Douluo V: Daily Intelligence - I Want All of Tang San's Opportunities

Three days later, Su Yuntao, riding a baron's warhorse, finally caught sight of the outline of Soto City in the distance.

Soto was several times larger than Nottingham, with higher and thicker walls, and a constant stream of people coming and going through its gates.

He dismounted, took the reins, and entered the city gate. Before him was a wide main street lined with shops on both sides, colorful banners fluttering in the wind, and the air was filled with the aroma of baked flatbread and the smell of wine wafting from afar. Compared to Nottingham, where he had lived for many years, it was a completely different world.

He didn't rush to see the Great Soul Arena, but planned to find an inn to settle down first.

He planned to stay in Soto for a while, so he wasn't in a hurry.

He walked halfway down the main street and stopped in front of a shop with an old wooden sign that read "Yuelai Inn". There were hitching posts at the entrance of the shop. He tied his horse up and had just entered the inn’s lobby when he suddenly heard a neighing sound behind him, followed by the rapid sound of hooves.

He suddenly leaned towards the door and saw a figure already mounted his warhorse, spurring it on and charging towards the street corner.

Su Yuntao's face darkened. He hadn't expected to encounter such a thing on his first day in Soto City, and he immediately took a step to catch up.

He channeled his soul power, making him much faster than an ordinary person, but the horse thief was riding very fast and was about to turn the corner.

Just then, a figure in blue suddenly appeared from across the street corner. The person reached out and grabbed the reins, and the warhorse was pulled sharply, its front hooves rearing up high, letting out a startled neigh. The rider stumbled and almost fell off.

The young man in the blue robe remained calm and collected. With his other hand, he grabbed the horse thief's wrist, and with a gentle twist and pull, the man tumbled off the horse and landed on the ground covered in dust.

The young man in the blue robe glanced down at him and said in a flat tone, "Stealing someone's mount in broad daylight, you've got some nerve."

The horse thief scrambled away.

The young man in the blue robe didn't chase after him. He simply patted the horse's neck, tightened the reins, and by the time Su Yuntao caught up, he had already handed the reins to Su Yuntao: "Here's your horse back."

Su Yuntao took the reins and sized up the other person.

The man was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, wearing a faded blue cloth robe. He was tall and upright with clear features, and there were still marks on his hands from when he pulled on the reins.

Su Yuntao cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your help. May I ask your name? I am from Notting City, and my surname is Su and my given name is Yuntao."

The young man also cupped his hands in greeting and said politely, "Qin Ming from Soto City."

Su Yuntao's heart stirred slightly.

Qin Ming?

He vaguely remembered the name.

If I remember correctly, this person was also a student at Shrek Academy, and later became a teacher at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. I just don't know if he has graduated from Shrek Academy yet.

However, he remained outwardly calm, merely smiling and saying, "Brother Qin is quite skilled. Do you have a moment to offer me a drink in gratitude?"

Qin Ming waved his hand: "It was nothing, no need to be polite. I'm on my way to the Great Soul Arena now, let's meet again next time."

After saying that, he nodded to Su Yuntao, then turned and strode towards the center of the street.

Su Yuntao stood there watching him walk away, silently repeating the name in his heart one last time. Then, he led his horse back to the Yuelai Inn, settled the horse, booked a room, put down his luggage, tidied up briefly, and then went out, heading towards the Great Soul Arena.

There was a long line at the registration desk of the Great Soul Arena, including rogue Soul Masters in leather armor and groups of mercenaries. The manager behind the counter, upon hearing that Su Yuntao was a newcomer, handed him a form without even looking up.

"Fill in all the information above. Also, the registration fee is ten gold soul coins, and the registration fee for each match is also ten gold soul coins. This has always been the rule of our Great Soul Arena. If you say you don't have any money like the people before you, then get out of here as soon as possible."

Before coming, Su Yuntao had already thoroughly understood the rules of the Great Soul Arena, and too lazy to argue with them, he quickly filled out his personal information and handed the registration form back:

"Code name: Lone Wolf, Level 32 Battle Soul Master, challenging the solo competition."

The manager glanced at the form, then looked up at him and casually said:

"Level 32? That's barely enough. I've arranged a similar opponent for you since this is your first time participating in the competition. Don't lose too badly."

As he spoke, he tossed a competition plaque onto the counter:

"Here you go, the fourth match is in one hour."

Su Yuntao thanked him, took his competition badge, and waited in the rest area.

An hour later, he stepped onto the arena. Opposite him stood a burly man in his early thirties, whose registered information indicated he was a level 33 Battle Soul Master, and whose Martial Soul was an iron shield.

The man was momentarily stunned when he saw the three spirit rings rising from Su Yuntao's feet—one white, one yellow, and one purple—before a disdainful sneer appeared on his lips:

"With this kind of spirit ring configuration, you dare to fight in the arena? Are you just giving me free points?"

Su Yuntao did not respond.

At the referee's signal, the burly man made the first move, pushing his iron shield forward with a heavy gust of wind.

Su Yuntao swayed to the side and circled around to the opponent's flank. He raised his hand and swung the Rending Wind Wolf Claw, the claw strikes landing precisely on the edge of the iron shield, knocking the shield to one side.

The burly man was thrown off balance by the claw, staggering two steps. Before he could adjust his posture, Su Yuntao's second claw landed on his side, releasing his soul power as if someone had struck him hard in the waist.

The burly man felt a numbness in half of his body, and the iron shield slipped from his hand, crashing onto the arena floor with a thud. He also stumbled and fell to the ground.

The entire room fell silent for a moment.

The referee stepped forward and, after confirming that the strong man was no longer able to fight, raised his hand and announced that Su Yuntao had won.

Some people in the audience began to whisper among themselves:

"This kid's spirit rings aren't that great, but his strength is pretty good."

"That claw strike was very clean; it must have been executed with a clever technique."

"But the spirit ring configuration is still a bit lacking. Let's take another look later."

Su Yuntao put away his spirit rings and stepped off the arena. He took a sip of water in the rest area and was about to return to the inn when he saw Qin Ming again at the entrance of the Great Soul Arena.

The other person had obviously just finished a match and was standing at the bottom of the steps adjusting their sleeves, their face still slightly flushed from exercising.

Su Yuntao greeted him with a smile: "Brother Qin, you're not in a hurry this time, are you?"