The Ways of the World in Douluo: Su Yuntao Challenges a Soul Elder

"The power behind the so-called Iron Bell Blacksmith Shop."

Tang Shan was curious.

"There really is a power behind it."

Tie Zhong looked a little sheepish.

"Back then, my senior brother and I planned to make more money from the great nobles without raising prices on things like furniture and farm tools. We pretended to compete. He drove prices up, while I pushed them down, then gradually raised the actual price bit by bit. But I never expected—"

Tie Zhong left the rest unsaid, but Tang Shan understood.

The two had meant to stage a little act together. They had not expected the major powers to be pushed so far that they would actually back the Iron Bell Blacksmith Shop against the Iron Dragon Blacksmith Shop.

From then on, the Iron Bell Blacksmith Shop had powerful backing. The two brothers had achieved their goal of gradually raising prices, while the other factions had put a stop to the Iron Dragon Blacksmith Shop's blatant price gouging. Everyone had won.

"Those major powers didn't try anything else?"

Tang Shan found it hard to believe that the people buying weapons and armor from a blacksmith shop were all kindly souls.

Tie Zhong shook his head.

"I'm sure they considered other ways of dealing with my senior brother. The question was whether it was worth it. We earned a fair amount, but to the factions buying armor and weapons, that money wasn't much.

"My senior brother was a Soul King, after all. As long as they could bring the price down, there was no need for underhanded tactics. Compared with a few Gold Soul Coins, the powers behind them cared far more about saving face.

"By gouging them, my senior brother had treated them like fools. Once the final price came back down, he had given them the respect they wanted. After that, everything was negotiable."

Tang Shan could only marvel at how the world worked.

As Tie Zhong had said, Gold Soul Coins were little more than numbers to the truly powerful. What mattered more to them was face, or perhaps their so-called prestige.

And with Iron Dragon's strength being what it was, there was no reason to resort to dirty tricks when a safer solution existed.

Otherwise, if they failed to cover their tracks, a faction like the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect or the great nobles of Heaven Dou City would be known for going to extraordinary lengths to target a blacksmith shop owner. Even if the owner was at fault, the damage to their reputations would be hard to measure.

A single remark—"With all that power, you went after a little shop owner? How petty can you be?"—would be enough to sting.

"Master Tie, I'll be going now."

Setting aside the scheme Iron Dragon and Tie Zhong had laid for those important people, Tang Shan exchanged a few thoughts on forging with Tie Zhong, then rose to leave.

"All right."

Tie Zhong watched the young man recede into the distance, a distant look in his eyes. Tang Shan, I hope you keep moving forward on the path of forging.

Outside the blacksmith shop, Tang Shan looked back at the sign above the door and felt a faint stirring in his heart.

All kinds of people crossed his path and came to know him, only to part ways again. It felt so real, and it stayed with him so deeply.

This was Douluo Continent. And he was here, standing on it.

"Have you packed everything?"

Su Haichao came out of his room and looked at Tang Shan, who stood by the door.

Tang Shan nodded. "I've prepared all our supplies. They're in the storage ring."

"Good. Let's go watch your big brother's last Soul Fighting match and see whether he can defeat a Soul Elder."

O

"As long as his opponent isn't a Soul Elder with a standard Soul Ring Configuration and exceptional combat experience, there's almost no chance he'll lose."

Tang Shan had considerable confidence in Su Yuntao. After all, over the past few days of sparring with him, Su Yuntao had largely mastered how to enter the state of Martial Soul Fusion.

"Alternative Martial Soul Avatar" had not sounded particularly impressive. Su Yuntao felt the state was a fusion of his Martial Soul's fighting experience with his own, so he had simply named it "Martial Soul Fusion."

"But he lost two of his one-against-two matches just a few days ago."

Su Haichao clearly disagreed with Tang Shan, though the smile on his face left no doubt that he was delighted with Su Yuntao's record at the Great Soul Arena.

"That was just bad luck."

Recalling Su Yuntao's few defeats, Tang Shan had to admit his luck had been terrible.

His first loss had come the day before yesterday. Su Yuntao had just fully mastered Martial Soul Fusion and was riding high, only to be brought crashing back down.

His opponents had been twins whose Martial Souls were a lion and a tiger.

Su Yuntao had hoped to show them that it was his turn to be king of the beasts. At first, the fight went just as he expected: with Martial Soul Fusion, he held both Soul Grandmasters at bay by himself.

But just as he was about to knock one of them out, the brothers charged toward each other.

Before Su Yuntao could react, a fully formed Martial Soul Fusion Skill came straight at him.

They were all Soul Grandmasters, but his opponents had used a Martial Soul Fusion Skill against his Martial Soul Fusion. He simply could not beat that.

And so Su Yuntao suffered his first defeat in Soul Fighting.

His second loss had come yesterday. If the defeat the day before had been bad luck in running into a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Su Yuntao seriously suspected someone had set him up the second time.

