Crushing Dai Mubai! An Easy Victory! Rose Hotel!

Huang Yun shot through the center of the ball of light, so fast it seemed to tear through time itself. Raikiri in his right hand, still trailing residual arcs of electricity, drove straight into Dai Mubai's chest.

The instant they made contact, Dai Mubai's eyes flew wide open.

He lowered his head and stared at the hand that had pierced his chest.

There was no blood.

But countless white arcs of electricity burst from the wound and spread through his meridians to every part of his body. Lightning-attributed Soul Power ran wild within him, sending every inch of his muscles into spasms under the current.

"Aaaaargh!"

Dai Mubai let out a short scream. His entire body convulsed violently, each strand of his hair standing on end until it swelled into a fluffy, exploded mess. Dense white arcs crackled and danced all over his body.

His eyes bulged as hard as they could, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints before slowly rolling upward.

The metallic sheen of the White Tiger Vajra Transformation faded from his skin, his muscles shrank back to normal, and his third soul skill was forcibly shattered.

Dai Mubai fell stiffly backward with a boom, slamming into the arena floor of crushed stone. His limbs twitched unconsciously a few more times, smoke rising faintly from his hair, his expression frozen somewhere between utter agony and overwhelming shock.

Then he stopped moving.

The entire arena fell silent.

Huang Yun withdrew his hand, and the residual electricity at his fingertips dispersed into the air as he shook out his right hand.

He glanced at Dai Mubai, who had completely lost the ability to fight, and confirmed that the man was still breathing and his heart was still beating. He had merely been electrocuted unconscious.

He had held back. At the moment Raikiri pierced through, he had reined in most of its power. Otherwise, with Raikiri's penetrating force, Dai Mubai's heart would already have been pierced through.

This was a sparring match, not a fight to the death. There was no need to kill anyone.

Huang Yun turned and walked toward the edge of the arena, tossing out a sentence without looking back.

"It's not that I only know how to dodge. I wanted you to understand something."

"Speed isn't just for running away."

The referee stood stunned for several seconds before finally coming back to his senses. He shakily raised an arm and announced, "The Flash wins!"

The audience was dead silent.

Everyone stared open-mouthed at Dai Mubai on the arena floor, his hair blown into a frizzy mess and his body charred black, then looked at the youth in the black half-face mask strolling away with both hands in his pockets. Only one thought remained in their minds.

What had just happened?

No one had seen it clearly.

After the match ended, the scene on the arena stage became somewhat chaotic.

Two staff members rushed onto the stage. When they saw Dai Mubai's miserable state—his hair blackened and puffed up like a bird's nest, tiny lightning snakes still flickering across his body from time to time—they both jumped in fright.

The leader reacted quickly and immediately waved toward the area below the stage, shouting, "Get a healing Soul Master! Hurry!"

A few minutes later, two healing-type Soul Masters in white robes hurried over carrying a stretcher. They clumsily lifted Dai Mubai onto it.

One of the middle-aged Soul Masters checked Dai Mubai's pulse and breathing, then let out a relieved sigh. "He's fine. His internal organs weren't injured. He was only shocked unconscious by lightning-attributed Soul Power. The residual currents in his body are still running wild, so they need to be dealt with quickly. Otherwise, his meridians will be damaged."

The two men carried the stretcher briskly through the contestants' passageway.

Huang Yun headed in the opposite direction, his steps unhurried and his hands still tucked in his pockets, as though he had not just won a hard-fought battle.

Several staff members he passed unconsciously moved aside for him, their eyes filled with undisguised curiosity and awe.

The speed that this youth in a black half-face mask had displayed on the arena stage had already exceeded the limits of their understanding of an agility-type Soul Elder.

He walked up to the front desk and knocked on the counter.

When the girl who had registered him earlier saw him, her expression clearly changed. Even her voice became several degrees more polite. "Mr. The Flash, the reward for your first victory has been settled: ten Gold Soul Coins. This is your share. Also, your Iron Badge began with zero points. You gain one point for each victory, so you currently have one point."

She handed him a small bag of coins and the iron badge with both hands, her attitude noticeably more respectful than before.

That was how the Great Soul Arena worked. Strength determined one's treatment. One moment, you were an unknown newcomer; the next, you had earned the right to be looked upon with respect.

Huang Yun took the money pouch and weighed it in his hand, then casually tucked the Iron Badge into his pocket. He nodded to the girl and turned to leave the hall.

It was still early. Standing on the stone steps outside the Great Soul Arena, he narrowed his eyes at the sun sinking toward the west and considered his plans for what came next.

Soul Elder matches truly posed no challenge to him anymore.

Dai Mubai was level thirty-seven, with a White Tiger Wuhun, one of the strongest among the younger generation. Yet before Huang Yun, he had been utterly helpless.

So-called monsters were only monsters in the eyes of others.

Even if he faced an opponent at the Soul Ancestor level, it would only mean dodging a few more moves and running a few more laps. There was not much point to it.

Compared with fighting in the Soul Arena, he actually preferred taking commissioned jobs as a bounty hunter.

During his travels across the continent over the years, he had spent most of his time doing just that.

Taking jobs, venturing into the wilderness, killing and robbing, tracking down people and finding objects, escorting and guarding—he had accepted every kind of job.

The advantage of missions was their tremendous freedom. He did not have to be confined by a venue or follow fixed rules. If he encountered a powerful enemy, he could fight; if he could not win, he could run; and after running, he could even come back for a sneak attack.

Besides, he could travel all over the continent. Every new place brought new people and new experiences, making it far more interesting than being trapped in a Soul Arena.

Huang Yun made up his mind and turned to walk in another direction.

Rose Hotel.

One of the most famous lodgings in Suotuo City, it was lavishly decorated, with two rows of red roses planted outside its entrance. Their fragrance was almost overly rich.

Huang Yun had no interest in flowers or plants. He had chosen the place purely because it was close to the underground black market and quiet enough that no one would disturb him.

He entered the lobby. The innkeeper at the front desk looked up at him, his gaze lingering briefly on the mask covering Huang Yun's face before quickly shifting away.

Suotuo City was a mixed bag of all sorts, and plenty of people wore masks while staying at inns. It was nothing unusual.

"One superior room for one night." Huang Yun tossed out several Gold Soul Coins.

The innkeeper swiftly completed the registration and handed him a key. "Third floor, Room Three of the Heavenly Class. Hot water is available at all times. If you need food, call for an attendant to bring it up."

Huang Yun took the key upstairs and pushed open the room door for a look. The room was not large, but it was clean and tidy. The bed was soft, and the window faced the back street, offering a decent view.

He walked to the window, pushed it open, and glanced at the sky outside.

The sun had already sunk below the horizon. A smear of dark-red afterglow remained at the edge of the sky, lanterns along the streets lit up one after another, and pedestrians gradually grew scarce.

Night was about to shroud Suotuo City, and certain dealings that could not bear the light were also about to begin.

Huang Yun shut the window, took off his clothes, had a hot bath, and changed into fresh clothes. He felt thoroughly comfortable.

After the battle just now, the barrier to his current realm had begun to loosen.

He had a feeling that breaking through to level forty, becoming a Soul Ancestor, might happen tonight.

Therefore, after going downstairs to eat and drink his fill, he returned to his room, sat cross-legged, and began meditating.

Inside the room, the lightning elemental energy between heaven and earth suddenly became extraordinarily dense.