Not long after, under Flender's guidance, Xiao Wu and the others completed their identity registration.
As soon as they arrived, Xiao Wu skipped over to Qi Lin's side with a cheeky smile. "Brother Lin, guess what title I registered under?"
Qi Lin rolled his eyes. "Just tell me. How would I know what name you picked?"
"You're no fun at all!" Xiao Wu pouted, then raised her chin proudly. "I registered as Qi Wu."
"Qi Lin plus Xiao Wu—how's that for meaningful?"
Before she could finish gloating, Ning Rongrong, who stood on the other side of Qi Lin, couldn't help but jab, "You're basically carving your name into Brother Lin's forehead."
"Meaningful? More like shameless. Sounds like you're already trying to marry into the Qi family."
Xiao Wu puffed out her chest. "I don't need to rush. I've been living in Brother Lin's house for six years already."
"Ah!" Ning Rongrong yelped. In her mind, Xiao Wu's threat level had just skyrocketed.
Qi Lin ignored the bickering and looked to Zhu Zhuqing. "Zhuqing, what title did you register?"
Zhu Zhuqing's usually cold and elegant face flushed faintly when she heard his question.
"I gave myself a nickname… Nether Spirit Cat."
Qi Lin blinked in surprise.
So even Zhu Zhuqing chose the same nickname as in the original timeline?
What he didn't know was that Zhu Zhuqing had originally planned to register under her real name. But after seeing Xiao Wu register as Qi Wu, she changed her mind and gave herself a nickname too.
Initially, she almost chose Nether Lin Cat, but that felt too obvious—so she settled for Nether Spirit Cat instead.
Unaware of this, Qi Lin smiled and praised her. "Nice choice. It suits both your spirit and your aura."
Zhu Zhuqing's expression softened into a rare smile.
Soon, the group arrived at a spectator zone and sat down.
Not long after, a familiar name was announced by the referee atop one of the combat rings.
Evil-Eyed White Tiger!
Dai Mubai was entering the field!
His opponent was a Soul Elder—Level 38—a middle-aged man in his forties.
The man's martial spirit wasn't weak; it was the Wind-Chasing Leopard, known for its speed.
What's more, this Wind-Chasing Leopard Soul Elder had already racked up four consecutive wins at the Suotuo Great Spirit Arena.
Clearly, he wasn't some pushover.
As the stands erupted with thunderous cheers and shouts, Dai Mubai instantly entered Spirit Possession.
A pale light burst from his body, his arms expanded, muscles bulged, and his uniform tightened under the sudden growth.
Facing the also-possessed Wind-Chasing Leopard Soul Master, Dai Mubai glanced at the man's spirit rings—white, yellow, and purple—then snorted in disdain.
Just a Wind-Chasing Leopard? Nothing to be afraid of.
Though the world often hailed the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon as the number one beast-type martial spirit, Dai Mubai firmly believed the White Tiger Spirit of his Star Luo Imperial Clan was superior.
Clearly, he didn't take his opponent seriously, despite the man being a level higher.
After all, the strength of one's martial spirit could easily close that gap.
Besides, his own spirit ring configuration was vastly superior.
The battle was about to erupt!
Neither combatant used soul skills immediately—they tested each other through raw physical clashes.
Blow after blow, fists and kicks collided in midair with resounding impacts.
"Boss Dai is killing it!"
In the spectator stands, Ma Hongjun jumped up, his chubby frame wobbling as he hollered.
He'd been annoyed with Dai Mubai earlier, but just before coming, Dai Mubai had promised to treat him to two top courtesans tonight.
That instantly lifted his spirits—and made him forget the earlier grudges.
Ning Rongrong gave him a sideways glance and muttered, "All that fuss just for knocking the guy back a bit? He hasn't even won yet."
Meanwhile, Xiao Wu nudged Zhu Zhuqing with a smug look. "Zhuqing, you know what? That pervy tiger and his opponent are both so clumsy. Zero technique. All brute force."
"If I were out there, I'd end the fight in thirty seconds tops."
"No—ten seconds if I go all out. One second more, and I lose."
Zhu Zhuqing didn't fully believe her—but didn't argue either.
On the field, the battle dragged on for over ten minutes with continuous exchanges of fists and spirit skills.
Finally, Dai Mubai managed a narrow victory over the Wind-Chasing Leopard Soul Master. He strutted back to the spectator area, puffed up with pride, and cast a subtle glance in Zhu Zhuqing's direction.
Ma Hongjun cheered, Flender nodded in satisfaction, but Yu Xiaogang frowned.
Dai Mubai had won, yes—but his performance was far from impressive.
For someone with a top-tier martial spirit and elite ring configuration to barely scrape out a win against a Soul Elder just one level above him? That didn't meet Yu Xiaogang's standards at all.
Too little experience, he thought grimly.
Just then, Ma Hongjun looked toward Qi Lin with a grin. "Teacher Qi Lin, what do you think of Boss Dai? Impressed?"
Qi Lin turned to him with a bewildered look.
"Isn't fighting opponents above your level supposed to be routine for monsters?"
"What, don't tell me you think it's actually impressive?"
Ma Hongjun froze, face stiff. What could he even say to that?
Luckily, Xiao Wu stood up at that moment.
"My turn! I'm heading over now!"
Qi Lin smiled and waved off Ma Hongjun, turning to Xiao Wu. "Do your best. Show them the results of your training."
"Got it!"
Xiao Wu clenched her fists. Her mature, curvaceous face paired with her energetic, girlish movements created a strange contrast.
Flender looked over, curious. "This spirit control technique—it's the one you mentioned before?"
Qi Lin nodded. "She's been learning with me for a year or two. She's made decent progress."
Flender smiled faintly. "Then I'll be watching closely."
Yu Xiaogang's ears perked up as well, and he fixed his gaze on the ring.
It was the perfect opportunity to see how Qi Lin's teachings translated into real combat—and to assess for himself whether his own decades of spirit theory research could really be outdone by a kid.
Qi Lin: If hard work was all it took, what would be the point of geniuses?
Even casually exploring a few ideas, he could match the continent's spirit research from the past tens of thousands of years.