At those words, Luo Chen counted out 10 Gold Soul Coins from his money pouch and placed them on the table.
"Here."
The staff member looked at the Gold Soul Coins as though he had seen his own dear mother. His icy expression instantly softened.
"Esteemed Lord Soul Master, please follow me. I'll take you to have your Soul Power tested."
The testing room.
"Elder Yao, I've brought someone to have his Soul Power tested." The staff member who had brought Luo Chen knocked on the door. "I'm leaving him here. Remember to open the door and test his Soul Power."
With that, the staff member turned and hurried away as though a tiger were chasing him, without so much as another glance at Luo Chen.
"???"
What kind of person was that?!
With an attitude like that, he had the nerve to work here?
Just as Luo Chen fumed inwardly, the tightly shut wooden door before him suddenly opened a crack.
At the same time, a clear voice came from inside:
"Don't just stand there. Come in."
"Remember to close the door behind you."
Luo Chen opened the door and walked inside. Only after closing it did he raise his eyes to look at the Soul Master who would test his Soul Power.
To think the person testing my Soul Power would be so young!
Compared to Luo Chen's surprise, the person before him seemed rather calm. He looked at Luo Chen and said evenly:
"I'm a Soul Power examiner. You can call me Teacher Li."
"Come closer and put your hand on the crystal ball. I'll test your Soul Power."
Luo Chen nodded and placed his hand on the crystal ball as instructed.
The next second, the crystal ball emitted a bright white light.
Teacher Li carefully observed the light's intensity before reaching a conclusion.
"Rank 25." He looked at Luo Chen with a smile, a little more appreciation in his eyes. "A Soul Grandmaster. Not bad."
"Now take this token to a staff member and fill out your registration information," Teacher Li said. "Remember to close the door quietly, and tell the staff I'm resting. I won't be receiving any more visitors today."
After Luo Chen left, another person suddenly appeared in the testing room, which had held only Teacher Li.
"Young master, do you need this old servant to take him to the death warrior training camp?"
"No." Teacher Li still wore a smile, but a sinister gleam showed in his eyes. "The Netherworld Scorpion Emperor's
deadly poison would spell certain death even for a Titled Douluo like you if you came into contact with it. If you went and ended up poisoned to death, I'd have no subordinate left to use."
"Besides, I'd like to see just how far someone with the Netherworld Scorpion Emperor Martial Soul can go," Teacher Li said. "Perhaps he can even help me contend for the position of sect master in the future."
"Protect him in secret. Don't let him die easily."
"Understood!"
As soon as those words fell, only Teacher Li remained in the Soul Power testing room, reclining in his chair with his eyes closed in light repose.
The front desk of the Suotuo Great Soul Arena.
"Name?"
"Demon Scorpion."
"Soul Power?"
"Rank 25."
"All right, you've been registered. Here are your registration card and rules notice. Please take them." The staff member smiled. "From today onward, you're a registered Soul Master of the Soto Great Soul Arena. We'll ensure your identity remains confidential. Please enjoy yourself inside."
Luo Chen nodded, moved aside, and began reading through the Soto Great Soul Arena's rules.
The Soto Great Soul Arena's rules were simple. First, its rankings were divided into eight tiers: iron, bronze, silver, gold, purple gold, sapphire, ruby, and diamond Soul Fighting.
All Soul Masters started at iron. Each victory earned them one point, while each defeat cost them one point.
Upon accumulating 100 points, they could advance from iron to bronze. Upon accumulating 1,000 points, they could advance from bronze to silver, with the corresponding Gold Soul Coin rewards increasing as well.
Second, Soul Fighting at the Soto Great Soul Arena was divided into sparring matches, death matches, and wager matches. The three complemented one another, and participants could enter all of them.
Sparring matches focused on exchanging skills, and killing opponents was strictly forbidden. Once an opponent lost consciousness or surrendered, the victor received the win and the entire prize. Participants could enter only once per day, but could participate in different match formats at the same time. Death matches focused on fighting to the death, and opponents could be killed. Soul Masters who were killed would be recorded in the Soto Great Soul Arena's register. Wager matches focused on betting. Before entering a match, participants had to entrust their money to the staff, and whichever side won would receive the money. These were most common among nobles.
Finally came the heart-stirring rewards.
The Soto Great Soul Arena offered generous rewards: every victory earned a prize of 10 Gold Soul Coins.
Those who won more than ten consecutive matches would be named a Soul Fighting Star, and their rewards could be doubled. Those who won more than fifty consecutive matches would be named a Soul Fighting King, and their rewards could be doubled again on top of the Soul Fighting Star rewards.
As for those who had won more than a hundred consecutive matches, only three had emerged across the entire Douluo Continent so far. All three later became powerhouses whose might shook their respective regions.
After reading everything, Luo Chen immediately decided to enter an individual sparring match.
"Hello, I'd like to sign up for an individual sparring match," Luo Chen told the staff member. "Preferably the earliest available one."
"Certainly." The staff member's eyes held a smile. "You've been scheduled for the next sparring match, which begins in 30 minutes. Please allow me to escort you to your private waiting room."
Time flowed on like a river, never ceasing by day or night.
Before Luo Chen had emerged from meditation, a staff member for the individual sparring matches knocked on his door.
"Esteemed Demon Scorpion, the individual sparring match you booked has now begun."
"Understood."
At the individual sparring venue, the crowd's voices boiled over. A beautiful woman in a skintight outfit held a microphone and spoke loudly as she slowly walked to the center of the stage:
"Dear audience, I'm Mimi. Today, allow me to provide commentary for your thrilling Soul Master battles."
"What's with all the blather? We're here to watch Soul Masters fight, not your personal show."
"Exactly. Why does a commentator have so much nonsense to say?"
"We want Shui'er!"
"..."
Mimi: "..."
A bunch of stinking men! Am I not pretty? After grumbling inwardly, Mimi continued loudly with a smile, "I can hear your enthusiasm! Now, let us welcome the Soto Great Soul Arena's newly risen Soul Fighting Star-Shui'er!"
As soon as her words fell, a thin layer of frost instantly formed over the Soto arena platform. At the same time, a girl in a deep blue dress and an azure luan mask slowly walked onto the stage.
The audience immediately grew excited at the sight of Shui'er.
They loudly chanted, "Long live Shui'er!" and "Shui'er is number one!" One glance was enough to tell they were all Shui'er's fans.
Seeing the audience so excited, Mimi seized the opportunity to announce, "Now, let us welcome her opponent-Demon Scorpion!"
"Demon Scorpion? Who's that?"
"Probably a new challenger."
"How many seconds do you think this newcomer can last against Shui'er?"
"My guess is maybe one minute."
"..."
Unlike the puzzled audience, Shui'er, standing on the platform, suddenly felt ripples spread through her previously still-as-water heart.
Demon Scorpion... Is he the boy from that night?