The Crying Xiao Wu

"There is the Great Soul Arena."

Flender said calmly, "The academy can teach you how to make better use of your Soul Rings, help you obtain Soul Rings, develop your Martial Souls, and provide extensive knowledge about Martial Souls. But combat experience must be accumulated on your own. Only through constant real combat can you improve your ability to adapt. Therefore, your first lesson will be actual combat. That place will be your classroom."

Both Xiao Wu and Tang San looked puzzled, clearly not understanding what a Great Soul Arena was.

After all, one had grown up in Star Dou Forest, while the other had focused entirely on cultivating Soul Power and the Tang Sect's ultimate arts.

Lu Shi explained, "A Great Soul Arena is a place where Soul Masters fight. It was established by the Seven Great Families and belongs neither to Spirit Hall nor the two great empires. It is a relatively independent third-party force. Only cities on the level of a main city can possess one. This Great Soul Arena is called Suotuo Soul Arena."

A trace of approval flashed through Flender's eyes. In the world of Soul Masters, the more one knew, the better one's chances of survival.

Upon hearing this, Tang San frowned unhappily. "Aren't Soul Masters the noblest profession? Why should they compete like performing monkeys?"

What bothered him most was that Lu Shi knew more than he did, especially in front of Xiao Wu.

Flender explained how the Great Soul Arena could demonstrate a Soul Master's value, then introduced its rules.

Soul battles were divided into three categories.

The first was mutual sparring, where killing or seriously injuring the opponent was forbidden.

The second was a life-and-death duel used to settle disputes.

The third was gambling matches, often used by nobles and clans.

Battles were divided into one-on-one matches, two-on-two matches, and group battles involving seven to ten people.

The lowest rank was the Iron Badge, followed by the Bronze Badge, Silver Badge, then the Gold Badge, Purple Gold Badge, Sapphire Badge, Ruby Badge, and Diamond Badge, for a total of eight ranks.

Winning earned one point, while losing deducted one point. Reaching ten points earned a Bronze Badge. A Bronze Badge could be upgraded to a Silver Badge after earning one hundred points, then to a Gold Badge after earning one thousand points...

And so on.

Shrek Academy students could only graduate after obtaining a Silver Soul Badge.

Even with an uninterrupted winning streak, they would still need to win one hundred and ten matches.

Upon entering the Great Soul Arena, the first thing they saw was a massive stone monument covered densely in carved names.

They were all Soul Masters who had died in the Great Soul Arena.

Registering at the Great Soul Arena was simple. One only needed to fill out a form including their name, age, Soul Power, and Martial Soul, then pay a registration fee of ten Gold Soul Coins to receive an Iron Soul Badge.

At the Iron Soul stage, winning a match earned a reward of ten Gold Soul Coins. Losing earned nothing.

At the registration desk, an unusual light flickered in Xiao Wu's beautiful eyes. She hesitated over whether she should try asking Lu Shi to form a team with her. Although Lu Shi and Zhu Zhuqing were close, it was not as though she had no chance at all.

Her chest was a little smaller, but aside from that, her figure and appearance were no worse than Zhu Zhuqing's. Besides, her chest could still rank among the top three at Shrek Academy.

In terms of strength, she was no weaker than Zhu Zhuqing. Her rank was even higher.

Thinking of how Lu Shi had rebuked her when she used Charm on him, Xiao Wu's heart warmed and her cheeks flushed.

What if... what if... I still have a chance?

"Cough, cough..."

She coughed twice to clear her throat, pinched the corner of her clothes, and walked over tentatively. "Lu Shi... how about we..."

Then Xiao Wu saw Lu Shi and Zhu Zhuqing walk forward together, register their team under the name "Shi-Qing," and pay the ten Gold Soul Coin registration fee.

"..."

She stood rooted in place, her gaze blank.

Why...

Why... when I was the one who came first?!

Lu Shi, I like you more than she does... I liked you before she did...

Her small fists clenched until they turned white. Xiao Wu sniffed hard, refusing to let the tears spill from her big eyes as she bit down and held back her sobs.

She felt truly wronged.

She could not understand why. Why was Lu Shi unwilling to even spare her another glance?

