The Great Soul Arena's "Hidden Master" and the Shock of a Thousand-Year Second Ring

"Hyah!"

The whip cracked against the horse's flank.

The wheels rumbled over the uneven road.

"Star City is just ahead."

Tang Shan leaned halfway out of the carriage and gazed into the distance. He could make out the towering city walls and the bustling crowd lined up to enter.

"Lord Soul Master, should we join the queue, or...?"

As they neared the gate, the old coachman stopped the carriage and came to Su Haichao's window, looking at him respectfully.

"Join the queue as usual. When we reach the gate, show this token to the soldiers."

Tang Shan took the token from Su Haichao and handed it to the old coachman.

The man accepted it respectfully with both hands.

"Yes, Lord Soul Master. We'll be on our way."

Seeing that Su Haichao had no further instructions, the coachman returned to his seat and drove on.

Soon, they reached the end of the queue and waited quietly for the people ahead to pass inspection and enter the city.

Tang Shan got out of the carriage to take a closer look at his surroundings.

Star City lay in the northeastern part of the Heaven Dou Empire, well within its heartland.

Its walls stood about fifteen meters high, with a fair number of soldiers patrolling the top.

They hardly looked disciplined. Several simply leaned against the wall and chatted.

Tang Shan was not surprised. This was still an ancient society, after all. Though Star City produced special metals, having soldiers patrol its walls at all was decent enough. Deep in the empire's heartland, it rarely faced any danger.

Before long, it was their turn.

"Entry fee is one Silver Soul Coin per person. Anyone in the carriage?"

The coachman hurriedly presented the token Su Haichao had given him. The armored soldier took one look, and his expression shifted.

"So you're Soul Masters from Spirit Hall! What are you standing around for? Let them through."

He waved for the others to make way, then respectfully returned the token to the coachman.

The coachman put it away and drove through the gate.

The townspeople's voices drifted faintly from behind them.

"A Soul Master from Spirit Hall. How impressive."

"Right? But why didn't he have them open the special passage? Wouldn't that be faster?"

"Maybe queuing is faster. Look how big that gate is. Opening it must take time."

"I wonder if my child will be able to join Spirit Hall one day."

"Keep dreaming."

"Lord Soul Master, your token."

The coachman knocked respectfully on the carriage door and waited.

"I'll take it."

Tang Shan opened the door with a smile and held out his hand.

"Yes, young Lord Soul Master. Here you are."

The coachman offered the token with both hands, not daring to raise his head.

Tang Shan took it and went back inside.

Recalling the coachman's deferential manner, Tang Shan sighed inwardly.

Douluo Continent had nobles and slaves, but in truth, it had only two classes.

One was Soul Masters; the other was ordinary people. Become a Soul Master, and even a commoner could rise to nobility.

Fail to grow strong enough, and even a noble could be cast down to a commoner by a top-tier Soul Master.

Tang Shan gave it no more than a passing thought.

He knew himself well. He was an ordinary person, without the spirit of the great pioneers from his previous life who had changed the world. He could manage his own affairs, at most. Remaking the world was beyond him.

The carriage slowed to a stop at their destination.

The three of them stepped down before an ordinary inn.

Su Haichao went inside to make arrangements, then came back out and approached the coachman.

"Here's one Gold Soul Coin for your work these past few days. We'll be staying in Star City for a while, so you can make your own plans. Leave the carriage in the alley. The innkeeper will have someone watch it."

The coachman was overjoyed and thanked him again and again.

"Shan, Yuntao, let's go."

Su Haichao called to them, and Tang Shan hurried after him. The coachman watched the three leave, his eyes full of gratitude.

One Gold Soul Coin was worth several months of his wages. Once he finished this journey to Heaven Dou City, he ought to be able to find his son a healthy wife who could bear children.

"Dad, do you know the way to the Great Soul Arena?"

Seeing his father stride ahead without asking for directions, Su Yuntao could not help feeling doubtful.

"Of course I do."

Su Haichao walked on with his hands behind his back, without turning around.

Tang Shan was surprised too. As far as he could remember, apart from trips to hunt Soul Rings, his father had spent almost all his time in Nuoding City. He had never had much chance to travel.

"Big Brother, do you know something?"

Tang Shan leaned toward Su Yuntao and asked in a low voice.

Su Yuntao looked just as lost. All he could do was spread his hands.

"We're here."

Su Haichao's voice cut off the brothers' silent exchange.

They looked up. Before them stood a tall stone monument carved with rows of names.

At its base, a gray-haired old man was carefully working with a carving knife.

Remembering what the monument was for in the original story, Tang Shan grew solemn.

As if sensing them behind him, the old man slowly turned around.

