Chapter 37: The First Life-and-Death Battle
After registering, the two were quickly assigned their order; both were in the Third Sub-Arena.
However, Lin Yang was facing Spirit Grandmasters, while Xiao Wu's opponents were all One-Ring Soul Masters.
As the two walked toward the Third Sub-Arena, they were stopped by a staff member before they even reached the entrance.
"Excuse me, you two, this is the Life-and-Death Zone. The Gambling Zone is on the other side."
The names of these two starkly different areas made their respective meanings clear at a glance.
In the Gambling Zone, fights stop once a point is made; a winner is decided, and lethal blows are strictly forbidden.
The Life-and-Death Zone, however, disregards life and death. As long as one hasn't personally admitted defeat or jumped off the stage, the opponent has the right to kill them on the spot, even if they are unconscious.
Undoubtedly, the Life-and-Death Zone is the bloodiest, craziest, and highest-mortality area in the Great Spirit Arena.
However, hearing the staff member's kind reminder, Lin Yang's expression remained unchanged as he simply said in a deep voice,
"The Life-and-Death Zone is exactly what we signed up for."
A flicker of surprise quickly flashed through the staff member's eyes before they composed themselves and said,
"Please sign the Life-and-Death Contract."
This thing was a contract that basically meant the contestant was stepping onto the stage voluntarily and no one would be held responsible for the consequences.
Lin Yang and Xiao Wu readily signed their names and then walked into the Third Sub-Arena.
The moment they stepped into the arena, a deafening roar of noise rushed at them, instantly flooding their ears.
After a few seconds of adjusting, Lin Yang turned his gaze toward the spectator stands.
Glancing over, it was basically a full house. Everyone's eyes were bloodshot as they screamed at the top of their lungs, as if they were currently partaking in a feast of pleasure.
On the stage, two One-Ring Soul Masters were engaged in a life-and-death struggle.
Both were dripping with blood, but their eyes held nothing but the most intense killing intent and hatred.
When their Soul Power ran out, they used their hands to claw, their feet to kick, and their teeth to bite.
Regardless of the methods—whether honorable or a sneak attack—as long as one could walk off the stage alive, they were the winner.
This... was the Life-and-Death Arena!
Seeing this scene, Xiao Wu's face couldn't help but turn pale, and she subconsciously grabbed Lin Yang's arm.
Lin Yang remained expressionless.
He had seen scenes even more disgusting and bloodier than this countless times; he had long since become numb to it.
Glancing faintly at Xiao Wu, Lin Yang's voice reached her ears, calm and clear,
"Look closely. These people on and off the stage are not humans right now; they are ghosts—vile, blood-drinking demons wearing human skin."
"Hypocrisy, craftiness, insidiousness, and meanness are the true colors here, and the most authentic side of human nature."
"Before you go up, I have only one piece of advice: do not use your sympathy and kindness to pity them. Those things are... worthless here."
After saying that, Lin Yang took the lead and turned to head toward the contestants' waiting area.
Xiao Wu watched the contestants frantically biting each other on stage. Her gaze shifted several times before finally settling into a look of determination.
She picked up her pace and quickly followed Lin Yang.
All the Martial Soul fighting contestants were in a unified waiting area.
When they saw Lin Yang and Xiao Wu—two teenagers who looked barely ten years old—walking in so openly,
the other contestants reacted with various expressions.
Some were surprised, some were suspicious, but most were indifferent or ignored them.
Most of these people were meditating, striving to keep themselves in peak condition while waiting for the upcoming life-and-death battles.
Here, everyone was a potential opponent.
As long as one wasn't overflowing with a'Saint Mother' complex, no one would think these two children had simply wandered into the wrong place.
If they had, one could only congratulate them on their 'good luck'!
Soon, a staff member came over to notify Lin Yang that he was about to go on stage.
Lin Yang stood up with a composed expression and headed to the waiting area.
On the stage, other personnel were currently cleaning up the remaining blood and flesh.
The host was also busy stirring up the audience's atmosphere; he couldn't let the venue, which had just heated up, grow cold.
