Sea Tiger!

After enrolling at Eastsea Academy this time, the first thing he did once everything was settled was head straight for the center of Eastsea City and find this premier underground fighting arena hidden beneath an auction house.

Seeing Bai Yushan standing still, the attendant hurriedly asked in a quiet voice.

"Sir, would you like a match arranged immediately, or do you have other plans?"

Bai Yushan came back to his senses and looked at the attendant before him. He had acquired the black token in his hand half a year ago after casually killing a desperado fighter. He had never studied the rules of Eastsea City's underground fighting arena, so naturally, he knew nothing about its token rankings.

This token granted only the lowest, second-tier fighter privileges. It allowed participation only in lower-tier arena matches, with no access to the high-ranking spectator seats or quality resources. Better treatment required an additional fee.

Bai Yushan did not delve into these rules. His tone was casual.

"It's my first time here. Just make the arrangements."

He handed the token back to the attendant.

The attendant accepted it, maintaining his respectful manner as he asked another question.

"As this is your first visit to the East Sea Fighting Arena, sir, what name would you like to register under? We'll need it to enter your match information and announce it to the audience."

Bai Yushan's brows drew together slightly. After a moment's thought, the corners of his lips lifted into a faint, unrestrained curve.

"Register me as Sea Tiger."

"Certainly, Mr. Sea Tiger."

The attendant quickly entered the information, then stepped aside to lead Bai Yushan toward a private waiting room reserved for second-tier fighters.

Second-tier fighters did not receive high-end treatment. There were no luxurious amenities, only a quiet, private room. An entire floor-to-ceiling pane of one-way glass faced the central arena. From inside, one could clearly see everything happening in the arena and every movement of the audience, while those outside could see nothing of the room's interior.

"Please wait here a moment, Mr. Sea Tiger. I'll arrange the earliest available match for you right away."

With that, the attendant gently closed the door and withdrew.

The room instantly fell silent.

Bai Yushan walked to the floor-to-ceiling glass and looked down at the circular arena below. Two Soul Masters were locked in fierce combat on it.

Both fighters had Soul Power in the twenties, and their Martial Souls were the Iron Arm Ape and the Azure Scaled Snake respectively. Their offense and defense clashed, and both fought viciously. The fighter with the Iron Arm Ape Martial Soul had a powerful physique and hardened arms. Every punch carried a heavy gust of force, his specialty being crushing opponents at close range. The fighter with the Azure Scaled Snake Martial Soul was agile, his body covered in tiny scales. He constantly circled and launched sneak attacks, releasing poison-attribute Soul Power to corrode his opponent whenever he found an opening.

The fight was deadlocked, the two trading blows amid repeated sounds of collision. The spectators below cheered and shouted. The atmosphere was heated, everyone immersed in this primal struggle.

Bai Yushan activated his first Soul Skill, Electromagnetic Clarity, and his penetrating perception instantly spread. Every flow of their Soul Power, every opening in the way they exerted force, and every path of movement appeared clearly in his mind.

In his eyes, both fighters' combat was riddled with openings. They wasted far too much effort, their rhythm was chaotic, and every move left enormous gaps. Victory depended entirely on a contest of brute strength.

Fights at this level put no pressure on him whatsoever. They barely served to loosen his muscles and hone his feel for basic combat.

Before long, the battle ended. The Iron Arm Ape fighter endured his opponent's poison attack head-on, forced his way into close range, and shattered the other's Soul Power defense with a single punch, winning the match.

At the same time, a knock came at the waiting room door, followed by the attendant's voice.

"Mr. Sea Tiger, your match has been arranged. You're up next, so please prepare to enter. Your opponent is a veteran local second-tier fighter, Rock Bear, a rank-twenty-seven Power Attack System Soul Grandmaster."

"Understood."

Bai Yushan answered indifferently and straightened. His languid bearing slowly receded, and a faint thread of blue current crackled at his fingertips.

