Chapter 10: Suotuo City's Great Spirit Arena

Flender walked briskly, his hands behind his back, his steps light and agile. He quickly darted forward, his sturdy body appearing quite nimble.

The others hurried to keep up, but their varying levels of strength became apparent in this fast-paced situation.

Right behind Flender was Zhou Hao, the strongest among them, followed closely by Dai Mubai, with Zhu Zhuqing in third place.

Tang San's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track wasn't suitable for straight-line acceleration, so Xiao Wu ran alongside him. Ma Hongjun was left trailing behind them, feeling lonely. He was almost in tears from watching the couple's lovey-dovey moments.

Flender didn't say a word along the way, just focused on speeding ahead. Only Dai Mubai and Zhou Hao knew the destination of this trip: the Suotou Great Spirit Arena!

They rode swiftly until they saw the city walls of Suotou City. It was already late at night, but the city was bustling with activity. This place was within the Balak Kingdom and relatively safe. The city gates remained open even at night, allowing the group to enter easily.

The city was brightly lit, and street vendors on both sides were still calling out, offering various snacks and trinkets. Xiao Wu was overwhelmed by the sights, while she and Tang San had stayed here for two days but had never ventured out at night.

Ma Hongjun's eyes were fixated on the beautiful legs passing by, his eyes spinning around. His lustful desires were almost too much to handle. If it weren't for Flender's retribution, he would have gone straight to the brothel for some fun.

Zhu Zhuqing's expression remained unchanged, her eyes fixed on Zhou Hao and Flender ahead.

After walking for a while, Flender stopped and signalled for everyone to sit at a roadside tea stall. He ordered the cheapest pot of tea.

Zhou Hao was thirsty but ended up with a mouthful of foam from the tea. He shook his head and silently complained, " Dean Flender truly lives up to his reputation as a cheap stake." On the opposite side, a slight smile formed on Zhu Zhuqing's lips.

"Dean, are we going to have our first class here?" Xiao Wu frowned at the foam on her tea.

"Of course not. The place where you'll have your classes is over there." Flender pointed his finger towards a large and magnificent cluster of buildings. They were all domed structures, nearly a hundred meters tall, with faint cheers coming from the vicinity.

Dai Mubai's face turned pale. "Principal, it's only the first day. Are we sending them there already?"

Flender remained indifferent. "Remember, monsters are called monsters because they have training methods different from ordinary people. This is where they will make the fastest progress."

"Little monsters, this is the Suotou Great Spirit Arena. Real combat is the greatest driving force for your improvement." Seeing the confused expressions on Tang San and the others' faces, Flender continued, "Every major city has such a building called a spirit arena, where soul masters compete with each other ."

Tang San furrowed his brow. "Being a soul master is a noble profession. Why should we go there and perform like monkeys?"

"Hehe, you're not wrong," Flender replied. "But you have to admit that within their complete system, this is the best place for a soul master to showcase their value. How many soul masters pursue fame and fortune here? How many have broken through their limitations through repeated competitions? And most importantly, this place guarantees absolute fairness."

After finishing his explanation, Flender paid only half the cost of the tea and led the group towards the spirit arena, stating that he and Zhou Hao had each spilt a cup.

Entering the lobby of the arena, Zhou Hao looked around at the familiar surroundings, smiled, and touched the Gold Spirit Fighter Badge in his pocket.

Flender instructed everyone to register here and pay ten gold soul coins to receive their initial Iron Spirit Fighter Badges.

"Here, you will start from the lowest level of the Iron Spirit Rank and fight your way up. Winning matches will earn you points, and with enough points, you can upgrade your badges. My requirement is for each of you to obtain a Silver Spirit Fighter Badge and a team Gold Badge before graduation. Understood?" Flender said.

Zhou Hao nodded with a smile and turned to walk towards the main arena.

"Zhou Hao, that's the main arena, and only high-level spirit masters can go there. You haven't registered yet," Dai Mubai called out to him.

Since being admonished by Zhou Hao yesterday, Dai Mubai's gaze had become clearer, seemingly letting go of many things. Based on Zhu Zhuqing's behaviour, it seemed that they had reached some kind of agreement and resolved their emotionless relationship.

Everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter. Zhou Hao was powerful and calm, but he unexpectedly caused a misunderstanding.

Zhou Hao turned around and casually said, "Yeah, I know this is the main arena. I want to go here."

He walked step by step to the front desk and took out a small golden item from his pocket, handing it to the receptionist. The receptionist's gaze instantly became extremely respectful upon seeing the golden object.

"Respected Gold Spirit Master, may I ask what you need? The Suotou Great Spirit Arena is at your service," the young receptionist said with a humble tone.

"Just arrange the best VIP viewing room for us, and please arrange matches for my friends as soon as possible," Zhou Hao replied.

"Yes, please follow me." The receptionist smiled gently, bowed slightly, and turned to walk upstairs.

Zhou Hao turned back and looked at the stunned crowd. "Everyone, come up with me first. We should be able to compete soon."

"You... you're a Gold Spirit Master?" Flendwr found it hard to accept, feeling like his knowledge of the world had been overturned.

Tang San and the others had just come to terms with the reality that even the Silver Spirit rank was beyond their reach, but they were now shocked by Zhou Hao's Gold Spirit badge.

Dai Mubai clenched his fist, gloomily lowered his head, and thought about himself. As a Spirit Elder at the 37th rank, he had only participated in fifty-six spirit fights, with a win-loss ratio of barely fifty-fifty.

He was the one who knew best how difficult it was to level up. Each upgrade in the badge's ranks had an exponentially increasing difficulty. Yet Zhou Hao, with only a 32nd-rank spirit power, had obtained a Gold badge.

Following Zhou Hao, the others walked upstairs. Ma Hongjun directly hugged Zhou Hao's arm and exclaimed, "From now on, you're my second boss. Gold Spirit Master, Brother Zhou, you're the real boss!"

"It's nothing much. I arrived early, that's all. Since I advanced to the Spirit Grandmaster level, I've been participating in spirit fights in various cities. Up until now, I've already fought over 1,300 matches. I've won many, but I've also lost quite a few. You guys will definitely be able to do it in the future as well," Zhou Hao casually mentioned a staggering number.

Zhu Zhuqing's beautiful eyes shimmered with a hint of pride. Due to her upbringing, she valued strength even more. Zhou Hao was powerful enough and had an attractive charm that made the petals of her affection bloom little by little, melting the iceberg in her heart.

"Zhou Hao, can I see your badge?" Flender's tone seemed somewhat nostalgic.

"Of course." Zhou Hao handed the badge over to Flender, who gently caressed it. It was something he had once possessed. He thought back to his prime when the Golden Iron Triangle dominated the continent and he made a name for himself in the arena.

The golden badge shone brilliantly under the lights in the arena. Flender noticed the small inscription on the back: Bear Lord. It was the glory unique to every Gold Spirit Master.

"I had originally wanted to show you the world, but Zhou Hao has given me a big surprise," Flender returned the badge and continued, "Gold Spirit Master, I have to say you're the most outstanding little monster since the establishment of Shrek."

"Ah, Dean, don't say that. I'm just someone who lacks money in the five elements. I'm here to fight in the arena for money. I earn money with every match, and they give out a lot for a Gold Spirit fight. Hahaha," Zhou Hao casually remarked.

Flender visibly paused, looking at the others with a sense of being seen through. He brought these little monsters here not just for battles; the money they earned was also teaching funds.

Dai Mubai glanced at Zhu Zhuqing, then at the Golden Spirit badge, completely deflated.

.....