As the first ray of morning sunlight shone, new content instantly appeared on the Dragon-Tiger Ranking.
In prison, Ma Hongjun opened his eyes, a glimmer of fire flashing through them.
[The Dragon-Tiger Ranking has opened. Would you like to upload your consciousness?] [After your consciousness is uploaded, your physical body will be protected by the laws of the Dragon-Tiger Ranking.]
"Upload," Ma Hongjun confirmed.
After closing and opening his eyes, Ma Hongjun found himself in an unknown space of pure white.
"Where is this? Inside the Dragon-Tiger Ranking?"
Ma Hongjun tentatively squeezed his hands and found that it felt no different from being outside the Dragon-Tiger Ranking.
Both his clothing and his body felt as though they were physically real.
Ma Hongjun summoned his Martial Soul. A wave of heat spread outward from him, and Martial Soul Possession worked without any problems.
"First Soul Skill, Phoenix Fire Line." Ma Hongjun tried to activate his Soul Skill, only to find no response whatsoever, as though he had no first soul ring at all.
He tentatively waved his hand to gauge his strength. "There isn't a trace of soul power anywhere in my body. What a strange state to be in."
"I wonder if the Bhagavad Gita's abilities will work?"
"This is the martial art that person taught me, but no matter how powerful it is, it probably can't break through the Dragon-Tiger Ranking's restrictions, can it?"
"After all, even Bibi Dong said this might be power beyond the divine level."
Still, Ma Hongjun harbored a sliver of hope. He tentatively sensed the flame in his mind. A fiercely burning flame, half red and half black, still burned quietly in his mental space, showing no sign of stopping.
Ma Hongjun was stunned, then wild with joy. "Wonderful! With the Bhagavad Gita's help, won't first place be mine for the taking?"
At that thought, Ma Hongjun immediately grew tremendously excited.
Although taking first place and gaining nine levels of soul power would do nothing to help his current predicament, anything that strengthened him was a good thing.
As for the opportunity he was waiting for, the one that could turn everything around, he believed it would come eventually.
[Warm-up time has ended. You will soon be transported to a battle room. First round: 320,000 contestants will be reduced to 160,000.]
"That many people? Are there really that many Soul Masters on the Douluo Continent?"
Ma Hongjun was somewhat surprised. Perhaps every Soul Master on the Douluo Continent had signed up.
[Countdown: five, four, three, two, one!]
As the countdown reached zero, Ma Hongjun's vision blurred, and a Soul Master in his forties appeared opposite him.
With a vicious expression, the man brandished a spear and shouted at Ma Hongjun, "Little fatty, I suggest you surrender. My Martial Soul is a spear. Every extra inch of reach is an extra inch of strength, you know. Neither of us has soul power, so killing you will be a piece of cake."
Ma Hongjun merely smiled faintly. "Who kills whom is still up in the air."
"You refuse the offered toast only to drink the penalty wine!" Spear in hand, the vicious man ran toward him. Once he drew close, he drove his waist forward and thrust straight ahead.
Just as the spear was about to pierce Ma Hongjun's chest, Ma Hongjun darted aside and easily evaded it.
Before the burly man could pull his spear back, Ma Hongjun had already closed in and smashed his head apart with a slap.
After his head shattered, however, the man instantly disappeared. Not a trace of blood remained in the room, as though Ma Hongjun had merely popped a soap bubble.
[Victory in this match. The next round will begin once all winners of this round have advanced.]
Ma Hongjun looked at his palm, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.
"Just as I thought."
The two-colored flame in his mind was no ordinary fire.
The red flame could greatly enhance all his attributes, enormously increasing his strength, speed, vitality, recovery, and more, while the black flame was pure destruction, capable of annihilating all matter.
"With these two abilities, perhaps I really can make it to the end."
Ma Hongjun clenched his fists. This was a rare piece of good news amid everything he had encountered lately.
"And..." Ma Hongjun instinctively touched his back. He still had another trump card he had yet to reveal.
He had not expected to be able to bring soul bones into this place. Without soul power, the Soul Skills within them could not be activated, but his soul bone was different. He had spent a long time choosing before finally settling on it.
Elsewhere, Qian Renxue held a rapier in one hand and touched her face with some curiosity.
After more than a decade undercover, she had almost forgotten what her own face looked like. Even while sleeping, she had to guard against ignorant maids trying to climb into her bed.
Yet this Dragon-Tiger Ranking had directly exposed her true appearance. This was the first time in over a decade that she had shown her real face to others. Qian Renxue even blushed a little, though she did not know what she was feeling shy about.
The room was empty. Clearly, she had already dealt with her opponent.
Qian Renxue looked down at her chest, then gave a silly grin. "So these two things are this pretty."
In another battle room, Ning Rongrong encountered a disciple of the Clear Sky Sect. He appeared to be in his thirties or forties, with unkempt stubble and a body packed with muscle, making him quite burly.
"You're Ning Rongrong, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's prodigy?"
The Pride of Heaven Ranking had been announced to the world. By now, almost everyone on the Douluo Continent recognized the prodigies on it.
Ning Rongrong clasped her fists and said disdainfully, "That's me, your grand-aunt."
The Clear Sky Sect disciple's gaze turned vicious. "Your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Titled Douluo killed our Seventh Elder. I was just worrying about where to go for revenge, and here you are, falling right into my hands. I'll take my time tormenting you."
"Oh? You think you're sure to win?"
The vicious man smiled contemptuously. "Of course."
As he spoke, he summoned his Martial Soul, the Clear Sky Hammer. "You didn't expect this, did you? We can summon our Martial Souls here."
"I'd like to see how you fight me with that pagoda in your hand. That little tower of yours probably isn't heavy enough even if you throw it at someone."
"Don't worry. I won't rush to kill you. I'll make you reflect on your mistakes in this room. Of course, that'll be after I've stripped you naked."
With that, the Clear Sky Sect disciple lunged at Ning Rongrong, a savage grin on his face.
In his view, no matter how impressive this supposedly peerless young genius was, she had no way to resist him under these circumstances.
Neither of them had soul power. As a man in his prime, he was far stronger in build than a little girl with slender arms and legs. Besides, he had his Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul. Dealing with that ornamental little tower in her hand would be as easy as reaching out and taking it.
He had even worked out how to keep Ning Rongrong from killing herself in a moment. In this Dragon-Tiger Ranking, there was no such thing as surrendering or admitting defeat. Between the two contestants, there was only life or death.
"Aren't you afraid I'll tell my master once I leave the Dragon-Tiger Ranking?"
The Clear Sky Sect disciple chuckled. "After something so shameful happens, how could you possibly tell your master?"
"Let me tell you, even if I force myself on you here today, you won't have any evidence. After all, we're both consciousnesses."
As he spoke, he even deliberately made several obscene gestures. "Young Lady Ning Rongrong, you wouldn't want anyone else finding out about today's disgrace, would you? But if you submit to me afterward, I'll be generous enough to marry you. Remember to prepare plenty of betrothal gifts when the time comes."
But before he could finish dreaming his grand daydream, Ning Rongrong frowned and struck.
The vicious man only had time to glimpse a shadow. Then a small, soft pink fist grew larger and larger before his eyes. With a bang, his vision went black, and he found that he had already been knocked out of the Dragon-Tiger Ranking's consciousness space. Clearly, he had lost.
Ning Rongrong wiped her fist with a look of disgust. "How revolting."
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