On the arena stage, Zhu Ziyang and nine other Soul Emperors stood evenly spaced, each positioned beside one of the ten thick iron pillars surrounding the circular platform. They waited for the order that would signal the start of battle.
Each one sized up the others with a cold, deadly glare. All of them were Soul Emperors, all of them had come with lethal intent, and each one was determined to strike first—to kill before being killed.
BOOM!
The first thunderous drumbeat echoed through the arena. A wave of murderous pressure swept the space, as if a silent storm had been unleashed. Every combatant instantly surged their soul power to the limit, waiting for the second drumbeat to release their martial souls and launch into combat.
BOOM!
The second drumbeat resounded.
Ten soul masters instantly activated their martial souls and released their soul rings. In an instant, the platform exploded in a kaleidoscope of glowing rings—white, yellow, purple, black…
And red.
A red ring?!
Time froze.
Not just the nine other Soul Emperors, but also everyone watching from the arena's private boxes was stunned. This was an Unrestricted Soul Duel for Soul Emperors—not for Titled Douluo. A hundred-thousand-year soul ring had no business appearing here!
Even a Titled Douluo wouldn't risk joining an Unrestricted Duel like this one. So… who was this masked fighter?!
Only Zhu Ziyang remained calm.
In his hands gleamed the Scythe of Tranquil Judgment. His fourth soul skill flashed first—Stellar Shadow Clone—creating a perfect replica of himself. One Ziyang on the left, one on the right. They launched forward at two nearby Soul Emperors without hesitation.
The scythe's sharp blade sliced through both their skulls in a blink.
Instant kills.
Zhu Ziyang didn't stop. With a flick of his wrist, the hundred-thousand-year soul ring lit up, and the scythe erupted with blinding golden light.
The Scythe of Tranquil Judgment radiated divine brilliance as if the stars themselves condensed into its edge. That dazzling light finally pulled the remaining Soul Emperors out of their shock. As they looked upon the two fresh corpses and Ziyang's terrifying red soul ring, they each made a choice:
Flee—or fight to the death.
Three made the wise decision. They leapt off the stage without hesitation.
The remaining four charged straight toward Ziyang. They were all desperate men with nothing to lose—warriors who lived by the gamble of life and death.
But Zhu Ziyang showed no mercy.
He swung his scythe once more. Golden arcs of energy swept through the air like heavenly judgment. Each strike shimmered with a soul-reaping aura so dreadful it made even the heartless tremble. The Soul-Crushing Light etched into the blades whispered despair into their minds.
Judgment of the Soul – Severing the Mind!
Seven golden arcs tore across the arena.
Three slammed into the iron pillars, slicing through the weathered steel as though it were paper. The other four struck the incoming Soul Emperors. None had the chance to scream. In a blink, they were reduced to lifeless corpses.
Their heads hit the ground before their bodies did.
A glowing mark pulsed faintly at the center of Ziyang's brow—the Death God's flower imprint. It shimmered softly, as if congratulating him.
Back in the audience stands, the spectators were still frozen in stunned silence.
By the time the arena's staff arrived, six headless bodies lay strewn across the blood-soaked floor.
"Who did this?!" roared the supervisor of the Unrestricted Duel zone. "Who dares cause trouble in my Star Luo Grand Battle Arena?! Don't they know this is the Star Soul Prince's domain?! Find him! I want this man found immediately!"
To him, it looked like sabotage—probably an enemy of the arena sent to stir up chaos.
"Sir, perhaps we should let this one go…" a senior staffer said cautiously. "That man used a hundred-thousand-year soul ring. There's no way he came from one of the other arenas. He's probably a disciple from some great sect. If we go after him…"
He didn't finish the sentence—but the supervisor got the message.
The anger drained from his face like cold water poured over fire. His fury was replaced by caution.
"…Fine," he muttered. "I'll report this to the Star Soul Prince myself. As for the audience, make sure they keep their mouths shut. And those three who fled? Send them to the Life-or-Death Duel ring."
"Yes, sir!" the staffers replied and scattered to carry out his orders.
