Douluo Continent: The Twin Sons of the Styx River, Shaking the World and Destroying the Heavens

Chapter 209 Underground Soul Master Competition

Later, Xu Sanshi shut out the remaining players, and it's worth mentioning that there were no casualties, which is already considered good news.

After returning, Xia Die did not go back to Kong Deming immediately, but went to the waiting area of ​​St. Freya Academy.

He temporarily confined Xuanzi to a space he created, from which he would be unable to leave unless he became a star god.

The atmosphere in the waiting area of ​​St. Freya Academy was relatively relaxed.

As soon as Xia Die returned from outside and her figure appeared at the entrance of the area, Wang Dong'er's eyes lit up and she immediately got up to greet her.

Xia Die nodded gently, raised her hand and gently stroked Wang Dong'er's hair, her fingertips tracing through her smooth strands. Then, her smile faded, her eyes turned serious, and she looked at the other woman and said, "Alright, enough fooling around, let's get down to business—your next opponent has been confirmed."

Upon hearing Xia Die's words, the others in the waiting area also stood up, their relaxed expressions fading into serious ones. One of them was the first to ask, "Who is it?"

Xia Die's voice was calm yet clear as she uttered two words: "Tang Clan".

Jiu Li clenched her fist tightly, a fierce glint in her eyes, and shouted, "It's them? Perfect! Finally, I have a chance to teach these guys a lesson! I'll be the first one up in tomorrow's match!"

They had long harbored resentment and were deeply dissatisfied with the Haotian Sect's previous disregard for human life.

Moreover, the Clear Sky Sect has always maintained close ties with the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy. As a result, the Tang Sect is naturally considered one of their targets for revenge, and this hostility has been lingering in their hearts for a long time.

Xia Die frowned slightly, her tone grave as she cautioned, "Be extra careful when you go on stage. This isn't the first time they've killed someone; they never hesitate to strike."

"By the way," Xia Die changed the subject, her tone softening slightly but carrying a hint of mystery, "there's a match at the black market tonight, I heard it's a very interesting duel, would you like to go and watch it together?"

"You mean the Underground Soul Master Competition?" Wang Dong'er's eyes lit up, and she immediately replied, "I'll go with you."

“I’ll go too.” Di Qiu’er’s cool voice rang out, her gaze falling on Xia Die.

Jiu Li immediately raised her hand: "Count me in!"

In the end, it was decided that Wang Dong'er, Di Qiu'er, and Jiu Li would go, while the others said they would stay and not go.

On the way, Xia Die explained the situation of the underground Soul Master Competition to Jiu Li: "Taking advantage of the momentum of this All-Continent Youth Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition, the three largest black markets in Mingdu have joined forces to organize this underground competition."

She paused, then continued, "The rewards for the underground competition are exceptionally generous. Rare metals are more valuable hard currency than gold and silver in the underground world, so they all use them as stakes. However, the Empire has issued a strict order that no one is allowed to use this year's elite competition as a stake, whether in the open or on the black market, or they will be severely investigated and their assets confiscated."

“What’s interesting is that this competition isn’t about fighting, but about making soul tools—that’s a unique feature of Mingdu, you wouldn’t find it in other countries,” Xia Die added. “The entry requirement is that you’re under thirty years old, and any soul master of any level can participate. The competition is a pure elimination tournament, but the rules for each round seem to be different, so you’ll have to wait and see what it’s all about.”

These three black markets, in order to make a fortune by taking advantage of the immense popularity of the All-Continent Youth Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition, specially planned this competition, euphemistically calling it "promoting the development of soul tools in the Sun Moon Empire."

The competition system wasn't particularly rigorous. First, there was a qualifying round, open to any Soul Master under thirty. The requirements for the qualifying round were clear: create a level four Soul Tool to pass and qualify for the next round of the actual competition. Interestingly, betting was allowed on the qualifying rounds. The betting method was simple: bet on the number of people who would ultimately pass the qualifying rounds—you could guess a specific number, bet on an odd or even number, or bet that the number was a multiple of a certain number. Different betting methods offered different odds, attracting many participants.

The qualifying rounds are currently underway. Since soul tool creation, unlike combat competitions, cannot be completed in a short time, the participating soul masters have been given a full three days for this first round. The subsequent rounds will also be elimination-style, but the topics for each round will differ; the specifics will be announced when each round arrives.

The qualifying rounds are proceeding smoothly. Since crafting soul tools takes far longer than combat, the first round gives participating soul masters a full three days. Subsequent rounds will also use an elimination system, but each round will present different challenges.

To lend credibility to this underground competition, the three major black markets specially invited a prominent figure—a member of the Sun Moon Empire's royal family and a powerful level-nine Soul Master—to serve as the chief referee. In addition, a referee committee of twelve level-seven or higher Soul Masters was responsible for overseeing the entire process, ensuring the "fairness" of the competition and gambling activities.

