After completing the registration, Qin Ming registered a new team name for the eight of them. He handed all the documents to the front desk lady. After a series of procedures, she returned eight Iron-level team Soul Battle Badges to Qin Ming.
Qin Ming distributed the eight team Soul Battle Badges to Yu Tianheng, Lü Buliang, and the rest, speaking solemnly, "From today on, your team name in the Great Spirit Arena will be Royal Battle Team."
"Within this year, not only must each of you obtain your own Silver Spirit Badge, but your team badge must also advance to Silver. Remember, you are a team. As long as one of you hasn't met the requirements for the Silver badge, all of you must continue to train with them in the arena."
Hearing Qin Ming's words, Yu Tianheng and the others exchanged confident smiles. For people like them who already possessed Bronze badges, with enough effort, they could likely reach Silver within half a year.
Lü Buliang felt no pressure either. He was no longer who he used to be—now at level thirty-eight, he was nearly invincible among Spirit Elders.
Seeing the determined expressions on everyone's faces, Qin Ming's stern expression softened into a smile. "Alright, from now on you can form combinations freely. What kind of battle you participate in is up to you. Among the three battle types, you can only participate in each type once per day. That means, at most, you can fight three battles a day. Just be sure to manage your spirit power consumption. I believe that within a year, the name 'Royal Battle Team' will be known throughout the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena. After we finish here, our next goal will be the Great Spirit Arena in Suotuo City."
"Yes, Teacher!" With that, the group's journey in the Great Spirit Arena officially began.
…
Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena
One-on-One Battle Zone
In the Spirit Elder-level sub-stage, Lü Buliang stood with his hands in his pockets, silently waiting in the center of the battle platform for his opponent.
The stands around the sub-stage for one-on-one battles weren't crowded—only about a fifth of the seats were occupied.
There was a reason for that. Lü Buliang had only just registered as a Spirit Fighter, with a record of zero wins and zero losses, and zero points. As an Iron-level Fighter, he couldn't fight on the main stage like Yu Tianheng and the others, nor could he join them in two-on-two matches. He had to accumulate points alone in the newcomer's area.
On stage, a host in a tailcoat stood beside Lü Buliang. Clearing his throat, he announced loudly, "Up next, we'll have our first newcomer one-on-one battle in the Spirit Elder division. Already on stage is the newcomer who calls himself 'Shadow Monarch,' with the Martial Soul: Shadow. A level thirty-eight Battle Spirit Elder."
"His opponent is the two-time winner known as the Bull Warrior, with the Beast Martial Soul: Mad Bull. A level thirty-five Battle Spirit Elder. Will the Bull Warrior continue his winning streak, or will the newcomer 'Shadow Monarch' claim his first victory? Let's find out!"
There were few cheers from the spectators, just scattered shouts. Most of the audience seemed disinterested.
A burly figure soon ascended the stage—broad shoulders, a thick back, and eyes like bronze bells that gleamed fiercely. As he stepped onto the platform, he let out an ear-splitting roar, releasing a wave of dominant energy.
Lü Buliang clearly saw that the towering man wore a red fabric mask embroidered with a yellow bull's head—different from the type used to enter the auction house.
According to the host's introduction, this masked brute was the Bull Warrior—level thirty-five Battle Spirit Elder, Martial Soul: Mad Bull. Two wins, no losses, and also a newcomer.
"Hello, friend. I am the Bull Warrior, and I never remove my mask," the man said politely as he removed his mask briefly and gave Lü Buliang a small bow.
"Hello," Lü Buliang replied, pulling his hands from his pockets and offering a courteous cupped-fist salute.
After exchanging greetings, the Bull Warrior put his mask back on. The fierce gleam returned to his large eyes. Lü Buliang grew serious too. It was his first official fight in the Great Spirit Arena, and every eye in the stands was on him—it made him feel a thrill.
Seeing both fighters ready, the host leapt down from the stage and shouted, "Combatants, begin!"
Suddenly, the calm atmosphere shattered, replaced by a surge of aggressive spirit energy.
Behind the Bull Warrior, a massive red wild bull Martial Soul manifested, its body glowing with a crimson aura. Three spirit rings—yellow, yellow, purple—spun beneath his feet.
Now, the spectators began to get excited, cheering loudly for the Bull Warrior.
