Ling Luochеn and Chen An Going All Out

Shrek Academy's Soul Fighting Zone was hexagonal, with a broad open space in the center where contestants fought.

Surrounding it were tier upon tier of spectator seats, with enough room for roughly three thousand people.

The Soul Fighting Zone was an important part of Shrek Academy, located in the northwest corner of its Outer Court.

The Soul Fighting Zone was closed to the public during the day and used for practical combat lessons, but it opened to students after classes each day and remained available until midnight.

It gave students who wanted to engage in soul fighting a place where they could fight without holding back. Naturally, they had to register and pay a fee.

For each soul fighting match, the contestants had to pay at least ten Gold Soul Coins in venue fees. Anyone wishing to enter the stands and watch had to pay one Silver Soul Coin for admission.

If the contestants were relatively famous students, Shrek Academy would even announce the match through soul-tool loudspeakers in crowded areas such as the dormitories and teaching buildings, drawing more spectators.

The academy took half the admission revenue, while the other half went to the winner.

Most importantly, students did not have to worry about their safety when fighting in the Soul Fighting Zone. Dedicated teachers served as referees, determined the winner, protected the students, and provided rescue, treatment, and other assistance.

As a result, many powerful students at Shrek Academy often came to the Soul Fighting Zone. They could improve their practical combat skills while earning a handsome income.

Nearly a thousand people were already seated in the stands, their voices rising in a lively uproar.

So many people had come because, after Ma Xiaotao dragged Chen An over to register for a match, the Soul Fighting Zone's staff had broadcast an announcement.

As the disciple of Yan Shaozhe, dean of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department, Ma Xiaotao had both an impressive background and outstanding talent, not to mention stunning beauty and a voluptuous figure.

Consequently, Ma Xiaotao was extremely famous at Shrek Academy and had many admirers. Any soul fighting match she entered naturally attracted plenty of students.

At that moment, Chen An and Ma Xiaotao were warming up in the Soul Fighting Zone's waiting room.

The Soul Fighting Arena was still empty. Only the stands were noisy, with conversation everywhere.

A male student in the fourth row said eagerly, "I heard Flame Maniac Ma Xiaotao is competing in this match. I really can't wait to see her performance."

Another male student sneered at his words. "Tch, I almost hate to expose you. Her performance? More like her huge tits."

"Y-you... how can you slander an innocent man out of thin air!"

"Pah! You shameless bastard! Why don't you piss yourself a mirror and see whether you're worthy?"

"You fucking idiot, how dare you insult me! Do you know who my father is?! My father is the Star Luo Empire's Marquis Spirit Wolf!"

"Hmph! A mere marquis, and you have the nerve to flaunt him! How many people who get into Shrek Academy don't have a background? Let me tell you, my father is the Dou Ling Empire's Scarlet Grand Duke! A Soul Douluo! Even I'm not worthy of dreaming about Ma Xiaotao, so what makes a small fry like you think you are?"

"..."

While the male students in the stands waited eagerly for Ma Xiaotao to appear...

A young woman seated in the front row quietly drew the attention of the male students around her.

Her face was lovely as the moon, her features exquisite and flawless. Her skin was white as jade, delicate as freshly fallen snow, and suffused with a faint luster.

Her eyes were exceptionally bright, their outer corners slightly upturned. She had a high nose bridge and a sharply defined jawline, as though sculpted.

Yet those slightly upturned eyes carried a faint aloofness and pride. Her bearing resembled a wintersweet blossom, cold and solitary.

That icy air left the male students around her daring only to admire her from afar, not approach her.

Only one person in the entire Shrek Outer Court possessed such a bearing: Ling Luochеn, known as the Ice Girl.

Ling Luochеn was exceptionally gifted, possessing innate full soul power and the powerful ice element martial soul. Ever since childhood, her elders had adored her, her peers had looked up to her, and she had never suffered a setback.

But after arriving at Shrek Academy, where geniuses gathered, Ling Luochеn had encountered her lifelong rival: Flame Maniac Ma Xiaotao.

Perhaps it was because of their martial souls' attributes, but the two had been as incompatible as fire and water from their first meeting. Neither could stand the sight of the other.

One thought the other wore a blank expression and put on airs of icy superiority; the other thought her counterpart was violent, overbearing, and unreasonable.

And so the two, incompatible as fire and water, immediately came to blows. Unsurprisingly, their fight ended in Ma Xiaotao's victory.

