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Flender looked at Ning Tianchen with admiration. "Well said."
"Today is your first time here, so you won't participate in team spirit battles for now. Aside from auxiliary-type soul masters, everyone else will participate in one-on-one spirit battles tonight. Including the auxiliary-type soul masters, everyone will also participate in a two-on-two spirit battle."
With that, Flender turned and left. How to arrange the spirit battles was left entirely up to them.
Among them, the only auxiliary-type soul masters were Oscar and Ning Rongrong. With a total of eight people in the group, there was no issue of anyone being unable to participate in the two-on-two spirit battles.
As for Tang San and Xiao Wu, it went without saying—they naturally formed a pair.
Ning Rongrong had initially planned to team up with Ning Tianchen, but when she saw Dai Mubai trying to form a team with Zhu Zhuqing, she quickly changed her mind. "Big brother Tianchen, I'll team up with Zhu Zhuqing. You find someone else, okay?"
Ning Tianchen didn't object.
Dai Mubai glared at her fiercely, but out of respect for Ning Tianchen, he didn't say anything—just let out a cold snort.
Oscar had witnessed Ning Tianchen's strength before. Since Ning Tianchen temporarily didn't have a partner, Oscar stepped forward without hesitation.
"Tianchen brother, how about me?" He wiggled his eyebrows mischievously, grinning cheekily.
Ma Hongjun wasn't sure of Ning Tianchen's true capabilities.
That left him and Dai Mubai to form a team, which he naturally didn't oppose.
Dai Mubai suddenly spoke up, "Little Ao, go team up with Fatso instead. For both two-on-two and team spirit battles, the opponents are matched based on the strongest person in the team."
His meaning was clear.
In a two-on-two spirit battle with an auxiliary-type soul master, it essentially became a one-versus-two situation. Oscar, with only Great Soul Master-level strength, would have no advantage against opponents who were all Soul Elders.
The reason Dai Mubai said this was simple.
He was in a bad mood and wanted to vent. He acknowledged Ning Tianchen's strength, and pairing up with him meant they were unlikely to lose the match.
This way, he could maximize his chance to vent his frustration.
Ning Tianchen shook his head and declined. "No need. Oscar is my roommate—we'll team up."
"Good brother!" Oscar looked at him with deep gratitude.
…
At the service counter.
The server, seeing their youthful faces, couldn't help but ask, "Kids, are you sure you want to participate in spirit battles?"
"People shouldn't be judged by appearances," Tang San said calmly.
The server looked embarrassed. "Ah, well… the minimum soul power requirement for the Great Spirit Arena is level twenty-one. If your soul power levels aren't high enough—"
Before she could finish, Xiao Wu immediately revealed her soul rings.
The Great Spirit Arena didn't require participants to register under their real names, so everyone used their real names except for Ning Tianchen, who gave himself a pseudonym:
Sword Dao Tianchen.
"What a bold name—I hope you have the strength to back it up," the server chuckled, handing Ning Tianchen his spirit battle badge engraved with his chosen name.
After registering for the spirit battles, the group was led by the server to the spectator area.
The Great Spirit Arena was one of the few nighttime entertainment options in Soto City. Spectators came in droves, and nearly every seat was occupied.
"So many people… Big brother Tianchen, I'm a little nervous," Ning Rongrong whispered, clutching his sleeve.
"Don't worry—stay calm and composed," Ning Tianchen gently patted her forehead.
In fact, Ning Rongrong wasn't the only one feeling apprehensive.
Aside from Ning Tianchen and Tang San, the others felt varying degrees of stage fright—even Dai Mubai, who had participated in multiple spirit battles, was no exception.
They had barely sat down when the announcement echoed throughout the Great Spirit Arena.
"Participants Dai Mubai and Li Gang, please proceed to Battle Platform Six in the border zone for your spirit battle. Participants Sword Dao Tianchen and Evil Tiger, please proceed to Battle Platform One in the border zone for your spirit battle."
Upon hearing this, Dai Mubai didn't say goodbye to the group and simply left the stands on his own.
"Big brother Tianchen, be careful," Ning Rongrong said worriedly.
Though killing was prohibited in regular spirit battles, soul skills were unpredictable, and accidents occasionally happened on the arena stage.
After seeing the names of the deceased engraved on the central stone pillar of the spirit arena, Ning Rongrong couldn't help but worry about his safety.
"Don't worry. Trust in the invincible path of my Seven Kill Sword," Ning Tianchen reassured her with another gentle pat on her forehead, then headed toward the contestant passage.
…
Evil Tiger was already waiting on the platform. When he saw Ning Tianchen approaching, a mocking expression appeared on his face.
"Sword Dao Tianchen? I thought you were some grandmaster of swordsmanship. Your name sounds impressive, but I wonder if your body can match it."
Evil Tiger was no ordinary opponent—he currently held a nine-match winning streak.
Moreover, in his past nine battles, he had killed seven participants. In one particularly brutal match, he had raped a female contestant on the arena stage before ultimately murdering her.
However, despite his savage fighting style, he was still celebrated by the audience.
As soon as his words ended, cheers erupted from the crowd below.
"Evil Tiger, tear him apart!"
"Haha, I wonder whose kid this is—he's probably in for a rough time."
One portly merchant, with tears streaming down his face, wailed, "Damn it, I was drunk earlier and bet on this kid to win!"
While the Great Spirit Arena itself didn't officially open betting for these regular one-on-one matches, private bookmakers often ran underground betting pools.
On the battle platform.
Ning Tianchen wasn't intimidated by the other man's aura or reputation.
His expression remained perfectly calm, as though he didn't care in the slightest.
"Boy, if you surrender now, I might spare you given your youth."
Evil Tiger wasn't foolish.
This was the Soul Elder division. Regardless of whether Ning Tianchen was a low-level Soul Elder, simply stepping onto this platform proved his extraordinary talent. Behind such geniuses, there might be a powerful family. Hurting or crippling him could bring trouble later.
"Referee, can we begin?" Ning Tianchen ignored him completely.
Seeing that Evil Tiger didn't object, the referee immediately announced, "You have one minute to activate your martial souls. Once I ring the gong, the spirit battle will officially begin."
"Boy, don't blame me for not giving you a chance. Evil Tiger, possession!"
A massive tiger with purplish-black stripes materialized, and his muscles bulged as his body expanded significantly.
Three soul rings—yellow, yellow, and purple—appeared beneath his feet.
Judging by his soul power aura, he was undoubtedly a high-level Soul Elder.
Ning Tianchen inwardly smirked. The Seven Kill Sword martial soul manifested in his right hand, and three soul rings emerged.
Very few people on the continent had truly encountered the Seven Kill Sword martial soul. Moreover, Ning Tianchen's weapon bore dragon patterns. In the Soto Great Spirit Arena, it was almost impossible for anyone to recognize his martial soul.
The spirit battle began.
Evil Tiger launched the first attack.
"First soul skill, Mountain-Crushing Tiger!"
With the activation of the soul skill, he charged like a hunting tiger, leaping ferociously toward his opponent.
Ning Tianchen swung the Seven Kill Sword, unleashing a fierce burst of sword qi.
The sharpness of the Seven Kill Sword was extraordinary. Sensing the threat, Evil Tiger immediately abandoned his current attack and switched to a defensive stance.
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