Conceding defeat

The glass pod lid slowly closed, and a boundless river of stars filled Qian Daoliu's vision.

The next moment, detecting Qian Daoliu's exceptionally intense faith and deeply rooted attachment to his martial soul, the system skipped the cumbersome martial soul selection interface entirely.

On the pale blue Virtual Screen before him, there was only one martial soul: the six-winged angel.

Almost without hesitation, he reached out and tapped confirm.

Immediately afterward, the image on the Virtual Screen changed. As words appeared, a system notification sounded.

[Lin Yue has challenged you. Accept?]

At this, a flicker of fighting spirit crossed Qian Daoliu's eyes, and he said softly:

"Accept."

The challenge officially began, entering a three-minute preparation phase.

Following the system's instructions, Qian Daoliu began selecting his martial soul and soul skills.

Three minutes passed in a flash.

The scenery around him began to warp violently. When his vision cleared, he found himself inside a magnificent, enormous colosseum.

The circular arena was built from massive stones, with Roman colonnades surrounding its walls. Its roof stood open, letting clear light spill down from the sky.

After looking around, Qian Daoliu was inwardly marveling at the sight.

Only then did Lin Yue, standing over a hundred feet away opposite him, slowly speak:

"Let's begin."

Hearing him, Qian Daoliu nodded slightly, not daring to show the slightest carelessness.

Brilliant golden light suddenly erupted from his body, and sacred radiance surged skyward. As his six-winged angel martial soul took shape behind him, nine soul rings appeared.

Then he attacked first to test the waters.

"Second soul skill, Angel Feather Blade!"

Six condensed, pure golden blades of light formed among the angel's wings, spinning rapidly around him. Their surfaces shimmered with flowing light as they shot straight at Lin Yue with piercing whistles, carrying immensely powerful sacred cutting force.

Facing the six sacred feather blades hurtling toward him, Lin Yue remained composed and willed his martial soul into action.

A pitch-black shadow silently appeared behind him, its entire body dark and its features indistinct. It was his ghost shadow martial soul.

"First soul skill, Mimicry."

As his words fell, the shadow transformed directly into a solid clone identical to him in both build and appearance.

The golden blades tore through the air toward it. The solid clone neither dodged nor evaded, reaching out to grab them and forcibly blocking them with its body.

All the blades and the solid clone shattered soundlessly together, dissolving into flecks of golden light and pitch-black smoke.

At this, Qian Daoliu could not help looking puzzled.

The same went for Qian Renxue, Snake Lance, and Pufferfish, who were watching through the enormous screen in the shop, as well as the three people peering out from the kitchen area. All their expressions froze.

None of them could understand. Rather than using a solid clone to block an attack, wouldn't a defensive soul skill be better?

While everyone was still bewildered, Lin Yue activated another soul skill inside the arena.

"First soul skill, Mimicry."

This time, the newly formed black shadow reassembled and solidified beside him, taking on a form identical to Qian Daoliu and standing at his side.

"It actually turned into the Great Enshrined!"

"But what can that do? Keep standing in front of him to block attacks?"

Questions lingered in everyone's minds, but the next second, Lin Yue's voice revealed the answer.

"Second soul skill, Angel Feather Blade."

As his words fell, the mimicked Qian Daoliu beside him raised a hand. Six pure golden blades of light formed in response, carrying the same tremendously powerful cutting force as they shot toward the real Qian Daoliu!

Facing the copied Angel Feather Blades coming straight at him, admiration flashed in Qian Daoliu's eyes. After releasing his second soul skill again to cancel them out, he remarked sincerely:

"Truly fascinating."

"Although I saw many ingenious uses of this martial soul through one of the enshrined long ago, I never imagined you could wield it to such a degree, my young friend. Truly astonishing!"

"You flatter me."

With a calm expression, Lin Yue slowly said:

"That is what this Arena is for. It is the ideal place to hone combat techniques or test combinations of soul masters' soul skills."

Qian Daoliu nodded, his gaze approving.

"Your ingenious ideas are truly admirable, my young friend. On this basis alone, calling you a grandmaster of the Soul Master World would hardly be excessive."

Hearing this, the corner of Lin Yue's mouth twitched slightly, and Yu Xiaogang's affectedly profound face instinctively surfaced in his mind.

Although he knew the praise was sincere, he inexplicably felt uncomfortable.

So he merely gave two dry chuckles and changed the subject:

"Let's continue."

"Second soul skill, Shadow Clone."

Then the shadow turned into pitch-black mist that surged and spread wildly, reforming into countless shadows in mere moments.

Only when they occupied almost half the colosseum did Lin Yue stop supplying soul power.

Immediately afterward, he activated another soul skill.

"First soul skill, Mimicry!"

After all the shadows filling the air transformed into copies of his original body, Lin Yue looked at Qian Daoliu and said:

"Come on."

As his words fell, nearly a hundred clones surged toward Qian Daoliu like a black torrent.

Qian Daoliu's expression sharpened, and he immediately grew serious.

