Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena, First Battle

Led by Qin Ming, the group of nine quickly arrived before the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena.

The Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena was extraordinarily magnificent, oval in shape and standing at a terrifying height of more than one hundred and fifty meters.

Within the imperial capital, aside from the imperial palace and the Martial Soul Temple of Heaven Dou City, no building stood taller than it!

Not only that, but the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena also covered an enormous area.

Inside, it was divided into one main spirit arena and thirty-six subsidiary spirit arenas, each serving its own purpose and able to accommodate nearly a hundred thousand people in total!

At the Great Soul Arena, spirit battles were divided into three categories. The first was ordinary matches, where ruthless or lethal attacks were forbidden.

The second was deathmatches, used to settle irreconcilable conflicts between Soul Masters.

The third was gambling matches. Both sides would usually wager large sums of money, then, under the judgment of the Great Soul Arena's referees, send out equal numbers of Soul Masters to fight.

The victors took everything, while the losers lost it all.

The match formats were likewise divided into three types: one-on-one, two-on-two, and group battles involving anywhere from seven to ten people.

Influenced by the Continental Elite Soul Master Tournament, ordinary group battles were generally held in a seven-versus-seven format. Group battles with other numbers were not unheard of, but they were rare.

Led by Qin Ming, the group entered the grand Heaven Dou City Great Soul Arena to register for spirit battles.

Everyone received an information form. Once it was filled out, registration would be complete, and they would receive the most basic Iron Soul Battle Badge.

Under the staff's guidance, everyone filled out their forms one by one.

As the only Support-type Soul Master among the eight, Ye Lingling had no ability to fight independently and could only take part in two-person spirit battles alongside someone else.

Qin Ming had already assigned the two-person teams.

Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan, the brothers Shi Mo and Shi Mo, Yu Feng and Osler as a double agility-attack lineup, and finally Ning Chen and Ye Lingling.

Ye Lingling's situation was special. She could not participate in spirit battles alone, so she could only do two-person battles. Naturally, this would drag Ning Chen down.

Qin Ming had originally intended for Ye Lingling to participate in only one spirit battle a day, leaving Ning Chen enough Soul Power for solo battles.

But Ning Chen shook his head. There was no need for that. Soul Power was what he lacked least.

Thus, the two headed to the front desk to register for a two-person spirit battle. Along the way, Ye Lingling kept her lips lightly pursed, looking at Ning Chen as though she wanted to speak but hesitated.

She had wanted to tell Ning Chen that he did not need to accommodate her so much, but when the words reached her lips, she did not know how to say them.

"A two-person spirit battle needs a team name. Do you have any ideas?"

Just as Ye Lingling's thoughts churned and she considered how to speak to Ning Chen, he turned around and asked her.

"Ah?"

Ye Lingling froze for a moment. Unable to think of any good team name, she could only say to Ning Chen, "I don't know. You decide."

"Then let's call ourselves the Cao... uh, Star Sea Team. One character from each of our Martial Souls. Clear and straightforward."

Ning Chen had originally planned to take one character each from the surnames of Cao Benqi and Ye Lingling for their team name.

But halfway through, he realized something was off. Cao Ye Team somehow carried an inexplicable ambiguity, so he simply changed it to Star Sea Team.

"Alright."

Ye Lingling nodded, raising no objections.

After registering and paying the ten Gold Soul Coin registration fee, the two went to the Contest District for ordinary matches.

The Contest District clearly had fewer people than the deathmatch and gambling districts.

Although most Soul Masters came to the Great Soul Arena to hone their practical combat skills rather than fight for their lives, being limited to only one contest-type spirit battle a day meant that most Soul Masters could not stay for long.

Quite a few people had already taken their seats in the audience stands around the subsidiary spirit arena. Noisy voices echoed beneath the dome, mingling with the occasional bursts of Soul Power colliding on the Spirit Arena Stage, creating a uniquely passionate atmosphere.

