Gu Han had made a small fortune this time. Almost no one believed in him, and all the chips had been stacked in Du Jun's favor.
But in just one match, Gu Han walked away with 3,000 gold soul coins — easier than robbing someone.
Of course, this was still a relatively modest sum in the grand scheme of the Great Soul Arena. It wasn't a team battle among Soul Masters or Soul Sects, just a solo match between Great Soul Masters. The betting pool wasn't massive.
Still, for Gu Han at this stage, it was a solid haul. Enough to purchase some thousand-year-old whale glue to help him strengthen his body.
Over the next six months, Gu Han won a hundred consecutive matches and rose to fame.
Even the Martial Soul Hall of Longcheng began to take notice of the new Great Soul Master known as "Mr. Jian."
"Have you found out who this 'Mr. Jian' is?"
Bishop Guang, robed in black, asked his subordinate.
"Yes, sir. His name is Gu Han, 12 years old. Martial soul is the Xuanshuang Sword.Innate soul power level 5. Currently a level 23 assault-type soul master, and an official member of our Martial Soul Hall."
Guang raised an eyebrow. "Level 5 innate power, but already at level 23 by age 12?"
"Yes, it's surprising. His growth rivals that of top geniuses from the major sects."
"Should we report this to Martial Soul City?"
Guang tapped the armrest of his chair thoughtfully, then nodded.
"Yes. Better to report. It's not about seeking credit — just avoiding blame later."
"Understood. I'll send his information right away."
In these six months, Gu Han had taken down some high-level opponents. His record was terrifying.
But after his hundredth win, he decided to pause. It was time to consolidate what he'd learned.
His second soul skill turned out to be defensive — not what he initially wanted. His original plan had been to hunt a swift, attack-type beast like the Snowy Ice Wolf. But fate had other plans.
While on the way, he encountered a soul beast far stronger: an 800-year-old Ironback Turtle.
The decision to pivot and hunt the turtle was the right one.
The soul ring it yielded gave him a defensive skill — a range-based barrier similar to Sword Douluo's "Sword Guard." And more importantly, a 10% boost to all attributes.
Steady gains. No losses.
Gu Han wasn't lacking in attack skills. Thanks to the unknown method in his mind, he had started to comprehend the principles behind soul skills. After all, soul skills were just applications of soul power.
With that insight — and the swordsmanship encoded in the mysterious cultivation technique — he created a technique of his own:
Xuanshuang Nine Strikes.
Each strike was twice as powerful as the last. Though still in its early form, it was already formidable — and only growing stronger.
If not for the laws of this world, Gu Han wouldn't even need soul rings. In his past life, he'd seen the concept of self-created soul rings and had even tried it here using the mysterious method.
It worked — but not well. The rings he created had no true blessing on his martial soul. Their age was low, and their nature inferior to purified soul rings obtained through proper hunting.
Moreover, being a member of Martial Soul Hall meant all soul rings were officially recorded. Any unusual pattern would raise suspicion.
It was a risk he didn't want to take.
So he abandoned the idea.
He opened a notebook and found several folded pieces of paper.
Love letters.
Gu Han tossed them into the trash without even reading.
Children in the Douluo Continent matured quickly. Thanks to his efforts and striking appearance, he had been receiving confessions since primary school.
But he rejected them all. Women would only slow down his sword.
Unless, of course, it was someone like Bibi Dong, Ning Rongrong, or Qian Renxue — women who could help him draw his sword faster. Until then, romance wasn't worth his time.
Ning Rongrong and Qian Renxue weren't even born yet. As for Bibi Dong… dreaming of her now was premature.
Besides, with the Pope Qian Xunji still in power, who knew what danger might come if he dared approach Bibi Dong?
He shook his head. No use thinking about that now.
He changed into training clothes and headed to the mimicry training ground. It was time to refine his Xuanshuang Nine Strikes.
Channeling his icy soul power into his sword, supported by the amplification from both his soul skills, he unleashed nine consecutive slashes — each wave crashing harder than the last.
The final slash gathered the strength of all eight previous ones into a single, earth-splitting blow.
The mimicry environment trembled.
A deep sword mark etched itself into the barrier wall.
"Huff…"
Exhaling deeply, Gu Han ended his session.
Back at his dorm, he retrieved a few herbs from his white jade pendant, boiled them, and mixed in a century-old whale gum. Then he soaked in the medicinal bath, absorbing the plant essence and relaxing his meridians.
Half an hour later, he emerged refreshed.
For the next half month, he focused entirely on studying martial soul theory and refining his Nine Strikes technique.
One day, while sitting at the back of the classroom and listening to the teacher's lecture, a middle-aged man knocked and entered.
"Who is Gu Han?"
Gu Han stood up. "That's me. Who are you?"
"I'm a deacon of the Martial Soul Hall. Lord Guang wants to see you. Can you come with me?"
The man showed his Martial Soul Hall token — a Soul Sect-level deacon.
"Of course. May I ask why Bishop Carls is summoning me now?"
Gu Han had never met Guang. The timing was curious, likely related to the commotion his winning streak had caused.
"A big shot from above heard about you. They want to meet."
Only Gu Han understood the weight of that sentence. The rest of the class looked confused. What had Gu Han done to attract attention from the higher-ups?
"I see."
Gu Han nodded, gave a polite bow to the teacher, and followed the deacon out.