Aiming for Fifty Consecutive Wins

On the way back, Xiao Feiyu couldn't help asking, "Xiao Yuan, why did you help that girl?"

She wasn't sure whether Lu Shiyuan had figured something out.

Lu Shiyuan grinned. "Sister Fei Yu, don't tell me you haven't guessed."

After spending so much time together, he had formed a theory of his own.

A theory about where Xiao Feiyu and Yun Qingluo had come from.

Xiao Feiyu froze, then smiled and ruffled his hair.

So he figured it out.

"Xiao Yuan, you really are... a little too clever."

"Isn't being clever a good thing? I won't pry into your or Sister Qingluo's affairs. As for mine, you probably know most of it already. What I need to do now is get stronger as fast as I can."

"You're right." Some things didn't need to be asked aloud. Xiao Feiyu also knew why Lu Shiyuan wanted to look after Zhu Zhuqing.

By her reckoning, Dark Shadow should be arriving in Star Luo City soon. She could have Dark Shadow take good care of that little cat.

That was her assignment, after all.

And Dark Shadow was an Agility Attack Soul Master herself. She would probably be happy to take the girl as a disciple.

Once they returned to the hotel, Lu Shiyuan went straight into cultivation.

His Celestial Rail Left Arm Bone had reached an age of more than ninety-nine thousand eight hundred years. At this rate, it would evolve into a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone in a few days at most.

He planned to attempt his fiftieth consecutive win after the Soul Bone finished evolving.

Five days later, Lu Shiyuan slowly opened his eyes. Feeling the abundant Soul Power within him and the newfound strength in his left arm, he couldn't help smiling.

"Finally, a hundred thousand years!" Relief washed over him, along with a tangle of other emotions.

After a year and a half of accumulation, taking the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot, and enduring the tempering of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, his Celestial Rail Left Arm Bone had finally evolved into a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.

Without those extraordinary opportunities, Lu Shiyuan doubted he could have evolved the Celestial Rail Left Arm Bone even with another three years.

"Now that the Soul Bone has finished evolving, it's time to complete the challenge of fifty consecutive wins."

Lu Shiyuan let out a long breath. He was in peak condition, his mental fatigue swept away. He could face the final match whenever he wanted.

Outside his door, Xiao Wu paced anxiously. She had barely spent any time with Lu Shiyuan lately.

Every day, he was either recovering from his injuries or cultivating.

Fortunately, she knew her brother had an important task to finish. Though she felt a little dejected, she had been good and hadn't disturbed him.

Yesterday, he had said he was going into seclusion. A whole day had passed without a sound from him, and he hadn't even eaten. How could she not worry?

Thankfully, the door soon opened. Lu Shiyuan immediately spotted Xiao Wu pacing back and forth.

"What's wrong? You're hopping around like a rabbit." He couldn't resist rubbing her head as he teased her.

Xiao Wu rolled her eyes. "I am a rabbit. Your Little Rabbit, in fact."

She burst out laughing before she could even finish.

"Brother, are you going to the Great Soul Arena today?"

"Mm. I've put it off long enough. Time to finish the last match."

"Yay! I'll get Sister Fei Yu and Sister Qingluo. We can all go watch."

"Mm. I'll ask Sister Fei Yu to stop by the Zhu Family too. There's one more spectator I want to invite."

"That girl called Zhu Zhuqing, right? Honestly, Brother, you're charming girls everywhere you go!" Xiao Wu pouted, plainly unhappy.

It hadn't been long since Dugu Yan, and now there was another girl.

"Don't talk nonsense. I just think she's had a hard life, and I want to help her."

That was part of it, but it had more to do with Lu Shiyuan's theory.

Xiao Wu didn't believe him. "Hmph. Brother, that excuse might fool you, but it won't fool me."

He was clearly saying it to placate her.

But then Xiao Wu thought, If Brother is willing to coax me, doesn't that mean I matter more to him than anyone else?

At the thought, her irritation vanished. Xiao Wu was delighted again.

She was good at comforting herself.

After lunch, Xiao Feiyu visited the Zhu Family. Only then did the group head for the Great Soul Arena in Star Luo City.

Zhu Zhuqing was already waiting at the entrance. She was nowhere near as curvy as she would be a few years later, though her figure was well-proportioned.

The stunning beauty she would become was faintly visible in her cool features.

When she saw Lu Shiyuan, a smile appeared on her face before she knew it.

It was faint, but everyone noticed.

Xiao Wu pouted again.

Xiao Feiyu had told her about Zhu Zhuqing, and Xiao Wu felt sorry for the girl too.

But this involved her beloved brother.

"Zhuqing, you're here. Let's go in." Xiao Feiyu took Zhu Zhuqing's hand and led her and the other two to the spectator stands.

Lu Shiyuan went to register alone.

The same pretty young woman was at the counter, but her attitude toward him had changed. Her initial pity had turned to admiration, and now to fear.

Forty-nine consecutive wins, and he was only nine! What kind of monster was he?

"Lord Mo Ran, are you here to attempt your fiftieth consecutive win today?"

"Mm. Arrange it as soon as you can."

"Of course. Your registration is confirmed, and we're matching you with an evenly matched opponent."

Lu Shiyuan's mouth twitched. Evenly matched? Are you sure about that?

He was a level-thirty Quasi-Soul Elder. They would probably pit him against a Soul King above level fifty-five today.

Meanwhile, in the spectator stands, Zhu Zhuqing learned from the others that Mo Ran Qianyuan, the fighter who had recently made a name for himself at the Star Luo Great Soul Arena, was Lu Shiyuan.

So the reason he had looked so pale when she last saw him was that he had just won his forty-ninth consecutive match.

"You're saying Lu Shiyuan is only seven this year, and he's already level thirty?" Zhu Zhuqing covered her mouth, struggling to hold back a gasp.

Xiao Wu boasted, "He's almost eight! His birthday is less than three months away."

Zhu Zhuqing was nearly seven herself, but she was only level twelve.

Lu Shiyuan's level was more than twice hers!

"Mm, and in his last match, my brother beat a level-fifty-five Soul King." Xiao Wu lifted her chin proudly, as though she had been the one fighting.

Zhu Zhuqing's eyes flickered. She stared at Lu Shiyuan, who had just stepped onto the arena platform, disbelief filling her eyes.

The match was about to begin, and the host had started announcing the fighters.

"Ladies and gentlemen, give a thunderous welcome to Mo Ran Qianyuan, who has claimed forty-nine consecutive victories!"

The roar of the crowd nearly lifted the roof off the Great Soul Arena. Lu Shiyuan stood calmly in the preparation area.

"His opponent today is Black Armor, a level-fifty-seven Soul King with seventeen consecutive wins!"

Black Armor's Martial Soul was the Black Armor Rhinoceros. Like Lu Shiyuan's previous opponent, it combined offense and defense.

But where his last opponent had leaned toward strength, this one specialized more in defense.

That suited Lu Shiyuan perfectly.

He could put the second Soul Skill of his newly evolved Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone to use today.