"Mr. Ma Hongjun, only Martial Souls are permitted in the Soul Fighting Arena, so please leave your axe with me."
The staff member was thoroughly professional and did not look down on Ma Hongjun because of his age.
Besides, Ma Hongjun was already a Soul Grandmaster at such a young age.
A genius like him naturally deserved courteous treatment.
"Fine. This thing's just a burden to me right now anyway."
Ma Hongjun took the Phoenix Emperor off his back, and the Soul Power within him immediately flowed much more freely.
He handed it to the staff member.
The moment the staff member accepted the Phoenix Emperor, he staggered, nearly dragged to the ground by its tremendous weight.
Tang San steadied him in time and took the Phoenix Emperor from his hands.
"I came with him. Just leave it with me."
As Tang San spoke, Ma Hongjun inwardly gave their perfectly coordinated show-off routine a thumbs-up.
"Yes, of course. Sorry for the trouble."
The staff member's tone became even more respectful.
He had some cultivation himself, but he had not expected to underestimate the massive axe's weight so badly.
Seeing Ma Hongjun and Tang San lift it effortlessly with one hand, he could not help marveling at how the next generation was surpassing the old.
"Not bad, little chubby! You've got some strength."
The other contestant standing opposite Ma Hongjun, Xiao Ruoxue, watched him with interest.
She had witnessed the little incident below the stage and taken an interest in this chubby boy, who was barely half her age.
Could he be some little brat from a powerful family, out gaining experience?
"I'm not fat! These are solid muscles!"
Ma Hongjun struck a bodybuilding pose, bulging his massive arm muscles as he corrected her.
"Speaking of which, pretty lady, you're not bad yourself."
Ma Hongjun immediately revealed his lecherous male nature, his expression turning into that of a drooling creep.
"That exposed brown skin, those full thighs... ooh~ I bet you'd taste delicious~"
Below the stage, Tang San gave a wry smile at Ma Hongjun's vulgar behavior.
Oh well. He was only enjoying running his mouth.
Besides, Grandmaster had said that one should learn to use trash talk effectively in battle to expose openings in opponents whose resolve was weak.
Ma Hongjun was making use of his own traits to put Grandmaster's psychological tactics into practice.
His version just happened to specialize in women.
Of course, even among women, the effects varied.
Some would grow angry and lose their composure, others would strike twice as hard without mercy, and still others would laugh instead of getting angry, like Xiao Ruoxue.
"Haha! You silver-tongued little fatty. If you've got what it takes, come try to conquer me!"
Unlike the snowy gentleness her name suggested, Xiao Ruoxue had both a fiery temperament and a sizzling figure.
She summoned her Martial Soul, and iron-blue vines spread outward, one of them settling into her hand.
The wisps of cold they gave off suited Xiao Ruoxue's name rather better.
"Xiao Ruoxue, rank twenty-eight control-type Battle Soul Master. Martial Soul: Cold Iron Vine. Please show me what you can do."
The two Yellow Soul Rings pulsing around her Martial Soul, together with her battle-hardened, icy demeanor, made it clear that she would not be an easy opponent.
"A plant Martial Soul with a cold attribute, huh? Then let my Evil Fire Phoenix heat that cold iron of yours red-hot!"
"Ma Hongjun, rank twenty-two Battle Soul Master. Martial Soul: Evil Fire Phoenix. Please show me what you can do."
The Evil Fire Phoenix possessed Ma Hongjun, and despite the enormous gap in their ranks, his fighting spirit did not waver.
Exchanging names, Martial Souls, and cultivation ranks was an inviolable courtesy among Soul Masters.
If one introduced themselves and the other failed to follow suit, other Soul Masters would scorn the latter as a lowlife.
Of course, one could also choose whether to introduce themselves in the first place. The rule was quite flexible.
"One yellow and one purple?! This kid's a monster!"
"Looks like Xiao Xue's three-win streak is about to end."
"No way. Soul Ring configuration is one thing, but the gap in cultivation is an uncrossable chasm. Making up a six-rank difference with one Thousand-Year Soul Ring would be pretty tough."
