First Battle, Tenfold Odds

"Welcome to the Tianling Soul Arena! Tonight's Soul Arena tournament is about to begin—!"

Above the main arena, a young female host with a seductive figure and a charming smile held a soul-tool microphone, her voice brimming with excitement as she opened the event.

She wore a tight miniskirt, black stockings accentuating her long, straight legs. Paired with high heels, she was utterly dazzling.

Lele blinked her bright, watery eyes and blew a kiss to the audience below.

In an instant, every spotlight focused on her.

"Lele! Lele!"

The audience immediately erupted, shouting the host's name at the top of their lungs.

Especially when Lele rode her flying skateboard over the spectator stands.

As the breeze gently stirred her skirt, revealing fleeting glimpses beneath it.

The crowd's eyes lit up like wolves spotting sheep, whistles and cheers rising one after another.

"Lele, I love you!"

"As expected, only Lele truly understands us!"

The fervent atmosphere infected everyone present.

Lele spun in a circle and returned above the main arena, raising her voice.

"Dear audience, aside from the regular matches tonight, our Soul Arena is also hosting the biggest wagered challenge match of the year—!"

"It's so lively down there!"

Tang Ya leaned against the transparent glass, curiously looking down.

"The Soul Arena is like this every night. If Miss Tang likes it, just let me know, and I'll have someone arrange regular visits."

Bei Yuxuan took a sip of red wine and said with a smile.

Tang Ya quickly waved her hands and sat back down beside Lu Chen.

"No, no. The music here is too loud. Coming once in a while is fine, but I couldn't stand this every day."

Lu Chen shook his head with a laugh.

"Brother Lu, they're about to draw the numbers." Bei Yuxuan pointed at the soul-tool display on the left.

Lu Chen looked up. Fifty numbers were rapidly scrolling across the screen.

Each number corresponded to a participating Soul Master.

With a crisp ding, the numbers stopped changing.

Contestant No. 2: Lu Chen.

"So early?"

Tang Ya looked startled. "Could Luo Du have colluded with the Soul Arena to arrange this on purpose?"

Bei Yuxuan shook his head. "The Soul Arena is backed by the royal family. Luo Du doesn't have that kind of influence."

Lu Chen rolled his neck and smiled faintly.

"Whether it was arranged or not, the second match is fine. The sooner I finish, the sooner it's over."

"Brother Lu, your matched opponent is a level-fifteen assault-type Soul Master."

Bei Yuxuan pressed a button beside his seat, and the screen immediately displayed his opponent's information.

"Steel Armor Rhino" Wu Gang. Martial Soul: Steel Armor Rhinoceros. Soul power level: level-fifteen Soul Master. Current winning streak: eight matches.

"Eight consecutive wins? This guy isn't weak!" Tang Ya frowned slightly as she read the information.

Bei Yuxuan nodded. "He's ruthless. Brother Lu, you must be careful later."

Lu Chen shrugged, looking unconcerned. "Are my odds out yet?"

Making money was his main goal.

Bei Yuxuan operated the controls again, and the odds for all five matches appeared.

When Tang Ya saw Lu Chen's odds, her expression changed, and she cried out.

"Am I seeing this right? Little Chen is ten-to-one?!"

Bei Yuxuan was not surprised. "Wu Gang has won eight straight matches and is a level-fifteen Soul Master.

While Brother Lu has a Body Martial Soul, he's only a Soul Scholar. It's normal for the odds to be this extreme.

Besides, there's the gimmick of the challenge wager. Luo Du must have placed quite a lot of bets, naturally driving up the odds.

The Soul Arena's limit is tenfold odds. Otherwise, Brother Lu's odds would only be higher."

"Tell me quickly, where do I place a bet?"

Tang Ya tightly gripped the ten silver soul coins in her hand and looked excitedly at Bei Yuxuan.

Her eyes practically gleamed in the shape of gold coins.

If she won, ten silver soul coins would instantly become ten gold soul coins!