Facing such a dense, wide-ranging charge, the fourth soul ring beneath his feet lit up.

"Fourth soul skill, Heavenly Feather Falling Blades!"

Sacred light gathered across the sky, turning into hundreds of fine golden blades that poured down through the open roof like divine punishment descending upon the world.

Wherever the blades passed, swathes of Lin Yue's clones shattered, scattering black smoke.

Yet Lin Yue remained utterly unflustered. Standing where he was, he had his newly summoned shadow clones mimic Qian Daoliu's appearance, then said:

"Fourth soul skill, Heavenly Feather Falling Blades."

This time, dozens of mimicked Qian Daolius raised their hands simultaneously, each conjuring Heavenly Feather Falling Blades.

Although each attack was far weaker than the original's, their sheer numbers made up for it.

Dense golden fragments swept through like a swarm of locusts, continuously colliding with and wearing down Qian Daoliu's attack. Explosions rang endlessly through the air as golden light and black smoke churned together.

Only after ten minutes did Lin Yue stop creating clones and let out a light breath.

Qian Daoliu also ceased his assault. The soul rings around him dimmed as he surveyed the devastated battlefield, then looked at Lin Yue's gently rising and falling chest.

"It's over."

"Up to this point, you have continuously created large numbers of clones, repeatedly used Mimicry, and simultaneously activated the copied fourth soul skill. By my estimation, you have already consumed seventy to eighty percent of your soul power."

Hearing Qian Daoliu's confident judgment, Lin Yue's lips curved into a faint smile, composure flickering in his eyes.

"Oh?"

"Then what if I told you that my sixth and eighth soul skills are both recovery skills, while my fifth and ninth soul skills can increase the power of copied soul skills? Under those circumstances..."

"Are you still certain you can beat me?"

Qian Daoliu drew his brows together slightly and lowered his gaze in thought. The remaining golden light and black smoke slowly dispersed throughout the colosseum, and he looked up into Lin Yue's calm eyes.

After a moment, he sighed softly.

"...I lost."

As his words fell, the surrounding scene shattered and dissolved. Their consciousnesses left the arena space simultaneously, and the Game Pod lids slowly sprang open.

Lin Yue sat up in his Game Pod, then returned to his seat behind the counter. His gaze swept over Snake Lance Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo before finally settling on Qian Renxue.

"Your grandfather has already obtained twin martial souls. What about you?"

Hearing this, all three turned toward Qian Daoliu, who arrived behind him.

He stopped and stood with his hands behind his back. At Lin Yue's words, a look of recollection appeared on his face.

"Now that you mention it, before you challenged me, I did indeed select a martial soul. I originally thought it was a requirement for the spar."

"But throughout the history of the Douluo Continent, twin martial souls have always been rare. Two completely identical martial souls of the same rank and quality are even more unheard of, from ancient times to the present."

Seeing Qian Daoliu shake his head, Lin Yue said calmly:

"Speculating won't help. Whether you successfully obtained it or not, you'll know as soon as you summon your martial soul."

Hearing this, Qian Daoliu did not hesitate. He focused inward and instantly sensed an additional, second martial soul within his body.

Its characteristics were identical to those of his own six-winged angel, its aura equally sacred and blazing, without any difference.

This sent a tremendous shock through him, and he immediately summoned his second martial soul.

Seeing this, Qian Renxue and the two enshrined focused their attention on it. After examining it for a long while, all three looked bewildered.

Snake Lance Douluo spoke first:

"Great Enshrined, I see nothing unusual. Isn't this simply your six-winged angel martial soul?"

Porcupinefish Douluo nodded in agreement, equally confused.

Seeing this, Qian Daoliu laughed heartily.

"Look more carefully."

Just as the two focused on examining it again, Qian Renxue suddenly frowned beside them and said with certainty:

"No!"

"Grandfather, your angel martial soul should feel more sacred. But this angel martial soul... feels far weaker."

A single remark woke the dreamers!

Snake Lance and Pufferfish abruptly came to their senses. Carefully sensing it again, they indeed detected that subtle yet genuine difference, shock filling both their eyes.

At this point, Lin Yue spoke at the right moment:

"All right, the twin martial souls have been confirmed. Would you like to try?"

All three turned their gazes toward Qian Daoliu once more, quietly awaiting his decision.

The next moment, Qian Daoliu set three Gold Soul Coins on the counter with a clink.

"How could we miss such an opportunity?"

Afterward, Qian Renxue, Snake Lance Douluo, and Porcupinefish Douluo entered the Game Pods in turn, each obtaining their own second martial soul.

Then he returned to the counter, asked Lin Yue how to use the Prize Machine, and led the others over to it.

He took a full hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins from his Storage Soul Tool and deposited them all into the Prize Machine's coin slot.

Once the machine finished verifying them.

By the time all one hundred draws were complete, it had made four announcements in total.

The first came on the twentieth draw, awarding a Soul Power Breakthrough Ticket.

The second came on the fortieth draw, awarding a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring Voucher with adaptive origin.

