Deathmatch

After all, fighting the royal team would do nothing for their training. And while the Clear Sky Sect did not fear the Heaven Dou Empire or its nobles, there was no need to provoke them.

After Tang Xing explained this, he accepted the banknote, and the group left the Soul Fighting Arena.

Back at the hotel, the teachers discussed it and decided that the practical combat training could end for now. It was time for the students to see how cruel the world of Soul Masters truly was.

The next day, Tang Xing took the group to the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena.

Once inside, he told the registration clerk, "Sign us up for a team Deathmatch."

The clerk and the members of the Clear Sky Team all stared at Tang Xing in surprise.

The teachers had not told the team about this yet.

Seeing their expressions, Tang Xing explained, "You've had enough practical combat training. It's time you saw blood. A Soul Master who has seen blood is nothing like one who hasn't."

The clerk then told them there was only one team Deathmatch at the Soul Grandmaster level that day.

Their opponent was a Silver Soul Fighter team called the Spider Team.

After confirming it with the staff, they scheduled the Clear Sky Team's match against the Spider Team for the afternoon.

Tang Xing obtained detailed information on the Spider Team from the arena staff. (There was nothing a fist couldn't accomplish.)

He handed the files to the seven team members and began explaining them.

"The Spider Team has seven members."

"Their captain, Purple Spider, has the Man Faced Demon Spider Martial Soul. She's a level twenty-eight control-system Soul Grandmaster."

"Red Spider has the Red Fire Spider Martial Soul. She's a level twenty-two agility-attack-system Soul Grandmaster."

"Black Spider has the Black Spider Martial Soul. She's a level twenty-one control-system Soul Grandmaster."

"Green Spider has the Jade-Scale Poison Spider Martial Soul. She's a level twenty-four control-system Soul Grandmaster."

"Blue Spider has the Four-Winged Spider Martial Soul. She's a level nineteen agility-attack-system Soul Master."

"Yellow Spider has the Giant Spider Martial Soul. She's a level eighteen Power Attack System Soul Master."

"Yinzhu has the Yinzhu Martial Soul. He's a level twelve support-system Soul Master."

After seeing everyone's levels and Martial Souls, the group began discussing a battle plan.

Even Tang Chen took a rare interest. Their opponents were all spiders, and one careless moment could leave someone poisoned and force him to reveal the effect of his Second Soul Ring.

He knew that secret would come out sooner or later, but he still wanted to put it off as long as possible.

Tang Xing told them, "There are only three people you need to watch out for in this fight."

He pulled out three files.

"First, you must be careful of their captain. Both her Soul Skills are highly poisonous, and both control a wide area."

"Second, watch out for Green Spider. Her Jade-Scale Poison Spider is one of the Jade-Scale Five Poisons, and its venom is fierce. Both her Soul Skills use poisonous webs to restrain opponents, but you still can't let your guard down."

"Third is their only support Soul Master, and the Spider Team's only man: Yinzhu. I've heard of his Martial Soul. Don't be fooled by his name—it's troublesome. His first Soul Skill makes the whole team immune to pain and fear. That's immensely powerful in a Deathmatch."

After telling them what to watch for, Tang Xing left it to them to decide how to deal with the Spider Team.

Their opponents might not be hard to beat, but the thought of killing someone with their own hands weighed on every one of them.

In the end, Tang Chen stepped forward. "Come on, stop looking like eggplants beaten down by frost. If we can't avoid it, we might as well face it with a smile."

Ning Zi joined in. "Brother Chen's right! We'll have to face this someday. Will being afraid make it go away?"

Their words pulled the others out of their gloom.

Once their fighting spirit returned, Tang Chen laid out his plan.

"I'll deal with their captain. I'll take out their support Soul Master too, and Little Zi can finish him off."

"The rest of you each need to take down one opponent. Brother Xiao, Red Spider and Black Spider are yours. Try to take one of them out quickly."

"Bai Kai, Green Spider is yours. I'm not asking you to beat her. Just keep her tied up until the rest of us are done, then we'll all surround her."

"Tai Kang, you take Yellow Spider. Your Martial Soul is far stronger than hers, and your levels aren't far apart. If you fight at full strength, you'll have no trouble."

"Yang Wu, Blue Spider is the tricky one. She's fast and can split into copies, so finding her real body will be hard. Keep her occupied for as long as you can and give the others enough time."

"Ning Zi, there's nothing special you need to worry about. Stay behind us and use your Soul Skills to support us. But don't get careless—protect yourself."

When Tang Chen finished assigning their roles, he added one last thing.

"If it comes down to it, I'll go all out and finish off the other team."

Behind him, Tang Xing rolled his eyes.

"You don't need to worry about your safety," he told them. "Even if you lose and they try to kill you, do you think I, a Titled Douluo, couldn't stop them?"

Tai Kang asked curiously, "Don't the Great Soul Arena's rules forbid other Soul Masters from interfering?"

Tang Xing rapped Tai Kang on the head and explained, "Those rules only restrain weaker Soul Masters. Even if a Titled Douluo like me interfered, what could they do about it?"

Tai Kang said enviously, "It must be great to be a Titled Douluo! I want to become one someday."

Bai Kai scoffed. "You? A Titled Douluo? Maybe in your next life."

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Tang Chen hurriedly held them back.

"Enough! Stop arguing and get ready for the fight."

At Tang Chen's words, both swallowed their protests, however reluctantly.

Each silently resolved to take his frustration out on the opposing Soul Masters.

Before long, afternoon arrived.

"Welcome, honored guests! I'm Lele, your commentator for this match. Up next is a team Deathmatch—the first we've had in a long time! Let's welcome both teams into the arena!"

Six women and one man stepped onto the stage from the left. At their center was a striking beauty with purple hair and black eyes. To her left stood a green-haired beauty who bore some resemblance to Dugu Yan. To her right stood a rather shifty-looking man with black hair, black eyes, and purplish lips.