After enduring wind and rain for several days, Lin Chen concealed his whereabouts using the Blue Silver Domain, avoiding the spirit beasts and Spirit Hall outposts along the way.
With his feet moving constantly, he finally arrived at Soto City, located in the southern part of Douluo Continent and known as the "Capital of Spirit Battles," at noon on the fifth day.
From afar, the entire city of Soto sprawls across the flat plains. Its walls, unlike those of ordinary towns built of bluestone, are constructed of a mixture of dark brown iron and granite, standing over ten zhang tall.
The walls are covered with scratches and dents of varying depths, marks left by countless battles between powerful warriors, clashes of spirit beasts, and even legion warfare over the years, exuding a sense of weight and wildness forged in the crucible of war.
Every hundred meters along the walls stands a watchtower, its spire adorned with the black and red flags of Soto.
A fierce wind whips the flags, causing them to flutter wildly, filling the air with an indescribable excitement and restlessness.
The city gate was wide enough to accommodate eight warhorses riding abreast, and the flow of people was endless, a veritable melting pot.
Young soul masters in exquisite robes walked by with their heads held high, their soul rings gleaming at their waists, drawing awe from passersby; muscular mercenaries carried giant axes and machetes, their bodies stained with fresh blood, clearly having just returned from hunting on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest; vendors strolled along the streets, pushing carts laden with soul bone fragments, low-grade herbs, and simple soul tools, their cries rising and falling; and numerous Spirit Hall deacons in black uniforms, exuding a cold and stern aura, scanned the crowd warily, adding an air of oppression to the atmosphere.
The buildings lining the streets were rugged and flamboyant, mostly two- or three-story stone and wood structures. Restaurants, inns, auction houses, and shops selling soul master supplies stood side by side, their signs a dazzling array of styles. Some were decorated with giant soul beast skulls, while others hung neon plaques shimmering with faint soul power, all exuding the unique soul master atmosphere of the Douluo Continent. The air was filled with the aroma of roasted meat, the bitterness of herbs, the richness of strong liquor, and a faint, almost imperceptible, smell of blood, weaving together the unique scent of Soto City—the scent of battle, desire, opportunity, and danger.
Lin Chen stood at the city gate, gazing at the bustling city. His deep blue hair fluttered slightly in the wind, his handsome face expressionless, only a hint of understanding flashing in his eyes. This was the starting point of the Shrek Seven Devils' rise in the original story, the first stop where Tang San made his name, and the arena where countless soul masters pursued glory and wealth. And now, he, Lin Chen, was about to lay out his own chessboard here.
He didn't linger, following the flow of people into the city. With his extraordinary spiritual power, he casually stopped several passing Soul Masters and asked them for directions to the Soto City Grand Soul Arena. Seeing his composed demeanor and sharp eyes, which suggested he wasn't an ordinary person, the Soul Masters didn't dare to neglect him and enthusiastically gave him directions. After thanking them, Lin Chen followed their directions and headed towards the city center.
The further into the city you go, the denser the crowds become, and the stronger the soul energy fluctuations in the air become. After walking for about half an hour, a colossal structure suddenly appears before you—the Soto City Great Soul Arena.
This arena is a landmark building in the entire city of Soto, covering an area the size of more than a dozen football fields. The main body is circular, towering dozens of meters high, and its outer walls are constructed entirely of hard black diamond rock, carved with countless lifelike reliefs of spirit beasts: roaring tigers, soaring eagles, and coiled venomous snakes. Each one is depicted with ferocious realism, as if it might burst forth from the walls at any moment. A wide plaza surrounds the arena, packed with a dense crowd. The shouts, cheers, and clamor of betting are deafening, almost lifting the sky.
