"Flen-der!!!"
Majila's furious roar was practically squeezed through his teeth, every word steeped in teeth-grinding hatred, shaking the entire Soul Fighting Arena until it faintly trembled.
"Oh! Oh! Oh!"
Three drawn-out, flippant replies rang out as Flender appeared on the fighting stage like a phantom. With both hands tucked into his trouser pockets, he wore an infuriatingly sleazy grin. With every "oh," he deliberately rocked his shoulders and shuffled another step forward. Not a trace remained of a Soul Saint powerhouse's dignity or bearing-he looked every bit a shameless street thug.
He swaggered up to Majila, smiling until his eyes narrowed into slits, his voice practically overflowing with mockery. "What did you call me out for? Lost so badly you can't take it? Want to come crying to me?"
"Flender, you fucking..." Majila's lungs nearly burst with rage. His reason snapped completely, his composure shattered on the spot, and a stream of filth nearly spilled from his mouth.
"Hey, hey, hey, we're civilized people. Keep it civilized!" Flender interrupted with a cheeky grin, paying no heed whatsoever to his fury. Instead, he shamelessly leaned closer and rubbed his hands together. "Let's get down to business-we won. Where's the stake? Hand it over!"
As he spoke, he deliberately held out his hand and crooked his fingers at Majila, looking so smug that he was practically begging to be punched.
Crack-crack-
The knuckles of Majila's clenched fists cracked alarmingly. His eyes remained fixed on Flender's shoehorn face, which he wished he could flatten with a single punch, while the fury in his chest threatened to burn him to ashes.
But-
He held it in!
Flender's strength was on par with his, and Shrek was a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. If he really attacked, he would gain nothing!
"Hmph!"
Majila forced a cold snort through his teeth, whipped his arm out, and sent something flying toward Flender.
Quick of eye and hand, Flender caught it securely and hefted it twice, his smile growing even brighter. "Thanks, old pal! Let's bet bigger next time!"
"You motherfucker!" Majila trembled all over with rage and spat out another curse.
Flender ignored him entirely. He turned around in delight, strode up to Lin Kong, and displayed the object in his hand, declaring, "Look what this is! A treasure won in our wager-an eighteen-cubic-meter Storage Soul Tool!"
As he spoke, he shoved the Storage Soul Tool straight into Lin Kong's hand and clapped him on the shoulder with soaring generosity. "You won the fight! It's yours!"
Those words reached the ears of every spectator present with perfect clarity.
In an instant, an earth-shaking uproar swept through the entire Soul Fighting Arena!
Only then did everyone understand-no wonder Majila was so furious! The stake for this match had actually been an eighteen-cubic-meter Storage Soul Tool!
Storage Soul Tools were already exceedingly rare, let alone one with such a large capacity. Its value was simply incalculable!
To stake such a precious treasure only to suffer a crushing defeat-anyone would probably go mad on the spot!
A measure of sympathy crept into the looks everyone gave Majila. To force himself to hold back from attacking already showed considerable restraint. Of course, even more people understood perfectly well that, ultimately, Majila had not attacked because Flender and Shrek's strength made him fear smashing the jade while striking at the rat.
Lin Kong and Flender set off side by side, about to leave the Soul Fighting Arena, when an exasperated roar suddenly came from behind them. "Lin Kong, stop right there!"
Lin Kong came to a steady halt without turning around. His back remained straight, and his voice was indifferent as ice, carrying undisguised contempt. "A defeated opponent thinks he's worthy of stopping me?"
Shi Liyuan's face flushed crimson. His hands were clenched into tight fists, his knuckles white. He refused to accept it-refused to accept losing to an external object like the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow, and refused even more to become everyone's laughingstock like this. Stiffening his neck, he shouted, "Fight me again if you've got the ability! No external objects of any kind. We'll fight with Martial Souls alone!"
He stared fixedly at Lin Kong's back, his eyes filled with stubborn confidence. Fire-attribute Martial Souls countered plant Martial Souls-that was an iron law! As long as those crooked hidden weapons were kept out of it, he could absolutely defeat Lin Kong and absolutely regain his dignity!