Ning Chen and Ye Lingling were assigned to the seventh subsidiary spirit arena.

They waited in the rest area for about a quarter of an hour before a staff member came to notify them that it was time to enter.

"Next match, two-person spirit battle: Star Sea Team versus Crimson Flame Team!"

The announcement echoed through the air above the subsidiary spirit arena.

"Let's go." Ning Chen rose to his feet and calmly headed for the Spirit Arena Stage.

Ye Lingling followed behind him, her fingers lightly clutching the corner of her clothes before quickly loosening again.

She took a deep breath, quickened her pace, and walked onto the Spirit Arena Stage beside Ning Chen.

The Spirit Arena Stage was square, roughly ten meters on each side. Its floor was paved with hard granite, its surface covered in Soul Power scratches of varying depths.

They were the marks left behind by countless battles.

The energy barrier surrounding the Spirit Arena Stage had already risen. A pale blue glow enveloped the entire ring, preventing Soul Power from leaking out and harming the spectators while also ensuring that the battle onstage would not be disturbed by outside forces.

The two Soul Masters on the opposing side had already stepped onto the stage as well.

The man on the left was tall and powerfully built, around thirty years old. Crimson flame patterns were tattooed across his bare arms, and his muscles bulged with strength. At a glance, he was clearly a power-type assault Soul Master.

He held no weapon, but a faint crimson glow covered both arms. It was the sign of a beast Martial Soul Possession.

The man on the right had a well-proportioned build and was around the same age as his companion. He held a battle saber roughly three feet long. The blade was broad, and a faint red glow shimmered along its edge. It was clearly a fire-attributed weapon Martial Soul.

The host stood on a raised platform at the edge of the Spirit Arena Stage and introduced them loudly, "Crimson Flame Team consists of Zhao Lie, a Soul Ancestor with the beast Martial Soul Crimson Flame Tiger, and Qian Yan, a Soul Ancestor with the weapon Martial Soul Crimson Flame Blade!

"Both are level forty-four assault-type Battle Soul Ancestors!

"Star Sea Team consists of..."

The host lowered his head to glance at the information card in his hand, paused slightly, then continued, "Cao Benqi, a level forty-seven assault-type Battle Soul Ancestor!

"And Ye Lingling, a level thirty-five Support-type weapon Soul Elder."

As soon as those words fell, a commotion erupted in the audience.

"A level thirty-five support type? Competing in a two-person spirit battle?"

"Isn't that just giving away a free win?"

"Star Sea Team? More like a free-points team!"

Zhao Lie grinned broadly, baring a mouthful of white teeth. "Brother, even if you're bringing a girl along, you shouldn't do it like this, right? A level thirty-five support type? Aren't you just here to hand us points?"

Qian Yan did not speak, but a meaningful smile curled at the corner of his lips. He lightly spun the Crimson Flame Blade in his hand, leaving a scorching afterimage in the air.

Ning Chen ignored their mockery and merely tilted his head to glance at Ye Lingling.

Although Ye Lingling said nothing, the ridicule from the crowd and their opponents made her clench her fists slightly. Her face had gone somewhat pale, and she was clearly not feeling well.

Ning Chen comforted her, "Ignore what others think. Just focus on healing me."

Ye Lingling pursed her lips and nodded gently. "Mm."

"Both sides, prepare—"

The host drew out the final word.

Zhao Lie and Qian Yan released their Martial Souls at the same time.

The flame patterns on Zhao Lie's arms instantly ignited. Crimson flames wrapped around his entire arms, while two purple soul rings rose beneath his feet and slowly pulsed within the fire.

The blade light of Qian Yan's Crimson Flame Blade surged. Flames half a foot high rose from the blade, while four soul rings—two yellow and two purple—flashed in alternation.

Level forty-four. Both were level forty-four.

And both were assault types, which meant their frontal offensive power was absolutely among the very best at their level.