The private room was somewhat like those at the auction house, with a fairly simple interior. But it offered a better view than the auction house, being quite close to the Soul Fighting Arena in the center.
At the center was a Soul Fighting Arena more than a hundred meters long and wide. Its entire floor was made of metal and looked extremely solid. Railings enclosed its edges, making it somewhat like a boxing ring from his previous life, though far larger.
Compared with the auction house, the Great Soul Arena was noticeably noisier. Many people were arguing, and plenty held banners, glow sticks, signs, and the like.
As the match approached, more and more people arrived, until the entire Soul Fighting Arena was packed, with virtually no empty seats.
The host began speaking. "Ladies and gentlemen, today's match is about to begin! Now, please welcome both contestants into the arena. Today's contestants are the level 56 Earth Overlord and the level 57 King of Strength."
"Earth Overlord's Martial Soul is the Earth Savage Bull. He is a Power Attack System Battle Soul King with two yellow and three purple Soul Rings. His record so far is 76 wins and 24 losses."
"King of Strength's Martial Soul is an ape. He is a Power Attack System Battle Soul King with two yellow and three purple Soul Rings. His record so far is 46 wins and 17 losses."
"Both have very high win rates in the Soul Fighting Arena and are star contestants at our Heaven Dou City's Continent Square. Today's Soul Fighting match is sure to be intense."
Detailed information about the two appeared on the large screen immediately afterward, though both men in the arena wore masks.
"Mom, why are both their fifth Soul Rings purple?"
"Son, every Soul Ring is an opportunity for a Soul Master. A fifth Soul Ring should normally be no more than twelve thousand years old. It's difficult to find one within that range, and Soul Beasts of those ages are relatively rare."
"Even a Soul Beast that has only just passed ten thousand years normally requires a Soul Emperor to defeat it. Besides, forests hold all sorts of dangers, so obtaining a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring normally requires help from at least a high-level Soul Emperor or a Soul Saint. Commoners can't get resources like that."
"Don't underestimate these two Soul Masters. Although they're only Soul Kings, their first four Soul Rings are all of the optimal configuration. That means both have some backing, just not powerful enough backing."
After hearing his mother's words, Yang Podi began watching the Soul Fighting match seriously.
The host in the arena continued, "You now have one minute to prepare. Both contestants, please get ready and summon your Martial Souls."
Sure enough, upon hearing this, both men on the platform began summoning their Martial Souls.
The man on the left summoned a huge savage bull. It looked ferocious, its horns in particular seeming to gleam with cold light. The man on the right summoned a gorilla. The gorilla was large and covered in muscle, looking explosively powerful. Judging by the appearances of the gorilla and the savage bull, both men clearly leaned toward being strength-type Soul Masters.
A minute later, the referee spoke again. "Preparation time is over. Begin!"
The entire venue instantly erupted. Everyone seemed to be cheering, shouting the two Soul Masters' aliases. The scene was a hundred times livelier than those celebrity concerts in his previous life.
The two men in the Soul Fighting Arena also began charging at each other. Both were Power Attack System Soul Masters, after all, and were on the slower side.
Yang Podi watched their Soul Fighting closely. Both clearly had extensive combat experience, displaying one combat technique after another while unleashing their respective Soul Skills. But rather than combat techniques and Soul Skills, their fight consisted more of collisions of strength. It was relatively simple and brutal.
In other words, in terms of martial arts technique, these two Soul Kings' fighting skills probably fell short even of his own as a martial arts novice in his previous life. Viewed through the lens of the martial arts he had studied in his previous life, they looked like two brutes competing in strength.
His mother also looked somewhat excited as she watched. From her expression, she seemed barely able to resist going up there for a fight herself.
The battle finally ended in Earth Overlord's victory, but neither man had come out of it well. Both were covered in wounds.
What disappointed Yang Podi was why both men had to shout which Soul Skill they were using before unleashing it. It seemed all Soul Masters on the Douluo Continent had this habit.
Somewhat puzzled, Yang Podi asked his mother, "Mom, why does everyone like to shout which Soul Skill they're using before unleashing it? They even say what the Soul Skill does. And although they fought for a long time, I didn't see them use many techniques-or rather, their techniques didn't seem very sophisticated."
Niu Jinfeng smiled. "Son, that's where you're wrong. Those two Soul Masters in the Soul Fighting Arena were quite good in terms of both experience and fighting enemies to the death. They even had a certain degree of combat skill."
"But there's one thing you need to keep in mind. In terms of combat technique, our Breaking Clan can practically be called the pinnacle of the Douluo Continent. There aren't many who surpass us in that regard."
"The Soul Breaking Spear Technique you practice every day was created through improvements made by countless generations of our Breaking Clan. It even drew on some of the Clear Sky Sect's hammer techniques. Do you think two commoner Soul Masters can compare with the Soul Breaking Spear Technique?"
"Then, by your reasoning, these two Soul Masters are both pretty good?"
"These two Soul Masters are just so-so. Soul Kings from major sects should all be able to defeat them."
"Mom, surely it's not that bad? I thought they were both pretty good."
"Son, in what way did you think they were good?"
Yang Podi was instantly left speechless.
"Son, remember this: truly powerful Soul Masters and combat techniques aren't developed in the Soul Fighting Arena. They either come from a family legacy or are honed through trials of life and death."
"Although these two Soul Masters are passable, they probably wouldn't catch a major sect's discerning eye. Judging by their builds and the parts of their faces we can see, they should both be over forty, perhaps even close to fifty. Their potential is already relatively limited."
"Mom, then why do they still participate in Soul Fighting?"
"To fight for an opportunity. These two Soul Masters already count as high-level Soul Kings. In some small cities, they could even become city lords. But from the looks of them, they probably want to make another push, gaining resources or the attention of major sects through Soul Fighting. That way, they might be able to strive for the Soul Saint level within their lifetimes. You should know that a sixth Soul Ring and a seventh Soul Ring aren't things they can even contemplate with their current strength."
"Hmm, what if the two of them joined a major sect or a family?"
"Son, I just told you. With their potential, major sects probably wouldn't be interested, while smaller sects couldn't provide what they want."
"Then what about Spirit Hall?"
"Spirit Hall might be possible, but Spirit Hall places great importance on a Soul Master's loyalty. If a Soul Master wasn't raised by them, getting their help might require paying an even greater price."