"Could it be that the renowned Black Prison Asura doesn't even have that much courage?" Shi Liyuan's voice abruptly rose, deliberately inciting the crowd. He wanted to put Lin Kong over the fire and force him to accept the challenge.
The spectators fell silent. Everyone unconsciously slowed their breathing, their unblinking gazes locked on Lin Kong as they waited to see how this legend with forty consecutive victories would respond to the provocation.
Just then, Lin Kong slowly turned around.
One corner of his mouth curled upward in a mocking arc, and the disdain in his eyes practically overflowed.
At the sight, Shi Liyuan rejoiced inwardly and immediately took a step forward, pressing aggressively. "Well? Don't you dare?"
Lin Kong did not respond to his words at all. Instead, he casually asked, "What rank is your Soul Fighting Badge?"
"Huh?" Shi Liyuan froze, unable to react, then blurted out, "Iron Soul Badge!" He had only registered at the Soul Fighting Arena that evening and had no points whatsoever, so naturally he was an Iron Soul Fighter, the lowest rank.
After hearing that, Lin Kong shook his head lightly, the disdain on his face deepening. He turned and walked away, leaving only a cold taunt drifting lightly through the air above the Soul Fighting Arena:
"Trash without a Silver Soul Badge isn't qualified to stand before me."
Boom!
Those words were like a thunderbolt striking Shi Liyuan squarely on the head. His face turned deathly pale, his entire body trembling as he nearly went mad with rage!
After a brief silence in the spectator stands, a wave of discussion rose as realization dawned.
"That's right! Lord Black Prison Asura is a Silver Soul Fighter. Why would he fight an Iron Soul Fighter newcomer?"
"The Soul Fighting Arena established that rule ages ago! Only people with badges of the same rank can issue formal challenges. Shi Liyuan is just inviting humiliation!"
"Would a Soul Saint powerhouse have to trade blows with a Soul Scholar? Wouldn't that lower his standing?"
The more everyone thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. The Great Soul Arena's standard Soul Fighting format had always matched badges of the same rank. This ensured fairness and, even more importantly, upheld the dignity of the strong. For Shi Liyuan, a mere beginner Iron Soul Fighter, to dare challenge the Silver Soul Fighter Lin Kong was simply to have no idea how high the heavens were or how deep the earth was.
Lin Kong's footsteps did not pause in the slightest. He walked toward the Soul Fighting Arena's exit, his back as straight as an unsheathed sword.
Behind him, Shi Liyuan lost all reason. Like a maddened beast, he roared wildly at Lin Kong's retreating back:
"You, Lin! Get back here!"
"You're nothing but a coward!"
"You're just scared of me! You're afraid you'll lose to me, and that's why you don't dare accept!"
His shrieks were piercing and harsh, echoing through the vast Soul Fighting Arena, pathetic and ridiculous. Yet Majila, standing beside him, never spoke up to stop him.
His expression was terrifyingly dark, but inwardly he sneered. Suotuo Advanced Soul Master Academy had already lost every last scrap of face anyway, so he might as well let Shi Liyuan keep making a scene. Even if they could not win, sullying Shrek's reputation a little would mean it was not a total loss.
Just as Shi Liyuan's shouts grew increasingly foul, Lin Kong suddenly stopped.
He did not even turn around, merely raising his hand casually and giving a calm instruction. "Hongjun, shut him up."
"Shi Liyuan, if you want to challenge Brother Lin, you'll have to get past me first!" Ma Hongjun immediately jumped out and thrust out his chest, the Soul Power of his Evil Fire Phoenix faintly surging as he looked eager to try.
Quick of eye and hand, Flender grabbed Ma Hongjun's shoulder, his tone so stern that it brooked no argument. "You know what the consequences will be if you lose, brat!"
Ma Hongjun shuddered all over, straightened his back even further, and answered loudly, "Yes! I guarantee I'll win!"
Next, Ma Hongjun and Shi Liyuan fought one-on-one. In a battle between fire-attribute Soul Masters, the key was whose flames were stronger. Needless to say, the Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul crushed Shi Liyuan's Lie Yan Tiger Martial Soul, and Ma Hongjun ultimately won the duel.
Tonight, everything ended perfectly!