Douluo: I Can Choose My Own Soul Skills

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Ye Lan was rather speechless about the Great Spirit Arena being divided into eight stages. With only one match per day and same-rank opponen

Ye Lan was rather speechless about the Great Spirit Arena being divided into eight stages. With only one match per day and same-rank opponen

Ye Lan was rather speechless about the Great Spirit Arena being divided into eight stages. With only one match per day and same-rank opponents, reaching the Gold level was already extremely rare. Once at the Gold level, it would be difficult to even find an opponent, and making a push toward the Amethyst level would be even harder.

As for trying to reach Sapphire from Amethyst—he figured that was practically impossible due to the lack of eligible challengers.

Moreover, based on the reward of 10 soul coins per victory point, the total reward of ten million gold soul coins at the Amethyst level was definitely the maximum limit.

After the maid finished her explanation, Ye Lan followed her to the registration area for the spirit battle participants.

"Registration fee: ten gold soul coins," said the staff member mechanically, upon seeing the Iron Spirit Battle badge pinned to Ye Lan's chest.

Ye Lan silently handed over ten gold soul coins. The staff member didn't bother counting; instead, he gauged the weight out of habit.

"Would you like to choose a title?" the staff member asked coldly.

Ye Lan rubbed his chin. He hadn't really thought about a title before, but after a moment of consideration—

"Green Emperor!" he declared. Thinking of his Blue Silver Grass martial spirit, he felt the name was now worthy of it.

"Green Emperor? Let's see if you're worthy of that title," the staff member muttered with a trace of emotion breaking through his cold tone, glancing at the blond young man. He'd seen too many exaggerated titles before—World-Destroying Dragon King, Incarnation of Calamity, Great Demon King...

Without exception, those who chose such dramatic titles attracted immense hatred and ended up getting beaten black and blue.

Ye Lan said nothing in response, offering no explanation.

Seeing the maid looking a bit parched, he took out ten silver soul coins.

"A tip for you. Thanks for your hard work."

The maid's eyes lit up instantly at the sight of the coins. She gratefully accepted them, visibly moved.

"Thank you, Soul Master! I'll escort you to the resting lounge."

Following the maid's hurried steps, Ye Lan arrived at Lounge No. 18 of the sub-Arena. Through the window, he looked up and saw only a sparse crowd in the stands. It made sense—this was only a battle between Iron-rank Soul Masters. It wasn't going to attract much attention.

After bringing Ye Lan to the lounge, the maid excused herself and returned to the main hall for further duties.

Ye Lan sat in the lounge with the other Soul Masters, silently waiting for his turn to compete. He didn't make any small talk.

After a while, he heard the call for his match and exited the lounge, heading toward the battle arena.

Aside from the wide arc-shaped spectator stands, the focal point was the several combat platforms at the center. Ye Lan's assigned platform was a 20-meter by 20-meter square used for one-on-one battles.

With just a glance, Ye Lan could tell this arena was well-suited for his abilities. His Blue Silver Grass currently had a control radius of twenty meters—just enough to cover the whole ring.

At the center of the stage, a middle-aged man in a tuxedo used his deep, resonant voice to introduce the competitors.

"Up next, we have the third one-on-one match for the Soul Master tier in Sub-Arena 18!"

"First up is a rising star with six consecutive wins, soon to be promoted to the Bronze badge level. A Level 29 Battle Soul Master with the Silver-Horned Giant Rhinoceros martial spirit—War Rhino!"

A muscular man clad in a silver robe, his skin a bronzed copper hue that matched his towering physique, leapt onto the center of the platform and let out a thunderous roar.

"War Rhino!"

"War Rhino!!"

The audience, though small, erupted in support—mostly War Rhino's friends, gamblers, and passionate spectators.

Ye Lan looked at his opponent with indifference. He silently mused: If this guy joined a bodybuilding competition, he'd be a guaranteed champion.

"Next, we welcome a newcomer to the Spirit Arena. Possessing a Blue Silver Grass tool martial spirit, he is a Level 24 Life-type Soul Master—Green Emperor!" The host glanced skeptically at the cue card in his hand. Life-type? Is that a new classification?

A wave of gasps swept through the crowd.

"Rigged! This is rigged! What kind of broken matchmaking is this? A newbie against War Rhino? They're just handing him a win!"

"Blue Silver Grass? That trash martial spirit made it to Soul Master level? Is this a mistake?"

"He's so handsome! Why pair him against War Rhino?!"

"War Rhino, go easy on him—don't hit the face!"

…

Veins popped on Ye Lan's forehead. Do they really think that little of me? He scratched his head and calmly walked onto the stage. As for positioning, he didn't care—standing anywhere made no difference to him.

War Rhino, on the other hand, clearly had a well-practiced stance. He stood firmly at the center of the platform.

A seasoned fighter, no doubt. That position allowed him to corner agility-based Soul Masters and avoid getting kited.

His steadfast gaze radiated determination—this was someone who never underestimated an opponent.

Seeing Ye Lan's casual demeanor, War Rhino chuckled and said, "Show me your martial spirit. I don't want your debut to end in a farce."

Ye Lan looked at him with newfound appreciation. So there are still some normal folks among Soul Masters after all.

But he didn't release his spirit. Instead, he replied, "Let's just start. I'll take this seriously."

Without another word, War Rhino activated his martial spirit. A surge of silver light enveloped him as his body transformed into a war beast. A long silver horn sprouted from his forehead, glowing brightly. His muscles swelled again—his arms now even thicker than Ye Lan's thighs, and his legs as wide as Ye Lan's waist. One white and one yellow soul ring appeared beneath him.

War Rhino immediately used two spirit abilities in tandem. A yellow and a white light gleamed.

"White Rhino Armor!"

"Charge!"

Silver light surged around War Rhino as he donned a heavy silver soul armor. His charge locked onto Ye Lan, boosting both speed and power as he rushed forward.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The thunderous pounding of the Silver-Horned Giant Rhino's hooves echoed across the stage. The force of it made several girls in the audience cover their eyes in fear.

Ye Lan's Golden Pupils activated. As War Rhino neared, soul power gathered at his feet.

Flash Step!

Ye Lan vanished before War Rhino's eyes. The rhino, having lost his target, tried to halt, feet screeching against the platform.

But Ye Lan had already reappeared behind him—he wasn't about to waste this opportunity.

"Meteor!"

A golden streak shot toward War Rhino's back. The combined momentum from War Rhino's charge and the impact of the Meteor skill sent him flying off the platform.

He tumbled across the marble floor, finally slamming into a wall, creating a shallow crater.

Ye Lan retracted his Meteor skill and looked at War Rhino's condition. Perfect. The strike only caused a minor injury. Gotta admit, that Silver-Horned Giant Rhino spirit really is tanky.

War Rhino got up, rubbed his back, and looked toward Ye Lan, still standing tall on the stage.

"I lost. You're even stronger than her."

"Her?" Ye Lan asked, puzzled.

(End of Chapter)