One month later.
"You stubborn old geezer, I told you it was impossible to break through to level one hundred, but you wouldn't believe me."
"Sorry, my dear disciple. Your master got greedy. But there was so much energy left in my body that I kept feeling I could break through to level one hundred and become a god. Still, where did you get that bloody water? It worked so well."
Outside Spirit City.
Two figures, one large and one small, walked along the road, but the smaller figure was moving faster.
Chen Xuanqing said, "Anyway, it's impossible to reach level one hundred and become a god on your own right now. You should stabilize your level ninety-nine Soul Power first. That's more important than anything else."
"Yes, yes, yes! Whatever my dear disciple says."
Golden Crocodile Douluo had never expected his disciple to produce something so potent. It had evolved his Martial Soul into the Golden Crocodile Flying Emperor and pushed his Soul Power to level ninety-nine, with plenty of medicinal energy still remaining in his body.
Golden Crocodile Douluo knew that once the moment his disciple had mentioned arrived, reaching level one hundred and becoming a god would be no problem at all.
Chen Xuanqing marched down the road, fuming. It was all because his master had insisted on trying to break through to level one hundred. Otherwise, he would never have had to wait so long.
After attending elementary school for a month, Chen Xuanqing was brimming with resentment. If Nana hadn't been there, he wouldn't have wanted to go at all.
At that thought, Chen Xuanqing abruptly quickened his pace. Seeing this, Golden Crocodile Douluo immediately sped up to follow.
Their swift footsteps kicked up dust from the road, drawing the attention of passing travelers.
Two hours later.
Chen Xuanqing and Golden Crocodile Douluo arrived at Azure Sky City, within Spirit Hall's sphere of influence.
Of course, as a necessary measure to conceal their identities, six-year-old Chen Xuanqing and Golden Crocodile Douluo put on masks. Their destination was the Soul Fighting Arena.
Golden Crocodile Douluo said, "My dear disciple, are you sure you want to take part in Soul Fighting now? Isn't it a little too early?"
"Soul Fighting is about strength, and at six years old, I already have the strength to compete."
With that, Chen Xuanqing headed straight toward the Soul Fighting Arena, leaving Golden Crocodile Douluo no choice but to follow.
Upon entering the Soul Fighting Arena, Chen Xuanqing discovered that there were hardly any people inside. It was nothing like the sea of people he had imagined.
"It's still morning, so of course there aren't many people in the Soul Fighting Arena. If you're really interested, my dear disciple, let's come back tonight!"
Golden Crocodile Douluo then tried to pull Chen Xuanqing away. A six-year-old child taking part in Soul Fighting seemed like a terrible idea no matter how he looked at it.
Chen Xuanqing immediately ran to the counter and leaped onto it. "Miss, I'd like to register for Soul Fighting. What are the requirements?"
Although Chen Xuanqing wore a mask, his six-year-old voice was still sweet and childish.
"Little boy, it's too early for you to take part in Soul Fighting. Come back in a couple of years!"
In an instant, two black Soul Rings appeared around Chen Xuanqing, leaving the young woman handling registration stunned.
Seeing this, Golden Crocodile Douluo kept a wary eye on the surrounding Soul Masters. With him here, he would not allow the slightest harm to come to his dear disciple.
"Honored Lord Soul Master, you may participate in Soul Fighting once you've completed this form." As she spoke, she handed Chen Xuanqing a form.
Chen Xuanqing had no choice but to lie across the counter and fill in his name, age, birthplace, and Martial Soul. Then he asked Golden Crocodile Douluo for ten Gold Soul Coins and finally received an Iron Soul Badge in exchange.
After leaving the Soul Fighting Arena, the two went looking for somewhere to eat. It was getting late, after all.
In the end, Golden Crocodile Douluo found the most luxurious inn in Azure Cloud City and booked their stay. Don't ask. The answer was money.
At the dining table.
Chen Xuanqing and Golden Crocodile Douluo both removed their masks. Of course, no one there could recognize Golden Crocodile Douluo, the reclusive Second Worship.
"Eat more and get some proper rest this afternoon. Your master will protect you during tonight's fight."
"Don't worry, Master! With my strength, what danger could I possibly face?"
After eating, the two returned to their respective rooms to rest, while Chen Xuanqing seized every spare moment to cultivate.
Night fell.
Chen Xuanqing returned to the Soul Fighting Arena. This time, however, it was a sea of people, with all sorts of Soul Masters weaving through the arena. It looked incredibly lively.
"Disciple, do you want to enter a sparring match, a deathmatch, or a wager match?"
"As the disciple of a level ninety-nine Peerless Douluo, how could a sparring match be worthy of my status?" With that, Chen Xuanqing approached the counter. "Miss, sign me up for a deathmatch!"
"Yes, honored Lord Soul Master."
And so Chen Xuanqing and Golden Crocodile Douluo sat quietly on a sofa to wait, while a faint, inexplicable nervousness stirred in Chen Xuanqing's heart.
Suddenly, Golden Crocodile Douluo pointed at a group dressed in white ahead of them and said, "See the little swords on their cuffs? They belong to the Flying Sword Sect, one of the Lower Four Sects. Aside from Spirit Hall, the Douluo Continent has the Upper Three Sects and the Lower Four Sects, along with the imperial families of the Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire, of course. That's the basic distribution of power on the continent."
Chen Xuanqing glanced at the members of the Flying Sword Sect, then closed his eyes to rest. The sect masters of the Lower Four Sects were all Soul Douluos. They were honestly rather underwhelming.
Before long, Chen Xuanqing noticed the display had changed. He hadn't expected his turn to come so quickly.
"I'm off, then, Master. And bet plenty of Gold Soul Coins on me. That'll be my spending money from now on."
As he headed toward the competition area, Chen Xuanqing felt the tense atmosphere inside more and more keenly. No wonder the Soul Fighting Arena wielded so much influence. People unleashed their primal desires here-how could it possibly fail to make money?
At last, Chen Xuanqing stepped into the ring. His opponent was already there: a burly, middle-aged man who certainly looked the part of a powerhouse.
[Ding! System mission issued: defeat Kirk. Reward: one lottery draw.]
Since this was Chen Xuanqing's first match, he naturally wasn't qualified to compete in the main Soul Fighting Arena, so there were pitifully few spectators.
Chen Xuanqing's appearance immediately ignited the spectators' fury.
"Crocodile God, huh? Nice name, but he's just a little brat."
"Hey! Is this some gimmick your Soul Fighting Arena cooked up to scam us? Give us our money back! Fuck you, give us our money back!"
The spectators all turned into furious refund-demanding zealots, voicing their dissatisfaction.
Their reactions, however, did nothing to stop the match from proceeding.
"Ladies and gentlemen, let the match begin!"
The middle-aged man immediately stepped forward. "Kirk. Martial Soul: Wind Spirit Leopard. Level twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster!"
In an instant, leopard-like traits appeared on Kirk's body: green markings and a coat of fluffy fur. He looked quite striking.
"Chen Xuanqing. Martial Soul: Crocodile Ancestor. Level twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster!"
After introducing himself, Chen Xuanqing's body began to transform as well. Yellow markings covered him from head to toe, and his sharp claws and fangs looked terrifying.
An aura like Asura's blanketed the arena. Even the spectators who had been hurling insults fell silent for a moment, turning their attention to the match in the ring.