At the entrance to the Soul Arena stood eight enormous stone pillars, their tops ablaze with an inextinguishable soul flame. The flames illuminated the six gilded characters of "Soto Great Soul Arena," exuding a majestic and awe-inspiring aura. Stepping inside revealed a completely different world: at the center was a massive fighting arena, paved with special soul-resistant stone, capable of withstanding the full force of attacks from those below the Soul Master level; surrounding it were tiered seating areas radiating outwards, capable of accommodating tens of thousands of spectators simultaneously. Although it wasn't yet peak time, the arena was already more than half full, a cacophony of voices and a palpable sense of excitement.
The air was thick with the mingled scents of sweat, soul power, and blood; every corner reeked of excitement and fervor. Countless soul masters fought, dueled, and proved themselves here, while countless spectators placed bets, revelled, and vented their emotions. This was a world where the strong preyed on the weak; strength was everything, victory meant everything, and defeat meant utter destruction.
Lin Chen walked through the noisy crowd to the registration area on the left.
Behind the registration desk sat a middle-aged man with a stern face, wearing the uniform of the Great Soul Arena. Seeing Lin Chen approach, he asked without looking up, "Registering for Soul Battle? Individual or team?"
"Individual competition, re-register," Lin Chen said calmly.
The middle-aged man then glanced at him and handed him a form and a soul power pen: "Name, age, martial soul, soul ring, and battle soul title. Registration fee is one gold soul coin, and the registration fee for each competition is ten silver soul coins."
Lin Chen took the form, his fingertips pausing slightly.
He had already registered his original Battle Soul title and even reached the Silver Battle Soul level based on his previous strength. But now, all his proofs, badges, and points were left in the spatial storage ring in the cave in the Star Dou Great Forest. He dared not go back to retrieve them, and everything had to start from scratch.
As for the money… He patted his pockets, finding only a few gold soul coins and a dozen silver soul coins left. This was all he had; after paying the registration fee, he had almost nothing left. Despite the pain, he had no other choice. He gritted his teeth, took out a gold soul coin, placed it on the counter, and then picked up a pen to fill out the form.
In the name section, he didn't write his real name, but instead filled in a nickname at random; in the martial spirit section, he only wrote "Weapon Martial Spirit - War Hammer", deliberately hiding the first character of Thor's name; he only wrote two yellow soul rings, hiding his true strength; and in the battle spirit title section, Lin Chen thought for a moment and wrote four characters - Thunder Hammer.
Simple, straightforward, and consistent with the characteristics of his current martial spirit, it would also not reveal his true identity.
"Thunder Hammer?" The middle-aged man glanced at the form, didn't ask any questions, stamped it and registered it. "Alright, your temporary identity card. Start from the lowest level, Bronze Battle Spirit. Go to the waiting area and wait for matchmaking."
Lin Chen took the simple bronze-colored iron plaque, held it in his hand, and smiled bitterly to himself.
As the inheritor of the Thunder God, with his martial soul awakened a second time and strength far surpassing ordinary Soul Masters, it was truly frustrating that he now had to start from scratch in the Bronze Soul Tournament. However, upon further reflection, it was for the best. By changing his identity and concealing his strength, he could quietly earn money without attracting unnecessary attention, secretly observe Tang San and Shrek Academy's movements, and prepare for his later encounter with Dugu Yan—it was practically perfect.
The only thing that pained him was those gold soul coins.
"If we can't break even after these few matches," Lin Chen patted his empty pockets, a sly smile flashing in his eyes, "then we'll just have to go out and 'borrow' some money. There are so many rich people in Soto City who are heartless and bully the weak. Beating them up and getting some money for emergencies is perfectly reasonable and I won't feel guilty at all."
He's not some saint; for survival and for the sake of the plan, this little thing is nothing.
After registering, Lin Chen casually asked the staff, "Excuse me, are there any strong Soul Fighting teams at the Soto City Great Soul Arena recently? Like the Heaven Dou Royal Academy or similar teams?"
The staff member shook his head, his tone indifferent: "The Heaven Dou Royal Team? Never heard of it. Recently, they've been mostly small local teams. The strongest of them are just a few Soul Masters leading the team. There's nothing to see here."
