A month later, at the gates of Suotuo City.
Looking at the bustling city before him, Luo Chen let out a long breath.
"It looks pretty prosperous inside. I just wonder whether I can earn Gold Soul Coins at the Soto Great Soul Arena."
That was right. Luo Chen had come to Suotuo City to earn Gold Soul Coins.
Before setting out to hunt for his second Soul Ring, he had already given all his Gold Soul Coins to the old village chief. Now, his hands were utterly empty. He did not even have money for food, let alone to attend an intermediate Soul Master Academy and learn more about Martial Souls.
As for why he had chosen the Soto Great Soul Arena rather than somewhere else?
First, it was close to the hole through which Luo Chen had escaped from underground.
Second, the Soto Great Soul Arena existed independently of the two great empires and Spirit Hall. After registering, competitors could participate anonymously, keeping their identities well concealed. For someone like Luo Chen, who did not want to expose his identity, it was simply the perfect choice.
"I'll check out the Great Soul Arena first." Luo Chen felt his flat, empty pockets and sighed inwardly. Hopefully, registration won't cost anything.
The Suotuo City Great Soul Arena was an enormous oval building, over three hundred meters tall. It covered a vast area and could accommodate tens of thousands of spectators.
At that moment, people streamed back and forth outside the Great Soul Arena, creating an exceptionally lively scene. Soul Masters arrived in groups, spectators lined up to buy tickets, and vendors hawked their wares by the entrance... Everything was flourishing.
Wearing a white mask, Luo Chen walked up to the front desk and told the staff member, "Hello, I'd like to register for individual matches."
The staff member was a middle-aged woman in a gray uniform, with an ordinary face and a strictly businesslike expression.
She raised her head, glanced at Luo Chen, and said:
"The registration fee is ten Gold Soul Coins."
Luo Chen froze at her words. "Is this robbery? Ten Gold Soul Coins just to register?!"
"Those are the rules. Running the Great Soul Arena costs money too," the staff member said evenly. "Once you pay ten Gold Soul Coins, a professional Soul Master will test your Soul Power before you can register to compete. All of that costs money."
The corner of Luo Chen's mouth twitched.
He felt his utterly empty pockets. Never mind ten Gold Soul Coins-he did not even have a single Copper Soul Coin.
"Then... could I pay later?" Luo Chen asked tentatively, embarrassed. "Once I earn some Gold Soul Coins, I'll give you twenty."
At this, the staff member looked him up and down a few times. Seeing his disheveled appearance, she scoffed, shook her head, and said coldly, "No! The Great Soul Arena doesn't accept credit."
"If you can't afford the registration fee, please leave."
Luo Chen: "..."
This Great Soul Arena is robbing people! he grumbled inwardly. Ten Gold Soul Coins for registration! Ten Gold Soul Coins would be enough for me to live comfortably in Bluestone Village for an entire year.
Left with no choice, Luo Chen turned and walked away.
Outside the Suotuo City Great Soul Arena, Luo Chen stood at the entrance, watching the endless stream of people as a sense of helplessness welled up within him.
He felt his flat, empty pockets and sighed inwardly.
"Even a hero really can be stopped by a single penny!" he muttered, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. "If I'd known, I would've kept a few Gold Soul Coins. Now look at me-I can't even afford food."
"What kind of mess is this?!"
But was Luo Chen the sort of person to give up on himself?
Obviously not. After grumbling inwardly for a while, he began thinking about how to make money.
Shops lined the streets of Suotuo City, and vendors' cries rose one after another.
Some sold weapons, some medicinal herbs, some food, some clothing...
Looking at the bustling scene around him, Luo Chen knew perfectly well that none of those jobs would work for him.
After all, he needed to save up ten Gold Soul Coins as quickly as possible. If he went into selling things, who knew in what year of the monkey and month of the horse he would finally scrape together ten Gold Soul Coins? So, to make big money, he had to rely on his own advantages.
At that thought, Luo Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, his mind racing as he muttered to himself:
"What are my advantages?"
An incense stick's worth of time later, Luo Chen realized that his advantage was his strength.
He was only eight years old, yet his Soul Power had already reached rank twenty-five. Both his Soul Rings exceeded the usual age limit, and he also had matching external soul bones.
That was not even the main point. Most importantly, Luo Chen possessed twin martial souls and innate full soul power. Although the former, the Netherworld Scorpion Emperor, was not as heaven-defying as the Karmic Fire Scorpion Emperor, it was still among the very best on the Douluo Continent. As for the latter, the Karmic Fire Scorpion Emperor, it was an existence unheard of.
As he pondered this, an idea surfaced in Luo Chen's mind.
"Since I'm so strong, I can work as a mercenary, helping others hunt Soul Beasts in exchange for Gold Soul Coins." A smile unwittingly curled Luo Chen's lips. "Once I've made a name for myself, I can even act as a middleman between mercenaries and Soul Masters!"
"That way, I can earn money and build connections-two birds with one stone."
With that thought, Luo Chen hesitated no longer and immediately decided to become a mercenary. After asking around extensively, he finally found where the mercenary corps of the Yama Plain were located.
The Yama Plain lay southwest of Suotuo City, a vast, boundless grassland.
Generally speaking, most Soul Beasts living in the outer region of the Yama Plain were hundred-year Soul Beasts, while thousand-year and even ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts all lived in its inner region.
For that reason, the gathering places of Suotuo City's mercenary corps were generally near the outer region of the Yama Plain, and most only accepted commissions to hunt Soul Beasts in the outer region.
After traveling for three hours, Luo Chen finally reached the nearest mercenary corps gathering place-the Exploding Wolf Beast-Hunting Mercenary Corps.
Looking at the sign above it, Luo Chen did not go inside. Instead, he walked over to a large rock nearby, took out a wooden sign he had prepared earlier advertising help hunting hundred-year Soul Beasts, and called out loudly:
"Come take a look! Come have a look!"
"Today marks the official founding of the Luo Chen Soul Hunting Squad!"
"To celebrate, all Soul Beast hunts are half price! Limited availability, first come, first served!"
Luo Chen's voice rang out loudly and soon spread throughout the entire gathering place.
In an instant, everyone nearby turned to look at the masked, white-clad boy standing on the rock.
"Hey, kid!" A rather fierce-looking man stood up and asked with a broad smile, "Haven't seen you around before. Just arrived?"
"That's right." Luo Chen blinked and smiled calmly. "I'm broke, so I had no choice but to become a mercenary."
"Oh? Little brother, do you know what mercenaries do?"
"Don't they just help hunt hundred-year Soul Beasts?" Luo Chen said calmly. "What's so hard about that?"
"Then how much do you charge?" a Soul Master who needed to hunt for his second Soul Ring could not help asking.
"Sixty Gold Soul Coins for a hundred-year one, and you bring your own tent. Thirty Gold Soul Coins for a ten-year one, and you bring your own tent."
The moment he said that, the entire place fell so quiet that a falling needle could have been heard.
Soon, a burst of derisive laughter came from within the Exploding Wolf Beast-Hunting Mercenary Corps.
"I think this kid's gone mad. Only sixty Gold Soul Coins for a hundred-year Soul Beast!"
"Exactly. One look tells you he's some noble here looking for thrills."
"This kid looks no more than eight or nine, and he wants to hunt hundred-year Soul Beasts? Is he a fraud?"
"Exactly! A little brat who hasn't even grown his hair out dares to come take commissions on the Yama Plain?"
Comments rose one after another. Some were skeptical, some mocked him, some were disdainful, and others simply waited to enjoy the show.