Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena

Zhang Fei nodded repeatedly, already growing excited.

Of course, he knew what a Great Spirit Arena was.

It was a practical combat platform jointly established by the seven most prestigious spirit master families across the continent. Nearly every major city had one.

After registering, spirit masters could accumulate points through one-on-one, two-on-two, or even team spirit battles, earn gold spirit coins, and receive the corresponding badges.

There were eight badge ranks in total. From lowest to highest, they were: iron, bronze, silver, gold, purple gold, sapphire, ruby, and diamond.

Based on the nature and rules of the match, spirit battles were mainly divided into three types: sparring matches, death matches, and wagering matches.

The most common were sparring matches, which focused on exchanging techniques. Fighters stopped at the proper point, killing was forbidden, and the goal was to improve real combat experience.

Spirit masters like Zhang Fei, who fought to train themselves, generally took part in sparring matches.

"When are we going?" Zhang Fei was eager to try, his eyes shining.

"Finish this morning's training first. This afternoon, go register and sign up yourself. This won't be over until you earn a gold spirit battle badge."

"Got it!" Without another word, Zhang Fei turned and hefted the stone lock from the ground onto his shoulder.

Strangely enough, the stone that had just made his shoulders ache now seemed a little lighter.

He took a deep breath, straightened his back, and steadily raised the stone lock over his head, pouring all his excitement into his arms.

Honestly, Zhang Fei had wanted a different opponent for a long time.

Training against She Long and Porcupinefish, two Title Douluo, every day was called sparring, but it was really just getting beaten up.

Zhang Fei was always defending, dodging, getting hit, climbing back up, then getting hit again.

Constantly facing the overwhelming pressure of Title Douluo-level opponents, battles with no hope of victory from beginning to end had left him despairing of winning. It truly wore down his spirit; even his fighting resolve was close to shattering.

Honestly, Zhang Fei did not even know what level he stood at among those of the same rank. He could not wait to test his mettle.

As soon as training ended, Zhang Fei took a quick shower, changed into a clean, fitted set of black clothes, and rushed out of the Crown Prince's Residence.

The afternoon sun was just right, and the central streets of Heaven Dou City were packed with people.

Zhang Fei walked briskly. After crossing two long streets, a magnificent, suffocatingly imposing building appeared before him.

Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena.

It stood in the most prosperous central district of Heaven Dou City, occupying an enormous area. Its shape resembled an ancient beast lying prone, with a rounded dome built from bluish-gray boulders and an archway dozens of meters high opening across its front.

Carriages and people crowded the entrance, creating a lively scene.

There were noble spirit masters dressed in luxurious clothes and surrounded by attendants, solitary travelers radiating murderous intent, and even quite a few academy students wearing matching uniforms.

Zhang Fei looked up at the building, and his heart began to race on its own.

This was the world of spirit masters.

He took a deep breath and walked inside.

The hall was brightly lit and buzzing with noise.

A long row of reception counters stood directly ahead. Behind them hung a huge crystal screen displaying the day's spirit battle matchups, betting odds, and introductions to popular contestants. Lines of densely packed text scrolled past, dazzling the eye.

Zhang Fei walked to a counter with fewer people.

A young female attendant sat behind it. She was pretty and wore a professional smile. "Hello. How may I help you?"

"I want to register for spirit battles."

"Certainly. Please provide your martial soul, age, and spirit power rank, then pay the ten gold spirit coin registration fee."

Zhang Fei thought it over. His identity and age were already common knowledge in noble circles, so there was no need to hide them. "Martial soul: Golden Dragon. Nine years old. Rank 22 assault-type battle spirit master."

He was actually only eight and a half. Rounding up was not too much, right?

Even so, the attendant's smile froze when she heard him. Her fingers holding the pen trembled slightly. "Y-you said what? Nine years old? Rank 22?"

Her voice rose involuntarily, drawing glances from people at several nearby counters.

"What, is there a problem?" Zhang Fei raised a brow, pulled out the black card Ning Fengzhi had given him, and slapped it onto the counter. "Ten gold spirit coins. Charge it to the card."

The attendant came back to her senses and hurriedly waved her hands. "N-no, no problem. It's just... please wait a moment!"

She swallowed, lowered her head, and registered his information at top speed, her pen scratching across the paper.

"Please provide your spirit battle alias."

Zhang Fei pondered for a moment, a curve lifting at the corner of his lips.

"Dragon Travels the World."

"Very well, Mr. Dragon Travels the World. This is your badge. Since this is your first spirit battle, your badge rank is the initial iron spirit battle badge. Please keep it safe." The attendant took out an iron badge the size of his palm and handed it over.

Zhang Fei reached out and accepted it. The badge was iron-gray, with a complex pattern engraved on the front and a string of numbers on the back.

The attendant asked, "Would you like to sign up for a spirit battle today?"

"Sign me up directly for a one-on-one sparring match."

"Certainly, you have been registered. You may wait in the contestant lounge for notification. It is estimated that your match will begin within half an hour."

Zhang Fei nodded, stored the iron badge in his storage ring, and headed toward the contestant lounge.

The contestant lounge was a circular hall lined with seats, filled with spirit masters waiting to take the field.

Some rested with their eyes closed, some nervously rubbed their hands, while others gathered in small groups to quietly discuss tactics.

Zhang Fei found a corner seat and looked around with great interest.

Through the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, he could see the internal layout of the Great Spirit Arena.

The central area held the main spirit battle platform, over a hundred meters in diameter. Its floor was paved with special dark ironstone, and only spirit masters with silver spirit battle badges or above, or those with great fame, could step onto that stage.

Five somewhat smaller side platforms were arranged around it, with rumbles and spectators' cheers constantly echoing from them.

He leaned back in his chair and waited quietly.

"Mr. Dragon Travels the World, your opponent has been matched." A staff member approached respectfully. "He is a Great Spirit Master with the Iron-Backed Ape martial soul, alias Iron Mountain, rank 26 spirit power, currently on a three-match winning streak. Your match will be held on the third spirit battle platform. You are up next. Please follow me."

Zhang Fei rose and followed him through the long contestant passageway to the entrance of a side spirit battle arena.

This side arena was circular, roughly fifty meters in diameter, with a floor paved in hard bluestone.

The surrounding spectator stands rose in rings, packed with a sea of people. At a glance, there were at least three or four thousand spectators.

"Next, let us welcome the two contestants for the seventh one-on-one sparring match!"

A stunningly curvaceous female host stood in the center of the arena with a sound-amplifying spirit tool, her voice carrying throughout the venue.

"First, the Great Spirit Master who has already claimed three consecutive victories: Iron Mountain! Martial soul: Iron-Backed Ape!"

"Roar!"

At the other end of the passageway, a burly man built like an iron tower strode out.

He stood nearly two meters tall, broad-shouldered and thick-backed, with knotted muscles covering his bare arms.

As he entered, he pounded his chest with both fists, producing deep, booming thuds.

Cheers and whistles erupted from the stands. Many gamblers waved the betting slips in their hands and shouted Iron Mountain's name.

"And his opponent is a newcomer making his first appearance. Please welcome Dragon Travels the World!"