"Lu Ping is already being suppressed. Just look at him—he can barely stand…"
He swallowed hard, regretting that he hadn't pushed harder earlier. Betting in the Spirit Arena was fully legal, and everyone—literally everyone—had placed their money on Yu Ming. After all, the "Dragon God" was a celebrity. He was a gold badge fighter in the Soul King category.
Only Manager Wang had gone against the tide. And now it looked like he had thrown his gold down a pit.
But Manager Wang simply narrowed his eyes, expression unreadable.
"Relax," he said calmly. "The match isn't over. And besides…" His lips curled into the faintest smile, "I believe in the strength of Angel's Hound."
The pseudonym used by Lu Ping in Spirit Arena was Angel's Hound.
But Manager Wang didn't elaborate. His gaze remained fixed on Lu Ping, who was still fighting desperately against the Azure Dragon's aura.
----
Among the Main Audience Stands, not far away, hidden in the sea of spectators, another man watched silently.
Chen Dao, another reincarnator but he was from Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
At Yu Ming's oppressive display, he snorted coldly.
"Utterly deplorable," he muttered under his breath. "Coming to the Spirit Arena is to hone one's fighting ability. Relying on suppression techniques like that means you're actually… afraid of your opponent."
The spectators seated beside him didn't hear him—too busy cheering for the so-called Dragon God. But Chen Dao knew better.
His mind drifted back to the matches during the last tournament, the finals had taken place in the Spirit City, he had attended as a guest with clan leader, Ning Fengzhi. Yu Ming had led a team there as well—yet despite his overwhelming personal strength…
They had suffered defeat at the hands of the Spirit Hall team.
And he remembered why it happened.
A figure flashed before his mind's eye—a young man standing calmly in the fighting arena…
Holding a cudgel.
Chen Dao exhaled, eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
"Jiang Mo…" he whispered, almost to himself.
A prodigy who had surfaced out of nowhere.
A prodigy whose strength had grown so rapidly that it defied common sense.
And Chen Dao could never forget the sense of oppressive pressure that young man had given off—far beyond what someone of his age should possess. Jiang Mo was a Soul sage, but the oppression given by him would have made some weaker Soul Douluo sweat buckets.
His gaze shifted back to the arena.
'Jiang Mo… are you truly a native of this world?' he wondered silently. 'Even Qian Renxue—the most gifted genius in all of Douluo—didn't reach such heights at your age.'
And Chen Dao was assessing Qian Renxue's strength based on his knowledge of the original novel.
He never knew her gaze had already fallen on him and the reason he was still alive because she deemed that he was a good source of sword styles for her.
----
On the arena platform, the crowd roared as Yu Ming raised his arms, basking in the overwhelming adoration. His dragon mask gleamed under the arena lights, and the faint aura of his domain—Beast Sanctuary—spread like an invisible storm.
"Mine martial soul is the Azure Dragon," Yu Ming declared proudly, voice echoing. "The suppression you feel now comes from the suppression of a superior bloodline—and my domain: Beast Sanctuary!"
His dragon scales pulsed with blue light, and the pressure intensified, causing loose gravel on the arena floor to tremble.
But then…Yu Ming noticed something.
Lu Ping—who had been kneeling moments ago—was murmuring softly.
Not the desperate gasping of a beaten fighter.
But a prayer.
Yu Ming stepped closer, narrowing his eyes to hear the words.
He only caught the last fragment—yet it made his heart jolt.
"—who masters dreams and memories.I pray for your protection.I pray for your blessing."
Yu Ming's scalp tingled.
Before Yu Ming could scoff, Lu Ping suddenly looked up.
His once-amber eyes were now blazing—lit with a hellish, unwavering determination.
Flames erupted violently from his hands, coating his arms in bloody-red fire as a soul ring lit up beneath his feet.
"Fourth Soul Skill: Claws of Hell!"
Lu Ping's voice thundered across the arena.
And then—
He instinctively summoned his own fourth soul ring.
"Fourth Soul Skill: Dragon's Strength!"
Blue light surged across Yu Ming's body, his muscles bulging. Defense and strength—increased by fifty percent. His arms hardened with layered azure scales as he braced for Lu Ping's incoming strike.
He expected a direct clash.
A reckless head-on attack.
After all, Lu Ping had always fought like a frontal berserker.
But instead—
Lu Ping ducked.
Yu Ming's eyes widened.
And before he could adjust—
BANG!
Lu Ping drove a brutal jab straight into Yu Ming's abdomen.
Despite the layers of dragon scales, the impact was terrifying.
Yu Ming's vision blurred for a heartbeat.
A burst of bile surged into his throat, burning with acid. He choked back the taste, mind reeling.
'How?My defense was boosted by 50%… yet he still shook me?'
Yu Ming stumbled back half a step, clutching his stomach.
During this time, Yu Ming noticed that the black ring behind Lu Ping suddenly flared .
A chill crawled up Yu Ming's spine.
"Sixth Soul Skill: Magma Melt."
Lu Ping's voice was low, steady, almost eerily calm.The air around his fists twisted—red-gold liquid fire seeped from his palm like molten metal dripping from a divine forge.
Yu Ming instinctively pulled back, but—
Lu Ping moved first.
He leaned in close, his whisper brushing Yu Ming's ear like a brand:
"I only bow down to one person…"
Before Yu Ming could raise his guard, Lu Ping's fist shot upward, the magma-coated knuckles smashing squarely into his chin.
There was a sharp crack!The heat scorched even the Azure Dragon scales.A blinding flash crossed Yu Ming's vision—then everything turned dark.
As consciousness slipped away, Yu Ming reflected bitterly:
'If I hadn't underestimated him… … this battle might have ended differently.'
But regret came too late.