Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends

Zhao Wuji grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth: "Soto Grand Arena."

As soon as he finished speaking, apart from Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun who were already there, the other three were all stunned.

Grand Arena?

That was a place where Soul Masters engaged in open battles and wagers, a place where all sorts of people mingled, and where bloodshed and cruelty reigned.

Although intentional homicide is not permitted, injuries and disabilities still occur frequently.

Regular Soul Master academies rarely send their students to such places for training, as the risks are too great and it's easy for them to pick up bad habits.

“Teacher Zhao,” Tang San said calmly.

"What exactly is the format of training at the Great Soul Arena?"

"Good question."

Flanders took over the conversation, pushed up his glasses, and a glint of light flashed behind the lenses.

"The Great Soul Arena is the most realistic and brutal training ground in the Soul Master world. There is no stopping there, only victory or defeat, life or death. Your opponents may be desperados, sect elites, or battle-hardened mercenaries."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the six young faces.

"I want each of you to obtain a Silver Battle Spirit Badge before graduation. This is one of the mandatory requirements for graduation."

"Silver Soul Badge?" Oscar gasped.

"Dean, how long will this take? I heard that it takes 100 points to advance from Iron Fighting Spirit to Bronze Fighting Spirit, and 1000 points to advance from Bronze to Silver. You only get 10 points for winning a match, and you lose points for losing a match..."

“So you have to win as many as possible,” Flander interrupted him, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"You should know the rules of the Great Soul Arena. Each person can participate in one Soul Battle per day, but you can participate in one Soul Battle of each type. That is to say, you can participate in both one-on-one and two-on-two battles at the same time."

"What about team battles?" Dai Mubai asked.

“We don’t have enough people (seven in total), so we’re not considering team battles for now,” Flander waved his hand.

"The immediate priority is individual matches and 2v2 battles. You can form teams freely."

He looked at everyone and said, "Now, I'll give you fifteen minutes to discuss forming a team. After fifteen minutes, we'll set off for Soto City."

After he finished speaking, the six of them fell into a brief silence.

Tang San looked at Cinderella almost without hesitation: "Sister, let's be in the same group."

Cinderella nodded; that was only natural.

Dai Mubai stroked his chin, his gaze sweeping over the remaining group. Ma Hongjun immediately chimed in, "Boss Dai, let's team up! Your White Tiger paired with my Phoenix, we'll be invincible!"

Dai Mubai did not immediately respond to Ma Hongjun's suggestion. His gaze passed over the chubby red-haired boy and landed on the black-clad girl who had been standing in the corner.

Zhu Zhuqing.

The name and the face have gradually become clearer in his mind over the past few days.

The Netherworld Cat, a direct descendant of the Zhu family, is his fiancée.

Dai Mubai's expression became complicated. When he saw Zhu Zhuqing again at Shrek Academy, he didn't recognize her at first glance. After all, when he left Xingluo, she was just an eight or nine-year-old girl, far from the aloof and stunning beauty she possessed now.

But when he saw her martial spirit that day, felt the faint resonance from the Evil Eye White Tiger within his body, and saw the icy, piercing gaze Zhu Zhuqing gave him, all the clues came together.

It's her, no doubt about it.

Dai Mubai's mind was in turmoil. According to the tradition of the Star Luo royal family, he and Zhu Zhuqing were destined to be together, and their martial souls, the Evil-Eyed White Tiger and the Netherworld Cat, could unleash the powerful martial soul fusion skill, the Netherworld White Tiger.

This is the foundation of the thousand-year-old marriage alliance between the Xingluo royal family and the Zhu family, and also their greatest reliance in opposing Davis and Zhu Zhuyun.

Although Zhu Zhuqing's soul power level is only level 29, which is quite a gap from his level 39, the cultivation of the martial soul fusion skill requires time and tacit understanding.

It's better to start working on it now than to cram at the last minute.

Thinking of this, Dai Mubai pushed away Ma Hongjun, who was leaning in front of him, and walked straight towards Zhu Zhuqing.

"Zhu Zhuqing," he said, instinctively ordering, "Let's be in the same group."

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Tang San and Cinderella both looked over. Ma Hongjun looked surprised. Oscar blinked, seemingly sensing the juicy gossip.

Zhu Zhuqing raised her head, her cold eyes staring straight at him, filled with disgust, anger, and mockery.

"To be in the same group as you?" Her voice was colder than her eyes, carrying undisguised sarcasm.

"Dai Mubai, do you think I traveled all the way from Xingluo to here just to practice some kind of spirit fusion technique with someone like you who's been living a life of debauchery in Soto City and can't even be bothered to attend classes?"

Each word was like a knife, instantly freezing the smile on Dai Mubai's face.

"you……"

Dai Mubai's face darkened, and the complex emotions he felt upon recognizing the other person were instantly replaced by anger.

When has he, the dignified Third Prince of Xingluo, ever been so publicly humiliated by a woman, especially his fiancée who should theoretically be dependent on him?

"Look at the state you're in now!" Zhu Zhuqing was not afraid of his darkening expression at all, and her voice rose slightly with excitement.

"Your soul power level is higher than mine, but what about your spirit? What about your fighting will? Has it all been softened by the wine and women of Soto City? Expecting me to practice teamwork with you? I'm afraid your White Tiger will buckle before it even encounters an enemy!"

"Enough!" Dai Mubai roared, a fierce glint flashing in his evil eyes.

Zhu Zhuqing's words were like needles piercing his most sensitive spot.

"It's none of your business how I conduct myself!" Dai Mubai stared at her, his tone turning cold.

