: Performance in the Soul Arena, the Demon King Duo's First Appearance

Chapter 20: Performance in the Soul Arena, the Demon King Duo's First Appearance

The lesson Flander was referring to was participating in the Soul Battle Arena in Soto.

As evening fell, Flander brought Chi Ping and Dai Mubai to Soto City.

Although it was already dark, Soto City seemed to have just woken up, even more bustling than during the day. All the shops on both sides of the street were brightly lit, and small vendors who only came out to work at night had found their favorite spots to sell snacks or trinkets.

Chi Ping had lived in Soto City for a while, but he was busy spreading mycelium and didn't have time to go shopping. This was what he had been doing on his way from Notting City to Shrek Academy.

Flander led the two to rest at a tea stall. Since they hadn't ordered anything, the owner's gaze became somewhat strange. Dai Mubai ended up paying for a cup of tea for each of them.

—As expected of the cunning businessman Flander!

Chi Ping sipped his tea, thinking to himself.

"That's where you have your classes," Flander said, happily sipping his free tea and pointing to a spot.

It was a building nearly a hundred meters tall, enormous, and appeared extremely somber in the night. Faint lights flickered from within that massive structure.

"Spirit Arena? Are we going to participate in the Spirit Arena?" Chi Ping asked.

Flander was somewhat surprised. "You've participated in Soul Battles?"

Chi Ping shook his head. "Notting City doesn't have a Soul Arena, but I learned about it from a teacher when I was at the academy."

"How much do you know?" Flander asked thoughtfully.

"The Soul Arena is the safest way for ordinary people to learn about Soul Master battles, and it's also the best way for commoner Soul Masters to advance. Participating in the Soul Arena allows you to showcase your talents and gain wealth, honor, and the attention of Soul Master families," Chi Ping said, expressing his views on the Great Soul Arena.

Flanders nodded and said, "A very interesting insight. Did you come up with it yourself?"

"Yes."

Flander continued, "The Great Soul Arena is an important place to demonstrate the value of Soul Masters. It has its own complete system and can be considered a special force. It was jointly founded by the seven most prestigious Soul Master families on the continent and is not affiliated with the two great empires or the Spirit Hall. It can be considered a third-party force, incredibly wealthy. Soul Masters who become famous in the Great Soul Arena will become shining stars throughout the country, gaining not only enormous benefits but also immense fame. Moreover, the Great Soul Arena is a relatively fair place. Here, even if you kill the heir of a powerful family, you don't need to worry about retaliation. That's its fairness."

At this point, Flander's eyes shone brightly. "The level of a Martial Soul is a sign of a Soul Master's strength, and Soul Rings are the best way to express it. However, this does not represent a Soul Master's true ability. Only the titles earned through one's own efforts in the Great Soul Arena are the best reflection of one's strength."

"When a Soul Master of any level enters the Great Soul Arena, they are simply referred to as a 'Soul Master.' After winning their first match, they will receive a badge. Each subsequent victory will earn them points, and as the points accumulate, the badge's level increases. This badge symbolizes one's level in the Great Soul Arena and is valid in all major cities across the continent. The benefits of a high-level badge are numerous, which I won't elaborate on. The badge's level is determined by the quality of the mineral used. The lowest is the Iron Badge, also known as the Iron Soul Master, followed by Bronze, Silver, Gold, Purple Gold, Sapphire, Ruby, and Diamond. There are eight levels in total."

At this point, Flander's gaze swept over the two of them in turn. "My task for you is to at least obtain the Silver Battle Spirit Badge before graduation, understand?"

Dai Mubai immediately agreed.

Chi Ping hesitated for a moment before indicating that he understood.

Flander took a sip of tea and continued, "Spirit battles are divided into three categories. One is a game of skill, which is mutual sparring, but killing is prohibited. Another is a life-or-death duel, used to resolve irreconcilable disputes. The last is a wager duel. The Grand Soul Arena acts as the referee, and both sides send out an equal number of Soul Masters to compete. The final winner receives everything stipulated in the wager. The wager duel is primarily a life-or-death duel. Many nobles and clans often use this method when there are major conflicts between them. There are also three forms of competition: one-on-one, two-on-two, and group battles. Among them, the number of people on both sides in a group battle is agreed upon through negotiation, and according to the rules of the Grand Soul Arena, it is generally limited to seven to ten people."

"I heard from Zhao Wuji about your performance in the fourth round of assessments. You can participate in one-on-one and two-on-two Soul Battles. Each Soul Master can only participate in one battle per day, but you can participate in different types of Soul Battles. If you participate in both, the speed at which you accumulate points will be faster."

Flander then shared some more information about the Soul Arena, which Chi Ping and Dai Mubai listened to attentively.

When it was almost time, the three headed towards the Soul Arena.

Registering for a Soul Battle at the Soto Arena is very simple. You only need to fill out a form that includes your name, age, place of birth, and Soul, and you can 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, they also need to undergo a soul power test similar to that of the Spirit Hall to determine their respective levels. Every time they come to participate in the Soul Battle, they must first undergo a soul power test to determine their opponents.

During his time at Notting Academy, Chi Ping relied on supplies from the Spirit Hall and accumulated approximately two hundred gold soul coins. He left fifty gold soul coins with the principal, asking him to take good care of the work-study students. The food and lodging along the way from Notting City to Shrek Academy consumed about twenty gold soul coins. The registration fee and tuition at Shrek Academy totaled one hundred and ten.

