Chapter 112: Clash at the Arena
Before leaving Spirit Hall, Qian Renxue absorbed the Angel God Suit's head Soul Bone to disguise her identity.
With an age nearing one hundred thousand years, this soul bone was naturally far more than something that could merely alter a person's appearance.
Over the following few days, Qian Renxue relied on the soul bone to transform into the appearance of an ordinary woman, taking Lin Beiya along to properly tour Heaven Dou City.
In truth, even as the disguised Crown Prince, there were many places in Heaven Dou City she had never been to. Now, under the identity of a common citizen, she was much like Lin Beiya—getting to reacquaint herself with the city she had lived in for five years.
Perhaps even she herself hadn't noticed that during these days, the smiles on her face were more than the total of the past five years combined.
Seeing this, Lin Beiya felt genuinely happy. No matter what, she was still at the age when one should bloom like a flower, yet her childhood had been extremely unfortunate. If he could bring even a bit of warmth to the little angel, it was always a good thing.
Ten days later, Ye Lüsu and Shi Nuo, who had gone out to hunt soul rings, also arrived in Heaven Dou City.
As expected, both of them successfully broke through—Ye Lüsu advancing to the Soul King realm, and Shi Nuo reaching the Soul Ancestor stage.
Because he had forcefully suppressed his cultivation for over half a year, after absorbing a ten-thousand-year soul ring, Shi Nuo's soul power soared to rank 44, leaving only a two-level gap between him and Lin Beiya.
This was the first time since their martial souls awakened that the brothers' cultivation levels had returned to the same starting point.
"Not bad at all, Old Ye. In this tournament, you should be the only Soul King-level contestant," Wei Xu said as he patted Ye Lüsu on the shoulder, a trace of envy flashing in his eyes. It was easy to imagine just how much attention Ye Lüsu would draw as the highest-cultivation participant in the competition.
"Haha, it's just luck, really. Before long, you'll be there too."
During this soul hunt, Ye Lüsu had obtained an exceptionally powerful group-control soul skill. As the team's main controller, this undoubtedly further enriched their tactical options.
As for Shi Nuo, he continued along the extreme flow he had discussed with Lin Beiya earlier. His fourth soul ring once again enhanced both strength and defense. Combined with his fully focused offensive technique, Lin Beiya even felt that Shi Nuo could now smash through the defenses of his crystal wall.
After welcoming the two back, they all began resting and recuperating properly, aiming to adjust themselves to peak condition by the time the finals opened, while also familiarizing themselves with their newly acquired soul skills.
Time passed quietly, and soon it was the day when the promotion matches officially began.
It was the first time for all of them to participate in such a grand gathering of young soul masters. Even though the Spirit Hall team did not need to take part in the promotion matches, driven by curiosity, everyone still decided to go to the venue to watch the process.
The remaining two seeded teams that had direct entry into the finals clearly shared the same idea.
Right at the main entrance of the arena, Lin Beiya's group ran straight into the Star Luo Royal Academy team.
The leading man possessed heterochromatic eyes, making his identity easy to recognize. He was none other than Dai Moheng, whom they had seen in Yu Quan's compiled information. Standing closely beside him was Zhu Yuwei, a collateral member of the Zhu family.
The union of the two had greatly elevated their respective standings within their families, as evidenced by their positions as team captains.
Seeing Lin Beiya's group, the members of the Star Luo Royal Academy were equally surprised.
The standardized uniforms of Spirit Hall were just as eye-catching, making it easy to recognize who they were.
"Hmph, is Spirit Hall really so short of people now? What kind of crooked melons and cracked dates are these?"
Perhaps inheriting the arrogance of the White Tiger lineage, Dai Moheng openly expressed his disdain for the Spirit Hall team. After all, judging from the ages on this side, the outcome already seemed predetermined.
"Listen up, Spirit Hall dogs. Even without the support of the Clear Sky Sect, this tournament's champion will still belong to the Star Luo Empire. If you run into us, you'd better forfeit on your own—otherwise, don't blame us for striking too hard."
