Soto City!
The Great Soul Arena!
Ma Hongjun was also greatly shocked and amazed by the magnificent building.
The Soto Great Soul Arena is oval in shape, reaching a height of 120 meters, and is divided into a main Soul Arena and 24 sub-Soul Arenas. It can accommodate 60,000 spectators at the same time, including 100 VIP boxes. This is not only a place for Soul Masters to exchange skills, but also a place for various forces to display their strength.
Entering the Great Soul Arena, the first thing that catches the eye is a huge stone tablet, which is engraved with densely packed names. Flander told Ma Hongjun and the others that these names were those of the victims who died in the Soul Battle.
Registering for the Soul Battle here is very simple. You only need to fill out a form including your name, age, place of birth, and Martial Soul to receive your initial Iron Soul Badge. Of course, registration also requires each person to pay ten gold coins as a registration fee.
At the same time, a Soul Power test similar to that of the Spirit Hall is conducted to determine each person's level. Xiang Chengxian explained that each time someone came to participate in the Soul Battle, they would first undergo a Soul Power test to determine their opponents.
Over three months, Ma Hongjun and the other three had all leveled up. Their strengths were as follows:
Xiang Chengxian, 15 years old, Black Tiger Martial Soul, Level 32 Power Attack Type Battle Soul Master;
Dai Mubai, 12 years old, White Tiger Martial Soul, Level 29 Power Attack Type Battle Soul Master;
Ma Hongjun, 11 years old, Silver Spear Martial Soul, Level 28 Power Attack Type Weapon Soul Master;
Oscar, 11 years old, Sausage Martial Soul, Level 22 Food Type Weapon Soul Master.
Ma Hongjun lied about his age; saying he was nine would be too abnormal, and due to his precocious nature caused by the Evil Fire, no one noticed anything amiss.
Oscar, being a Food Type Soul Master, obviously didn't need to participate in one-on-one battles—that would be a complete humiliation—so he teamed up with Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai for two-on-two battles.
The Tiger Man and Woman originally wanted to team up as well, but their levels were different, so they couldn't duo.
Each Soul Master could only participate in one battle per day, but could participate in different types simultaneously.
After asking the waiter, they learned that the most common battle types were one-on-one, two-on-two, five-on-five, and seven-on-seven.
Three-on-ten battles were less common; even if you registered, you could only wait in line or have someone challenge you.
However, two-on-two battles could be repeated. They didn't necessarily come every day; they came once to participate in more battles and improve their teamwork. So, Ma Hongjun and his two friends paired up.
"Please name your pair," the waiter said calmly.
Ma Hongjun and Oscar exchanged a glance. Oscar scratched his head and whispered,
"Ma and Oscar!"
Ma Hongjun rolled his eyes and blurted out,
"Mario is more like it!"
"Okay!"
"Please confirm your pair name quickly!"
"Mario!"
Ma Hongjun: "..."
Then Dai Mubai and Oscar also paired up. With Ma Hongjun's malicious interference, their pair name became:
"Dai-O-O!"
Dai Mubai was still in a cold war with Ma Hongjun, and after reluctantly pairing up with him, his name was rather casual. "Let's
call it the 'Red and White Combination'!"
Ma Hongjun thought it wasn't a bad idea. As the saying goes, "A white knife goes in, a red knife comes out," it's all about ruthlessness, a powerful combination.
They arrived early today, and all four were assigned to the Seventh Soul Arena. However, Xiang Chengxian's opponent was a Soul Master, while Ma Hongjun and his companions' opponents were Great Soul Masters.
The entire Soul Arena dazzled Ma Hongjun. The assignments were incredibly detailed. While it was said to have twenty-four sub-arenas, each was actually divided into different zones, including the Gambling Zone and the Life and Death Zone. Each zone had three types of matches: one-on-one, two-on-two, and team battles. Therefore, each sub-arena had six separate arenas.
As for the betting matches, according to Flander, regardless of level, all betting matches would take place in the main Soul Arena.
The operating model of the Grand Soul Arena has long been highly coordinated. Ticket prices vary between different Soul Arena zones. The cheapest tickets, and the fewest spectators, are for the one-on-one matches in the game-like zone that Ma Hongjun and his group are about to participate in.
The participating Soul Masters are all arranged to rest in a spacious room while waiting to go on stage.
Flander, not participating in the Soul Arena, doesn't have his own rest room; he said he was going to watch from the stands, but no one knows where he went.
The one-on-one Soul Arena matches are determined by drawing lots. While other Soul Masters are fighting, waiting Soul Masters can choose to watch or rest. Each area of the sub-arena has designated viewing areas for participating Soul Masters, very close to the Soul Arena stage.
The four of them will first face Xiang Chengxian, and Ma Hongjun and his two companions will naturally choose to watch.
