Chapter 22: Great Soul Battle Arena

In Longxing City there is a plaza that mainly sells parts taken from Soul Beasts, and it is mostly run by members of the Hunting Soul Group.

They are unwilling to lower prices for shops or merchants, so they set up stalls here to sell.

The prices are cheaper than those of shops or merchants, but the quality lacks guarantees.

If a novice Soul Master comes here, they might spend a hundred Gold Soul Coins on a ten‑year‑old Nether Wolf tooth, think they got a bargain, only to discover they bought a thousand‑year‑old Flame Lion claw bone, and then leave all thrilled.

Tie Li usually doesn't buy Soul Beast meat here, because his judgment is average and he could be duped; knowing his weakness, he abandons this place and simply spends a bit more to purchase from a shop for peace of mind.

Of course, there are sellers here who deal in genuine goods!

This time Tie Li came to the plaza only to inquire about the price for the Hunting Soul Group to help hunt Soul Beasts.

But the result disappointed Tie Li; every Hunting Soul Group quoted very high prices, shouting up from eight hundred to a thousand.

A few vendors priced similarly to the shops, but the prices are alike—why choose you?

At least a Hunting Soul Group introduced by a shop would be more trustworthy.

Having gained nothing, Tie Li was not in a hurry to return to his cabin to cultivate; he needed a battle now to quickly get accustomed to his body after the soul bone augmentation.

In Longxing City there is a Great Soul Battle Arena; initially, out of curiosity, he came to the Great Soul Battle Arena, completed registration, but has not yet participated in any Soul Battle.

The Longxing Great Soul Battle Arena is oval, reaching a height of 180 meters; inside are two main Soul Battle arenas and thirty‑six subsidiary ones, capable of holding 100,000 spectators, including a hundred Gui Bin Bao Xiang.

Soul Battles in the Great Soul Battle Arena are divided into three types—Gambling, Life‑or‑Death, and Betting; before a Soul Battle, a dedicated soul power test is conducted to match you with an opponent.

Walking into the Great Soul Battle Arena, the first thing that catches the eye is a massive stone tablet engraved with names, all Soul Masters who lost their lives in the arena.

Tie Li arrived at the gambling Soul Battle zone; after confirming his participation, the staff conduct a dedicated soul power test.

A Soul Master can only engage in one single‑player gambling Soul Battle per day, and the winner receives ten Gold Soul Coins.

Before leaving, the staff gave Tie Li a slightly surprised look; it's rare to see a Soul Master exactly at Level 20 Soul Power in the arena.

But many Soul Masters come to the Great Soul Battle Arena, and they quickly matched Tie Li with a Soul Master of roughly the same Soul Power Level.

With Tie Li's Soul Power Level, he certainly cannot qualify for the main Soul Battle arena.

Those who can battle in the main arena are basically engaged in seven‑versus‑seven Team Soul Battle, and they are teams that have amassed considerable popularity.

"Ladies and gentlemen, next we welcome our Soul Master to the stage;

to my left stands the Great Strength Soul Master who possesses the Iron Hammer martial soul, and to my right stands the Jige Soul Master who possesses the Beast martial soul Demon Wolf," the host on the arena passionately introduces the two Soul Masters.

When registering, Tie Li did not use his real name but a code name.

The Soul Battle arena is circular, with rows of spectator seats around it, rising in a tiered fashion.

Soul Master gambling Soul Battles have the lowest ticket price in the Great Soul Battle Arena; although not the most popular mode, cheap tickets always draw a fair number of spectators.

The spectator seats that can hold three thousand people are almost completely full.

"Wow, it's the Jige Soul Master with a Hundred-Year Soul Ring; I bought his win even though the odds are low."

"Jige Soul Master already has Three Consecutive Wins; this time there's an eighty‑percent chance he'll get a fourth."

"Who is his opponent? I've never heard of them, and they're wearing a mask."

Before the Soul Battle even begins, the spectator area is already bustling.

Tie Li carefully observes the Soul Master who will become his opponent.

He has no mask on his face, appears about fifteen years old, and wears a black combat outfit specifically for Soul Battles.

Tie Li looks just a bit lacking, wearing ordinary cloth; his outer garment's inner armor has been folded away, and before a Soul Battle begins, they check for any prohibited items on you.

The Great Soul Battle Arena provides you a small locker space to store your belongings.

Seeing the atmosphere settle, the referee immediately announced the start of the Soul Battle and then stepped down from the arena.

When the Soul Battle began, Jige entered Martial Soul Possession State; his body manifested Demon Wolf traits—black wolf fur sprouted, sharp wolf claws and pointed teeth appeared, and in an instant he transformed into a werewolf form.

Visually, it indeed exudes great intimidation.

Tie Li clenched his right hand in the void, and Lightning Light suddenly flashed, revealing a massive hammer within the light.

Is this… the Iron Hammer martial soul?

Jige froze for a moment, instinctively looking at the referee below the stage, and asked, "You tell me, is this the Iron Hammer martial soul?"

The referee hurriedly searched the records and confirmed it is indeed the Iron Hammer martial soul, no mistake.

"Being distracted during a Soul Battle is not a good habit,"

Hearing that, Jige sensed trouble; after a brief lapse, the opponent suddenly appeared right in front of him.

First Soul Technique, Demon Wolf Leap!

Assuming it was a guaranteed strike, Jige executed the First Soul Technique, and in a strange manner left his own range, appearing five meters away.

"Boom—"

The attack missed; Tie Li bent his knees, gathered power, and surged upward, the speed of this burst equally terrifying.

Jige's pupils narrowed; could such physical strength appear on a Soul Master with a martial soul?

Jige chose to meet it head‑on; facing Tie Li's massive hammer, he focused his mind, trying to see through the hammer's attack trajectory.

"The opportunity has arrived," Jige thought silently.

Believing he had read Tie Li's attack, his body began to shift sideways; if he evaded this strike, he would then unleash his own torrential assault.

What he didn't expect was that as he shifted, Tie Li's massive hammer also altered its attack path.

"How is that possible? Such a charged attack is hard to alter its trajectory; forcing a change would only harm the attacker's own body."

For a typical strength‑type Soul Master this would be the case, but he didn't anticipate that Tie Li has a soul bone inside, greatly augmenting his physique and power, and such overwhelming strength can alter the attack's path.

Moreover, this isn't Tie Li's charged strike; gambling Soul Battles forbid killing the opponent, so Tie Li can easily modify the attack's trajectory.

"Bang—"

The hammer struck Jige's chest; the massive impact forced him into close contact with the ground, then he bounced heavily, his body rolling uncontrollably to the side.

"Pfft—"

He still couldn't help spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood; Jige's expression turned feeble, and everyone could see he was seriously injured.

Huh

A clamor erupted from the audience, and the demon‑wolf Soul Master with a Hundred-Year Soul Ring lost so easily?

(End of Chapter)