Clothes make the man, just as a saddle makes the horse.
After the two of them showered and changed into fresh clothes, it was as if they had become entirely different people. Gone was the dusty, travel-worn appearance from days of sleeping outdoors and constant journeying. Instead, they carried the refined air of young nobles from wealthy families.
Once they left the inn, they chose the highest-rated restaurant in the city and requested a private room. The moment they picked up the menu, they ordered wildly. They were both soul masters who had also cultivated breathing techniques. Their daily energy consumption was naturally high, so there was no need to worry about waste.
Along the way, they had mostly eaten roasted meat paired with dry rations. No matter how good Lin Yang's cooking was, eating the same thing every day eventually became tiresome. Now was the perfect time to change things up.
After handing the marked menu to the waiter, the waiter smiled and said, "Our restaurant's signature dish is soul-style roasted meat. Would you two like to—"
"No." Before he could finish, both Lin Yang and Xiao Wu refused expressionlessly.
The waiter's face stiffened for a split second before he quickly nodded. "Understood!"
The restaurant's chef was likely a food-type soul master, as the food arrived extremely quickly. Soon, a large table full of delicious dishes was piled up before the two of them. They weren't in the mood for formalities and simply picked up their chopsticks and began eating. This meal brought all kinds of flavors—sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, salty—greatly revitalizing their dulled taste buds.
After the meal, Lin Yang and Xiao Wu wandered around Suotuo City. While relaxing, they also took the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the city, since they would be staying here for a while.
According to Lin Yang's original plan, he should have gone to enroll in an intermediate soul master academy—preferably the Heaven Dou Intermediate Soul Master Academy. This would give him a chance to advance directly to Heaven Dou Royal Academy and find an opportunity to approach Dugu Bo to obtain immortal herbs. But he had changed his mind. For now, he would settle down in Suotuo City.
For one thing, he was currently at level 27, not far from level 30. It would be better to wait until he reached level 30, obtained his soul ring, and then head straight to Heaven Dou Royal Academy. At the same time, he could use this period to train Xiao Wu more thoroughly. At the very least, until she fully mastered "Clarity," he wouldn't take her running around everywhere.
Moreover, the Balak Kingdom bordered the Fasinuo Province. If they ever wanted to return to Red Maple Village, it would be quite convenient.
While Lin Yang was deep in thought, Xiao Wu elbowed his arm. She was holding two candied haws, one in each hand, and offered one to him. "What are you thinking about? I've been calling you for ages. Here, take it."
Lin Yang accepted the candied haw and replied casually, "I was thinking about how to help you master 'Clarity' as quickly as possible. I already have some ideas."
Xiao Wu's face stiffened. Thinking back to all the suffering she had endured, she shot Lin Yang a fierce glare, as if saying, You really are a devil. But soon she thought of something else. She glanced discreetly at the candied haw in Lin Yang's hand, her eyes filled with quiet expectation.
"Don't look at me like that. It's all for your own good!" Lin Yang spoke in a mature, worldly tone and casually bit into one of the hawthorn berries.
Suddenly, his expression froze slightly. A burst of sour-sweet flavor exploded on his tongue. His cheeks tightened involuntarily, and even his back teeth felt soft and achy.
"Hahahaha…" A string of silvery, bell-like laughter rang out beside him. Xiao Wu held up her own half-eaten candied haw and laughed heartily. Clearly, she had experienced the same intense sourness earlier.
"Serves you right!" Xiao Wu made a funny face, and all the pent-up resentment she had accumulated instantly vanished. However, Lin Yang didn't get angry or annoyed. Instead, he looked at Xiao Wu with a smile and gave her a thumbs-up. "Well done!" His unusually calm reaction made Xiao Wu panic. She quickly tried to explain, "Hey, are you okay? I… I ate one too, you know."
"What could possibly happen to me? Come on, let's go check out that side." Lin Yang discreetly tossed the candied haw in his hand into a nearby trash bin. In his heart, however, he quietly marked this down against the itchy little rabbit. A dark, sinister chuckle echoed in his mind: Stupid rabbit, just enjoy this brief moment of happiness while it lasts.