Registering for a Battle Spirit Badge requires ten Gold Soul Coins, and signing up for a 2v2 battle also requires a registration fee of ten Gold Soul Coins, which, when split equally, amounts to five Gold Soul Coins.

After all that, Chi Ping had less than five gold soul coins left!

—We have to win! Flander is a shrewd businessman; even the academy cafeteria can't provide enough meat. Without extra supplies, training can't continue!

Chi Ping thought to himself.

"Ikehira, what name do you think our group should have?"

"Why not just take one character from each of the martial spirits and combine them?" Chi Ping said casually.

"Alright! Let's call ourselves the Mushroom King Duo!"

?

"Wait a minute..."

However, before Chi Ping could stop him, an Iron Soul Badge engraved with the words "Demon King Combination" was handed to him.

"This name..." Chi Ping's lips twitched.

"How about it? Isn't it cool!" Dai Mubai looked at the badge with a smug expression.

"It's cool, but don't you think the name is too arrogant? I'm afraid we'll get beaten to death when we go on stage."

Dai Mubai, however, said nonchalantly, "With our strength, who can beat us! I don't even think this name is imposing enough! Once we make a name for ourselves, people will call us Demon Kings. Just imagine how cool that would be!"

Chi Ping rubbed his forehead and smiled wryly, but he wasn't particularly averse to the name.

"Alright. But since we've chosen this name, we can't let down those two powerful characters."

"Of course!"

The two returned to the lounge full of vigor. The four big characters on the Iron Soul badge stunned Flander, who exclaimed, "A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger."

"I am a tiger! Why are you all so afraid of this and that!" Dai Mubai said disdainfully.

Just then, a staff member came to inform Dai Mubai that it was time to go on stage.

Dai Mubai looked up at Flander with his nostrils snorting, then strode confidently toward the one-on-one dueling area.

"Is this kid really that arrogant?" Flander muttered to himself, then looked at Chi Ping. "Didn't you stop him from choosing this name?"

"I think the word 'Demon King' sounds pretty good," Chi Ping said. "Besides, Dean, didn't you say that Shrek Academy teaches monsters? I think the word 'Demon King' and monsters go well together, don't you think?"

Flanders chuckled. "It's me who's being stingy."

That's right, isn't Shrek Academy all about training monsters? If they can't even live up to that reputation, then what kind of monsters are they!

"Let's go, let me see just how far the Shrek monsters are capable!"

……

On the Soul Battle Stage, Dai Mubai and his opponent, a middle-aged Great Soul Master with a wolf-type martial soul, were facing each other.

Needless to say, with the advantages of superior spirit quality, spirit power level, and youthful vigor, it would be difficult for Dai Mubai to lose. He threw his opponent off the stage in less than five minutes.

Dai Mubai's victory caused some ripples.

The second round of the competition was Chi Ping's turn. His opponent was a middle-aged Soul Master in his forties who used a scythe-wielding martial soul.

With a shave and a cross lock, Chi Ping sent the unconscious middle-aged soul master off the field.

The two victories have earned them a little bit of fame.

After registering their scores, the two returned to the rest area to await notification for the two-on-two match.

The two-on-two battles and the one-on-one battles are held on a different arena, which is larger and has more spectators.

"The fourth match of the two-on-two game: the Double Sticks team versus the Demon King team."

Before he even stepped onto the field, a chorus of boos erupted from the audience.

"What an arrogant name!"

"Two little brats dare to call themselves demon kings? The double-stick duo will annihilate them!"

"I actually find this quite interesting, the Demon King duo! I support you, smash everything!"

Some are optimistic, some are pessimistic, and some just enjoy the drama.

The Double Staff Duo consisted of two lean men, both possessing long staffs as their martial spirit. They were initially surprised by Chi Ping and Dai Mubai's ages upon entering the arena, but quickly regained their composure and focused on their opponents.

"Mu Bai, you take the lead, and I'll support you."

"good!"

With a whistle from the host, both sides summoned their martial spirits, and Dai Mubai and the two sticks clashed head-on.

"White Tiger Protective Barrier!"

"Walking Sticks!"

"Horizontal slash!"

The White Tiger Martial Soul truly lives up to its reputation as a top-tier Martial Soul, holding its own against two opponents without being at a disadvantage!

Chi Ping didn't sit still either; he quickly ran around to the back of the Double Stick Brothers.

"shave!"

Approaching with lightning speed, he delivered a punch.

"Don't even think about it!"

One of the members of the Twin Staffs was already on guard. He activated his second soul ring, and the amplified light flashed on the wooden staff. He turned around and delivered a vertical slash.

Black Dragon Eighteen Hands - Oolong Tail Swing!

After practicing the Black Dragon Eighteen Hands for six years, he instinctively used it, dodging and throwing a punch.

"Pfft!"

The impact struck his chest, instantly eliminating one member of the double-stick duo.

"Well done!" Dai Mubai laughed heartily. "I can't fall behind either, White Tiger Fiery Light Wave!"

The second soul skill was activated, and amidst everyone's gasps, the double-stick combination was defeated, and the Demon King combination achieved their first victory decisively.

(End of this chapter)