On the other side of the stage, a group of women were discussing the match. They belonged to the same mercenary group as Xiao Ruoxue.
Poisonous miasma had appeared deep in the mountains near Geyin City, leaving them with little work lately.
So they had come to the Soul Fighting Arena to pass the time.
"Quiet. Just watch Ruoxue fight."
A woman with a heroic air spoke sternly.
"Yes, Captain."
The battle erupted in an instant. Flames flared over Ma Hongjun's body as he closed in on Xiao Ruoxue.
Xiao Ruoxue lashed out with the Cold Iron Vine in her hand, intending to bind him.
But Ma Hongjun dodged with an agility that belied his build.
Midway through its motion, however, the vine suddenly stiffened, becoming like a crooked staff as it pursued Ma Hongjun.
Xiao Ruoxue's First Soul Ring lit up. She had apparently activated her First Soul Skill.
First Soul Skill: Harden, which made the Cold Iron Vine as hard as steel.
Ma Hongjun carefully dodged the hardened vine, gauging the distance in his mind.
Once Xiao Ruoxue's attack had spent its momentum, he unleashed the Phoenix Fire Line he had been preparing, whipping his head around as well.
He churned the line of fire into a flaming vortex, expanding its attack range.
The immense heat brought sweat pouring from Xiao Ruoxue's forehead, forcing her to retreat for the moment.
After withdrawing to a safe distance, she swung the softened vines around herself, and her Second Soul Ring lit up.
The Cold Iron Vines around her immediately released a chill, dissipating most of the heat from the Evil Fire.
Xiao Ruoxue frowned. This purple Evil Fire was truly formidable; its heat was astonishing.
Her chill could normally freeze Soul Masters of the same rank to their very core, yet here it only brought the temperature down to a warm level.
It drained a considerable amount of her stamina.
Ma Hongjun clicked his tongue as well. These Cold Iron Vines had some resistance to his flames, their outer skin as hard as refined iron.
As it happened, though, Ma Hongjun knew a thing or two about heating metal.
The two began their next exchange.
Below the stage, Tang San watched Ma Hongjun and Xiao Ruoxue's battle intently, running through it in his mind. How would he respond if he were in either fighter's place?
"Xiao San, who do you think will win, and who will lose?"
A sudden question interrupted Tang San's thoughts.
Tang San turned to look. It was Grandmaster.
He had finished the preparations and then asked passersby where Tang San and Ma Hongjun had gone. The enormous axe was so distinctive that Grandmaster had quickly found his way here.
"Teacher, I'm sorry. We entered a Soul Fighting match without asking," Tang San said, somewhat embarrassed.
"It's fine. Being able to make your own decisions is a sign of progress."
Grandmaster had no objection to the two entering Soul Fighting matches on their own.
Still, he had breathed a small sigh of relief upon seeing that both of them were safe.
Seeing that Grandmaster had no objections, Tang San regained his composure and returned his attention to the stage while answering the earlier question. "Miss Xiao Ruoxue has more combat experience than Ma Hongjun, and her Martial Soul also has some resistance to the Evil Fire Phoenix."
"It may not last long, but it's enough for her to suppress Hongjun with her higher cultivation."
"However, Hongjun hasn't unleashed the second stage of his Second Soul Ring yet, so we still don't know who'll bring down the deer."
"Your analysis is sound, but I believe Ma Hongjun is certain to win."
"Why?"
Thud!
Just as Tang San turned to ask Grandmaster why, a dull impact rang out from the stage.
Tang San looked over and saw Ma Hongjun standing with difficulty, his entire body bright red, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as he clutched his head.
Xiao Ruoxue, meanwhile, was nowhere to be seen. A closer look revealed that she had fallen off the stage.
She was clutching her abdomen with both hands, her expression rather strained, though she was otherwise unharmed.
But she had already left the stage, so the announcer recovered his wits and declared:
"Battle Soul Master Ma Hongjun wins! Record: one win, zero losses."
Before you continue