Hearing what Liang Wu had offered him, Toji swallowed reflexively.
Come to think of it, although there were not many Gold Soul Coins, he was guaranteed food and lodging. That would let him cultivate through physical training and get enough nutrition to keep up.
After all, when it came to cultivation, how could you compete with others without money or resources?
Even if you had Soul Power, you still needed to eat well and cultivate in a mimetic environment suited to your Martial Soul to get a head start over others.
So even though Toji had decided to pursue physical cultivation, no matter how strong his body was, failing to replenish his strength in time would leave him like before: so weak that he slept for a month and nearly starved to death.
What Liang Wu had promised was exactly what Toji needed.
Toji agreed.
He needed to get stronger quickly, then find a chance to return to Heaven Dou City.
Knowing the plot, Toji was aware that before long, disaster would strike Zhang Lexuan's family. Her entire family would be slaughtered by another noble clan, and she would only narrowly escape by hiding under a bed, with her mother's corpse shielding her.
What Toji could do was grow stronger quickly in the meantime, then change the fate of Zhang Lexuan's family.
At the very least, he could keep her family alive.
Toji took a deep breath and, guided by the Soul Fighting Arena staff, walked onto the fighting platform alone. His gaze turned to the other end of the arena.
A heavy iron gate slowly opened with an ear-piercing screech of metal. Several Soul Masters emerged, pushing an enormous iron cage together.
The cage bars were covered in deep claw and bite marks. Clearly, the creature inside had tried to escape more than once.
Inside the cage was a massive ten-year soul beast, a wolf-type Soul Beast whose name Toji did not know.
Its fur was dark gray, with streaks of silver-white running down its back. The giant wolf's eyes were scarlet, its fangs were bared, and thick saliva dripped from the corners of its mouth. It looked utterly ferocious.
The giant wolf raked its claws against the bars, making an ear-splitting screech, as though it would tear the cage apart at any moment.
The Soul Masters pushed the cage to the center of the Soul Fighting Arena, then quickly retreated to the side.
One of them took out a key, inserted it into the cage's lock, and gave it a gentle turn.
Click.
The cage door slowly opened. The giant wolf let out a low roar, its bloodthirsty eyes fixed on Toji across from it, as though it already saw him as its prey.
The wolf slammed down a paw, its claws digging deep into the ground. Its muscles tensed, its body crouched slightly, and a low whine rumbled in its throat, as if it were gathering strength.
Facing such a wild ferocious beast, Toji's legs trembled slightly the moment the carnivorous Soul Beast fixed its eyes on him, much as he was reluctant to admit it.
This was his first time facing a savage, rampaging Soul Beast.
He had killed before, but only in a fit of extreme rage had he smashed that Evil Soul Master's head to a pulp.
"Too bad it's not a tiger. Otherwise, I could've tried seeing if a sliding tackle could take it down while I was extremely angry."
"Roar-"
The deafening roar pulled Toji from his thoughts. The giant wolf shot out of the cage, moving so fast that its movements were almost impossible to follow.
Its paws slammed heavily against the ground with a dull thud, making the floor tremble slightly.
Then, with a whoosh, the giant wolf reached Toji almost instantly. Its paw rose high and raked viciously toward his chest, slicing through the air.
Toji's gaze sharpened, and he darted to the side, narrowly avoiding the blow.
The giant wolf's claws grazed his shoulder, leaving a bloody gash.
Toji had no time to worry about the wound. He quickly retreated, putting distance between himself and the giant wolf.
Having missed, the giant wolf immediately changed direction and lunged at Toji again. It was so fast that it gave him almost no chance to catch his breath. Toji kept dodging, narrowly evading each of the Gale Wolf's attacks, but his stamina was draining rapidly.
"Roar-"
The giant wolf let out a furious roar. Its attacks grew even more savage, its claws slashing again and again, sending out sharp blades of wind that carved deep furrows into the ground.
Toji was driven steadily backward, nearly reaching the edge of the Soul Fighting Arena.
In the stands, Liang Wu narrowed his eyes and shook his head in mild disappointment.
He had killed an Evil Soul Master on his own, yet this was all he could show?
Or was it because this was the boy's first time facing a Soul Beast, and he did not know how to deal with it for the moment?
"You think I'm a pushover?"
After being chased by the giant wolf all this time, Toji's temper flared. Savagery and madness rose in his eyes as he clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms and blood trickling between his fingers. His body sprang off the ground, and he charged straight at the giant wolf.
The giant wolf clearly had not expected Toji to be so bold as to abandon his earlier tactic of dodging. But it would not stand on ceremony with food that came straight to its mouth.
The giant wolf opened its bloody maw, its fangs gleaming coldly, and bit down on Toji's arm.
Crunch!
The giant wolf's fangs sank hard against Toji's arm, but shockingly, its teeth failed to pierce his skin.
The muscles in Toji's arm writhed violently, as hard as steel, forcibly blocking the giant wolf's bite.
Toji jerked his arm, swinging the giant wolf's body up with it.
"Awooo-"
The giant wolf howled in pain as Toji slammed its massive body into the ground with a tremendous thud. The impact made the floor tremble slightly, and dust flew everywhere.
Toji did not stop. His hand clamped tightly around the giant wolf's hind leg, muscles taut and veins bulging. With a sudden heave, he lifted its body into the air.
Toji spun around and smashed the giant wolf into the ground.
Bang!
The giant wolf's body crashed down, the impact splitting cracks across the floor. It spat out a mouthful of blood, its body convulsing violently. It had clearly suffered a serious injury.
But Toji did not stop. Still gripping its hind leg tightly, he heaved the giant wolf high into the air again, then smashed it into the ground on the other side.
Bang!
Another tremendous crash rang out as the giant wolf hit the ground again. Blood gushed from its mouth, and it no longer had the strength to struggle. Just those two slams had nearly killed the Soul Beast.
"Again!"
Toji still had not had enough. Grabbing the giant wolf, he kept smashing it into the ground.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
After several more heavy impacts, the giant wolf's body was completely lifeless. The leg Toji held had been twisted out of shape, and its body no longer moved at all.
Seeing this, Toji let go. The giant wolf's body fell heavily to the ground with a dull thud.
Dead for good?
The savagery in Toji's eyes quietly faded. His chest heaved, and sweat ran down his forehead.
He looked at his arm. The giant wolf had left nothing but teeth marks; it had not drawn any blood at all.
This made Toji realize once again just how special his physique was.
Holy shit, my Martial Soul is fucking awesome!
So what if I don't have Soul Power? I can still cultivate!
That first fight gradually gave Toji confidence where he had once felt somewhat inferior, and made him more clearly aware of how special his Martial Soul was.
It seemed his Martial Soul without Soul Power was not so worthless after all. At least for him right now, it was his greatest golden finger.
"Wonderful, wonderful." Liang Wu applauded as he came down from the stands. The whole fighting platform was strewn with rubble and its floor had caved in from Toji's smashing, but Liang Wu showed no sign of being pained by the damage. Instead, he looked at Toji with a broad smile.
It was as if he were looking at an unparalleled treasure.
Liang Wu's stare made Toji's scalp prickle. He rubbed his nose awkwardly.
I'm not a beauty. Do you really have to stare at me like that...?
"Here are three Gold Soul Coins." True to his word, Liang Wu took out three Gold Soul Coins and placed them in Toji's hand. "Tell me what you want to eat tonight. I'll get you anything you want."
"And how much time do you want for training? Do you need me to provide you with a good place to train? Just ask!"
Liang Wu, who seemed so composed, could hardly conceal his excitement at that moment.