Chapter 56: Watching the Spirit Fight, Finally Meeting
On the massive arena, the spirit rings beneath the feet of two Spirit Masters flickered, emitting impressive spirit power fluctuations. Brilliant Spirit Abilities bloomed one after another, pushing the atmosphere of the entire Great Spirit Arena to a peak time and again.
Xue Qinghe walked out of the passage, followed by several imperial guards, with a sharp-featured man leading the way ahead.
Just as they stepped out of the passage, the sharp-featured man stood on his tiptoes to look around for a moment. His eyes suddenly lit up, and he pointed toward a corner below the stands.
"The person is right there. Look, First Prince, it's that kid sitting cross-legged at the very bottom of the stands. He's a Spirit Grandmaster, and his title seems to be Lone Wolf."
Xue Qinghe observed the young man with interest. After watching for a moment, she asked with a hint of doubt, "Why is he just sitting below the stands? He doesn't go back to the stands to rest, nor does he go up to challenge anyone?"
"Because he's a battle maniac."
The sharp-featured man couldn't help but complain.
"First Prince, you should be aware that as long as one's fame is high enough, winning a Spirit Fight not only earns prize money but also a portion of the ticket revenue. However, this Lone Wolf negotiated special conditions with the Great Spirit Arena. He said he doesn't want a cut; he only asks to skip the registration process so he can go up and participate in a Spirit Fight at any time. Meanwhile, the Great Spirit Arena must arrange sufficiently strong opponents for him."
Listening to the sharp-featured man's narration, a strange expression appeared on Xue Qinghe's face. This was the first time she had heard of such a bizarre request.
"Earlier, this Lone Wolf challenged two Spirit Grandmasters by himself and consumed quite a bit of spirit power. He should be recovering his spirit power now. Once it's full, he'll likely start challenging again. Look, that Lone Wolf is standing up."
Below the stands, Su Yuntao, whose spirit power had returned to Perfection, stood up and waited quietly for the current Spirit Fight on stage to end. Many spectators also noticed Su Yuntao's movement and let out enthusiastic cheers one after another.
With the collision of the two Spirit Masters' second Spirit Abilities, the previous Spirit Fight finally came to a close. Several staff members walked out of the passage, asking the audience members one by one if they wanted to continue watching. If not, they would be escorted out of the main arena as soon as possible.
"For the next match, the one appearing is a new friend who arrived today. But as long as you've been watching the Spirit Fights, you're definitely no stranger to this contestant—he is Lone Wolf!"
The venue was a cacophony of voices, and the intense cheering made the entire Great Spirit Arena exceptionally fiery.
While the host was still working hard on stage to stir up the atmosphere, Xue Qinghe, standing below, raised her brow slightly and asked, "How is his opponent arranged?"
"Once he goes up, the Great Spirit Arena officials will immediately find a two-ring Spirit Grandmaster as his opponent. Usually, it's a Spirit Grandmaster with two yellow spirit rings, or two Spirit Grandmasters each carrying one white and one yellow spirit ring."
The sharp-featured man explained seriously.
"What is your name, what is your current Rank, and what is your Spirit?"
Hearing Xue Qinghe's inquiry, the man seemed to understand something and quickly replied sensibly, "This lowly one is named Jili. My Spirit is the Wind Baboon, and I am currently a Rank 26 Battle Spirit Master. I also know a friend whose Spirit is the Datura Snake, also at Rank 26."
Seeing how sensible the other party was, Xue Qinghe was very satisfied. "I've remembered your name. Go find your companion and go up to test this Lone Wolf's strength."
"As you command, First Prince."
Jili bowed and accepted, then quickly retreated. He couldn't be negligent with the task assigned by the First Prince. If he was slow and let someone else challenge first, he would definitely leave an unreliable impression in the First Prince's heart.
Not long after, the host finished warming up the crowd and immediately introduced Su Yuntao's opponents.
"Next, for Lone Wolf, it's another tough one-versus-two battle. His opponents are two Rank 26 Spirit Grandmasters: one with the Wind Baboon Spirit, nicknamed Ape; the other with the Datura Snake Spirit, code-named Venomous Tongue."
"This combination is truly unique. Now, I declare, the match begins!"
Four yellow spirit rings rose from beneath the feet of Su Yuntao's two opponents, and their bodies also rapidly underwent changes. The Spirit Master nicknamed Ape saw his arms quickly lengthen until they reached his knees, and dense hair rapidly sprouted on his skin, making him look exactly like a wild man.
Meanwhile, the Spirit Master code-named Venomous Tongue saw his legs slowly merge into a long snake tail. Two fangs in his mouth gleamed with a daunting cold light, and his eyes turned into vertical slits, making anyone who saw them feel an involuntary chill.
"Even if he has a thousand-year spirit ring, it won't be that easy to deal with two Spirit Masters who only have hundred-year spirit rings. With the two of them acting, we should be able to figure out his background, right?"
Xue Qinghe communicated with the two Titled Douluo in the shadows via sound transmission.
"Young Lord is wise. Even if he has a thousand-year spirit ring, he cannot avoid the reality of limited spirit power. Two Spirit Grandmasters will surely be able to uncover most of his depth."
Snake Lance Douluo flattered her accordingly, but still left some room. After all, the opponent had a millennium second spirit ring, and no one could say for sure if he was hiding other tricks.
"Such a figure, though a bit older, would be suitable to join the Crown Prince's palace. Although his talent is far inferior to the Young Lord's, if cultivated well, he could be considered a capable subordinate in the future."