"Next, we will proceed with the seventh match of the one-on-one life-and-death Martial Soul fight in our Third Sub-Arena."
The host's voice was booming. A yellow Soul Ring shone beneath his feet, amplifying his voice several times over, making it clearly audible even in the furthest corners.
"Appearing this time are two Spirit Grandmasters. One is our old acquaintance, the 'Head-Hunting Madman' Gan Kang, with the Hyena Martial Soul, currently on a seven-match winning streak."
As soon as he finished speaking, a lean, hunched middle-aged man appeared on the stage.
His gaze was sinister and cruel, just like a real Hyena's.
The moment he appeared, the entire venue erupted in a wild roar; clearly, this man was very popular.
"Pfft, little trash!"
Xiao Wu, already seated in the spectator stands, curled her lip in utter disdain.
"The other is our newly arrived newcomer, the Blade Ghost Spirit Grandmaster, with a Blade Martial Soul."
When Lin Yang came out, a burst of boos immediately rang out from the stands.
Compared to the ferocious and ruthless Gan Kang, this 'Blade Ghost' had a resounding name, but he didn't look intimidating at all. Could he be a'silver-plated spearhead'—all show and no substance?
"Haha, this little chick will probably be eaten by the Hyena in a single round."
"Kid, go home and drink some milk!" someone jeered.
Lin Yang was deaf to these foul words and simply stood on the stage in silence.
"It seems I am indeed lucky today," Gan Kang said, licking his lips, his bloodshot eyes carrying a hint of secret joy and cruelty.
Lin Yang ignored him, simply closing his eyes to wait for the Martial Soul fight to begin.
"Ladies and gentlemen, will our Spirit Grandmaster Gan Kang continue his streak to eight wins, or will our Spirit Grandmaster Blade Ghost show us a brilliant debut? Let us wait and see."
Seeing that the atmosphere was primed, the host stopped wasting words and simply said, "Let the Martial Soul fight begin!"
As soon as the words fell, Gan Kang transformed into a yellow afterimage, rushing toward Lin Yang.
One white and one yellow Soul Ring circled around him, their light flowing.
"Kid, this isn't a place for a little young master like you. Try to be smarter in your next life."
With a mocking sneer on his face, Gan Kang's hands were already coated in a cold, claw-like light as he lunged fiercely for Lin Yang's head.
Seeing the distance closing, he could almost see the scene of brains bursting in his hands in the next moment.
At that moment, Lin Yang opened his eyes. His dark pupils were filled with indifference, as calm as a surface without a single ripple.
Something's wrong!
The instincts honed from years of slaughter made Gan Kang's heart turn cold, instantly sensing something was amiss.
He immediately braked and retreated violently.
Want to leave?
Too late!
Lin Yang moved. He didn't summon his Martial Soul; he simply raised his hand, pinned Gan Kang's head like lightning, and slammed it down with force.
Boom!
The floor, made of cut Gray Essence Rock, shattered into a crater at the impact.
Gan Kang lay paralyzed among the rubble, bleeding from his seven facial orifices. After a few twitches, he stopped moving altogether.
Time seemed to freeze at this moment.
The surrounding spectators, who a second ago were wearing playful smirks waiting for a good show, now had their expressions frozen on their faces.
The noisy air was cut off as if by an invisible giant hand, and the entire venue fell into a dead silence.
However, after only a few short seconds, a roar even more chaotic than before seemed ready to lift the roof off.
Shock! Suspicion! Excitement! Ecstasy!
All sorts of expressions mirrored the many faces of humanity.
Everyone's eyes were wide, seemingly trying to see exactly who this young man behind the mask was.
Lin Yang shook his hand and then turned to the host, saying softly,
"Can you announce the result now?"
Hearing this, the host also snapped back to his senses and hurriedly announced Blade Ghost as the winner.
Upon returning to the waiting area, Lin Yang could clearly feel the wariness the others had toward him.
Walking to the spectator area from another exit, he found Xiao Wu and sat down next to her, saying in a deep voice,
"Are you ready?"
Xiao Wu took a deep breath and nodded heavily: "I'm ready."