Although it's a sub-arena, it's still quite large, with a diameter of twenty meters, providing ample space for Soul Masters to perform. Unfortunately, the number of spectators around the one-on-one Soul Arena stage in this sub-arena is small, only about one-third full.
The audience was mostly concentrated in the main arena, as it housed high-level battles, winning streaks, team battles, and other exciting duels—a gambler's paradise.
Those in the sub-arenas were primarily there to watch and learn.
Soon, on the arena, a middle-aged man in a tailcoat stood in the center. He cleared his throat and announced in a clear voice:
"Next, we will begin the first one-on-one battle in our Seven Soul Arena. Our two Soul Masters will be Xiang Chengxian, wielding the beast spirit Black Tiger, and Zheng Jie, wielding the weapon spirit Twin Blades. Zheng Jie, known as the Shadowless Twin
Blades, has already achieved four consecutive victories. Today, facing the Black Rose Xiang Chengxian, who is currently on a ten-game losing streak, will Zheng Jie have a chance to achieve his fifth consecutive win? Let's wait and see. Now, please welcome our two Soul Masters to the stage.
" "Four consecutive victories at the Soul Master level, Shadowless Twin Blades—that sounds amazing! Can Sister Fairy win?" "Oscar said with some concern.
The two entered the arena. Xiang Chengxian was still wearing a black trench coat, looking cold and aloof, while Zheng Jie was a young man in a black outfit, with a ruthless expression. They both
seemed like cold characters, and without any unnecessary words, they immediately began summoning their martial souls.
Black light flashed in Zheng Jie's hands, and two black short swords appeared in his left and right hands, looking like twin martial souls. But it was indeed just one martial soul.
His soul rings appeared, yellow and purple, exactly the same as Xiang Chengxian's.
Anyone who dared to come to the Soul Arena to participate in the Soul Battle was undoubtedly of exceptional strength and courage." Most of them had the best soul ring configurations, yet Zheng Jie still managed four consecutive wins. His strength, if not top-tier in the Soul Fighting world, was at least above average. Indeed,
there are no wrong nicknames, only wrong names. The power of the Shadowless Twin Blades was displayed. He didn't use any soul skills; the twin blades moved rapidly in his hands, only black blade shadows visible.
It was clear that his use of the twin blades was also very skillful, and he had a refined swordsmanship, likely inherited from his family.
The power of the weapon spirit was displayed; the sharp, shadowless, and domineering twin blades forced Xiang Chengxian to use his soul skill first.
"Black Tiger Shadow Transformation!" "
Xiang Chengxian used her second soul skill, Shadow Transformation, which enhances speed and the attack power of her tiger claws. Zheng Jie's twin blades were too fast, and her second soul skill was perfect for countering them. After Shadow Transformation, she could steadily parry the attacks with her tiger claws.
Both were power-attack type soul masters, but Xiang Chengxian's beast soul had a significant advantage in strength. However, if she wanted to win, she had to withstand Zheng Jie's rapid blade attacks.
Zheng Jie's twin blades were blocked by Xiang Chengxian one after another. He stepped back, activated his second soul ring, and began to use his soul skill.
"Wind Wing Slash!" Zheng Jie
leaned forward, his arms outstretched, his twin blades spinning around Xiang Chengxian like a tornado, unleashing a series of black wind blades.
The speed was incredible; besides his base speed, the wind attribute bonus from his soul rings granted him explosive speed, creating a series of afterimages.
His blades were the strongest weapon; their attack speed was further enhanced, not only cleaving through soul power but also demonstrating the superiority of Zheng Jie's soul skill. His attacks were incredibly fierce.
Xiang Chengxian clearly lost her composure. This highlighted the importance of practical experience. Her Black Tiger Martial Soul was already strong, and the intense black aura made her attacks, penetration, and defense superior to ordinary Black Tigers.
Faced with countless afterimages and wind blades, she simply couldn't keep up.
"Sigh…!" Dai Mubai
sighed deeply, gripping the railing tightly. His awakened spiritual eyes could easily see through these afterimages, and his mental detection made it easy to find weaknesses in combat.
Although Zheng Jie was fast, leaving an afterimage, as long as Xiang Chengxian didn't look around and decisively broke out in one direction, disrupting Zheng Jie's attack pattern, they wouldn't be so passive.
Zheng Jie's Wind Wing Slash was a burst skill that couldn't be maintained for long, while Xiang Chengxian's Black Tiger Shadow Transformation could be maintained for a considerable time.
By briefly dodging Zheng Jie's fierce attack, they could completely gain the upper hand.
Finally, Xiang Chengxian reluctantly activated his third soul ring, a purple thousand-year soul ring.