As the personal disciple of Super Douluo Yan Shaozhe, dean of the Martial Soul Department, Ma Xiaotao enjoyed resources Ling Luochеn could not match.

Ma Xiaotao had even fused with a high-quality Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone, and her soul power had reached the Soul Elder realm. How could Ling Luochеn, a rank twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster, possibly defeat her?

Thus, after suffering the first defeat of her life, Ling Luochеn became thoroughly set on opposing Ma Xiaotao.

Upon learning that Ma Xiaotao would be fighting that evening, Ling Luochеn immediately spent a Gold Soul Coin to buy a front-row seat at a premium.

She wanted to watch Ma Xiaotao's performance closely and discover her weaknesses, so she could defeat her in their next encounter and wash away her humiliation.

A sharp gleam shone in Ling Luochеn's chilly eyes as she thought, Ma Xiaotao, just you wait. Sooner or later, I'll repay the defeat you gave me twofold!

Still, who is this Chen An fighting Ma Xiaotao tonight? I've been at Shrek Academy for over half a year, but I've never heard of a genius named Chen An in the Shrek Outer Court.

While Ling Luochеn pondered, a male student seated nearby stared at her, utterly captivated.

He had originally come to watch Ma Xiaotao fight, but never imagined such a beautiful young woman would be sitting beside him. Now he did not know where to look.

Staring seemed too rude, but he could not help himself.

So the male student sat ramrod straight, yet his eyes kept darting toward Ling Luochеn. In barely a minute, he had glanced at her at least a dozen times.

The surrounding stares made Ling Luochеn's brows knit tightly. A chill radiated from her body, leaving the others shivering.

While the many Shrek students in the stands chattered away...

Chen An and Ma Xiaotao emerged from the waiting room and entered the Soul Fighting Arena.

The moment Chen An stepped into the arena, the bustling stands fell silent. A few breaths later...

Countless students stared wide-eyed at Chen An and exclaimed, "Wait, why is it a child?"

"Yeah, he's way too young! He looks about six or seven."

"New students entering Shrek Academy's Outer Court have to be under twelve and have soul power above rank fifteen. No matter how you look at him, that child doesn't seem to fit the age requirement."

"Could he be one of the teachers' children?"

"What's such a little kid doing in the Soul Fighting Arena? Where's his mother? Hurry up and take him away! Don't let him make trouble in the arena!"

Ling Luochеn, seated in the front row, was equally baffled. Even her chilly eyes took on a slightly dazed, endearing look, clearly puzzled by Chen An's age.

Just then, a teacher around fifty years old, with Soul Saint cultivation, arrived at the center of the arena.

The referee declared loudly, "Everyone, quiet! Both contestants' identities have been thoroughly verified. There are no issues.

"The soul fighting match will proceed! The contestants are Ma Xiaotao and Chen An. Are you both ready?"

Ma Xiaotao looked at Chen An, two tiny red flames blazing in her eyes, lending a fierce brightness to her already soul-stirring phoenix eyes.

"Referee, hurry up and start! I can't wait any longer!"

Chen An also told the referee, "I'm ready. Referee, let's begin."

"Begin!"

After announcing the start, the referee quickly retreated. Chen An and Ma Xiaotao released their martial souls at the same instant.

Two yellow Soul Rings and one purple Soul Ring rose and circled Ma Xiaotao. Behind her, dark red flames formed the phantom of a phoenix, which let out a clear, ringing cry.

The scorching flames distorted the air for several meters around Ma Xiaotao, even blackening the arena floor.

One could well imagine just how astonishingly hot her evil fire phoenix's flames were.

After Ma Xiaotao activated Martial Soul Possession, Chen An refused to be outdone.

The phantom of his true self martial soul merged into his body, and a purple Soul Ring rose to circle him.

In an instant, Chen An looked as though he had aged two or three years, changing from a six-year-old child into a young boy.

His formerly black hair turned silver. Dense spiritual power shimmered in his eyes with a silvery radiance, while his smooth skin gave off a faint golden glow.

An aura no weaker than that of a three-ring Soul Elder erupted from Chen An's body.

As Chen An activated Martial Soul Possession, the spectators who had just been questioning his age and strength, even telling him not to cause trouble, fell utterly silent.

Everyone gaped, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

"His first soul ring... a thousand years!!"

"How could his first soul ring be a thousand-year one!"