But the moment Lü Buliang released his Shadow Martial Soul and his spirit rings, the stands fell silent again.
A towering black figure over eight meters tall stood behind him, casting a terrifying presence over half the platform.
Since the Shadow Martial Soul had evolved into the Dark Shadow Martial Soul, not only had its quality increased, but its form and aura had transformed.
A thick fog of darkness surrounded the massive shadow, dyeing half the arena in black. Gazing into that depth of darkness gave people a bone-chilling sense of oppression.
Especially those glowing eyes—crimson and milky white—deep, cold, and filled with darkness and malice.
What frightened the audience even more was how their own shadows were being suppressed by the aura of the Dark Shadow. The evolved Shadow Martial Soul had become the ruler of all shadows—the embodiment of darkness.
Staring up at the eight-meter-tall Dark shadow, the Bull Warrior began to sweat beneath his mask. His fighting spirit waned. Even his shadow, reacting instinctively to the pressure, made him feel suffocated and nervous.
The towering shadow and the surrounding darkness collapsed into a black beam and returned to Lü Buliang's body.
In the next instant, Lü Buliang's eyes changed—his left pupil turned milky white, his right blood-red. Black energy laced with the essence of ultimate ice and fire coiled around him.
The moment he completed Martial Soul Possession, an intense surge of extreme heat and cold exploded from the stage. The surface instantly froze into scalding black ice.
At the same time, the Bull Warrior let out an unyielding roar.
His massive Mad Bull Martial Soul flickered behind him and vanished. His body then underwent a dramatic transformation. His already muscular frame expanded, growing from two meters to three.
Strangely, despite this transformation, his human form remained intact—no bull horns, no hooves. He looked like a standing human-bull hybrid, with strength but without losing his humanoid shape.
At this moment, facing Lü Buliang, the Bull Warrior held a clear advantage in size and aura, despite being suppressed in Martial Soul quality.
Three spirit rings lit beneath his feet as he raised both fists and bellowed a bull-like roar, sending shockwaves through the arena.
"First spirit skill—Muscle Amplification!"
With a powerful yell, his muscles were hardened by spirit power—impervious to blades and weapons.
"Second spirit skill—Resistance Amplification!" His defense, resistance to elements like fire and ice, and his blocking ability all saw a significant boost.
"Third spirit skill—Power Amplification!"
As the third skill took effect, a faint red glow coated his muscles. His large eyes flashed viciously. With fists raised and red aura surging, he charged at Lü Buliang, legs thundering like a rampaging beast.
Facing the oncoming storm, Lü Buliang didn't flinch. His heterochromatic eyes stayed locked on the charging figure—calm and collected.
He had two reasons for staying composed.
First, in Martial Soul quality, his Dark Shadow completely suppressed the Mad Bull. Though both had yellow-yellow-purple rings, Lü Buliang's ring quality far exceeded that of others at his level.
Second, in terms of spirit power, he was three levels stronger than the Bull Warrior.
That alone determined the outcome. Lü Buliang was already unrivaled among peers at his level. Against someone weaker, victory was all but certain.
Summoning the darkness, he called forth the Ghost Shadow Legion.
The shadow beneath his feet shimmered, then split into three dark figures that darted in from the east, south, and west—surrounding the Bull Warrior. Lü Buliang stood at the north, forming a four-point encirclement.
At first, the Bull Warrior wasn't concerned. But when he saw the shadows take shape into cloaked black figures with crimson eyes—cold and lifeless—his expression shifted.
Still, he didn't change his strategy. His approach was to tank all damage and smash through with brute force.
After all, with his three amplifying skills, his body was now impenetrable, and his strength unmatched.
With that overwhelming might and defense, he believed he could make his opponent despair.
So he decided to ignore the three cloaked figures. As long as he defeated Lü Buliang, those illusions would collapse on their own.
But what he didn't know was that his opponent was Lü Buliang—a person whose body had been transformed by celestial ice-fire herbs.
After evolving his Shadow Martial Soul, all his attributes—strength, speed, defense—had been pushed to the extreme. His attacks also carried the essence of ultimate ice and fire. Even if the Bull Warrior was resistant to elements and impervious to blades, there was no way he could block Lü Buliang's full assault.
Especially since what was coming next… was Lü Buliang's newly created spirit technique:
"Abyssal Shadow Kill Array."
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