Moonlit Perching Butterfly Flower! An Unreasonable Intruder During a Bath

As the host called out the start, the audience's cheers rose another notch. Supporters on both sides roared like crazed fans, trying to drown each other out.

"Brat, you're about to die. I hope you won't beg for mercy!"

Hungry Tiger stood over ten meters away, his gaze vicious. A yellow Soul Ring slowly rose from beneath his feet, and his White-Forehead Tiger martial soul instantly possessed him. Wild, savage Soul Power swept outward as he curled his fists into claws. With a whistle of displaced air, his first Soul Skill, Hungry Tiger Pounce, tore straight toward Ning Chengyi's chest. His fighting style was reckless and overbearing—his very first move was a killing blow!

"First Soul Skill: Mystic Edge Sweeps the Mountains!"

Ning Chengyi looked at Hungry Tiger as though he were already a dead tiger. He showed not a trace of fear; instead, he smiled.

His spear appeared in an instant, and his first Soul Skill erupted almost the moment Hungry Tiger lunged.

"Just what I wanted!" Hungry Tiger roared, unleashing his second Soul Skill as well. The terrifying wind from his claws seemed ready to tear space apart, but the instant they touched the God-Breaking Spear, his face rapidly turned purple, then ashen.

"No..."

That overwhelming force sent Hungry Tiger flying, but Ning Chengyi had no intention of showing mercy. He pushed off with both feet and shot forward like a cannonball.

He leaped high into the air, like a demonic god descending upon the world, and drove his spear viciously down at Hungry Tiger!

With a wet crunch, Hungry Tiger's body was brutally nailed to the ground. The arena beneath him rapidly cracked, and his body bent into a bow beneath the spear. Blood poured incessantly from his mouth as he stared at Ning Chengyi, his eyes filled with bewilderment.

"He... Hungry Tiger—Hungry Tiger is dead!"

"Azu... wins!"

The duel ended in Ning Chengyi's victory before anyone could quite process what had happened.

"This Azu is an absolute monster!"

"No, he's a rampaging Soul Beast! A Soul Master fighting a Soul Grandmaster, and he still won so easily."

"That's definitely not the combat proficiency of a newcomer. He's more like some old monster!"

The spectators outside the arena could barely find words to describe Ning Chengyi's performance.

The Great Soul Arena's death matches had seen plenty of monstrous talents over the years, but someone who swept to victory with such overwhelming force was practically unheard of.

Besides, Ning Chengyi's fighting style suited the Soul Fighting Arena perfectly.

Every strike was violence at its most beautiful.

No flashy flourishes whatsoever. Ruthless, few words, immense strength!

That was the audience's verdict on Ning Chengyi.

Just those two fights had made the name "Azu" famous throughout the Soul Fighting Arena.

Everyone knew about the ruthless newcomer wearing a crimson half-face mask with brass horns.

In his first appearances, he had sent two fighters with winning streaks to bitter deaths in the arena.

More people began betting on Azu, too.

After two consecutive matches, Ning Chengyi's funds had doubled.

"Once I finish the last match, I'll find somewhere to properly digest what I've gained."

Ning Chengyi put away his betting winnings and muttered to himself.

After a brief rest, his turn came again. The audience was still fired up, shouting even with hoarse throats.

In the third match, Ning Chengyi did not even use a Soul Skill. Relying on the body he had honed in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, he fought a Soul Master of the same rank in close combat.

Within a few exchanges, he smashed his opponent's chest open with a single punch.

As his right fist pierced through the man's body, the man was still making hoarse, rasping sounds. Clearly, he could not believe that even strengthened by a beast martial soul, he had lost to someone who had not even released his martial soul.

With the third match's display of close-quarters combat taken to the extreme, every other death match paled in comparison.

The spectators' enthusiasm for "Azu" soared to unprecedented heights.

They even called for him by name, wanting to see Ning Chengyi enter the arena.

But after finishing his third match, Ning Chengyi vanished from the Soul Fighting Arena entirely.

The money he had now was enough to secure a place to stay in Heaven Dou City.

That night, Ning Chengyi lay beneath the moonlight in his rented courtyard, leafing through the books Bibi Dong had left behind.

He also discovered that one of the little black dog's teeth he had kept was missing. That graceful figure surfaced in his mind again, and he gave a derisive chuckle.

"Phantom Butterfly is still far too overpowered. I'll consider pairing it with Soul Rings once my level is properly raised. For now, what I need is to enhance Phantom Butterfly's innate attributes."

"The Moonlit Perching Butterfly Flower is recorded in these secret notes. It's here, with the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, but getting it will be difficult."

Ning Chengyi's gaze rested on the entry about the Moonlit Perching Butterfly Flower in the secret notes, and he spoke with some difficulty.

He did not know anyone in the Heaven Dou Imperial Family.

"But Bibi Dong's daughter seems to be here in Heaven Dou. In that case..."

Ning Chengyi immediately thought of someone using the alias Xue Qinghe.

That person was Bibi Dong's daughter, whose real name was Qian Renxue.

As the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, the persona she had cultivated came down to just a few things.

Most importantly, she sought to recruit geniuses for Spirit Hall, and he happened to be presenting himself as a genius now.

That made the Great Soul Arena the ideal point of entry.

"But I'm only at level fourteen. Even if I win a few matches, it'll be hard to attract Xue Qinghe's scouts' attention. Unless I reveal my Thousand-Year Soul Ring. That kind of spectacle should do it."

Ning Chengyi considered every possibility and realized that only this one would make enough of a splash.

He had not revealed it in the first three matches, only used his Soul Skills. Next, he would have to draw even more attention to catch the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's eye—or, more precisely, Xue Qinghe's.

Only if he proved valuable enough would he have even a sliver of a chance to obtain the Moonlit Perching Butterfly Flower and improve the fundamental attributes of the phantom butterfly spirit tide.

The next day, Ning Chengyi did not go to the Soul Fighting Arena. Instead, he chose an establishment in the most bustling part of Heaven Dou City.

It was called the Nightglow Tower.

Its name came from the verse about fine grape wine served in a luminous cup.

The Nightglow Tower occupied a vast area, with private courtyards where wealthy patrons could enjoy themselves and unwind.

Inside, there were not only courtesans and songs to enjoy, but also the principle that the rich could indulge while the poor could only look on.

Ning Chengyi chose a quiet spot to relax his body and mind after all his traveling.

Just as he was growing drowsy, a puzzled voice suddenly rang out.

"Why is someone occupying my spot today?"

A youth dressed in fine robes stood at the entrance, a dragon-patterned jade pendant hanging at his waist. Behind him were two attendants, one tall and one short. His bearing was arrogant and domineering, his eyes full of spoiled entitlement.

"Go, throw him out!"

The youth ordered the two men behind him. They exchanged a helpless glance but obeyed nonetheless.

"Hello. This is our young master's spot. Sorry for the trouble, but please rest somewhere else."

One of the attendants spoke, his tone reasonably polite.

Ning Chengyi opened his eyes and looked the two men over, puzzlement in his gaze.

"Did I not pay? Or do you own the Nightglow Tower?" Ning Chengyi asked, immediately putting both men in a difficult position.

"What are you standing around for? If he won't move, throw him out!" the youth spoke again, his voice full of impatience.

"Our apologies." The two men cupped their fists apologetically.

Ning Chengyi grabbed the robe draped beside him and slipped it on in one smooth motion, his gaze turning icy.

"How utterly arrogant!"