The third came on the seventieth draw, awarding a set of One-Word Battle Armor.

The fourth came on the ninetieth draw, awarding a Martial Soul Limit Breakthrough Voucher.

With the hundred draws finished, the Prize Machine fell silent.

After Lin Yue explained each item's effects and how to use it.

Qian Daoliu thanked him, then prepared to leave with Qian Renxue and the two enshrined.

At this moment, Lin Yue turned his gaze toward a corner of the open kitchen area.

There, ever since Qian Daoliu's party entered the shop, Yue Guan and Gui Mei had deliberately concealed their auras, pretending to have nothing to do with anything and minimizing their presence as much as possible.

"All right, stop hiding. If you have something on your minds, just say it."

Hearing this, Yue Guan and Gui Mei coughed lightly, nodded to Lin Yue as they passed, then hurried to catch up at the shop entrance.

"Great Enshrined, young mistress."

The two cupped their hands and bowed to Qian Daoliu and Qian Renxue, their expressions somewhat complicated.

Qian Daoliu turned to look at them, without the slightest anger in his eyes, and slowly said:

"Oh, it's you two."

"I heard some days ago that you had already left Spirit Hall. I never expected you to be working here for our young friend Lin."

He nodded slightly. "A wise choice."

Hearing this, Yue Guan let out a long breath and voiced the knot that had weighed on his heart for years.

"Great Enshrined, Gui Mei found fortune in misfortune as a child, awakening his ghost martial soul after returning from death. When I, Yue Guan, was young, I also endured endless ridicule and wandered the world alone."

"Afterward, we traveled the continent together, joined Spirit Hall together, and became elders of the Elder Hall. You know all this as well, Great Enshrined."

He paused, his voice lowering slightly:

"But all these years, we worked wholeheartedly for Spirit Hall, unwavering in our loyalty, never harboring any disloyal thoughts."

"Yet in the end, no matter how much we gave, we could never receive rewards beyond what was due an enshrined, and the other enshrined of the Worship Hall even ostracized us."

"If not for that, why would the two of us have pledged ourselves to Bibi Dong...?"

Pouring out all the grievances pent up over the years left Yue Guan feeling considerably relieved. Beside him, Gui Mei also nodded silently, the look in his eyes saying everything.

"So that was how it was."

After hearing him out, Qian Daoliu sighed.

He took the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring Voucher with adaptive origin that he had just won directly from his Storage Soul Tool and held it out before them.

"Then let me give this opportunity to you two."

Yue Guan and Gui Mei both froze, then hurriedly waved their hands in refusal:

"Great Enshrined, we absolutely cannot accept this!"

"This is a precious treasure you won in the draws. We cannot take it!"

But Qian Daoliu merely extended the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring Voucher with adaptive origin a little farther and said:

"Since you have already left Spirit Hall, there is no need to call me Great Enshrined anymore. Consider this Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring Voucher with adaptive origin a little compensation for you."

Hearing this, Yue Guan and Gui Mei were filled with mixed emotions. In the end, they stopped declining and accepted it into their hands.

"Thank you... for your generous gift, senior."

Qian Daoliu nodded slightly. After telling them he would see them next time, he left with Qian Renxue.

Snake Lance Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo followed close behind, and the four figures soon disappeared into the night.

At the shop entrance, Yue Guan and Gui Mei exchanged a glance. The anguish that had weighed on their hearts for years finally dissipated completely at that moment.

Back inside the shop, Lin Yue's gaze fell on the voucher in Yue Guan's hand, and he asked with casual curiosity:

"You're both Titled Douluos, and your own soul rings are already set. Who do you plan to save that soul ring voucher for?"

Yue Guan and Gui Mei paused slightly at his words. Clearly, they had been so focused on accepting it that they had yet to give the matter much thought.

But after a moment's deliberation, his gaze unconsciously swept toward a corner of the shop.

There, Zhu Zhuqing sat quietly by the window, holding a cup of hot tea. Sensing his gaze, she raised her eyes slightly.

The corners of Yue Guan's lips lifted. He walked over and held out the soul ring voucher to her, his tone unusually gentle.

"Little Zhu Zhuqing, take this voucher. I see your soul power is already nearing the threshold of rank fifty. You can use it for your fifth soul ring. It couldn't be more suitable."

Zhu Zhuqing froze for a moment, her gaze flicking between Yue Guan and the soul ring voucher. Then she stood, accepted it with both hands, and said softly:

"Thank you, Senior Yue Guan."

Yue Guan waved a hand, his smile undiminished:

"What's there to thank me for? It would only gather dust in our hands. Giving it to someone who can use it is the right thing to do."

Gui Mei stood to one side and nodded silently, a measure of approval in his eyes as well.

As for the underlying reason, perhaps even they themselves had not noticed it.

Because they now possessed divine rings, their sights had unknowingly risen higher, and they no longer thought anything of a soul ring voucher that could originally have been used for a second martial soul, or even a fourth martial soul...