Douluo: I Can Choose My Own Soul Skills

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******

Faced with this dramatic Soul Duel, the audience erupted in cheers and applause far exceeding the number of people present. Mixed among them were the angry voices of gamblers accusing the match of being rigged.

The host, who had just stepped down, was already prepared with the closing remarks, but to his surprise, the speech he had written in advance to announce Zhan Xi's victory was rendered useless in an instant!

Wearing his tailcoat, the host walked back onto the stage, quickly revising Zhan Xi's victory declaration to announce Qingdi's triumph instead.

"Let us congratulate Qingdi!!! This is Qingdi's first victory, but I believe this is not merely his first victory—we are witnessing the rise of a new star!!"

"Qingdi!"

"Qingdi!!"

"Qingdi!!"

"Rigged! It's all rigged!"

"@#￥%... Refund!"

…

After returning to the rest lounge and registering his points, Ye Lan received ten Gold Soul Coins but did not leave the Great Soul Arena.

He intended to immediately join the two-on-two Soul Duel. After all, there were no rules saying a solo participant couldn't enter a two-on-two match, right?

"Soul Master!? Are you sure you want to participate in a two-on-two match alone?" the cold-toned staff member asked, her voice betraying her shock.

Even though she'd heard from a colleague that Qingdi had easily defeated the six-time winner Zhan Xi, she still found Qingdi's boldness unbelievable.

"Why not? The rules don't forbid it, right?" Ye Lan replied.

"But… in the past, no one has—" The staff member's words were cut short.

"Xiao Jing, register Lord Qingdi! Here at the Great Soul Arena, we never reject talented challengers. Especially not someone as promising as Lord Qingdi," the tailcoat host chimed in from the side.

"A Blue Silver Grass Soul Master winning a two-on-one match? That would shake the entire Soul Arena!" His eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Thanks for the help," Ye Lan turned and thanked the host.

"Not at all, Lord Qingdi! My performance record depends entirely on you now!" the host said, rubbing his palms together.

"Xiao Jing, help Lord Qingdi get matched with a newly registered pair. For his first two-on-one match, make sure he gets a victory," the host instructed.

Xiao Jing immediately hurried off to the central hall of the Soul Arena to check for newly registered teams.

"That won't be necessary. Any opponent is fine," Ye Lan said, catching on to the host's intent—he wanted to match him with a weak pair.

The host chuckled. "Lord Qingdi, I'm just trying to make sure your first match is a surefire win. If you claim victory in your debut, it'll cause a major stir!"

"Fine, but don't do it again." Ye Lan understood the host's good intentions, but if every opponent was weak, there would be no value in gaining real combat experience.

Besides earning money, coming to the Soul Arena was also about gaining experience in battle against other Soul Masters.

Not long after, Xiao Jing returned and handed a report to Ye Lan.

"Lord Qingdi, here is the information on your upcoming opponents." She had now adopted the same respectful tone the host used.

Ye Lan found it amusing that the once-cold staff member had changed so suddenly. I liked you better when you were cold.

He took the document from her and stroked his chin.

The "Three-Five Combo."

Tang San – Martial Soul: Blue Silver Grass. Level 29 Control-type Battle Soul Master.

Xiao Wu – Martial Soul: Rabbit. Level 29 Power Attack-type Battle Soul Master.

"Lord Qingdi, this is a newly registered pair. Their Martial Souls are a rabbit and Blue Silver Grass. Their levels are high, but their strength shouldn't be much," Xiao Jing said happily.

"I'm very satisfied with this matchup. If I win, your tip won't be small," Ye Lan replied with a chuckle. These two weren't weak. In fact, they were likely unmatched among the newly registered pairs.

Still, meeting Tang San stirred waves within Ye Lan's heart.

The blood feud with Tang Hao meant he was likely hiding somewhere near Soto City. Ye Lan couldn't afford to seriously injure Tang San and risk drawing Tang Hao's attention.

Moreover, a complete Tang San was vital to Ye Lan's future plans. Until those plans came to fruition, Ye Lan wouldn't allow anything to happen to him.

But Ye Lan would definitely plant a seed of despair in Tang San's heart. It was time to collect some interest.

For the first time, a wicked smile appeared on Ye Lan's face. This was the first step toward revenge.

…

"Brother San, guess what? One of the staff just came over to talk to me. Apparently, our opponent has changed—it's just one person now. Someone called Qingdi," Xiao Wu said, wrapping her arm around Tang San's.

"Qingdi? One against two? Just trying to be flashy. Xiao Wu, you must have a clear understanding of your strength. People like Qingdi, who overestimate themselves, are bound to take a hard fall someday," Tang San lectured, warning her not to grow arrogant.

"Yes! Brother San, I'll always listen to you." Xiao Wu wholeheartedly agreed. She considered herself unmatched in close combat but never chose two-on-one fights, always opting to defeat enemies one at a time.

She firmly believed no team could beat the pairing of herself and Brother San.

As soon as Tang San and Xiao Wu arrived at the rest lounge of Duel Arena 18, they were immediately called to the stage.

They had no complaints. Xiao Wu bounced excitedly, determined to teach Qingdi a painful lesson.

Tang San, watching her joyful expression, caught up and took her left hand.

Xiao Wu blushed but didn't resist. Instead, she grasped his right hand tightly in return.

The host looked at both tunnels, confirming both sides were ready.

He cleared his throat and, with his trademark deep voice, began introducing the two teams.

"Next is the fourth two-on-two match at Arena 18—Team Three-Five versus Team Qingdi…"

As the host announced the match, Tang San led Xiao Wu onto the stage.

The two-on-two stage was the same twenty-meter diameter square as the one-on-one arena. Four hundred square meters was just enough space for such a battle.

The pair stepped onto the platform casually. Xiao Wu was still chatting about interesting things she'd seen in Soto City.

The host continued the introductions until he reached: "Qingdi, Martial Soul: Blue Silver Grass, Level 23 Life-type Soul Master."

"Brother San? Same Martial Soul as you?" Xiao Wu's memory flashed back to Nuo Ding Academy four years ago. That time, Ye Lan had tied her up in the schoolyard, causing her great embarrassment. It had taken her fists to suppress the uprising that followed.

She shook her head. No way Ye Lan could've reached level 23 in just four years. She assumed Qingdi was another Blue Silver Grass prodigy like Tang San.

"So what? My Blue Silver Grass has been guided and trained by my teacher! Other Blue Silver Grass users are like fireflies next to the moon!" Tang San thought of Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang. His Martial Soul had been trained to the point it was no less than a top-tier one. If not for Dai Boss being at a much higher level, Tang San wouldn't have lost to the White Tiger Martial Soul.

Xiao Wu was still starry-eyed from Tang San's praise when her gaze caught sight of Ye Lan stepping onto the stage.

"Him… It's him!!"

(End of chapter)