How unlucky did a person have to be to face, in three consecutive matches at the Great Soul Arena, two Soul Masters per match who all had Yellow Soul Rings?

His Soul Power might recover, but his physical strength, mental energy, and the strain of dealing with each opponent were not so easily restored.

After fighting six Soul Grandmasters with standard Soul Ring Configurations in succession, even Su Yuntao's powerful Thousand-Year Soul Ring and the wealth of combat experience granted by Martial Soul Fusion could not carry him through the gauntlet. In the end, he lost.

"He can't possibly run into another Soul Elder with a standard Soul Ring Configuration this time, can he? If he does, Dad, I say we let Big Brother go to Heaven Dou City on his own. With luck like his, who knows what might happen to us on the road if we travel together?"

Tang Shan could not resist grumbling about Su Yuntao's dreadful luck over the past two days. It was hard to imagine anyone meeting so many troublesome opponents in a row.

They reached the Great Soul Arena and greeted Xuan Zi at the entrance. The match had not yet begun.

With the tickets they had prepared in advance, the two entered the Main Soul Fighting Arena. The host was working hard to stir up the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today's Soul Fighting match promises a spectacle you may not see again in a hundred years! Our arena favorite, Lone Wolf, will challenge a Soul Elder! A Soul Grandmaster taking on a Soul Elder—now that is a rare sight!"

Cheers rolled through the Great Soul Arena. Many spectators held up signs bearing the words "Lone Wolf."

Though fewer than ten days had passed, Su Yuntao had already gained a huge following.

At first, it was because of his Thousand-Year Second Ring. Then people began watching his winning streak. Finally, his thrilling one-against-two battles had captivated them completely.

In recent days, almost everyone who came to the Great Soul Arena had heard the name "Lone Wolf."

"Now, I declare the match officially begun!"

As the host left the arena floor, the eagerly awaited match began.

"Huh. What a coincidence."

Tang Shan quickly noticed that his big brother's opponent seemed to have a wolf Martial Soul too.

"A Gale Demon Wolf."

Su Haichao had noticed as well and identified the Martial Soul after a brief look.

Three Yellow Soul Rings pulsed gently around Feng Lang. Pale fur emerged across his body, while invisible currents of air swirled around him.

Wind Wolf, a Soul Elder with the Gale Demon Wolf Martial Soul. Su Yuntao recalled the information about his opponent, and excitement flashed in his eyes.

"You'll be my last opponent in Star City!"

The yellow and purple Soul Rings beneath his feet lit up together. In his mind, a lone wolf came racing from afar and slammed into his body.

In an instant, Su Yuntao's whole bearing changed. He seemed savage yet coldly detached, two conflicting qualities appearing in him at once.

Su Yuntao's opponent, Feng Lang, looked at the Soul Grandmaster standing not far away with his Soul Rings already active. He did not dare let his guard down.

When the Soul Fighting Arena had invited him to face Lone Wolf, it had shown him Su Yuntao's astonishing record and rapid progress. In particular, though Lone Wolf had suffered his first defeat the day before yesterday, his fighting ability had undergone a frightening transformation, and his practical combat experience had soared. Feng Lang had happened to watch that match. He could tell that Lone Wolf's combat experience was likely no worse than his own, despite the three or four years he had spent fighting in the arena.

First Soul Skill: Wind Blade!

Pale currents gathered into shape before Feng Lang. Rather than attack at once, he guided the Wind Blade back and forth beside him.

The second Yellow Soul Ring beneath his feet lit up, significantly strengthening his body. He charged straight toward the rapidly approaching Su Yuntao.

Their sharp wolf claws met head-on with a clear metallic clang.

Clang!

Claw scraped against claw, throwing off a dazzling shower of sparks.

Bolstered by his enhancement Soul Skill, Su Yuntao was clearly stronger overall. After taking one direct blow from him, Feng Lang instinctively retreated.

Su Yuntao moved to pursue, but the Wind Blade circling Feng Lang held him up for an instant. That brief delay gave his opponent time to steady himself.

"This fight could be troublesome."

Tang Shan spotted the problem as soon as they exchanged blows.

In raw strength, Su Yuntao was undoubtedly superior to the Soul Elder. But his opponent was not only experienced; he was cautious. He had turned an offensive Wind Blade into a defensive tool, using it specifically to hinder Su Yuntao's attacks. This match looked set to be another hard fight.

What patience.

By now, Feng Lang had used up most of his Soul Power. He watched Su Yuntao gravely as the young man circled him like a lone wolf, constantly searching for a chance to strike.

Feng Lang had imagined many ways the fight might go, but he had never expected his opponent to be this difficult.

His Third Soul Skill was Wind Trap. It created a small vortex beneath an opponent's feet to slow their movement. Paired with his other two Soul Skills, it was not especially powerful, but it was more than enough to give people a headache.

Many of his past opponents had gradually lost patience under his constant harassment, exposed a glaring opening, and been defeated.

Yet this young man, who looked no older than twenty, was different. His face still showed traces of youth, but his eyes were as calm as a deep, still pool.