In Porcupinefish Douluo's view, Su Yuntao's talent could only be considered mediocre. After all, his age was a factor, and his future development was uncertain, but he was still worth some effort to cultivate.
"Alright, when he leaves, I will personally go to recruit him."
Xue Qinghe already had a plan in mind. Although she had many people under her, they basically all came from Spirit Hall and couldn't show their faces openly. Now that she was still young, she couldn't recruit mid-level powerhouses from the Spirit Master's world. To build a presentable force in the open, cultivating her own was one of the few options.
Her thoughts were good, but the situation on the arena still exceeded the expectations of the three.
They were surprised to find that Su Yuntao's two Spirit Abilities were actually not offensive Spirit Abilities; they were both buff-type Spirit Abilities. They could only lament that this luck was truly unique.
However, Su Yuntao, who lacked a powerful offensive Spirit Ability, actually managed to trade blows with the two Spirit Grandmasters. Later on, he even entered a special state where his combat experience skyrocketed. His whole being seemed to transform into a Lone Wolf, and in a few moves, he knocked the two Spirit Grandmasters off the arena.
"Is this what's called a Self-Created Soul Skill? It feels a bit special."
Xue Qinghe was not disappointed because she hadn't figured out Su Yuntao's depth. Instead, she recalled the entire process of Su Yuntao's battle before her, her brow slightly furrowing.
As Qian Daoliu's granddaughter, although her cultivation was not profound, she had been influenced by what she saw and heard for years. Her knowledge was far beyond what an ordinary top Spirit Master could compare to. Regarding Self-Created Soul Skills, although she didn't have a classification method like Tang San's, she had a general idea in her heart.
Take the Clear Sky Sect's famous Self-Created Soul Skill, the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Method, for example. In her eyes, it wasn't actually that brilliant; it was nothing more than a technique of using force against force. Unless one could reach what her grandfather described as the achievements comparable to the creator of the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Method—where every strike not only stacks power and Aura but also forcefully sends the opponent into a state of stiffness—this set of Self-Created Soul Skills could be easily broken.
As for the Self-Created Soul Skill Su Yuntao used just now, she couldn't see through it for a moment, but she seemed to have a premonition in her heart: obtaining this Spirit Ability would be of great benefit to you.
This special feeling was only the second time Xue Qinghe had experienced it. The first time was when her grandfather handed the angel god raiment's Spirit Bone to her, and her Spirit felt a longing originating from its Origin.
Tap, tap, tap!
The sound of footsteps from the side drew Xue Qinghe's attention. She saw a boy who looked no more than ten years old walking out of the nearby passage.
The boy looked at Su Yuntao on the arena with satisfaction and nodded. Then, as he subconsciously scanned the surroundings, he discovered Xue Qinghe's group.
Xue Qinghe, who had subconsciously turned her head at the sound of footsteps, locked eyes with the boy. Both were stunned for a moment, clearly recognizing each other's identity.
Tang San was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected to encounter the Heaven Dou imperial family member he had locked eyes with at the window this morning at the Great Spirit Arena. Looking in the direction the other party had been staring, he reacted instantly: It seems Big Brother's millennium second spirit ring has likely been discovered.
Tang San's brow furrowed imperceptibly. Him joining the Heaven Dou imperial family was one thing, but letting his big brother join was another. Ultimately, he wasn't Su Yuntao and couldn't make decisions for him.
If this prince wanted to recruit his big brother, it would be fine if the party was the "First Prince" Xue Qinghe, but if it were another prince, it might cause some trouble.
Tang San hadn't expected that Su Yuntao's Spirit Fight this time would attract someone difficult to deal with in the short term. He was ultimately just an ordinary person, not some sage. No matter how thoroughly he planned, there would inevitably be oversights.
As for why he could be certain the other party was a prince and not some other imperial member, it was entirely because of the swan emblem on the other party's person.
This kind of emblem, besides Emperor Xue Ye, the specially permitted Prince Xue Xin, and the various princes, no one else was qualified to use. If Prince Xue Xin's son used such an emblem—a prince's son using the same emblem as the various princes—what kind of scheme would that be?
Is it that your father has designs on that throne, or do you yourself have thoughts about that position?
Xue Qinghe also never expected that her coming to the Great Spirit Arena to take a look at the so-called "Grandmaster's Theory Verifier" would lead to another encounter with the boy she had locked eyes with this morning.
If more days had passed, she might have forgotten the boy. But since they had just locked eyes not long ago, the boy's gaze, which was as calm as a deep pool, had left a rather deep impression on her. So Xue Qinghe recognized Tang San at a glance.
The air at the scene fell into a brief stiffness. Finally, it was Tang San who reacted first. He took a step forward and bowed slightly in greeting: "Greetings, Prince."
After speaking, he straightened up again.
"How are you certain that I am a prince?"
Xue Qinghe observed Tang San with interest, then looked at Su Yuntao on the arena, memories in her mind churning rapidly.
Vaguely, she recalled that when this boy had locked eyes with her at the window, there were two others with him. One of them seemed to be the "Lone Wolf" on the arena. This matter seemed to be getting more and more interesting.
"To be able to ride in an imperial carriage, and to possess an extraordinary temperament, refined and elegant manners, with every movement exuding a noble Aura—besides a Heaven Dou prince, I truly cannot think of anyone else who could have such a bearing."
PS: Thanks to Pineapple Blowing Snow's Loneliness for the tip. Seeking collections, follow-ups, subscriptions, comments, monthly tickets, and recommendation tickets. Seeking everything. The formal meeting is also where the fate begins.
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