"But you'd better understand, this is an order, not a discussion. Our Martial Soul..."

"Order?"

Zhu Zhuqing scoffed, interrupting him; her smile was full of self-mockery and determination.

"Dai Mubai, put away your old tricks from Xingluo. Here, you are nothing. Want a partner? Go find your twin sister, or any woman willing to wallow in your sweetheart's arms. I, Zhu Zhuqing, will never be in your group."

After saying that, she stopped looking at Dai Mubai's face, which had turned ashen, and turned to walk straight towards Cinderella on the other side.

This completely left Dai Mubai and his princely demeanor exposed.

Dai Mubai stood there, his hands clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white.

The gazes of those around him made him feel an unbearable heat and embarrassment. He stared intently at Zhu Zhuqing's retreating figure as she walked towards Cinderella, his chest heaving with anger.

Chapter 267 The Smell of Gunpowder

Good, very good! Zhu Zhuqing, you've got guts!

He abruptly withdrew his gaze, took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed his surging anger, turned to the bewildered Ma Hongjun, and said in a hard voice, "Fatty, we're in the same group."

"Huh? Oh! Okay, okay!" Ma Hongjun nodded hurriedly. Although he didn't quite understand the conflict just now, Boss Dai was clearly in a bad mood, so he didn't dare to ask any more questions.

Oscar said with a pained expression, "What am I supposed to do? I can't participate in a two-on-two game by myself!"

Just then, Zhu Zhuqing's cold voice rang out again, but this time it was directed at Cinderella.

"Cindy".

Cinderella looked at Zhu Zhuqing, who had walked up to her. The girl in black still had no expression on her face, but there was a hint of weariness and earnestness in the depths of her eyes.

"Can I team up with you?" Zhu Zhuqing's voice was soft, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears.

Cinderella was taken aback.

Tang San frowned slightly, about to speak, but Cinderella asked first, "Zhu Qing, I've already teamed up with Xiao San. If you don't mind, we can form another team, but then I might not be able to team up with you for two-on-two matches every day."

She spoke very frankly. According to the rules of the Great Soul Arena, a person can indeed participate in multiple 2-on-2 matches, as long as their partners are different.

A hint of gratitude flashed in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes. She nodded and said, "It's alright. If you feel tired, we can reduce the number of sessions."

She paused, her voice softening, carrying a meaning only Cinderella could understand: "I just... had no other choice."

This was quite blunt. Of the remaining three boys, Dai Mubai was the one she least wanted to associate with, Oscar was a food-type Soul Master, and Ma Hongjun's Martial Soul was flawed and his personality was frivolous; none of them were ideal partners.

Cinderella understood Zhu Zhuqing's situation. Among the six students at Shrek Academy, Zhu Zhuqing was indeed the loneliest. She always kept to herself, cold and aloof, but Cinderella could sense the immense pressure and confusion hidden deep within this young girl's heart. Her sharp conflict with Dai Mubai just now further confirmed this.

“Okay.” Cinderella agreed with a smile, seemingly unaware of the gloomy look Dai Mubai was giving her. “Then we’ll be the ‘Spirit Dance Duo’.”

"Lingwu?" A hint of doubt flashed in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes.

“Your ghostly cat, my crystal dancing shoes,” Cinderella explained, “taking one word from each, to form the word ‘dance of the spirit.’”

A rare, faint smile appeared on Zhu Zhuqing's usually cold face, though it vanished in an instant: "Okay."

Tang San watched this scene without saying anything. He knew his sister was kind-hearted and willing to help this seemingly cold roommate.

Moreover, although Zhu Zhuqing's strength is not as good as theirs, it is still quite good, and the two of them should work together quite well.

As for Dai Mubai… Tang San’s eyes turned slightly cold. This person was indeed as he had judged before—complex-minded and with a strange relationship with Zhu Zhuqing. It was better for his sister to stay away from him.

The open space fell silent for a moment.

Zhu Zhuqing's words, "There is no other choice," still lingered in Dai Mubai's eyes, making his face so dark it seemed to drip water.

Oscar looked at this person with a pained expression, then at that person, and finally resignedly raised his hand: "Um... Dean, Teacher Zhao, what should I do? I can't participate in the two-on-two by myself..."

Flander pushed up his glasses, his gaze sweeping over the undercurrents between the six students, a smug smile playing on his lips.

Interesting, really interesting.

These little monsters are all together, and they haven't even gone to the Great Soul Arena yet, but the tension is already so high.

He cleared his throat: "Oscar, you're a food-type Soul Master, so one-on-one battles really aren't suitable for you. Therefore, your training should focus on two-on-one battles. You definitely need to find a partner."

Oscar's eyes lit up, then drooped again. "But who can I team up with? Boss Dai and Fatty are in a group, Tang San and his sister are in a group, and Zhu Zhuqing is too..."

Before he could finish speaking, Dai Mubai's cold voice interrupted: "Oscar, let's form a team."

Ma Hongjun was taken aback: "Boss Dai, then we..."

"It won't affect anything." Dai Mubai didn't even look at Ma Hongjun, his voice stiff.

“I can participate in two doubles matches. I’ll be in a team with Fatty, and then I’ll be in a team with Oscar, and you can also be in a team with Oscar.”

He spoke as if it were a matter of course, as if it were not a problem at all.

Indeed, the rules of the Great Soul Arena do not restrict one person from participating in multiple teams, as long as the partners are different.

But these words have a different meaning to other people.

Dai Mubai is using this method to tell everyone, especially Zhu Zhuqing.