Soto Great Soul Arena

That evening, everyone gathered on the training ground again. Even Oscar, who did not have to attend the evening lesson, came along for the fun.

After Flender urged him several times, Qin Muchu finally put on a mask, as did Xiao Wu. Both had chosen names for registration: Qin Muchu picked Dancing Shadows in the Moonlight, borrowing the line of poetry behind his Martial Soul, while Xiao Wu chose Soft Boned Enchanting Rabbit, just as she had in the original story.

In truth, Qin Muchu had a strong aversion to the name Soto Great Soul Arena. In a game he had played in his previous life, there had been a mode called the Soul Fighting Arena, and nothing had annoyed him more than teammates who picked Yasuo in that mode.

Once Flender saw that everyone was ready, he led the way toward Suotuo City. Qin Muchu and the other four followed behind him.

Shrek Academy was not far from Suotuo City. They were Soul Masters and moved quickly, so they soon reached their destination.

Night had fallen by the time they arrived, but Suotuo City was ablaze with lights and even livelier than it was by day. Every shop on either side of the streets was open, and small vendors had set up along the roadside. It was the Balak Kingdom's second-largest city, after all.

As soon as they entered the city, Ma Hongjun could not help staring at the girls strolling along the street. Dai Mubai shared his tastes, but his standards were clearly much higher; women of such ordinary looks held no interest for him.

"Fatty, what are you doing?" Xiao Wu quickly noticed Ma Hongjun's gaze, and it made her skin crawl. The look in his eyes was disgusting.

At the sound of Xiao Wu's voice, Fatty immediately behaved himself. "Sister Xiao Wu, it's not that I want to be like this," he said dejectedly. "When my Martial Soul mutated, it developed all sorts of problems. Evil Fire keeps building up inside me, and if I don't release it, it could easily burn me to death."

Xiao Wu said in disbelief, "Seriously? How could a Martial Soul like that exist?"

Ma Hongjun gave a bitter smile. "It's true. Even my teacher couldn't solve the problem. In the end, this was the only solution he could come up with, if you can call it one."

Qin Muchu suddenly spoke up. "Do you want to solve your Evil Fire problem for good?"

Ma Hongjun's eyes lit up. He was about to speak when Flender, walking ahead of them, cut in first. "Little Chu, you have a way to solve Hongjun's problem?"

Qin Muchu nodded. "Fatty's condition comes from an excess of desire, and desire is an emotion too. He doesn't have to release it that way. When the Evil Fire flares up, he can fight until he's used up enough of his strength and Soul Power. That will ease it. It won't cure him once and for all, but it's better than going to a brothel."

Flender shook his head in disappointment. "You think I haven't thought of that? But this fatty is lazy by nature. He wouldn't keep it up for more than a few days."

Ma Hongjun added, "Yeah. If it can't be cured completely, I'm doomed to die from it eventually anyway. I might as well enjoy myself while I can."

"Who said it couldn't be cured completely?" Qin Muchu asked.

The two, who had just lost hope, looked at him in delighted surprise. "You have a way?"

Qin Muchu gave a hum of assent. "I do have a way, but I can't do it yet. I will be able to in the future. If you want me to cure Fatty for good, though, Headmaster, both you and Fatty must agree to one condition each."

"What conditions?" they asked in unison.

Qin Muchu held up two fingers. "Fatty's condition is that from now on, he must release his Evil Fire the way I described and never visit a brothel again. As for yours, Headmaster, I haven't decided yet. But you can rest assured it will be something within your power that doesn't go against your principles." In fact, he had already decided on both conditions. The time simply was not right to bring up Flender's.

"Well..." Ma Hongjun hesitated. Flender smacked him hard on the back of the head. "What are you hesitating for? Hurry up and promise Little Chu!"

Ma Hongjun hastily said, "Brother Qin, don't worry. I'll listen to you from now on. I won't go to those brothels to listen to music ever again."

As they talked, they soon arrived at the Soto Great Soul Arena in the heart of the city.

The Soto Great Soul Arena was one of the city's grandest buildings. It was cylindrical, more than a hundred meters across and, by the look of it, nearly a hundred meters tall.

Once inside the Great Soul Arena, Flender said to them, "Each of you has a different Martial Soul and a different path of cultivation. What the academy can teach you is how to use your Martial Souls, help you obtain better Soul Rings, and give you more experience in actual combat."

He paused, then continued, "Aside from knowledge about Martial Souls and the Soul Masters across the continent, you'll have to explore everything else for yourselves. A master can lead you through the door, but cultivation is up to you."

"But of everything you need to learn, actual combat experience is the most important. When two Soul Masters have the same Soul Power Level and are not too far apart in other respects, the one with more combat experience is more likely to win. That experience will determine whether you live or die when you face Soul Masters of your own level in the future."

Qin Muchu agreed wholeheartedly. Sometimes experience mattered even more than Soul Power Level.

"Once a Soul Master enters the Great Soul Arena, regardless of level, they're known simply as a Soul Fighter. Each victory earns points, while each defeat costs points. Accumulate enough, and your badge rank rises. The badge marks your standing in the Great Soul Arena and is recognized across the continent. Higher ranks bring many benefits, which you'll learn about in time, so I won't go into them now. From lowest to highest, the eight ranks are Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Purple Gold, Sapphire, Ruby, and Diamond. Your task is to earn a Silver Soul Badge before you graduate."

"Only Silver Soul Fighter? That sounds easy. Why not Diamond? Aren't we supposed to be monsters?" Xiao Wu asked, looking adorably puzzled.

Flender's mouth twitched. "Easy? Mubai, tell them what it takes to rise through the ranks."

Dai Mubai explained, "When you first register at the Great Soul Arena, you start as an Iron Soul Fighter. You need a hundred points to become a Bronze Soul Fighter. A win earns one point, and a loss costs one. If you win five matches in a row, a sixth consecutive win earns you ten points. If you win ten in a row, an eleventh earns you a hundred. And your badge rank isn't permanent. If you've just reached a hundred points and been promoted, then lose your next match, you'll drop back to Iron Soul Fighter. It takes a thousand points to rise from Bronze to Silver Soul Fighter. In matches between Bronze Soul Fighters, you gain ten points for a win and lose ten for a defeat. The bonuses for consecutive wins work the same way as they do at Iron rank. So far, I've fought twenty-five matches, won ten, lost fifteen, and ended up at negative five points."