"What's going on with this child named Chen An? Judging by his appearance, he can't be older than seven. How did he manage this at such a young age?"

"Only a Soul Master at least at the Soul Elder level should be able to withstand a Thousand-Year Soul Ring! Even if he'd been fed heavenly treasures like medicine his entire life, it should still be almost impossible to fuse with a Thousand-Year Soul Ring with only Soul Master cultivation, right?"

"No, his martial soul is strange too. It doesn't seem to be a tool martial soul or a beast martial soul. It looks more like the mysterious body martial soul from the rumors!"

"But isn't his cultivation a little too low?"

In an instant, the spectators who had looked down on Chen An focused all their attention on him.

The look in Ling Luochеn's chilly eyes also changed instantly at the sight of the Thousand-Year Soul Ring circling Chen An.

But soon, a new question arose in her mind.

"A thousand-year first soul ring, but only Soul Master cultivation? How can a Soul Master contend with Ma Xiaotao, a Soul Elder?"

Ling Luochеn began to expect much more from the boy named Chen An in the arena. In her view, since this child dared to fight Ma Xiaotao, he must have confidence that he could stand against her.

Ling Luochеn thought, If he really can hold his own against Ma Xiaotao, she'll lose so much face. A Soul Elder unable to deal with a Soul Master—what an absolute disgrace.

At the thought of Ma Xiaotao being humbled, a faint smile involuntarily appeared on Ling Luochеn's chilly face.

That smile was slight and fleeting, yet it was like warm spring sunshine melting snow, as beautiful as spring returning to the earth and all things awakening. The male students nearby who saw that exceedingly rare smile were left staring foolishly.

While the students in the stands reeled in shock over Chen An...

The three Soul Rings surrounding Ma Xiaotao—two yellow and one purple—lit up simultaneously.

As the personal disciple of Yan Shaozhe, dean of the Martial Soul Department, Ma Xiaotao had been strictly disciplined since childhood. Naturally, she understood that even a lion must use its full strength to catch a rabbit.

She would not show mercy merely because her opponent was young.

A purple Soul Ring flashed around Ma Xiaotao. Her third Soul Skill, Phoenix Wings Soaring, manifested enormous, dazzling wings of fire and a phoenix tail behind her. Her fiery wings beat, carrying her into the air.

Ma Xiaotao's third Soul Skill, Phoenix Wings Soaring, not only granted her flight, but also increased her flame temperature by 100% and her attack range by 50%.

At the same time, a Yellow Soul Ring flashed. Fierce flames erupted all over Ma Xiaotao, and an indescribably powerful aura burst from her body. Her second Soul Skill: Blazing Phoenix.

Blazing Phoenix enveloped her entire body in flames, enhancing every aspect of her phoenix fire power while also increasing the flight speed of her third Soul Skill.

Bathed in flames, Ma Xiaotao resembled a goddess of fire. She spread the phoenix wings behind her and flew through the air, looking down upon everything below.

"Little brother Chen An, watch out!! First Soul Skill, Phoenix Fire Line!"

Enhanced by her second and third Soul Skills, Blazing Phoenix and Phoenix Wings Soaring, the Phoenix Fire Line transformed into a dark red pillar of fire, seemingly as solid as ruby, and shot straight toward Chen An.

Looking at that pillar of fire, Chen An could not help sensing just how formidable Ma Xiaotao was.

The scorching Phoenix Flame had not even reached him, yet he could already feel its searing heat baking his skin, as though it would evaporate every drop of moisture in his body.

Chen An knew Ma Xiaotao was nothing like the soft persimmons he had crushed before. Without hesitation, he activated his first Soul Skill, Dark Gold Transformation.

In an instant, a layer of dark golden light covered Chen An's body.

First Soul Skill, Dark Gold Transformation! It greatly enhanced his physical strength, defense, and explosive power! At the same time, it drastically increased his resistance to abnormal conditions.

With Dark Gold Transformation enhancing him, Chen An's strength surged. Soul power coursed through his right hand, and sharp Dark Gold Dreadclaws extended from it.

Chen An slashed with all his might. The razor-sharp Dark Gold Dreadclaws cut through the air, tearing it apart.

Before the keen edges of the Dark Gold Dreadclaws, Ma Xiaotao's Phoenix Flame was ripped to pieces.

Firelight scattered around Chen An like fireworks, adding a magnificent splash of color to his body, which was shrouded in dark golden light.