Douluo: I Can Choose My Own Soul Skills

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After that brief episode, Ye Lan gradually made his way to the central district of Soto City. The most eye-catching structure there was a gr

After that brief episode, Ye Lan gradually made his way to the central district of Soto City. The most eye-catching structure there was a gr

After that brief episode, Ye Lan gradually made his way to the central district of Soto City. The most eye-catching structure there was a gr

After that brief episode, Ye Lan gradually made his way to the central district of Soto City. The most eye-catching structure there was a grand and majestic building—the Soto City Great Spirit Arena.

The arena stood over a hundred meters tall, and from a distance, the people gathered around it looked like ants.

Several commercial streets near the arena were bustling with people, and the air was filled with lively shouts and chatter.

After the battle with Ma Hongjun and days of travel, Ye Lan was no longer in the mood for fighting. Instead, he craved roasted fat chicken.

He chose the largest restaurant near the arena and picked a window seat.

A waiter dressed in server's attire quickly approached Ye Lan with practiced ease.

"Honored Spirit Master, how may I serve you?"

"One roasted fat chicken, made from a spirit beast, and two bottles of fruit wine," Ye Lan replied without hesitation.

"Right away! Please wait a moment, sir!" The waiter rushed toward the kitchen.

While admiring the street view, Ye Lan overheard many spirit masters exchanging information and picked up on some interesting gossip.

"Have you heard about the great spirit master who's been in the spotlight lately?"

"Netherworld Spirit Cat?!"

"Yes, yes, that's the one! She hasn't even reached Level 29 yet—only Level 26—and she's already achieving consecutive wins in the Great Spirit Arena!"

"Amazing! All those who can manage win streaks are geniuses. But to do it at such a low level? That's terrifying!"

"Just yesterday, she completed an eleven-win streak and advanced from Iron Spirit Fighter to Bronze, shocking everyone!"

"Why are you so into her? Don't tell me you've joined her fan club?!"

"Hehe, I've been keeping up with the Netherworld Spirit Cat lately. I've made quite a bit of money off her!"

"Congrats, congrats! In that case, this meal's on you!"

"Haha, no problem at all!"

…

Ye Lan didn't expect that Zhu Zhuqing, having arrived in Soto City early, would already have become a star fighter in the Spirit Arena.

Fortunately, she hadn't let down his careful training. Zhu Zhuqing was steadily progressing down the path of an agility-type spirit master. He wondered when they would meet again.

Ye Lan picked up the freshly served roasted fat chicken, eating as he listened to the various odd tales and rumors of Soto City.

Half an hour later, Ye Lan leisurely finished gnawing the golden roasted chicken.

Just as he was about to pay the bill, a middle-aged man in a black coat walked toward him.

The man's outfit was clearly unusual. Curious, Ye Lan looked at him closely.

The man stopped in front of Ye Lan, cupped his hands respectfully, and bowed slightly. "Honored Spirit Master, I am the shopkeeper of this establishment. Forgive me for interrupting your meal. Might you be Lord Ye Lan?"

"??? No need to be so formal. But how do you know who I am?" Ye Lan asked, puzzled. Since arriving in the city, he hadn't revealed his identity.

The shopkeeper chuckled and explained, "Spirit Master, I'm a relative of Lili. After your time in Hanhai City, our clan distributed your portrait to the heads of our family branches in various cities. We did this so we could properly receive and accommodate you when needed."

Ye Lan's doubts were instantly resolved. "Is Lili doing well lately?"

"She's much calmer now, but ever since you left Hanhai City, she's been pestering everyone, saying she misses your candied hawthorn," the shopkeeper said, his face breaking into a smile that deepened the wrinkles on his face.

"Once I've settled down in Soto City, I'll ask you to deliver a batch of candied hawthorn to Lili," Ye Lan replied. He was quick at making them and didn't mind indulging Lili's craving.

"Then let me thank you on her behalf, Spirit Master. Since you haven't found a place to stay yet, why not stay at one of our family's properties? Given your friendship with Lili, you'll always receive a 50% discount on all our services," the shopkeeper offered warmly.

Ye Lan was surprised to learn that Lili's family owned property near the Soto City Spirit Arena.

Did her family specialize in developing real estate around the arena?

Not one to refuse kindness, Ye Lan thanked the shopkeeper and, under his guidance, rented a nearby house.

The house was similar in style to those in Hanhai City, complete with a massive courtyard.

Apparently, the shopkeeper knew about Ye Lan's preference for cleanliness, as he left behind a maid to help with daily cleaning of the courtyard and residence.

…

The next day, now settled in Soto City, Ye Lan finally had the energy to head to the Great Spirit Arena to participate in spirit fights.

Although he didn't hold much hope for the power level of these spirit masters, it would still be his first official fight in the arena.

After leaving the residence and making his way through the crowd, Ye Lan soon arrived in front of the magnificent Spirit Arena.

The arena was a towering cylinder over a hundred meters high. Its exterior was made entirely of smooth, matte white marble. Just the building alone showcased the wealth and strength of the Spirit Arena.

After a quick look around, Ye Lan entered the building. Soon, a graceful maid came to greet him and explained the layout of the arena.

The Soto City Great Spirit Arena included one main spirit-fighting arena and twenty-four subsidiary arenas. There were also over a hundred VIP boxes. The audience seating could accommodate up to sixty thousand spectators—which was astonishing, considering some small towns barely had a population of one hundred thousand.

Each subsidiary arena contained multiple stages, and the main arena had the largest one of all.

There were three types of matches: Sparring Matches, Life-and-Death Battles, and Gambling Duels.

Sparring Matches were friendly bouts meant to test skill. Life-and-Death Battles, as the name suggests, required a death contract—outcomes were life or death, with no interference allowed.

Gambling Duels were noble entertainment. In these, participants were top fighters of the arena, and nobles from both sides would place massive bets on the outcome.

All gambling matches took place in the main arena.

Match formats were divided into three types: one-on-one, two-on-two, and seven-on-seven.

(Note: Although the original story includes various team sizes like 7v7, 8v8, and 10v10, both the Spirit Arena and the later Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament standardize team battles as 7v7. The Shrek Seven Devils were also formed based on this team size, so we'll treat all team fights as 7v7 here.)

After the maid's explanation, Ye Lan passed by a monument listing the names of the deceased before arriving at the spirit master registration desk.

After filling out his name, age, spirit, and level, Ye Lan tested his spirit power: Level 23.

He wasn't surprised by the result, estimating that he was close to breaking through to Level 24.

It had been nearly three months since he hunted the Ancient Beast's Tentacle and began cultivating in earnest.

After registering, the maid explained the arena's ranking system: there were eight ranks—Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Amethyst, Sapphire, Ruby, and Diamond.

To advance from Iron to Bronze, one needed 100 points; from Bronze to Silver, 1000 points—and each higher rank required ten times the previous amount.

In the Iron rank, each win earned 1 point, and each loss deducted 1 point. After five consecutive wins, points earned per win were multiplied by ten. With ten consecutive wins, the multiplier increased again.

Once a spirit master accumulated enough points for promotion, the win streak multiplier would reset.

Each rank had a different base point value—Iron started at 1, Bronze at 10, and so on.

Every win awarded ten times the point value in gold soul coins.

After listening to the maid's explanation, Ye Lan quickly calculated a simplified version of the promotion system. Without win streaks, advancing through each rank would require a net 100 victories.

However, if one maintained win streaks, each rank could be cleared with just eleven consecutive victories.

For example, eleven straight wins in Iron would promote one to Bronze; eleven straight wins in Bronze would lead to Silver—and so on.

(End of Chapter)