Bei Yuxuan was somewhat taken aback. He had not expected Tang Ya to be so fired up.

He hurriedly pointed to the betting soul tool nearby.

"Miss Tang, just put your soul coins in and confirm the wager on the screen."

"Little Chen, whether we get to feast in luxury depends on this! All in!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Tang Ya put in every last bit of money she had.

Lu Chen's mouth twitched slightly. "You really aren't leaving yourself any way out."

After placing the bet, Tang Ya turned around and fixed her blazing gaze on Lu Chen.

"Little Chen, you have to win this match!"

Lu Chen smiled helplessly. "Fine. I guarantee I'll complete the mission. I'm heading to the waiting area first."

The first battle ended quickly.

Before long, the lights over the main arena below suddenly converged, and Lele's voice rang out again.

"The second match, a life-or-death battle! The level-fifteen assault-type Soul Master with eight consecutive victories—'Steel Armor Rhino' Wu Gang—versus newcomer Lu Chen!"

Accompanied by the commentator's impassioned announcement, a burly man nearly two meters tall leaped onto the arena, his entire body covered in grayish-brown skin with a metallic sheen.

A yellow Soul Ring rose beneath his feet, and his muscles bulged like rock.

He looked contemptuously at Lu Chen, who was slowly stepping onto the stage.

"A mere Soul Scholar dares come here to die? Surrender now, and I might spare your life."

Lu Chen remained silent, his expression calm as he stood in place.

His feet parted slightly, and his Hands assumed an exceptionally fluid stance.

He despised his enemies strategically, but tactically, he never dared underestimate any opponent.

That was the principle he had learned at Bang's Dojo.

At the same time, in another private room.

Luo Du swirled his wineglass, a vicious curve forming at the corner of his mouth as he looked toward the arena.

"Bei Yuxuan, that Seventy-Thousand-Year Soul Bone is mine!"

He simply did not believe that a Soul Scholar could defeat a level-fifteen Steel Armor Rhinoceros Soul Master.

As long as Lu Chen lost, he would win the first round of their wager outright.

In the VIP room nearby, Du Bushi, Vina, and the others were also watching Lu Chen intently.

"What kind of stance is that?"

Jiang Yixi stared at Lu Chen's opening posture, her face full of curiosity.

Chen Lü frowned. "It should be some kind of special combat technique."

Du Bushi carefully scrutinized Lu Chen, then suddenly spoke.

"He's moving!"

The moment his words fell, Wu Gang let out a roar on the arena, and his first Soul Ring abruptly lit up.

He charged forward like a crazed beast, kicking up gusts of bloody wind.

First Soul Skill, Steel Armor Charge!

Lu Chen remained where he was, his stance unchanged.

Seeing this, Wu Gang sneered. "All show and no substance! Die, brat!"

He crossed the fifty-meter distance in only a few breaths and arrived before Lu Chen.

His right arm suddenly tensed, soul power gathering around his fist as he smashed it heavily toward Lu Chen's chest.

If this thousand-pound punch landed, even a Body Martial Soul user would either die or suffer grave injuries.

The force of the fist was so fierce that the spectators below even had an illusion.

The next second, that slender youth would be smashed into pulp like a broken sack.

"What's wrong with that kid? Is he scared stupid? Why isn't he fighting back?" Chen Lü was growing anxious.

Du Bushi narrowed his eyes, a flicker of surprise flashing through them.

"This kid is that confident?"

"That guy is dead for sure!" Luo Du sneered coldly.

Some timid girls had already instinctively shut their eyes, afraid to witness the bloody scene.

However, at the instant the iron fist was less than an inch from Lu Chen's clothes.

Lu Chen moved.

Instead of retreating, he took half a step forward.

Soul power circulated through his body as his Hands traced two profound semicircular arcs.

As his palms shifted, it seemed as though an invisible pulling force flowed between them.

The instant Wu Gang's fist, powerful enough to shatter rock, touched Lu Chen's palms, it was as if it had struck an incredibly resilient mire.

The sensation of force was bizarre beyond measure.