Chapter 30: First Arrival at the Great Soul Arena
The Purple Spirit Weasel's age and attributes were perfectly compatible with Mi Yimei, making the soul ring absorption process very smooth. In less than an hour, he completed the soul ring absorption, granting him a rather extraordinary soul skill—Deprivation.
This skill forcibly removes all augmentation effects not generated by the opponent's own soul power, effectively rendering an auxiliary soul master's entire set of soul skills useless against a particular soul master.
After Mi Yimei finished absorbing the soul ring, Xiao Yu, to avoid any unforeseen complications, immediately led the group back on their return journey.
The Star Dou Forest is fraught with dangers, hiding many powerful soul beasts. Although during the Douluo period, they mostly stayed hidden in the Lake of Life, there's no guarantee that some mishap wouldn't occur due to the butterfly effect of his presence. Even a lower-ranked ferocious beast like the three-headed Scarlet Demon Mastiff, Chi King, or the Hell Demon Dragon, Zi Ji, would be more than enough trouble for them.
The group left the Star Dou Forest, hired two carriages in a small town outside the forest, and after several days of travel, they finally returned to their sect's base.
In the Nine Star Palace, Mu lived up to his reputation as the disciple of Pope Shiang, managing the sect efficiently during Xiao Yu's absence. Meanwhile, Lou Gao, recruited by Xiao Yu, did not disappoint his reputation as a divine craftsman. In a short time, he had already mastered soul tools, creating several first-grade soul tools, a feat that left Xiao Yu feeling somewhat embarrassed, as it took him three months to barely make one.
A few days later, after the exhaustion from the journey had worn off and Zilong, Ikki, Eden, and the others had recovered their strength and soul power, Xiao Yu took them to the Great Soul Arena of Kaiser City.
In Douluo Continent, only main cities have Great Soul Arenas. Siel City, being the capital of the Sylvia Kingdom, naturally has one as well. However, the Siel Soul Arena is not as grand as the Soto Great Soul Arena described in the original story, reflecting Sylvia Kingdom's lower strategic importance compared to the Barak Kingdom in the Heaven Dou Empire.
As night fell, Xiao Yu and the six others arrived at the Great Soul Arena. Like the Shrek Seven Devils, their young age and revealing their true identities could cause a stir in the arena, so they all wore masks.
Registering for the arena was simple. They only needed to pay ten gold soul coins as a registration fee and fill out a form with their name, age, birthplace, and martial soul to receive their initial Iron Soul Badge.
In the Soul Arena, there are three types of battles: sparring, which involves mutual exchange and forbids killing; life-and-death battles to resolve irreconcilable disputes; and betting battles, where the Great Soul Arena acts as the judge. Both sides wager the same number of soul masters, and the final victor takes everything at stake. Betting battles are essentially life-and-death battles and are often used by nobles and clans to resolve significant conflicts.
The competition formats are also threefold: one-on-one, two-on-two, and team battles. The number of participants in team battles is negotiated, but generally ranges from seven to ten according to the Great Soul Arena's rules.
Xiao Yu naturally chose sparring in the team soul battles, naming their team the Nine Star Team.
...
"Next up is the fifth team battle. Competing are the Moro Team and the Nine Star Team. It's worth noting that the Nine Star Team just registered today, and this is their first team battle. Let's see what exciting performances they will bring!"
Team battles begin only after the one-on-one and two-on-two soul battles have concluded. After watching from the spectator stands for a long time, it was finally Xiao Yu and his team's turn to take the stage.
Team battles are the most popular form of soul battles among the audience. At this moment, the spectator stands were packed with viewers who erupted in cheers as the two teams stepped onto the stage.
"Moro Team! Moro Team!"
"Nine Star Team! Nine Star Team!"
The Soul Battle Platform is a large circular stage with a diameter of nearly forty meters, occupying a vast area. The two teams stood at opposite corners of the stage, each setting up their formations.
Both the Nine Star Team and the Moro Team adopted the traditional 3-3-1 formation. On the Nine Star Team's side, the powerful attackers Xiao Yu, Ikki, and Zilong stood at the front. The control system soul master Eden was positioned in the middle of the second row, flanked by Xie Wu and Io on either side, with the auxiliary soul master Mi Yimei standing behind the group.
"The team soul battle begins!"
As the host's words fell, all fourteen members of both teams simultaneously released their martial souls, and their dazzling soul rings lit up, eliciting another wave of cheers from the audience.
On the Nine Star Team's side, everyone had the optimal soul ring configuration. Although the Nine Star Palace already had two Titled Douluo, the sect was still in its early stages of development. Xiao Yu didn't want to attract too much trouble, especially from the powerful Spirit Hall, so they used a disguise tool to change their second soul ring to yellow.
In contrast, the Moro Team's soul ring configurations were far inferior to the Nine Star Team's. Among them, four soul masters had white ten-year soul rings as their first rings. The only one with the best soul ring configuration was their captain, Moro, a level 37 assault-type Battle Soul King with the martial soul of a Golden Lion.
The Great Soul Arena had no obligation to keep soul masters' information confidential, especially for teams about to engage in a soul battle. The Moro Team had already obtained information on the Nine Star Team, including their martial souls, soul power levels, and soul ring configurations. As for their soul skills, those could only be observed and tested during the battle. The arena staff had neither the manpower nor the time for such detailed work, and there was always the risk of making mistakes that could lead to disaster, making them scapegoats instead.
Seeing the optimal soul ring configurations on the opposing side, Moro's eyes were filled with apprehension. Honestly, if not for the fact that none of the opponents had a soul power level higher than his, he might have considered forfeiting the match.
"Charge!"
After the auxiliary soul master's support skills were activated, Moro charged forward. The stark contrast in soul ring configurations was apparent, and he could feel his team's morale waning. As the captain, he needed to find a way to suppress the opponents and boost his team's confidence.
With the highest soul power in the arena and a comparable soul ring configuration, he believed no one could stop him in a one-on-one fight.
Moro, under the effect of his martial soul, looked like a golden lion as he charged forward, exuding a powerful aura.
Zilong from the Nine Star Team met Moro head-on, their fists clashing. Zilong staggered and fell back.
Moro was delighted. In their clash, he hadn't even felt any recoil. It seemed the opponent might be a noble relying on family resources for the best soul ring configurations but lacking in actual combat experience compared to someone like him who had fought in the arena for over a decade.
(End of Chapter)
🌟 Unlock the World of Stories with Early Access on Patreon! 🌟
Hello, beloved readers and supporters!
I am thrilled to offer you an exclusive opportunity to dive deeper into our captivating stories before anyone else. By joining the Patreon community, you'll unlock a treasure trove of benefits, including:
📚 Early Access to 20 Chapters: Be the first to explore new chapters, experiencing the twists and turns of our tales well ahead of regular readers. Your journey through our stories doesn't have to wait!
💬 Connect with the Community: Join a vibrant, like-minded group of readers who share your passion. Engage in exciting discussions, share theories, and make new friends who love the stories as much as you do.
👏 Support the Creator: Your patronage directly contributes to the ongoing creation and improvement of the content you love. Be a vital part of the creative journey!
patreon.com/anish_44