Their purpose was quite straightforward: to leverage the immense popularity of the All-Continent Youth Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament to attract commoners, nobles, and wealthy individuals who wanted to place bets but couldn't do so in the main competition, and to reap huge profits from it.

As it turns out, their plan was extremely shrewd. Currently, over 100,000 people are participating in this underground black market gambling competition, and the total amount wagered is unimaginable.

To attract a sufficient number of outstanding Soul Masters to participate, all tournament rewards are made of rare metals. From the very first round, a reward is given for each round successfully completed, even in the qualifying rounds. Moreover, the rewards increase significantly with each round advanced.

For Soul Masters, money may not be a necessity, as they can earn it by crafting Soul Tools. However, rare metals are a completely different story—these are often hard to buy even with money. In particular, this competition has offered some extremely rare metals as rewards, which naturally makes them irresistible to Soul Masters.

There is competition among the three major black markets, so the competition is divided into three regions and held simultaneously. The champions of each region will then face off in a final showdown, with the three black markets placing bets on rare metals, making the competition extremely intense.

After listening to Xia Die's story, Jiu Li nodded and looked at her, asking, "Sister Xia Die, what are the requirements for signing up for this competition?"

"The requirements for the black market competition are very simple," Xia Die explained. "You must be under thirty years old, believe you're capable of passing the qualifying rounds, and pay a participation fee of one hundred gold soul coins. As for me, I have a special channel and don't need to pay. Do you guys want to try it out?"

Wherever there are people, an underground world inevitably arises. This is true for traditional soul master kingdoms like Tianhun, Douling, and Xingluo, as well as the Sun Moon Empire, which centers on soul tools. This underground world is clearly layered and diverse in form.

The lowest level is mostly maintained by primitive violence and desire, such as alleys filled with sex trafficking, underground gladiatorial arenas that enjoy killing, or heinous human trafficking networks. They are like malignant tumors attached to the urban fabric, hidden yet dirty.

The higher levels of the underworld are more characterized by "commerce" and "political maneuvering"—ranging from large-scale arms deals that can influence the regional balance of power to smaller underground political transactions that affect the interests of various parties, and even the monopolistic resale of rare resources. But regardless of their level, the long-term existence of these underground forces is inseparable from the tacit approval or even manipulation of powerful figures. They are like pawns in their hands, satisfying certain needs that cannot be made public, and also serving as sacrifices to divert attention from conflicts when necessary.

In Mingdu, the capital of the Sun and Moon Empire, the underground world has a relatively fixed structure, dominated by three major forces: the most powerful Xishui Alliance, the Pingfan Alliance, and the Aodu Chamber of Commerce.

Judging from its name alone, the Ordinary Alliance is the most unremarkable, but its tentacles extend deep into the brothels of Mingdu, controlling all the entertainment venues in the city. It is the most easily perceived underground force by ordinary people. Their operations are relatively open, accumulating wealth through transactions involving sex and entertainment, and it has also become a place where many powerful and wealthy people frequent in private.

The Aodu Chamber of Commerce took a different path, maintaining organizations similar to assassin guilds and thief guilds, and gathering a large number of thugs to form a criminal gang. Their business was bloody and shady—collecting protection money from merchants of all sizes, carrying out shady assassination missions, or planning meticulously crafted thefts, establishing a foothold in the underworld through these "dirty jobs."

In contrast, the Xi Shui Alliance is at a much higher level and is far more mysterious. It monopolizes some of the most profitable businesses in the underworld: the smuggling of secret medicines (especially banned drugs and rare healing potions), the black market circulation of soul-guided weapons, and even is secretly involved in human trafficking. More importantly, it is a subordinate force of the Holy Spirit Cult, backed by powerful soul masters, which gives it an absolute advantage among the three major forces.

The Ordinary Alliance and the Aodu Chamber of Commerce, being slightly weaker and both wary of the Xishui Alliance's expansion, have always maintained a close relationship, subtly forming a united front against each other. However, their backers are far less powerful than the Xishui Alliance's, and their respective interests do not overlap much. Through mutual compromise and checks and balances among the powerful figures behind them, they have maintained a superficial peace and avoided a large-scale conflict.

It's worth noting that all three major factions are involved in the rare metal trade. This industry is incredibly lucrative—as long as one can infiltrate mining channels, the costs are extremely low, and rare metals, as core materials for soul tools, are in high demand and short supply, commanding exorbitant prices and generating profits far exceeding other businesses. Therefore, even the seemingly unrelated Ordinary Alliance uses its network of brothels to track metal flows and try to profit from it; the Aodu Chamber of Commerce acquires rare metals through theft and robbery; and the Xishui Alliance directly controls some mines, firmly controlling the upstream of this highly profitable industry chain.

(End of this chapter)