Sparring with Qian Renxue

"I accidentally used too much strength!"

Not paying attention to the situation on the stage, Li Fei carried the Tungsten Steel Rod and walked down from the arena. It was his first real battle, so he could not help feeling nervous. He had instinctively used the force-generation method of Chaotic Cloak, and with the eight-hundred-pound Tungsten Steel Rod, the explosive force in that instant had definitely exceeded two thousand pounds. That was why a single strike had shattered Zhu Chi's arm and fractured his kneecap.

"No, I need to control my strength when I fight. Fighting like this won't achieve anything at all!"

After stepping off the arena, Li Fei understood that he had to limit his strength to the level of a Soul Master for battle to be effective. Otherwise, if he relied on brute force every time, neither his combat techniques nor experience would improve in the slightest.

"Perhaps fighting Soul Grand Masters would be more effective."

After thinking it over, Li Fei felt that controlling his strength to fight Soul Masters would be less effective than battling Soul Grand Masters. Soul Masters only had one soul skill, so there were not many variables. Soul Grand Masters had one more soul skill and were more flexible in battle. They might be harder for him to handle, but the gains would also be greater.

"Um, can I challenge Soul Grand Masters directly in the Soul Arena?!" Li Fei asked a passing staff member.

"That won't do. You're only an Iron Soul Fighter right now. If you want to challenge someone above your rank and fight a Soul Grandmaster, you need to be at least a Silver Soul Fighter."

Hearing that, Li Fei glanced at the Iron Soul Fighter Badge in his hand, nodded, and returned to the contestants' area to wait for his next match. He wanted to raise his badge rank as quickly as possible.

His next opponent was much weaker than Zhu Chi from the previous match. After exchanging a few moves while controlling his strength, Li Fei felt that the Soul Master arena was simply a waste of time. He sent the opponent flying out of the ring with one strike and ended the match.

This made him even more eager to fight Soul Grand Masters, or even Soul Elders. However, advancing from Iron Soul Fighter to Silver Soul Fighter required one hundred points, while winning one match only earned one point. To obtain a Silver Soul Badge, Li Fei had to win one hundred matches without losing a single one along the way.

Most importantly, each person could participate in at most three individual matches per day. This meant that if Li Fei wanted to obtain the Silver Badge, it would take him over a month at the very least.

"Sigh! Time to grind!"

After finishing his three Soul Arena matches for the day, Li Fei sighed and left the Soul Arena without much enthusiasm. As he passed Yiren Pastry Shop, he bought another dozen or so cakes and placed them in his Storage Bracelet.

When he returned home, he asked about the hotel's situation and gave his parents some sales suggestions from Blue Star—membership systems and hunger marketing—before returning to his room to cultivate. He worked hard to clear the blocked Meridians within his body.

"Li Fei, I heard from Sister Ying that you went to the Soul Arena to participate in matches yesterday!"

The next day, Li Fei had barely entered the Mimicry Environment to cultivate when he heard Qian Renxue's question. He was not surprised by it. Spirit Hall's control over Spirit City could be said to be perfect. They could promptly receive information about even the slightest disturbance, so how could it be difficult for them to learn that he had concealed his identity to fight in the Soul Arena?

"Yes. I wanted to improve my combat experience, so I entered the Soul Arena matches."

"Then should I join you in the Soul Arena too? As Spirit Hall's Saintess, I'll definitely have to fight often in the future." Qian Renxue's little face was full of determination and seriousness as she looked at Li Fei expectantly.

"It's not impossible, but there's a problem."

Li Fei looked somewhat troubled. In truth, he was tempted. Qian Renxue had Innate Soul Power at rank twenty. If the two of them formed a team, he could directly fight Soul Grand Masters and skip the stage of advancing to a Silver Badge.

"What problem?!" Qian Renxue asked in confusion.

"Your Highness, your Innate Soul Power is at rank twenty, so if you enter the Soul Arena, you'll be participating in Soul Grandmaster-level matches. But you don't have a single Spirit Ring yet. You'll be at a huge disadvantage in battle."

Li Fei's meaning was clear: if she participated now, she would only get beaten up. That was what concerned him. Qian Renxue's status was noble, and he did not believe Qian Xunji would allow her to compete in the Soul Arena.

"But what difference is there between your soul skill and having none at all? Aren't you still participating in Soul Arena matches?!" Qian Renxue said indignantly.

"Your Highness, my circumstances are somewhat different from yours. Ever since I was three, I've consciously trained my body and spiritual power. I trained without slacking off for four years. My physical condition is now stronger than that of many assault-type Soul Elders. That's what gives me the confidence to participate in the Soul Arena. But not only is your physical condition lacking, your Spirit is also the Six-Winged Angel Spirit. Do you think anyone would dare fight you once you stepped onto the arena?!"

Li Fei spoke helplessly. The Six-Winged Angel Spirit was far too recognizable. Anyone who saw it would know she was a member of the Spirit Hall's royal lineage. Who would dare fight her?

"I don't care. I'm joining too!" Qian Renxue began to throw a little tantrum.

"Fine! Then join me in team matches when the time comes. But you can't use the Angel Spirit then!" Li Fei sighed and stated his condition.

"Don't worry! Our Qian Family has a secret technique that lets us partially summon our Spirits. When the time comes, I'll only summon the Angel Sacred Sword, so my identity won't be exposed!" Qian Renxue said with a hint of pride. With a wave of her hand, a golden longsword appeared in her grasp. "This is much more reliable than the rod Spirit you figured out how to disguise with soul power."

Only upon seeing the Angel Sacred Sword did Li Fei remember that the Six-Winged Angel Spirit came with its own weapon—and it was one of the highest-grade weapons.

"That's good, then. But you need to fight me first and let me see your strength!"

Li Fei breathed a sigh of relief. He took a two-hundred-pound Tungsten Steel Rod from his Storage Bracelet and held it in his hand as he looked at the eager Qian Renxue.

"Then here I come!"

Qian Renxue smiled happily, quickened her pace, and charged toward Li Fei. She swung the Angel Sacred Sword in her hand, flooding it with golden soul power as she thrust at him.

The Tungsten Steel Rod flicked lightly, blocking the Angel Sacred Sword's attack. Li Fei twisted his arm, spinning the rod around in a circle before striking at Qian Renxue with its other end.

Qian Renxue reacted quickly. She promptly took a step back to evade the attack, twisted her body, and swept toward Li Fei's waist, making him feel a trace of admiration.

"Clang! Clang!..."

The sound of metal colliding rang out continuously. Li Fei looked at Qian Renxue with surprise, though it was not truly unexpected. Her attacks were well structured, and she had clearly practiced swordsmanship. However, the traces of deliberate drilling were too obvious; her movements lacked smoothness and flexibility. This was the sign of someone who had never fought in real combat.

Li Fei began feeding Qian Renxue moves. At the same time, he absorbed the essence of her swordsmanship, and his rod techniques also became more flexible and varied.

"I'm done. This isn't interesting at all!"

After only ten minutes of fighting, Qian Renxue lost interest because she could not touch Li Fei at all. She put away the Angel Sacred Sword and sat dejectedly in a nearby chair.

"Battle is like life. Things won't always go the way you want them to! What you can do is overcome those difficulties, work hard to improve your strength, and let your heart guide your actions!" Li Fei said earnestly.