"Hahaha, Captain, you're absolutely right. Why is the opposing side full of kids? Especially that girl—has she even turned ten yet?"
Bursts of mocking laughter rang out and fell into the ears of Lin Beiya and the others. Everyone simply regarded the members of the Star Luo Royal Academy as if they were monkeys, finding their words unbearably irritating.
And it was precisely this cold, indifferent gaze that instantly caused the opposing group to break down.
"Hey, what kind of look is that? Are you courting death?"
The Star Luo Empire revered strength, and the younger generation was no exception. Seeing people who appeared far weaker daring to look down on them with such indifference, resentment immediately surged in their hearts.
Just as they were about to step forward to intimidate what they saw as a group of children, they suddenly felt their movements become extraordinarily difficult.
Including the leader Dai Moheng and Zhu Yuwei, all of them looked toward Lin Beiya at the front with expressions of shock and fear. He was still merely gazing at them coldly, without making any other move, yet the pressure they felt was as if a mountain were crashing down upon them.
"If you're in such a hurry to die, I can send you on your way."
"You…"
The moment their gazes met Lin Beiya's, every member of the Star Luo team seemed to reach an unspoken agreement, instantly averting their eyes. It was as if continuing to look at him would bring about something utterly terrifying.
Seeing their academy team being suppressed so thoroughly, the Star Luo Team Leader could no longer remain still.
He was a burly middle-aged man. Stepping forward, he snorted coldly and released the pressure of a Soul Douluo directly at Lin Beiya.
But just as that oppressive aura was about to descend upon him, a sharp voice rang out, instantly reaching everyone's ears and dispersing the Soul Douluo's pressure in the process.
"You dare make a move right in front of this old man—do you truly think Spirit Hall has no one left?"
When the middle-aged man saw Yue Guan appear out of nowhere, terror filled his eyes. He had never imagined that this trip would be led by such a famous Titled Douluo.
"Lord Chrysanthemum Douluo, that was not our intention. Please forgive us."
That familiar trait of bullying the weak and fearing the strong—no different from Dai Mubai—only deepened the disdain in Lin Beiya's heart.
If these people had maintained their arrogance to the end, even going so far as to raise the banner of the Star Luo royal family, he might have respected them as men. Instead, they folded the moment pressure was applied.
Dai Moheng, who had been the first to provoke them earlier, was now lowering his head, not daring to let his eyes wander at all.
Seeing that Yue Guan was about to make an example of them, Lin Beiya immediately stepped in to stop him.
"That's enough, Uncle Ju. Leave them for the arena."
"They were the ones who provoked us first, but bullying the young with the strong doesn't sound good either."
"Heh, fine. Then I'll leave them to you."
In truth, Yue Guan had no intention of doing anything serious to them anyway. After all, they were here representing a nation in the competition. If things went too far, that so-called 'Spirit Hall intimidation' narrative would once again stir up a storm.
Given the strength of Lin Beiya and his group, they could naturally punish the other side on the battlefield. Taking advantage of the situation, Yue Guan let the matter drop.
After that, Lin Beiya and the others no longer spared the Star Luo team another glance. With mocking smiles on their faces, they walked straight into the arena.
Once they had left, the once-arrogant members of the Star Luo team all let out a long sigh of relief. Sweat had already soaked through their splendid attire—they were terrified that their earlier actions might have angered Yue Guan and gotten them slapped to death on the spot.
The reputation of a Titled Douluo was truly overwhelming. Even though they had never seen Yue Guan before, the moment he appeared, they no longer dared to act recklessly.
Staring at Lin Beiya's retreating back, Dai Moheng clenched his fists until they cracked audibly.
"Yuwei, once we meet them in the competition, we must reclaim our dignity."
"Yes. Let them experience the true terror of the Hell White Tiger."
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End of Chapter