The little rabbit suddenly shivered and subconsciously glanced at Lin Yang. After seeing that his expression was completely normal, she quietly comforted herself, "It should be fine. It's just one sour hawthorn. He shouldn't be that petty, right?" After reassuring herself several times, the little rabbit tossed the matter to the back of her mind and hopped off cheerfully to find the next interesting thing.
Lin Yang followed slowly behind her, various "inhumane" plans already forming in his mind.
After returning to the inn, the two went to their respective rooms. Late at night, with only faint starlight outside the window casting weak glows into the room, Lin Yang sat cross-legged on the bed, eyes closed, entering deep meditative cultivation. Resting across his lap were "Hizama" and the external soul bone "Hidden Edge" that encased it. A faint silver light surrounded him—it was Ah Yin's Blue Silver Domain. A warm, pale red soul power flowed gently from within his body, brushing over the blade and bone on his legs like a soft breath. Strands of nearly imperceptible soul power quietly seeped into Hidden Edge. In the darkness, Hidden Edge emitted a faint matte glow. The night passed without incident.
The next day, after breakfast, Lin Yang and Xiao Wu packed their things and left the inn. They had already found a small courtyard for rent the day before. Lin Yang liked the surrounding environment, so he rented it directly and paid three months' rent in advance. Today, they moved in. The rooms only had basic furniture. Lin Yang bought some daily necessities and arranged everything, making the place feel quite livable.
In the afternoon, he took Xiao Wu to the city center. Before long, a magnificent and grand building appeared before them. In terms of scale and luxury, even the City Lord's Mansion of Suotuo City could not compare to this structure. This was the sleepless city within Suotuo City—the Suotuo Great Soul Fighting Arena!
The entire arena was oval-shaped, over 120 meters tall, resembling a giant upright egg. It contained one main fighting arena and twenty-four sub-arenas, capable of holding up to sixty thousand spectators at once. It was the battleground where all major forces in Suotuo City competed. It was said that the daily ticket revenue of the Great Soul Fighting Arena alone was at least several hundred thousand gold soul coins. Such massive profits—yet no force dared to touch it. One could only imagine how powerful its background was.
The first thing that caught the eye upon approaching the arena was a tall stone stele—a list of the dead. Lin Yang didn't even glance at it. He led Xiao Wu straight through the main entrance.
At the front desk, Lin Yang stated their purpose: the two of them were here to register for soul fighting. The staff member was used to this and handled the registration smoothly. The process wasn't complicated. They only needed to provide their names, ages, and martial souls, then pay ten gold soul coins as a registration fee to receive the most basic Iron Soul Fighting Badge. Higher ranks included Copper, Silver, Gold, Purple Gold, Sapphire, Ruby, and Diamond.
Of course, Lin Yang and Xiao Wu did not reveal their real information. They wore masks, and both their names and ages were completely fabricated. Lin Yang called himself "Blade Demon," while Xiao Wu went by "Charm Rabbit." In addition, Lin Yang had altered his physique, and Xiao Wu was using "Eye Concealment" to hide her appearance. To outsiders, they looked like two fourteen- or fifteen-year-old youths. No one would connect them to their true identities.
Besides individual fights, they also registered for two-versus-two battles under the team name "Demon Charm Blade Rabbit."
"This name is so casually chosen," Xiao Wu pouted. She had wanted to call it the "Yang-Wu Combination."
"It's just a name. No need to overthink it."
Afterward, under the staff's guidance, they tested their soul power. Lin Yang remained at level 27, but Xiao Wu had broken through to level 17.
"Hmph, surprised? I broke through last night," Xiao Wu said proudly, lifting her chin. "Internal competition—who doesn't know how to do that?" She had learned the term "internal competition" (neijuan) from Lin Yang.
The corner of Lin Yang's mouth curved into a smile. Not bad. As expected, pressure creates motivation. If he didn't push her hard, this rabbit would simply be wasting her talent.