Soul Arena

"Forget it, I'll stroll around Spirit City for now! I've been here so long and still haven't properly looked around. I can also stop by the Soul Arena."

After leaving his house, Li Fei began wandering around. Spirit Hall occupied one-third of the entire Spirit City, Spirit Academy occupied another third, and only the rest was the true Spirit City.

He took out several Gold Soul Coins from his Storage Bracelet and bought some cakes from a shop called Yiren Pastries. Then, while eating, Li Fei continued strolling around in search of anything worthwhile.

"As expected of cakes made specifically for nobles. They taste far better than the ones in Ze'an City, and the ingredients are much more carefully chosen!"

After taking a bite of Strawberry Cake, Li Fei found it quite good. His mood brightened as well, sweeping away the gloom he had felt since arriving in Spirit City. He headed toward the Soul Arena.

On the way, he passed a mask shop. Li Fei picked out and bought a rabbit mask. It fit him perfectly once he put it on, so he entered Spirit City, paid one Gold Soul Coin for a ticket, and arrived at the spectator stands. He sat down and began watching the soul battle below.

Below, two Soul Grand Masters were fighting. Both possessed Beast Souls—one had the Battle Tiger Soul, while the other had the Frenzied Lion Soul. Their soul skills were fairly similar, and the battle was currently in full swing.

"Does this count as another version of a lion-tiger fight?"

"But doesn't this kind of battle seem a little childish?"

Watching the two below attack as though they were taking turns, Li Fei did not know what to say. One would use a soul skill to hit the other, then the other would return the blow. They rarely even exchanged the most basic physical techniques.

Even so, the people around him watched with great interest, occasionally cheering for the contestants they had bet on. These people did not care much about how strong the soul masters below were. What they enjoyed more was the thrill of gambling.

"No wonder the original story never mentioned a single genius soul master before Spirit Hall's Golden Generation. With this childish style of fighting and attitude, even Innate Full Soul Power wouldn't be enough to become strong!"

After watching several more matches, Li Fei discovered that there were still some impressive contestants. The battles between several plainly dressed soul masters were quite exciting, with far more physical combat involved.

"As expected, children from poor families understand what they need."

Li Fei smiled, stood up, and went to the registration area. After briefly filling out a form and registering his information, he put on his rabbit mask and took a seat in the contestants' area to wait.

"Who is Battle Rabbit? Please come with me!" A staff member entered the contestants' area and asked.

"That's me!"

Li Fei rose to his feet and followed behind the staff member. Before long, they arrived at Sub-Arena No. 8. This was the competition venue for Soul Masters. There were not many spectators, only a scattered few dozen. Most people still preferred watching battles between Soul Grand Masters and above.

A young man in a tailcoat walked onto the stage and announced loudly, "Next is the third one-on-one soul battle of our Eighth Soul Arena! The two Soul Masters entering the ring are Zhu Chi, who possesses the Beast Soul Wild Boar, and Battle Rabbit, who possesses the Weapon Soul Tungsten Steel Rod. It is worth noting that Soul Master Battle Rabbit is participating in a soul battle for the first time. How will he perform against Zhu Chi, who has already won nine consecutive matches? Let us wait and see."

"Now, please welcome the two Soul Masters onto the stage!"

Only a few people in the stands shouted, all calling Zhu Chi's name. They were the ones who had bet on Zhu Chi to win. The others were not particularly interested, mainly because battles between Soul Masters were simply not exciting enough.

"Not bad luck. Looks like he knows how to fight!"

A hint of delight appeared in Li Fei's eyes. What he feared most was encountering an opponent who fought in turns like before. That would be utterly useless for accumulating combat experience.

He took out the eight-hundred-jin Tungsten Steel Rod that Sister Ying had commissioned for him, slung it over his shoulder, and walked toward the stage.

At the same time, Zhu Chi walked up from the other side. He was around 1.8 meters tall, bare-chested, and covered in thick hair that concealed his granite-like muscles. A fierce gleam showed in his narrowed eyes. He was clearly a strength-type Soul Master.

"Another rich young master here to experience life. Let's see how I crush you!"

After sizing up Li Fei's clothing and mask, Zhu Chi curled his lips in a disdainful smile. He had seen plenty of contestants like this, and he always gave them a proper welcome.

"Kid, you'd better surrender quickly! Don't start crying for your mother after I beat you up!"

Zhu Chi looked contemptuous, then burst into loud laughter.

"I hope you'll offer me some guidance, Senior."

Li Fei's tone was utterly calm. He gripped the Tungsten Steel Rod tightly in his right hand and charged straight at Zhu Chi, looking exactly like someone who had never fought before.

"Haha! A kid is still just a kid!"

Zhu Chi laughed loudly as the Wild Boar Soul instantly possessed him. His body swelled by a full circle, and his already thick hair began growing even more. A yellow Spirit Ring slowly rose beside him.

"First Soul Skill—Boar Bristle Armor!"

With a shout, Zhu Chi stomped down hard with his right foot. The boar bristles all over his body curled up as an earthy yellow glow burst from within him, forming a yellow suit of armor over his body. He assumed a guarded stance and stretched out both huge hands to grab the Tungsten Steel Rod.

"This guy isn't as simple-minded as he looks!"

Li Fei was somewhat surprised. Earthy yellow soul power instantly covered the Tungsten Steel Rod. With a forceful push from his feet, he leaped into the air. After swinging the rod in a full arc, he brought it crashing down toward Zhu Chi's head with a piercing whistling sound.

"What an idiot. He actually dared to jump up. As long as I grab your Soul, won't you be at my mercy?"

Seeing Li Fei's movements, Zhu Chi became even more convinced that he was a rich young master merely here to experience life. Soul power exceeding ten levels erupted from him as he grabbed Li Fei's Tungsten Steel Rod.

Crack!

Bang!

The instant they made contact, Zhu Chi felt a terrifying force travel through the rod. Immediately afterward, he heard the sound of bones cracking. An indescribable pain shot through his arm, and he dropped to his knees with a dull thud.

"Ah! ..."

Before Li Fei could even raise his Tungsten Steel Rod again, Zhu Chi was already rolling around on the ground while clutching his twisted arm. His miserable screams echoed throughout the entire Soul Arena.

"Who is this guy?! He actually broke through Zhu Chi's defense! You have to know that all the previous Soul Masters, no matter what their Souls were, had no way to break through Zhu Chi's defense. In the end, they were worn down until they ran out of soul power and lost!"

"He defeated Zhu Chi without even using a soul skill!"

"Just one strike—how did he do it?!"

Everyone who had bet on Zhu Chi was thrown into turmoil. They stared in disbelief at the young man below, who carried a Tungsten Steel Rod over his shoulder. They had been extremely confident in Zhu Chi. His Boar Bristle Armor not only provided terrifying defense, but could also deflect fifty percent of incoming force. At the Soul Master level, it could be said that no one in the entire Soul Arena was his match.

Yet now, Li Fei had dealt with him in a single strike. It was simply impossible to believe.