Upon hearing this, Lin Chen understood.
It seems the timeline hasn't arrived yet. The Shrek Seven Devils and the people from the Heaven Dou Royal Academy haven't come to Soto City, and naturally, Dugu Yan isn't there either. That's fine; he has enough time to accumulate funds and establish a foothold. Once Dugu Yan arrives, he can then take the opportunity to make contact and gradually approach Poison Douluo Dugu Bo.
Having figured all this out, Lin Chen no longer hesitated and walked straight into the waiting area for the individual competition.
For the rest of the day, Lin Chen completely transformed into a money-making machine.
The matchmaking speed in the Grand Soul Arena is extremely fast; almost as soon as one match ends, the next opponent is immediately arranged. Lin Chen's opponents are all at the Great Soul Master level, with the strongest being only a Soul Venerable with two yellow and one purple rank. In his current state, they are simply no match for him.
He didn't even need to activate the Blue Silver Domain or use the true power of the Thor's bloodline. He only needed to summon his second martial soul, the Thor's Hammer. With a slight flash of purple-gold lightning, a single sweep of the hammer was enough to knock his opponent off the stage.
The power of thunder is domineering and unparalleled, suppressing all physical and spiritual power. Combined with the weight and impact of the Thor's Hammer itself, Lin Chen's battles are incredibly fast, often ending within ten seconds, clean and decisive, without any suspense.
At first, the spectators in the stands didn't pay much attention, but as "Thunder Hammer" achieved one crushing victory after another, more and more people took notice of this blue-haired youth. He was ruthless but not indiscriminate in his attacks, his strength was astonishing yet calm and restrained, and every hammer blow was accompanied by a thunderous roar. He was both entertaining and practical, and in just half a day, the name "Thunder Hammer" spread throughout the Bronze Arena. Many people even began to secretly place bets on his winning streak.
After a day of fierce fighting, Lin Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The few gold soul coins in his pocket had grown into a thick stack of more than thirty, not only breaking even but also making a fortune. But a new problem arose—without a storage soul tool, carrying so many gold soul coins in his pocket was heavy, conspicuous, and extremely inconvenient.
He can't keep carrying around a bunch of gold coins forever.
Lin Chen frowned and immediately made a decision—to sign up for the life-or-death arena competition.
The Soto Grand Arena has three competition modes: Arena, Soul Battle, and Deathmatch. The first two have rules that prohibit killing, while the Deathmatch is a fight to the death, with a death contract signed. The loser dies and their soul is destroyed, while the winner can take all of their opponent's possessions, including soul tools, soul rings, and soul bones. The Arena only takes a small cut.
This kind of competition is extremely bloody and cruel, and most Soul Masters would never participate in it easily, but Lin Chen had no choice.
He had already found out in advance that his opponent in tonight's life-or-death arena was a villain named "Blood Axe King." This man was a level 38 Power Attack-type Battle Soul Master, whose Martial Soul was the Bloodthirsty Mad Axe. He was cruel and bloodthirsty, and had committed numerous atrocities in Soto City, his hands stained with the blood of innocents. He not only robbed Soul Masters of their property, but also ambushed and hunted down low-level Soul Masters to steal their Soul Rings and Soul Bones. He was a complete scumbag.
More importantly, Lin Chen learned that the Blood Axe King was wearing a storage bracelet, which contained the wealth and soul master supplies he had plundered over the years.
"Taking a scumbag's storage soul tool solves my own problems and rids the people of a scourge—it's killing two birds with one stone." Lin Chen's eyes were cold, without the slightest psychological burden.
As dusk fell, the life-or-death arena opened.
The central arena was bathed in a dark red light, creating a tense and terrifying atmosphere. The fervor in the audience reached its peak, with countless people roaring and shouting, anticipating a bloody battle.
