Great Soul Arena

"Come on, I'll take you to the Great Soul Arena." Liu Erlong led Zhou Liang forward.

After leaving Blue Tyrant Academy and walking some distance through Heaven Dou City, they arrived outside the Great Soul Arena.

Heaven Dou City's Great Soul Arena was even larger than those in other cities. Arenas elsewhere were only around one hundred to one hundred twenty meters tall, but this one stood nearly two hundred meters high, making it look exceptionally magnificent.

Multicolored light radiated around it, making it seem as though it and its surroundings did not belong to the same world.

On one side was the peaceful night; on the other, dazzling multicolored light.

Once they entered the Great Soul Arena, the sense of quiet vanished completely. The heated roars, wild laughter of those who had won handsomely, and desperate cries of those who had lost utterly revealed another side of the city.

"Little Liang, the Great Soul Arena has three types of matches: one-on-one, two-on-two, and team battles." Liu Erlong led Zhou Liang toward registration as she explained.

"You're alone right now, so you can only participate in one-on-one matches."

After registering Zhou Liang, the staff handed him an Iron Spirit Badge.

Zhou Liang reached out to take the Iron Spirit Badge and curiously turned it over a few times.

"Little Liang, the Iron Spirit Badge is the lowest-ranked badge. Above it, there are another seven ranks of badges." Liu Erlong brought Zhou Liang to the nearby waiting area. As they waited for his match, she explained the various details of the Great Soul Arena.

"From lowest to highest, they are the Iron Spirit Badge, Bronze Spirit Badge, Silver Spirit Badge, Gold Spirit Badge, Purple-Gold Spirit Badge, Sapphire Spirit Badge, Ruby Spirit Badge, and finally, the Diamond Spirit Badge."

"And the promotion system for these badges is based on points. You gain one point for every victory and lose one point for every defeat. You advance once for every hundred points!"

After explaining all that, Liu Erlong looked at Zhou Liang.

"In the Great Soul Arena, each person can only compete once per day in each type of match, so this system carries considerable weight. If an ordinary Advanced Soul Master Academy student can obtain a Silver Spirit Badge before graduating, that proves he is an outstanding graduate."

After saying that, Liu Erlong chuckled softly.

"However, that should be fairly easy for you, so the goal I've set for you is to obtain a Gold Spirit Badge before graduation."

After stating her goal, Liu Erlong looked at Zhou Liang and said, "What do you think? For ordinary students, this goal is nearly impossible to accomplish. Do you have confidence?"

"Master, I'm not an ordinary student. Although it'll be difficult, I'll definitely accomplish it!" Zhou Liang smiled confidently and said to Liu Erlong.

"Good. Your first match will be coming up shortly. Let me see what you can do!" Liu Erlong nodded.

Zhou Liang nodded as well, eagerly anticipating his first match.

Very soon, an announcement came from the arena.

"Please! Iron Spirit Zhou Liang, proceed to the waiting room. Your match will be next!"

Hearing the announcement repeated three times, Zhou Liang turned to look at Liu Erlong. After nodding to her, he headed toward the waiting room.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the third spirit battle of the day is about to begin. Both competitors possess Iron Spirit Badges. Please welcome them to the arena."

The host stretched out his hand toward one side of the stage. Lights and flames immediately flared into place, and a burly man walked out.

"Now entering is contestant Liu Xiong. His Martial Soul is the Beast Martial Soul, Lion. His Soul Power Level is twenty-eight, making him a Soul Grandmaster. His record in the Great Soul Arena is six matches: four wins, one loss, and one draw."

The heavily haired burly man raised his arms, displaying the muscles all over his body to the spectators as he walked toward the stage.

As Liu Xiong showed himself off while entering, shouts rose from the surrounding stands. It seemed that despite having joined the Great Soul Arena only recently, he had already gained some popularity.

"And Liu Xiong's opponent is also a Soul Grandmaster, with a Soul Power Level of twenty-six. However, his Martial Soul is rather unusual: a soldier. His Great Soul Arena record is zero wins and zero losses. This is his first battle. Let's see how this newcomer performs!"

As the host pointed toward the other side, lights and flames immediately burst forth.

However, the moment Zhou Liang walked out, cries of surprise rang across the arena. Spectators on both sides stared at him and immediately began talking among themselves.

"Th-this kid is probably only around ten years old! He actually came to take part in a spirit battle? Is this some kind of mistake?"

"Isn't your focus completely wrong? Shouldn't we be questioning his Soul Power Level? A twenty-sixth-level Soul Grandmaster at such a young age—how could that be possible?"

"I think you're the one who's wrong. Do you not trust the Great Soul Arena's testing methods? Besides, isn't it perfectly normal for students from Advanced Soul Master Academies to compete in the Great Soul Arena?"

"Even students from Advanced Soul Master Academies are usually thirteen or fourteen. This one looks about ten! Having twenty-sixth-level Soul Power at that age is simply unbelievable!"

Amid the discussions, arguments, and repeated exclamations, Zhou Liang's appearance had everyone in the audience talking.

Liu Xiong on the opposite side frowned as well, because his purpose in coming to the Great Soul Arena was not merely to win matches.

Promoting the restaurant he had invested in was also one of his important goals, as many people had already proven.

The Great Soul Arena gathered large numbers of people with strong spending power. As long as one built up enough popularity here, it would be highly effective whether they were promoting their own products or their business.

This was also one of the reasons most adult Soul Masters competed here. As long as they became popular contestants, they could gain vast wealth.

That was why Liu Xiong struck a pose every time he appeared. An experienced senior had advised him that to become famous, aside from impressive fighting methods and a strong record, one also needed distinctive traits that left a deep impression.

And for a restaurant centered around meat dishes, a strong body was the deep impression he wanted to create.

Once he became famous, he could launch a set meal supposedly personally designed and consumed by him daily—the perfect strength-building set meal—and then exaggerate its effects a little.

It would surely bring in a wave of wealth. That was the senior's experience. If Liu Xiong had not spent two thousand Gold Soul Coins, that senior would never have been willing to teach him.

Though it had pained him greatly, the plan had begun to show results. His popularity had risen far faster than that of other contestants.

But this brat had just appeared and already drawn every bit of attention in the arena toward himself.

There's only one chance to compete each day. Today's match will probably be wasted. This kid is so young—aren't his elders worried about him? Liu Xiong frowned as he looked at the spectators around him, who were paying him no attention at all.