Why had he once been so good to her, only to become cold and distant now...

Why... why...

Tang San, who had just finished registering, hurried over to comfort her.

"Xiao Wu, don't cry. Aren't I still here with you?"

If you are sad, I will be sad with you. If you are upset, I will be upset with you.

I will always like you and never leave you.

Xiao Wu, I will definitely protect you. No matter who it is, anyone who wants to hurt you will have to step over my corpse first!

Stop getting close to Lu Shi. He will only make you sad.

He looked highly empathetic, but in truth, his heart had already burst into celebration.

Wonderful, Xiao Wu. You're finally disappointed in Lu Shi once again.

Now you'll definitely choose me!

It would have been better if he had said nothing. Xiao Wu had barely managed to hold back her tears, but the moment she heard those words, she could no longer stop them.

Covering her face, she ran out as tears the size of beans streamed down her cheeks.

"Xiao Wu, wait for me!"

Tang San hurried after her. According to Ma Hongjun, girls were at their loneliest and most vulnerable when crying, making it easiest to close the distance.

Such a perfect opportunity could not be wasted.

In the resting area, Dai Mubai's expression darkened after learning that Lu Shi and Zhu Zhuqing had formed a team.

He considered whether he should directly reveal his identity.

Lu Shi and Zhu Zhuqing arrived in the waiting area. After half an hour, they were matched with opponents. The team was called "Wolf-Turtle," and both opponents were three-ring Soul Masters. In team battles, the Great Soul Arena matched opponents according to the member with the highest rank.

The members of Wolf-Turtle both had two white Soul Rings and one yellow Soul Ring. Their Martial Souls were also ordinary—a Hyena and a Grass Turtle. It was a classic combination of an agility attack type and a defense type.

Without expending much effort, Lu Shi used only his second Soul Ring to easily send both of them flying off the stage.

Among the remaining students, Ma Hongjun, Dai Mubai, and Tang San all fought solo matches.

Xiao Wu was in poor condition and did not participate.

Perhaps because of Lu Shi, Dai Mubai and Tang San's fighting styles were exceptionally violent and swift that night. Their opponents getting beaten until they coughed up blood was considered mild.

After they finished, everyone saw Flender approach with a radiant smile on his face.

There was only one reason a miser could be so happy—

He had made money.

The Great Soul Arena allowed betting and took a cut from it, which was also one of its major sources of income.

Right before Lu Shi and the others competed, Flender had gone to place his bets.

Lu Shi and the others were all very young and were participating in soul battles for the first time. Even though anyone could tell that they were talented, the odds were still high.

Most spectators did not think highly of them.

This allowed Flender to make a huge profit. His eyes had nearly turned into the shape of Gold Soul Coins.

So much so that he did not care that Xiao Wu had not competed. If not this time, there would always be next time.

The young girl had suffered an emotional setback. Understandable, understandable.

Of course, if Tang Hao had not been involved, Flender would probably have worn an entirely different expression.

After a simple regrouping, the group returned to Shrek Academy. The battles had been exhausting, but staying in Suotuo City cost Silver Soul Coins. The price was not high, yet Flender did not want to pay.

Along the way, all six remained silent. Wanting to liven up the atmosphere, Ma Hongjun said, "Boss Dai, that place from last time felt pretty good. We've got nothing to do after going back anyway. Want to go together?"

After saying that, he smacked his lips twice as though savoring the memory, wearing a lecherous grin. Last time, he, Dai Mubai, and Oscar had gone together.

Of course, they had not gone into battle together.

Each had fought through the storm on his own battlefield.

Dai Mubai glanced at Zhu Zhuqing, cleared his throat, and pretended to look disgusted. Frowning at Ma Hongjun, he said, "Fatty, when have I ever gone to a place like that? Don't call me. Don't ruin my reputation."

I'm an upright man. Don't slander me!

"Come on. Who doesn't know that you, Boss Dai, have visited every brothel in Suotuo City? You can identify a girl just by hearing her voice. You play far wilder than I do, yet you still say you've never gone?"

Not long ago, I even saw you hugging a pair of beautiful twin sisters all day.

You really knew how to have fun.