Ning Rongrong's cheeks flushed a little at Su Ming's comment about her being "his type." Compared to Oscar's lewdness, Su Ming was much better. After spending the day with him, she found him comfortable to be around, without any negative impressions.
The only minor flaw she noted was that Su Ming admitted he was a bit of a flirt, but nothing else really bothered her.
[I already mentioned to Oscar that there's a rule in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan: the heir's partner must be an assault-type soul master. Oscar, being a food-type soul master, obviously doesn't qualify, but while I'm not an assault type, I'm an all-rounder. Even Ning Fengzhi would know whom to choose if he came here.]
Ning Rongrong thought, Oh right, didn't he just call himself a support type? But if my father were to make the decision, Su Ming would definitely stand a better chance than Oscar. Oscar wouldn't even have a one-in-a-million chance.
[At first, I thought maybe I could take Oscar under my wing or something. If I remember correctly, he's the only innate full soul power food-type soul master on the continent. With proper training, he could certainly reach the Title Douluo realm, which he indeed did eventually, even inheriting the legacy of the God of Food.]
The girls were shocked, not expecting that Oscar would reach such heights and obtain a god's inheritance. Many soul masters spend their entire lives without receiving a deity's blessing.
[However, a significant reason Oscar could inherit the God of Food's position was that he got an immortal herb from Tang San, which not only boosted his level but also sped up his cultivation rate. Later, he trained on Sea God Island with Tang San, allowing him to reach Title Douluo quickly enough to qualify for the God of Food's legacy.]
[Aside from being the first food-type Title Douluo on the continent, another reason the God of Food granted him this inheritance was that he reached the Title Douluo level before the age of forty. The God of Food saw his potential, which is why the inheritance was bestowed. He was even informed that when he reaches level 99, he'll be able to unlock the next part of the legacy.]
[Between the two reasons, I believe the latter had more weight. Food-type soul masters naturally have a hard time advancing. After reaching level 95, each level requires both soul power accumulation and enlightenment. Most soul masters get stuck here. Currently, only two known Limit Douluos exist, Qian Daoliu and Tang Chen. Bibi Dong's strength is supposedly suppressed due to her Rakshasa God trials, or she'd likely be included as well.]
[Given how challenging it is to reach level 99, and now that Oscar is my rival, I have no intention of helping him improve. He's on his own.]
[This means I won't give him any immortal herbs, and Tang San has none left. As for the training at Sea God Island, that's even less likely. If he goes alone, he'd probably fail the trials and end up dead!]
Bibi Dong and Ning Rongrong both agreed with Su Ming's perspective.
For Bibi Dong, who was already above level 95, she understood the tremendous difficulty of advancing after reaching that milestone. Without the immortal herb or Sea God Island training, Oscar would struggle to reach Title Douluo by forty, let alone level 99.
Ning Rongrong, knowing this from her grandfathers, recognized the difficulty as well. Her grandfathers had been stuck at level 95 for ages without progressing to 96. She didn't believe Oscar could break through to level 99 without extraordinary luck.
Had Oscar not been Su Ming's rival, Su Ming's help would have likely let him reach Title Douluo sooner. But now, that possibility was out of the question.
[Oh, and another thing: in the original story, Flender, as part of the Golden Iron Triangle, couldn't have been unaware of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's rule about the heir needing an assault-type partner. Yet he still played matchmaker for Oscar and even encouraged him to pursue Ning Rongrong. His intentions were definitely questionable.]
[If Oscar managed to win Ning Rongrong over, Flender would benefit. And if Oscar failed, Flender would lose nothing. Even Yu Xiaogang didn't oppose Oscar's pursuit. What a cunning plan!]
[But now that I'm here, Oscar doesn't stand a chance. Forget it. Ning Rongrong is mine!]
At this moment, they arrived at the entrance of the Suotuo Great Spirit Arena. Su Ming glanced over and noticed Ning Rongrong's cheeks were unusually red.
Concerned, he asked, "Rongrong, why's your face so red?"
Ning Rongrong mumbled, "It's nothing, just feeling a bit hot. It'll pass in a moment."
Xiao Wu, standing nearby, shot him a glare, clearly feeling a bit jealous. So he's after more than just one girl, she thought. Though she hadn't yet fully given in to Su Ming, their years of close interaction had brought them quite close.
Xiao Wu pondered whether she should make the first move herself. If she waited too long, something might happen. Su Ming might have feelings for multiple women, but the first one should definitely be her!
At that point, Flender stopped and began introducing the arena. "This is the Suotuo Great Spirit Arena. It's a place for soul masters to compete against each other."
Tang San frowned and asked, "Dean, aren't soul masters the most respected profession? Why would there be a place like this? Isn't it degrading to have soul masters fight for the public's entertainment?"
Su Ming nearly laughed. What other reason could there be? Money, of course! Not every soul master was wealthy. Since cultivation required extensive resources, soul masters without a background often came to the Great Spirit Arena to earn quick cash. It was like an underground fight club from his past life, but more legitimate.
Flender shook his head. "No, you're mistaken. I may not like it, but I have to admit that the Great Spirit Arena provides a fair arena for soul masters to showcase their value."
"This place doesn't belong to the two empires or the Spirit Hall. It's independent and unbiased. Here, any soul master, regardless of background, can earn money and fame if their strength is up to par. This makes it popular among commoner soul masters. For noble soul masters, it's more of a training ground where they can hone their combat skills without too much danger."
"Today, your lesson will take place here. I'm sure Mubai has mentioned our Shrek Academy graduation requirements."
