"You can't blame me for this, can you?"
Noticing Hu Liena's slightly reddened eyes, Tian Chen gave an awkward smile.
Although he considered himself thick-skinned, he still couldn't quite bear seeing girls cry. It always made him feel like a creepy uncle bullying a little girl.
Of course, Tian Chen didn't deny that Hu Liena's looks played a large part in it. If she hadn't been pretty, he wouldn't have bothered with her earlier.
Hearing the announcements call his name several times already, Tian Chen decided not to linger here with Hu Liena. After all, he had come to participate in Soul Fighting, not to flirt with girls.
Besides, he wouldn't be interested in Hu Liena as she was now.
Under Hu Liena's reproachful gaze, Tian Chen walked over to her, reached out, and gently rubbed her forehead.
"Feeling better?"
"B-better."
Feeling the warmth on her forehead, Hu Liena hadn't expected Tian Chen to do something like this at all. For a moment, her mind went completely blank, and she answered instinctively.
But the next moment, she stepped back several paces, her face crimson, putting some distance between herself and Tian Chen.
Only now did she realize that her interaction with Tian Chen just now had been a little too intimate. She took a deep breath, tightly clutched the hem of her white dress with both hands, and forced down the panic in her heart, deliberately giving Tian Chen what she considered her most perfect smile.
"I'm fine now. Go ahead and take part in your match."
"In that case, I'll head inside."
What a shy little girl.
Seeing Hu Liena pretend to be relaxed, Tian Chen had no intention of exposing her. He had at least that much emotional intelligence.
He likewise smiled and nodded at Hu Liena, then headed through the passage toward the fighting platform.
As Tian Chen drew closer to the fighting platform, the passage grew wider, until he emerged from it completely.
Before his eyes stood a fighting platform almost as large as a soccer field, illuminated by Soul Tools until it was as bright as day.
The various cheers rising from the spectator stands set his nerves ablaze.
Even the well-traveled Tian Chen found the sight stunning, and this was only one of the ten subsidiary Soul Fighting Arenas.
Tian Chen didn't grow nervous at being exposed to everyone's gaze. With a light push from his toes, he leaped straight onto the fighting platform.
Aside from Tian Chen, the platform held a staff member wearing the Soul Fighting Arena's uniform and, opposite him, a middle-aged man with effeminate features and a vicious gaze.
The uniformed staff member was naturally the referee for this match, and the middle-aged man's identity wasn't hard to guess either. He was Tian Chen's opponent tonight.
After absorbing the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's Soul Ring, Tian Chen had grown to around one meter forty, far taller than other children his age.
But to everyone present, he still looked like a child in his teens at most.
Yet no one underestimated Tian Chen because of his young age.
Not just anyone could enter the Soul Fighting Arena. The fact that Tian Chen could step onto the platform meant that his strength was at least rank twenty.
And reaching that level at such a young age undoubtedly demonstrated Tian Chen's background and talent. After all, regardless of their talent, even obtaining Soul Rings was difficult for commoner Soul Masters.
The middle-aged man opposite him also gave Tian Chen a friendly nod. A scion of a great clan like this wasn't someone he could afford to offend.
The referee in the middle of the arena had clearly received professional training. He only froze briefly before immediately raising the Amplifying Soul Tool in his hand and calling out.
"Gentlemen! Ladies! Welcome to the Spirit City Great Soul Arena! Soul Grandmaster Zhang Lei and Soul Grandmaster Tian Chen will be bringing us this match."
"Our distinguished guests who frequently watch Soul Fighting will surely be familiar with Soul Grandmaster Zhang Lei. With Soul Power as high as rank twenty-nine, he has already achieved nine consecutive victories. He is unquestionably among the very best Soul Grandmasters."
"As for Soul Grandmaster Tian Chen, he only registered here today. What kind of spectacular match will they bring us?"
"All right, enough idle talk from me. Everyone, join me for the final countdown!"
"Five, four, three, two, one-let the Soul Fighting begin!"
It had to be said that this referee knew how to handle people. Although he didn't think Tian Chen would win, he hadn't expressed that in his words.
Moreover, his control over the atmosphere was quite outstanding.
The instant the referee made his announcement, Tian Chen and Zhang Lei opposite him completed their Martial Soul Possession.
A wolf's howl and a crocodile's roar instantly sent the entire arena into an uproar.
Golden and cyan Soul Power light split the fighting platform cleanly into two halves.
Looking at the dense grayish-cyan fur covering Zhang Lei's body and the two sharp claws gleaming coldly before him, Tian Chen recognized his Martial Soul at a glance.
The Gale Demon Wolf. Feng Xiaotian's Martial Soul in the original story had mutated from this, and even without mutating, the Gale Demon Wolf was an upper-middle-tier Martial Soul.
Not only was it extraordinarily fast, but its attack power was also quite impressive among Soul Masters of the same rank. What surprised Tian Chen most, however, was that both of Zhang Lei's Soul Rings were yellow Hundred-Year Soul Rings.
Obtaining two Hundred-Year Soul Rings was no easy feat. For Tian Chen and his peers, two Hundred-Year Soul Rings were the most basic configuration, but commoner Soul Masters like Zhang Lei had to stake their lives on getting them.
They had no elders to hunt Soul Beasts for them.
Tonight, however, Zhang Lei was destined to pale beneath Tian Chen's brilliance.
As two Soul Rings, one yellow and one purple, slowly rose from beneath Tian Chen's feet, the previously clamorous Soul Fighting Arena instantly fell so silent that even a crow or sparrow could not be heard.
Not only the spectators, but even Zhang Lei and the referee, who was also a Soul Master, stared in disbelief at Tian Chen's bright purple Soul Ring.
Living in Spirit City, they naturally recognized a purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring, but they had never imagined seeing one as a second Soul Ring.
Looking at the still-dazed Zhang Lei, Tian Chen had no interest in giving him a chance to prepare. He immediately activated his first Soul Ring-Golden Crocodile Body Protection-and charged at Zhang Lei like an unparalleled Ferocious Beast.
Could I get some recommendation votes, bros?