Vast Sea Great Soul Arena

Jiang Lan pulled his hand out of the bracelet, sniffed, then vigorously patted his cheeks, forcing the warmth in his eyes back down.

Sister Zi Zhenzhu hadn't cried, so he couldn't cry either.

Zi Zhenzhu and the others might have been bad people to everyone else, but to him, they were truly good people. Once he grew up, he would repay them properly.

"Come on, Doro, let's find somewhere to eat!" Jiang Lan placed Doro on his shoulder and strode into the city.

The main street of Vast Sea City was bustling with people, and Jiang Lan's head-turning rate was ridiculously high.

A six-year-old little dumpling dressed in a penguin onesie, with a round white fluffball sprawled across his shoulder, swaggered down the middle of the road, completely immune to every kind of stare cast his way.

Some people pointed and wondered if the child had gotten lost. Others covered their mouths and laughed, saying that outfit was too funny. A few children even followed behind Jiang Lan, imitating the way he walked, only to be dragged back by the ears by their parents.

Jiang Lan did not care in the slightest. All his attention had been drawn to the food lining both sides of the street.

Along the way, he bought quite a lot of tasty treats.

"So good," Jiang Lan sighed as he ate grilled squid.

Beside him, Doro ate grilled squid and nodded, wholeheartedly agreeing with Jiang Lan.

One boy and one soul ate as they walked, unknowingly drifting away from the main street and turning onto a broader avenue.

The buildings along this road were far grander than those on the main street. Neat bluestone slabs paved the ground, carefully trimmed shrubs lined the roadside, and even the pedestrians passing by were more elegantly dressed.

At the end of the avenue stood a massive circular building, constructed entirely from huge stones. Its outer walls were covered in reliefs of various soul beasts, and above the main entrance hung an enormous plaque with golden lettering.

"Vast Sea Great Soul Arena." Jiang Lan looked up at the plaque, stuffed the last fish ball into his mouth, puffing out his cheeks like a balloon as he mumbled the words.

He had heard the pirates mention the soul arena aboard the Zi Zhenzhu before.

It was a place where Soul Masters fought and sparred. Winning earned money, while losing earned nothing. It was a great place for Soul Masters to hone their strength and make a name for themselves.

Whenever the pirates spoke of the soul arena, their eyes would light up. Spit flew everywhere, and whenever they reached an exciting part, they would even wave their chopsticks around to act it out.

Back then, Jiang Lan had squatted by the ship's rail and listened with rapt attention, thinking that he absolutely had to take a look someday if he got the chance.

That chance was now right in front of him.

"Doro, let's go inside and take a look!" Jiang Lan casually tossed the bamboo skewer from his candied haw into a roadside trash bin, hugged Doro, and ran toward the soul arena's entrance.

His two short legs pumped furiously, the orange flippers on his penguin suit pattering crisply across the bluestone pavement. From afar, he looked like a rolling glutinous rice ball charging straight into the soul arena.

The soul arena's main entrance was intimidatingly grand.

Four enormous stone pillars supported an arched gateway. Coiling dragons and phoenixes were carved into the pillars, while a uniformed guard stood on each side of the gateway, swords at their waists and stern expressions on their faces.

A steady stream of people passed in and out. There were nobles in ornate Soul Master robes, independent cultivators carrying greatswords, and groups of young Soul Masters who had come together. Every one of them held their heads high and carried themselves with remarkable presence.

Mixed among these tall, imposing Soul Masters, Jiang Lan was like a little penguin that had wandered into a flock of red-crowned cranes.

He looked up at the two-meter-tall brute on his left, then at the fierce man carrying a giant axe on his right, before lowering his head to look at his own round belly and orange flippers.

"Doro, we seem a little short."

"Not a little. Very," Doro said honestly from atop Jiang Lan's head.

"It's fine. The best things come in small packages!" Jiang Lan puffed out his chest and strode through the soul arena's entrance without the slightest mental burden.

The hall was far larger than he had imagined. The domed ceiling was painted with battle scenes from all kinds of myths and legends, the colors vivid and the scale magnificent.

The floor was laid with polished marble, so smooth it reflected people's silhouettes.

Directly opposite the entrance stood a long row of service counters. Several pretty young women in matching uniforms stood behind them, wearing standard professional smiles.

People came and went throughout the hall. Soul Masters gathered in groups of two and three to discuss tactics, while others practiced moves in the corners. The air was filled with an atmosphere of both tension and excitement.

Jiang Lan's penguin suit was simply too conspicuous in this setting. The moment he entered, quite a few people gave him strange looks.

A female Soul Master with a ponytail glanced at him, then turned to whisper to her companion, wondering if the child had come to the wrong place.

A middle-aged man carrying a hammer outright laughed, pointing at Jiang Lan and saying to the person beside him, "Look at that little runt. What on earth is he wearing?"

Doro bared her teeth unhappily in the man's direction.

Jiang Lan paid those looks no mind at all. He walked straight to the service counter and stopped in front of it.

The counter was more than a head taller than he was. He stood on tiptoe, his fingers barely managing to grip the edge of the countertop, revealing only his round eyes and half of his penguin hood.

"Miss! I want to sign up for a soul battle!" Jiang Lan shouted at the young woman behind the counter while standing on tiptoe.

Behind the counter sat a girl who looked around eighteen or nineteen. She had short chestnut hair, a round face, and almond-shaped eyes. The name tag on her chest read Xiao Yue.

She had been sorting through registration forms. Hearing the voice, she looked up, but did not see anyone in her line of sight.

She instinctively looked left and right, but there was still no one there. Only when a second cry of "Miss, I'm down here!" came from beneath the counter did she lower her head and see the chubby little face clinging to the countertop.

Xiao Yue blinked, thinking she was hallucinating.

She had worked at the front desk for a long time and had seen Soul Masters of every kind—tall, short, fat, thin, handsome, ugly—but she had never seen anyone come to register in a penguin suit.

The child looked only five or six years old. Sugar crumbs still clung to his cheeks, an unidentified white creature lay atop his head, and his whole appearance made him seem like a character who had run out of a children's storybook.

"Little friend, are you looking for your father and mother?" Xiao Yue leaned out from behind the counter and spoke in the tone one would use to coax a child, her voice gentle enough to drip with sweetness. "If you got separated from your parents, big sister can help you find them."

"No! I want to sign up for a soul battle!" Jiang Lan released the counter, took two steps back, planted his hands on his hips, and looked up at Xiao Yue.

The belly of his penguin suit puffed out from the movement, making him look even rounder.

Xiao Yue's colleague also leaned over. A girl with a high ponytail looked down at Jiang Lan, then exchanged a glance with Xiao Yue.

The two nodded in mutual understanding, confirming each other's judgment: this child had either gotten separated from an adult or had been egged on by an older brother or sister to come make trouble.

"Little friend, the soul arena is a place where Soul Masters spar. It isn't some fun arcade," Xiao Yue patiently explained. "Only Soul Masters who have awakened their Martial Souls and possess Soul Power can participate. Why don't you come back after you grow up? Big sister will give you a piece of candy. Go sit in the resting area over there and wait for your father and mother first—"

"I'm not here to play!" Jiang Lan grew anxious, his cheeks puffing into round little balls. "I've already awakened my Martial Soul! I really am a Soul Master! I'm already level eighteen!"