, right?

After all, the opponents would be at most in their thirties or forties.

But he did not dwell on it and strode toward the arena.

The people seated below were all nobles, each one fat and round-faced.

But this time, the referee was Meng Shenji. He was quite impartial... wasn't he?

"Distinguished guests, welcome to the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena!"

Thunderous applause and cheers surged through the venue, mixed with all kinds of discussion and cries from private gamblers.

Colorful flags waved across the stands.

"Today's first match will be between our specially invited guests, Spirit Hall Academy, and Elephant Armor Academy of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Alliance!"

"Spirit Hall Academy! Spirit Hall!"

"Go, Elephant Armor! Show Spirit Hall the backbone of Heaven Dou!"

Five people sat in the viewing stands.

They were Elephant Armor Academy's dean, Hu Yanzhen; Prince Xue Xing; the Crown Prince; Emperor Xue Ye; and Dugu Bo.

"Your Majesty, Elephant Armor Academy will show Spirit Hall the strength of Heaven Dou!"

Emperor Xue Ye slowly nodded, smiling kindly.

Lin Yichen looked over the roster across from him.

Hu Yan...

A strength that could pull up mountains, a might that could overwhelm the world.

"Contestants from both sides, please take the stage!"

Lin Yichen stepped onto the arena. His opponent was Hu Yanshan, amid a continuous stream of jeers.

"Oh? Spirit Hall is sending out its captain right from the start?"

Lin Yichen said nothing, maintaining only a "kind" smile.

It made Hu Yanshan's face alternately pale and flushed.

"Contestants from both sides, release your martial souls!"

Hu Yanshan instantly merged with his Diamond Mammoth. Three soul rings—two yellow and one purple—slowly revolved around his body.

"Come on, let me see what you've got. Can you break through my Diamond Mammoth?"

Lin Yichen still said nothing. He merely spread his hands, looking as though he were bathing in moonlight.

Six soul rings slowly pulsed around his body...