As soon as the Death God Emissary made his move, the aura of his evil soul master could no longer be concealed and spread out freely. However, the surrounding spectators only paused for a brief moment before erupting into even more enthusiastic applause.
Shouts kept coming from the audience, and large handfuls of gold soul coins rained down at the feet of the frail-looking young man. All the spectators were eagerly anticipating that he would carry out a "judgment" against an evil soul master.
As for what these spectators truly wanted to see, few people bothered to think too deeply about it.
The Death God Emissary looked at his opponent, gritting his teeth as he leaned forward and charged ahead.
In truth, the soul tool that Huang Zheng had given him was of decent quality, but he had only just installed it and hadn't even had half a day to get used to it before stepping onto the arena. In front of a Titled Douluo, he couldn't even put up the slightest struggle.
The only good news was that the frail young man in front of him didn't seem particularly strong.
"Hmph."
In the private box, the Third Elder let out a soft nasal sound with a hint of inexplicable amusement.
"Old Three, the person you picked is quite interesting," Nangong Wan seemed to have noticed something.
"Hmph. When he did something that someone of his cultivation level shouldn't have done, he should have expected this kind of outcome."
Lin Xiao glanced at Nangong Wan and the Third Elder and quickly understood the meaning behind their words.
The moment the Death God Emissary rushed forward, the young man's expression suddenly changed.
The timid and weak demeanor from before vanished in an instant. His eyes turned sharp, filled with unmasked killing intent. There was no trace left of the nervous, almost trembling appearance.
The real match had already begun beneath the arena.
The Death God Emissary seemed to sense that something was wrong, but it was already too late to retreat. A flash of cold light appeared, and his remaining arm flew high into the air.
Blood rained down like droplets. A few drops inevitably landed on the frail young man's face. He stuck out his tongue, licked the blood from the corner of his mouth, savoring the taste, and his expression grew even more frenzied.
In fact, when the young man had feigned weakness to approach the Death God Emissary, the match was already over. There was no need for anything that followed.
But on this arena, there were no referees and no surrender, only blood splashing across the sky and flesh sliced into thin strips.
Nangong Wan was right: the Third Elder's arrangement wasn't for a real match at all. It was simply to vent his disciple's anger.
Yet, facing such a bloody scene, the surrounding spectators showed no discomfort whatsoever. Instead, their cheers grew even louder, so loud that even the soundproofing walls reinforced by Nangong Wan's soul tool couldn't fully block them out.
Time passed minute by minute. Even with the vitality of a Soul King, the Death God Emissary finally couldn't hold on any longer. His eyes slowly closed.
The frail young man grinned wickedly as he slowly approached, raising his blade high.
But at that moment, Huo Yuhao, who was watching from the audience below, suddenly shuddered. A bad premonition surged through his heart, and then a deafening boom erupted in the arena.
In the blink of an eye, blood and flesh exploded across the arena. The air was violently pushed aside, crashing heavily against the soul tool's protective shield surrounding the arena. Only after a long while did it slowly dissipate along the shield.
When the arena finally calmed down, not only the Death God Emissary but even the frail young man had vanished without a trace. Only the mottled bloodstains on the ground seemed to have grown thicker.
"Trash!" The Third Elder shot to his feet.
"Alright, alright." Nangong Wan's eyes lit up instead. He called out to a nearby attendant, "Go announce that this match is a draw. All bets are lost."
"Old Three, don't be too upset. The gold soul coins you bet will be returned to you."
After making the arrangements, he turned to look at Lin Xiao. "How about it, Old Eight? Are you satisfied with this match?"
Lin Xiao withdrew his gaze and nodded expressionlessly. "Not bad."
"That's good." Nangong Wan nodded. "In the preliminary agreement I made with the Common Alliance, the Soul Engineer Tournament will use these exact rules: no referees, no surrender, only one contestant may walk off the arena alive."
"Sigh, unfortunately, that old woman Shangguan Wei'er is too cautious and has always refused to agree to my proposal. In the end, we could only settle on 'life and death before surrender.'"
Lin Xiao wasn't surprised. Shangguan Wei'er had deep ties with the nobles of the Sun Moon Empire. Those people feared death greatly and naturally didn't want to see the Common Alliance become like evil soul masters.
"However, there is some good news. After I returned this time, I talked with her again, and they agreed to relax the requirements for participants. As long as they are under thirty years old, they can compete."
"It's probably because Shangguan Wei'er realized they don't have many people under twenty who are truly skilled in soul tools."
The Third Elder beside them seemed to have calmed down and no longer looked as furious. "That's true. If they really had such a person, they would have already entered the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. Why would they stay in the Common Alliance?"
"Exactly." Nangong Wan nodded. "So with Old Eight as our secret weapon, the Common Alliance will suffer a huge loss sooner or later."
"Then… when is the time?" Lin Xiao took the opportunity to ask.
"Old Eight is already so impatient?" Nangong Wan smiled. "No rush. We have to let them lower their guard first."
"The prizes for the Soul Engineer Tournament also need some time to prepare. We've decided to hold it every six months, and the final results will determine the market share for the next half year."
"Before you make your appearance, I need to let Shangguan Wei'er feel like they still have a chance of winning."
"But don't worry, even if you don't participate in the first few tournaments, I won't forget your share. After all, this business has belonged to the three of us from the very beginning."
Nangong Wan smiled so broadly that his eyes were almost invisible. Although Lin Xiao's cultivation was slightly lower, ever since Zhongli Wu had confirmed his status, in Nangong Wan's eyes, he was no different from a true elder.
Lin Xiao would eventually reach the Titled Douluo realm one day, and with a Titled Douluo's lifespan, they still had a very long time to work together.
The arena below was quickly cleaned up, and the next contestants stepped onto the stage amid the audience's shouts.
However, just as Nangong Wan was smiling and chatting with the Third Elder and Lin Xiao, he suddenly stood up, his expression instantly turning gloomy.
"What's wrong, Second Brother?" the Third Elder asked, turning to look at him.
"It seems two sneaky rats have slipped in." Nangong Wan's face darkened as he scanned the area below. Then he turned back. "You two wait here for a moment. I'll go check what's going on."
"Second Brother, let's go together. If something happens, we can lend you a hand," Lin Xiao said. He had little interest in continuing to watch the matches and stood up as well.
"Alright." Nangong Wan nodded and walked out of the private box first.
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