Blood Axe King was the first to step onto the arena. He was tall and burly, with a face full of scars and a face covered in wounds. He wielded a massive, blood-red axe, and three spirit rings—two yellow and one purple—encircled his body, radiating a menacing aura. As soon as he stepped onto the stage, he revealed a ferocious smile to Lin Chen, his tone cruel: "Kid, you dare fight me to the death? I'll chop you into mincemeat in a minute!"
Lin Chen stood opposite him, his expression indifferent, without uttering a word.
The referee raised his flag high and announced in a stern voice: "The life-or-death arena battle begins!"
Before he could finish speaking, Blood Axe King roared and activated his first and second soul skills at the same time. The effects of bloodlust and berserk combined, and his body swelled up. His blood-red giant axe, carrying the power to split mountains and shatter rocks, cleaved down towards Lin Chen!
A deafening roar erupted from the audience!
Lin Chen simply turned slightly to the side, easily dodging the axe. Then, with a flick of his right hand, the Thor's Hammer instantly appeared, and purple-gold lightning erupted!
"Thor's Strike!"
Without any fancy moves, a simple hammer blow landed squarely on Blood Axe King's chest.
"Snap—!"
The clear sound of bones cracking echoed throughout the arena. The ferocity on Blood Axe King's face froze instantly. A large part of his chest caved in, and he spat out blood. His body flew backward like a broken sack, crashing heavily onto the edge of the arena. His three spirit rings shattered instantly, and his life force was completely cut off.
One move.
With just one move, the ferocious Blood Axe King died on the spot.
The entire stadium fell silent for a moment, then erupted into cheers several times more frenzied than before!
Lin Chen walked forward expressionlessly, squatted down, and removed the black storage bracelet from the Blood Axe King's cold wrist. He infused a wisp of soul power into his fingertip, easily erasing the remaining spiritual imprint inside. The bracelet's internal space was not large, only about 100 cubic meters, but it was enough for him to store gold soul coins and personal belongings.
The crisis was resolved.
But just then, a strong feeling of discomfort suddenly surged up my throat.
This was his first murder.
Even though his opponent was a scumbag, and even though he had already convinced himself of that, the physical instinct to actually take a life, see the blood staining the ring, and smell the strong stench of blood was still uncontrollable.
Lin Chen suppressed his discomfort and quickly walked off the stage. As soon as he returned to the secluded rest room, he could no longer hold back and began to vomit violently, leaning against the wall. Stomach acid and bile were vomited all over the floor, his stomach was churning, and his whole body was trembling slightly.
He vomited for a full fifteen minutes until he could vomit nothing more. Then he slowly stood up, leaning against the wall, his face pale and his forehead covered in cold sweat.
"Killing…it's not something you can get used to." Lin Chen wiped his mouth, but his eyes gradually hardened.
This is Douluo Continent, a world where the strong prey on the weak. He must protect Xiao Wu, thwart Tang San's plans, fight against Tang Hao, and even confront the ferocious beasts deep within the Star Dou Great Forest. Being soft-hearted will only lead to his demise.
This first murder was painful, but also transformative.
He took a deep breath, put the storage bracelet on his wrist, and stored all the gold soul coins inside, instantly feeling much lighter. After resting for a while, his body gradually calmed down, and Lin Chen's eyes regained their sharpness and composure.
With money and a temporary storage soul tool, the "Thunder Hammer" disguise had also gained a foothold in the Soto Grand Arena.
Next, we just need to wait patiently.
Waiting for Dugu Yan's arrival, waiting for the arrival of the Heaven Dou Royal Team, waiting for an opportunity to legitimately make contact with Poison Douluo Dugu Bo.
He sat on a wooden chair in the lounge, with the lights of Soto City burning all night and the noise of the Soul Arena outside the window. Lin Chen closed his eyes and quietly cultivated, while his mind was rapidly refining his plan to seize the Acacia Heartbreak Red.
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