"The first is to reach level 40 before the age of twenty. The second is to earn the Silver Spirit Fighter Badge in the arena. Only those who meet these criteria can graduate; otherwise, don't embarrass yourselves!"
When everyone heard the first condition, they instinctively looked at Su Ming, who could only respond with a faint smile.
Flender chuckled, "This year's intake of five little monsters was unexpected. Su Ming has already met the first requirement, and the rest of you are above level 30 at only twelve years old. Reaching level 40 by twenty should be a breeze."
"As for the Silver Spirit Fighter Badge, I'm confident in your abilities. I'm not worried."
Flender continued leading them while explaining the arena's rules. "You'll first need to register at the counter and receive a basic badge. Each win adds one point, and each loss deducts one."
He also warned them, "Don't underestimate the challenge, though. While I believe you can reach the Silver Badge eventually, it won't be easy. Mubai and Hongjun have been training here for over a year, but their progress hasn't been stellar."
Dai Mubai admitted, "I started competing here at level 29. My record is twenty-nine wins and twenty-seven losses, totaling two points."
Ma Hongjun proudly added, "My record is twenty-one wins and twelve losses, totaling nine points, which is higher than Boss Dai's!"
Tang San, looking shocked, said, "Mu Bai, with your strength, how could you have so few points? Your martial soul is one of the most powerful among beast-type martial souls!"
Su Ming, standing nearby, chimed in, "There's nothing surprising about it. Dai Mu Bai probably won a few rounds, then broke through to level 30. After that, he faced opponents at the thirties level, so losing is only natural."
Pausing, Su Ming added, "But if it were me, I definitely wouldn't be like Dai Mu Bai. A soul master who can't fight above their level—can they really be called a monster? Fighting above one's level is just the standard for monsters, right?"
Dai Mu Bai, hearing Su Ming's first sentence, was about to agree, but the latter half left him with a sour expression. Su Ming's tone was simply too arrogant. But he had the ability to back it up—everyone had seen how he'd left Teacher Zhao bruised and battered.
Although Teacher Zhao hadn't gone all out at that time, it still showcased Su Ming's remarkable strength.
The others didn't find Su Ming's words problematic, having all witnessed his bout with Teacher Zhao.
Ma Hongjun originally wanted to say something on behalf of Dai Mu Bai, but recalling the suffocating aura from that morning, he dared not speak up. He didn't want to provoke trouble.
Flender, noticing Su Ming's arrogance, twitched his lips. He knew Su Ming was strong—he'd seen what happened to Zhao Wuji—but he still advised, "Su Ming, don't be too overconfident. Overconfident soldiers are doomed to fail. If you don't take each match seriously, you might end up losing one."
Su Ming replied casually, "Yes, Headmaster."
After that, Su Ming and his group approached the front desk to register. They had to pay the registration fees themselves—no point hoping the stingy Flender would cover them.
Once registered, they were sorted into the ranks for the Battle Arena. Flender guided them to the Strategy Battle Division, gave Dai Mu Bai a few brief instructions, and left for the Battle Arena himself.
Dai Mu Bai turned to the others and explained, "In the Great Battle Arena, only those with more than five consecutive wins can compete in the main arena. Newcomers like us can only compete in the subsidiary arenas. Additionally, winning a match at the Iron Battle level awards ten gold soul coins, while losing yields nothing."
Tang San's eyes lit up at this—winning one match could earn ten gold soul coins, the same as the allowance from the Spirit Hall!
Since he hadn't obtained his third spirit ring yet, his current allowance was only ten gold soul coins per month. Only after gaining the third ring would it increase to one hundred per month.
Soon, everyone except Oscar and Ning Rongrong had been sorted. Since they arrived together, they were all assigned to Battle Arena 14 in the Strategy Battle Division.
However, because they were at different levels, they were matched with soul masters of varying ranks. Ma Hongjun's opponent was at the Great Soul Master level, while Su Ming's was at the Soul Elder level. The others faced Soul Masters of the same rank.
They headed to the waiting area to prepare for their matches.
Sitting next to Su Ming, Xiao Wu whispered, "Brother, Dai Mu Bai just mentioned that we can only participate in one-on-one battles once a day, but we can also join two-on-two matches. Even though I'm not yet at level forty, with my strength, charm, and teleportation, we should be able to win together. What do you think?"
Just then, Ning Rongrong, who'd overheard Xiao Wu's suggestion, perked up. She couldn't let Xiao Wu team up with Su Ming so easily.
After all, Su Ming's strength was well known, and with his support, getting points would be a breeze. Smiling, Ning Rongrong approached him and said, "Su Ming, I'd like to team up with you, too. My Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda can better assist you in winning at the Soul Elder level."
Xiao Wu, unwilling to back down, huffed, "Rongrong, that won't do! I suggested teaming up first, so of course, my brother will be with me. First come, first served!"
Both Xiao Wu and Rongrong looked expectantly at Su Ming, waiting for him to choose a partner.
Su Ming was dumbfounded—why did it suddenly feel so tense?
On the side, Ma Hongjun looked on enviously, thinking, Su Ming has it so good.
Oscar watched, feeling a bit down. He couldn't team up with Ning Rongrong since he was also a support-type soul master—a fundamental limitation.
Tang San, noticing the commotion, walked over and smiled at Xiao Wu. "Xiao Wu, Su Ming's opponent is a Soul Elder, which wouldn't be good for you. How about you pair with me? Once I get my third spirit ring from the Star Dou Forest, my strength will have a qualitative boost."
[T/N:
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