Five hundred meters away, on a quiet city street, Zhu Ziyang, Jiang Nannan, and Ma Xiaotao strolled casually through the dusk.
Right after he'd executed the Judgment Severing Strike, Ziyang had retracted his martial soul, leapt from the platform, returned to the resting room, and whisked the girls away before anyone had time to react.
He'd left behind six corpses and a blood-stained stage, but he didn't look back.
He had complete confidence in his soul skill—and rightly so. The moment he stepped out of the corridor, the Death God's flower mark sent him confirmation.
Death God's Second Trial: Complete.
He was in a great mood.
"Brother, those Soul Emperors were so weak!" Jiang Nannan pouted. "Even I could've taken out a few."
"Not everyone is like us," Ziyang replied, chuckling as he tapped her forehead lightly. "Fewer than thirty percent of soul masters receive formal academy training. Most are self-taught or raised in the wild. You saw their soul rings—only three had ten-thousand-year rings, and all of them were their sixth rings."
"True," Ma Xiaotao agreed. "Becoming a soul master requires resources and support. Some people never even get the chance. Awakening a martial soul is already the biggest blessing in their life."
Jiang Nannan sighed. "Do you think we made a mistake… helping Yang Zhenzhen and the others awaken their martial souls? What if some of them end up like those soul masters just now—living by the blade and dying young?"
"How could it be a mistake?" Ziyang replied gently. "We gave them a choice. Without our help, they would've lived as slaves or servants to nobles and powerful soul masters. Now, at least, they have a path forward. Besides, with you and me around, Yang Zhenzhen will never become that kind of soul master."
"…Yeah, you're right." Jiang Nannan's expression softened, and she nodded.
The three spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Star Luo City. By dinner, they returned to the Star Emperor Grand Hotel.
After dinner, Zhu Ziyang returned to his room.
It was time to claim his reward and receive the Death God's Third Trial.
He focused his mind and entered the Inheritance Space of the Death God.
As always, the familiar fog greeted him, along with the shadowy stone steps and looming divine pillars. The voice of the trial spirit, Xiao Bai, rang out:
"Congratulations. You've completed the Death God's Second Trial. Now, receive your reward."
A tremor ran through Ziyang's body as the reward information surfaced in his mind.
Trial Complete: Death God's Second Trial
Reward: +10% Affinity with the Death God; One pair of God-Locking Pillars
Same reward as the first trial. Ziyang couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed. He still didn't know what the God-Locking Pillars were for, but there was no helping it.
His eyes turned to the stone steps of the Path to Godhood. A new set of ten steps now glowed faintly. He ascended swiftly, reaching the thirtieth step, where the content of the Third Trial was displayed on the adjacent pillar.
Death God's Affinity: 30%
Third Trial of the Death God – The Death God is unmatched in both beauty and talent. As the chosen heir, you must possess a brilliance that shocks the world. And nothing captures awe more than the glow of soul rings.
Trial Objective: Upgrade all soul rings to the ten-thousand-year level or higher.
Time Limit: Five years.
Reward: Unknown.
"…What the hell?" Ziyang muttered, blinking in disbelief.
He didn't even know how to react anymore. But one thing was clear—
Xiao Bai is going easy on me. No doubt about it.
Returning to the real world, he opened his eyes to see Electrolux teasing Second Frost, the tiny soul spirit dragon.
Seeing Ziyang awaken, the two immediately floated over.
"How was it?" Electrolux asked. "What's the third trial about?"
"It wants me to upgrade all my soul rings to ten-thousand-year level," Ziyang replied flatly.
Electrolux's face froze. "…I'm not sure how to react to that either."
Then he added, "Still, that's good for us. For someone with death-attribute soul skills like you, upgrading soul rings is relatively easy."
"Mm," Ziyang agreed. "Honestly, I was planning to do it eventually—after I reached nine rings. But now I guess I have to start early. Ugh, I hate when plans get disrupted."
"Seriously? You're actually complaining about this?" Second Frost muttered. "Talk about lucky and ungrateful!"
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