Chapter 179: Dugu Yan: Ah Qing, Let Me See What's Special About You
The manager's office of the Suo Tuo Great Soul Arena was filled year-round with a faint smell of tobacco and the unique fluctuations of soul power belonging to soul masters.
Stacks of match reports and score records were piled high on the heavy, solid-wood desk.
In the corner, a gilded clock ticked along unhurriedly.
Manager Wang had just finished berating two Soul Masters, who had tried to buy off opponents for fixed matches to earn their Silver Soul Fighting Badges, until they were utterly humiliated.
He watched the two figures slink out of the room.
Irritated, he slammed the pen in his hand onto the desk and cursed, "A bunch of useless trash."
Recently, the Suo Tuo City Soul Arena had been relying entirely on the Royal Fighting Team as its cash cow to keep things afloat.
And yet, at a time like this, there were still people pulling tricks and damaging the brand.
He was still full of pent-up anger with nowhere to vent when the office door was suddenly flung open.
A young girl rushed in, panting heavily, her uniform collar crooked.
Her face was flushed red, and she could barely speak clearly: "M-Manager! Something big has happened! Someone wants to challenge the entire Royal Fighting Team alone!"
The Yuqian Longjing tea that Manager Wang had just picked up slammed onto the desk with a loud "clang."
Scalding tea mixed with leaves splashed everywhere, even soaking a patch of his expensive brocade robe. He didn't even bother wiping it.
He thought he had misheard.
His plump body leaned forward, eyes wide like copper bells, practically roaring as he demanded:
"Say that again? Who? Challenging who?!"
"A soul master named Azure Star, just one person, wants to challenge the entire Royal Fighting Team alone."
The receptionist swallowed nervously.
The fury in Manager Wang's eyes instantly turned into blazing excitement. His breathing grew rapid.
What kind of background did the Royal Fighting Team have?
They were the ace team carefully cultivated by the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, all members being Soul Elders, with even the weakest support soul master above rank 35.
In just half a month, the Royal Fighting Team had achieved numerous flawless victories at the Suo Tuo Great Soul Arena.
Every match drew over 90% attendance.
Even the surrounding sales of drinks and betting profits had multiplied several times, making them his most valuable cash cow at the moment.
It wasn't like no teams had challenged the Royal Fighting Team before, but they were all full seven-person teams.
Never had a single soul master dared to take on a team battle request alone.
This was no ordinary soul fight.
This was headline news that could shake the entire Suo Tuo City, even the southern region of the Heaven Dou Empire!
"Approve it! Approve it immediately!"
Manager Wang slammed the table and shot to his feet, shouting at the staff outside the door.
"Notify the publicity team! Replace all the signs inside and outside the arena with this match!
"The headline will be 'Shocking Gamble!' A Lone Soul Master Takes on the Ace Team of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy!
"This soul fight must be known throughout the entire city today!"
Whether this Azure Star truly had heaven-defying ability or was just a fool seeking fame and courting death—
By daring to declare a solo challenge against the Royal Fighting Team, he had already won the traffic.
…
Soul Arena stage.
The host, dressed in a luxurious suit, had a flushed face.
Every word he shouted with all his strength struck directly into the hearts of the audience.
"Next, let us welcome with our most enthusiastic cheers our winning champions—the Royal Fighting Team!"
Seven figures stepped onto the stage once again.
Yu Tianheng waved toward the audience, instantly drawing thunderous screams.
The Shi brothers stood side by side at his flanks.
Over two meters tall with bulging muscles.
Their Black Turtle martial souls released a heavy, imposing aura.
They were the team's most unbreakable defense.
Behind them, Yu Feng spread the wings of his Wind Chime Bird, moving with light agility.
Osler's Black Leopard martial soul sharpened his gaze like a predator ready to strike.
Dugu Yan wore a green outfit, faint Jade Phosphor poison mist curling around her fingertips, her expression carrying a casual arrogance.
At the very back, Ye Lingling stood in a white dress with a light veil over her face.
The gentle aura of her Nine Heart Begonia martial soul was the team's most stable support.
The moment the seven stood in formation, yellow, yellow, and purple—three standard top-tier Soul Elder soul ring configurations—lit up simultaneously.
The overwhelming soul power gathered intensely, causing the entire stage to tremble slightly.
"Next, let us welcome the challenger of this match—he will take on the entire Royal Fighting Team alone! Let us shout his name—Azure Star!"
However,
The deafening cheers from moments ago were instantly choked off, turning into a wave of uproar.
Countless spectators craned their necks toward the entrance, those in the back rows even standing on their chairs.
The murmurs surged like a tide, sweeping across the entire arena.
"One person fighting the Royal Fighting Team in a team battle, one against seven—isn't that just courting death?"
"Royal Fighting Team members are all Soul Elders above rank 35. If he dares to fight seven, could he be a Soul King?"
"I think he's gone crazy for fame. Even if he loses, fighting the Royal Fighting Team once is enough to brag about for a lifetime!"
Amid the overwhelming discussions and laughter, Lin Qingmo slowly walked out of the entrance.
He wore a simple long cyan robe.
No gold-inlaid luxurious soul master attire, no rare soul tool enhancing his power.
Even his surrounding soul power was completely restrained.
Yet the noisy audience somehow quieted slightly because of his appearance.
He walked straight to the opposite end of the stage and turned to face the seven imposing opponents.
There was no tension on his face, not even a ripple in his gaze, as if he had merely come to watch a street-side spectacle.
Osler crossed his arms and nudged Yu Tianheng with his elbow, lowering his voice with a teasing tone:
"This is it? Captain, I thought it'd be some three-headed, six-armed monster. Up close, he looks a bit weak. Could it be that he was provoked by you and rushed into challenging us?"
The few who had already assumed Lin Qingmo was just a reserve member of the Shrek team grew even more dismissive upon seeing his Blue Silver Grass martial soul.
Shi Mo chuckled deeply and added in a muffled voice:
"How about we don't go all out later and let him have three moves? Otherwise, if word gets out that seven of us beat one person and instantly finished him in one move, that'd be too much bullying and would damage the Royal Fighting Team's reputation."
Yu Tianheng raised an eyebrow, his sharp gaze sweeping Lin Qingmo from head to toe.
He didn't sense even the slightest powerful soul power fluctuation from him.
He simply assumed this was some ignorant young soul master trying to ride Royal Fighting Team's fame to make a name for himself.
Turning to Dugu Yan beside him, he joked with a smile:
"Yanzi, how many moves do you think this guy can last against us? I bet he can't even take our first coordinated attack, not even one move."
Dugu Yan ignored Yu Tianheng completely and didn't laugh like the others.
Her gaze was fixed firmly on Lin Qingmo.
There was a depth in her eyes that others could not understand.
She knew better than anyone that her spirited teammates had no idea what kind of existence they were facing.
That was the young master whom even her grandfather, the Titled Douluo Dugu Bo, treated with utmost courtesy.
Although Dugu Yan herself didn't know what was so special about this young master, a member of the chat group.
'But next, I'll be able to see it with my own eyes.'
—
End of Chapter