"Black Tiger Demon God Transformation!" Zheng Jie was well aware of the power of the
Millennium Soul Ring skill. When Xiang Chengxian's purple soul ring lit up, he began to retreat. Maintaining distance to observe the opponent's soul skill beforehand was a wise decision, especially against a powerful beast soul like Xiang Chengxian's.
This demonstrated Zheng Jie's seasoned combat experience. He knew when to advance and retreat, to control his attacks, rather than becoming overly aggressive after gaining the upper hand.
The Demon God Transformation completely enveloped the Black Tiger in black flames—not flames, but an extremely dense aura of malevolence. This soul skill was unique to Xiang Chengxian; their Xiang family's third soul skill wasn't this. A
powerful aura emanated; the Demon God Transformation significantly enhanced its strength, especially its offensive capabilities. Without hesitation, Xiang Chengxian opened its tiger's mouth, unleashing a deafening roar towards Zheng Jie.
A wave of black flames formed, heading straight for Zheng Jie's body. The powerful force sent Zheng Jie flying. Zheng Jie crouched down, his twin swords slid into the fighting arena, their blades gleaming as they passed through the air. His chest was directly struck by the... The attack distorted his form, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood.
This was the attack of the black flames, directly impacting his body.
The black tiger leaped up, its four paws slamming into the ground. Its massive right tiger claw spread out in the air, its extended claw trailing a trail of flame, and with a whoosh, it slashed down.
Zheng Jie crossed his twin blades, passing them overhead to meet the tiger's claw. The powerful force bent his body again, and his third soul ring rose, but it was suppressed and couldn't light up.
At this moment, Xiang Chengxian was like a demon god. When she fought, she was frenzied and ruthless. The title "Black Rose" wasn't entirely due to her temper, but more importantly, her strength. Xiang
Chengxian's attacks were known for their ferocity. After breaking free from the suppression, she unleashed her full power, her two enormous, dark tiger paws slamming down in succession.
Sure enough, you can't let the tigress take the initiative, or you'll have no chance to fight back.
Zheng Jie ultimately underestimated his opponent. Despite initially gaining the advantage with his twin blades, he didn't seize the opportunity to defeat Xiang Chengxian in one fell swoop, but instead used the power of his second soul skill to wear her down.
In terms of soul power, he was actually level 35, clearly holding the advantage. However, he was completely stunned by Xiang Chengxian's series of counterattacks, unable to even unleash his soul skills.
This was the terror of power-type beast spirits; once suppressed at close range, they were utterly unable to break free under their absolute strength.
It was like a strongman fighting a martial arts master; when the strongman pinned him down, no matter how strong his martial arts were, he couldn't unleash them.
Under Xiang Chengxian's relentless barrage of ferocious tiger palm strikes, the fighting arena was dented.
Such a fierce battle, coupled with the unexpected reversal, astonished the audience.
Oscar covered his mouth and exclaimed, "Sister Xian is too fierce!"
Ma Hongjun also looked at Dai Mubai and teased, "Your woman is really fierce."
Dai Mubai rolled her eyes at Ma Hongjun, ignoring him and still refusing to speak; the cold war wasn't over.
Ma Hongjun chuckled dryly and turned back to the fighting arena to continue watching.
In fact, Ma Hongjun was confident he could defeat Xiang Chengxian even in a one-on-one fight. Relying on his Hundred Birds Playing with the Phoenix movement technique, as long as he was careful not to engage in a direct confrontation, but instead circled around her and looked for opportunities to stab her with his spear, he would always maintain
the initiative. With the balance of power shifting, before Ma Hongjun's soul power was exhausted, the powerful penetrating force of the Dragon Soul Spear would force Xiang Chengxian to the brink of defeat.
"Stop, stop, stop!"
"I surrender!"
Under Xiang Chengxian's ferocious attacks, Zheng Jie had no chance to unleash his soul skills and finally couldn't withstand the beating, surrendering!
If the fight continued like this, he probably would fall apart.
This match was a nightmare for Zheng Jie; he originally had a chance to win, but he underestimated this woman.
Xiang Chengxian was also somewhat surprised; the power of the Black Tiger Demon God Transformation had suddenly increased, the murderous aura was much denser than before, and the boost to her strength far exceeded what it had been before. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to win today.
She looked at Dai Mubai watching the battle upstairs; this must be the change brought about by the fusion of her martial soul with Dai Mubai's.
The more she looked at this little man, the more pleasing he became to her eyes.
The host quickly came to the Soul Fighting Stage and loudly announced:
"Congratulations to Soul Master Xiang Chengxian for winning, ending his ten-game losing streak, with a record of twelve wins and ten losses."
Xiang Chengxian's clothes were now quite tattered, so he took out a coat to cover himself. He walked off the Soul Fighting Stage with a flourish!
Ma Hongjun watched and said:
"Soul Fighting is such a waste of clothes, looks like business will be much better in the future