He pushed up his glasses and studied the three of them.

At last, his gaze settled on Su Yuntao.

"Young man, you're the one going to the Great Soul Arena, aren't you?"

Su Yuntao was surprised. "Sir, how did you know?"

"Heh. I could spot that eagerness in you at a glance. I've been carving the names of Soul Masters like you here for decades. You can't hide that fire from me."

His voice was aged but strong, nothing like that of a frail, white-haired old man.

His mysterious-master air left Su Yuntao and Su Haichao unmoved, but it stopped Tang Shan in his tracks.

Tang Shan stepped forward and asked respectfully, "Senior, may I ask your surname?"

The old man looked baffled. He had merely struck up a conversation, yet this young Soul Master had suddenly changed his manner and started calling him "Senior."

Though puzzled, he did not dwell on it. At his age, it was better to eat and drink well than think too much.

"My surname is Xuan."

With that, Xuan finished his work and pulled a box from the grass nearby. Inside were five or six large chicken legs and a flask of wine.

Without bothering to check whether his hands were clean, he began alternating bites of meat with swigs of wine.

Su Haichao's expression turned grave. He nudged Tang Shan.

Tang Shan came to his senses and hurriedly said, "Senior, we'll take our leave."

The old man raised his chicken leg to show he had heard, then took a long swig of wine.

Only then did the three enter the Great Soul Arena.

"Shan, is there something unusual about that man?"

Su Haichao looked grave. He had never seen his son show anyone the respect he had shown that old man.

Tang Shan blinked. "Dad, you knew where the Great Soul Arena was, but you deliberately took us past the monument recording those who died in Soul Fighting. Wasn't it so we could meet that senior?

"Big Brother sensed there was something extraordinary about him too."

Su Yuntao raised a hand awkwardly. "Uh, I was just showing an elder the respect he deserved."

The corner of Su Haichao's mouth twitched.

"I knew where the Great Soul Arena was because they're usually a little west of a city's center. I took you to the monument so you and your brother would stay alert. That was the first time I'd ever seen the old man."

Father and sons stared at one another in silence.

Tang Shan, especially, wanted the ground to open up beneath his feet. It was mortifying.

Did I get it wrong? He could not help doubting himself.

The man's appearance had been convincing. A carver whose job was to engrave the names of the dead—it had immediately brought a string of figures to Tang Shan's mind:

A monk sweeping the temple grounds, an old gatekeeper, an elderly gravekeeper...

Then there was his surname, Xuan, and those unmistakable chicken legs and that large flask of wine.

If not for his reading glasses, and the fact that Spirit Hall still existed, Tang Shan would have seriously wondered whether he was in Douluo I or Douluo II.

The resemblance to a certain "Grand Elder" of the Holy Spirit Cult was too strong for him not to wonder.

"Little Brother, why did you think he was some great senior?"

Su Yuntao patted Tang Shan's shoulder and burst out laughing.

Tang Shan kept his face perfectly calm.

"Big Brother, you're about to take part in Soul Fighting. I think you should try challenging a Soul Elder."

Su Yuntao's smile vanished. "Fight a Soul Elder above my level? What do you think my Martial Soul is, the Clear Sky Hammer or the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon? Dream on."

Tang Shan smiled, satisfied that he had changed the subject, and said nothing more.

With a Thousand-Year Second Ring, Su Yuntao might well win against someone above his level. Not every Soul Elder had a thousand-year Soul Skill.

"Hello. The registration fee to participate in Soul Fighting is ten Gold Soul Coins."

The attendant at the registration counter spoke with a smile.

Su Yuntao took ten Gold Soul Coins from his Soul Tool and placed them on the counter.

"Thank you. What is your Soul Master rank, and will you use your real name or an alias?"

"Alias: Lone Wolf. Soul Grandmaster."

"Please release your Martial Soul and Soul Rings so we can verify that."

The request was polite, and Su Yuntao complied.

Martial Soul Possession! A ferocious aura burst from him as his muscles swelled.

Yet his aura was not what drew the most attention. Two Soul Rings slowly rose from beneath his feet.

Yellow. Purple!

A Hundred-Year First Soul Ring was uncommon in the Great Soul Arena, but hardly rare.

Thousand-Year Soul Rings were often seen in Soul Elder matches as well. But what if those were the only two Soul Ring colors someone had?

Releasing a Martial Soul to verify one's rank was routine at the Great Soul Arena and normally drew little notice. The colors of Su Yuntao's rings, however, were impossible to ignore.

His first Soul Ring was a hundred-year ring, and his second was a thousand-year ring. It was an arresting sight.

"Another one proving Grandmaster's theory!"

Someone's shout sent a stir through the crowd.