A moment later, the passage opened. Wearing a pure white mask, Bai Yushan stepped slowly into the arena.

Across the arena, a burly, two-meter-tall man stood proudly, his muscles knotted and his presence fierce. With his Rock Bear Martial Soul possessing him, his skin had turned a heavy earthen yellow, and dense patterns of stone layers covered his body. His Soul Power fluctuations held steady at rank twenty-seven, and his entire body exuded an oppressive presence.

Rock Bear stared at the upright, seemingly slender Bai Yushan before him, his eyes full of contempt. He had spent years in the second-tier arena and beaten everyone at his level. Having never heard the name Sea Tiger, he took him for some rookie testing the waters.

The spectators below were discussing it as well. No one favored the unfamiliar Sea Tiger, and almost everyone had placed their bets on Rock Bear.

The referee briefly announced the rules for the no-holds-barred deathmatch, then withdrew from the arena.

The match began.

Rock Bear made no attempt to probe his opponent. Soul Power erupted beneath his feet, and his heavy body charged forward, his footfalls making the floor tremble slightly. The stone layers on his right arm hardened, wrapped in dense Soul Power, and he drove a heavy punch straight at Bai Yushan's chest. It carried tremendous force, intended to crush the newcomer in a single move.

The punch was extremely fast and packed with power. An ordinary rank-twenty Soul Master would never dare take it head-on and could only dodge in a scramble.

But Bai Yushan stood utterly motionless. With Electromagnetic Clarity active, he had already predicted the exact path of his opponent's attack.

Just as the heavy punch was about to connect, he shifted slightly sideways and precisely evaded it, his movement clean and crisp, without the slightest excess.

Rock Bear's punch struck empty air. His balance faltered, and his body tipped slightly forward, exposing a fatal opening at his chest.

Blue light surged at Bai Yushan's fingertips, and sixty thousand volts of bioelectricity erupted instantly. Without any flashy technique, he sent his palm forward in one fluid motion, striking precisely into a gap in the stone armor over Rock Bear's chest.

Bzzzt!

The violent current exploded instantly, penetrating the stone defenses and surging straight into the meridians within.

Rock Bear's massive body abruptly stiffened, every muscle convulsing violently. His protective Soul Power collapsed instantly, and his Martial Soul Possession was forcibly dispelled. An overwhelming numbness swept through his entire body, leaving him without even the strength to raise a hand and struggle.

Bai Yushan flicked his wrist lightly, releasing force in one smooth motion as a crisp palm strike slammed into Rock Bear's shoulder.

Bang!

A heavy impact rang out. The two-meter-tall man was sent flying, crashing heavily onto the edge of the arena. After rolling several times, he collapsed on the ground, numb all over and completely unable to fight.

The whole thing had taken just one second.

An instant kill.

The noisy crowd fell deathly silent. Every cheer and murmur cut off abruptly.

The spectators stared wide-eyed, disbelief written all over their faces. A veteran rank-twenty-seven Power Attack Soul Grandmaster had actually been instantly defeated by a single punch from an unknown newcomer, without even a chance to fight back.

The referee froze for several seconds before recovering and announcing loudly.

"The winner of this match is Sea Tiger!"

As his words fell, the crowd erupted into a thunderous uproar and cries of astonishment.

Bai Yushan stood in the center of the arena, his pure white mask concealing his face and revealing only a pair of indifferent, cold eyes. He raised his gaze slightly toward the shaken crowd below as the residual current at his fingertips slowly withdrew into his body.

An opponent at this level was far too weak for him, utterly incapable of stirring even the slightest fighting spirit. He had not even needed half his strength.

The referee hurried over to him and asked with the utmost respect.

"Mr. Sea Tiger, would you like to defend the arena or step down?"

Bai Yushan lowered his eyes toward the referee, his tone flat.

"What happens if I defend it? And what happens if I step down?"