The happiest person in this victory was undoubtedly the little devil Ning Rongrong. Her first time gambling, she won a fortune.
Ning Rongrong cheered excitedly for Ma Hongjun and shared her joy of winning 500,000 gold coins with Zhu Zhuqing and the others around her, becoming the happiest little princess.
Her prince had won a victory for her.
Ye Lingling looked at Ning Rongrong with some envy, her lips curving into a smile, also infected by this joy.
Although Ning Rongrong was willful, she had collected all their gold coins to bet on Ma Hongjun's victory, which showed her absolute trust in him.
And their willingness to give the gold coins to Ning Rongrong without hesitation also showed their trust in Ma Hongjun.
Ye Lingling turned her head to look at the center of the Soul Arena, where the red-haired boy stood in the very center of the crowd's attention.
"He always gives people a sense of security!"
Ye Lingling's heart was stirred again. From Ma Hongjun, she could truly feel that sense of security. It wasn't just a feeling derived from his strength, but rather related to his character.
Ma Hongjun was the kind of person who was easygoing yet sincere, and it was very relaxing to be around him.
This wasn't just a feeling Ye Lingling had; others felt the same way.
Being with Ma Hongjun was simply a matter of
peace of mind.
Ye Lingling vividly remembered that in Wuhun City, she was the first to be knocked off the competition stage by the fusion of Xie Yue and Hu Liena, and it was Ma Hongjun who immediately picked her up from the ground.
That feeling was indescribable; it might have been an unintentional gesture, but it deeply touched her heart.
Ye Lingling often felt that she had been lonely for too long, which was why she had so many illusions. Her relationship with Ma Hongjun was merely a casual one, and she shouldn't have so many images of him lingering in her mind.
But this man always attracted so much attention.
"Why is he so handsome!"
Bai Chenxiang stared resentfully at Ma Hongjun in the center of the stage, her gaze unwavering.
Ye Lingling, seeing Bai Chenxiang's expression, finally realized what was happening. Ma Hongjun had entered her heart so silently because of Bai Chenxiang.
Ever since Ma Hongjun had seen her naked, Bai Chenxiang harbored a deep resentment towards him. Although she knew it was a misunderstanding, she still constantly talked about Ma Hongjun to Ye Lingling.
At first, she was just a rascal, constantly using vulgar language, but gradually her tone changed.
She started saying good things about Ma Hongjun, like how handsome he was, how powerful his martial spirit was, and how likable he was. She
also spoke ill of him, calling him a womanizer, shameless, and irresponsible.
In short, since being seen naked by Ma Hongjun, Bai Chenxiang's topics about him increased daily, whether good or bad; she could say something about anything related to Ma Hongjun.
It was during the finals in Wuhun City that Ma Hongjun hugged her again, further stirring her heart.
This trip with Ma Hongjun was actually Bai Chenxiang's initial decision, with Ye Lingling reluctantly agreeing.
Having always been inseparable from Bai Chenxiang, she was naturally deeply influenced by her, and unknowingly, she had developed a strong impression of Ma Hongjun through constant exposure.
Although she was searching for her parents, her strength was insufficient to reach the core of the Wuhun Hall, so she placed her hopes on a powerful and promising soul master like Ma Hongjun.
For support soul masters, a strong partner is paramount, and Ma Hongjun was Ye Lingling's best choice.
She also longed for a protector and companion like Ma Hongjun.
Unaware that he had already stirred the hearts of two young girls,
Ma Hongjun sheathed his Dragon Soul Spear, quickly stepped off the stage, and helped Yang Feng up.
He was a worthy opponent; during their battle, they had developed a mutual respect.
Yang Feng's injuries were severe; the wound in his abdomen could no longer be closed, and blood gushed out in large gushes.
During the final strike, neither side held back; in a battle between experts, blades and spears are indiscriminate, and losing one's life is commonplace—being injured was the best-case scenario.
Yang Feng desperately needed treatment; his internal organs had been damaged by the shock, and if his condition wasn't stabilized quickly, he might suffer lasting injuries.
Ma Hongjun glanced at the audience, but with tens of thousands of people, he couldn't immediately find Ye Lingling's location.
"Bear with it, I'll help you."
Ma Hongjun felt they couldn't wait any longer; Yang Feng's life was hanging by a thread.
Yang Feng frowned, his breathing labored. He looked at Ma Hongjun, puzzled, not understanding how Ma Hongjun could help him.
Ma Hongjun lifted him up and leaned him against a pillar.
The audience was preparing to leave, but seeing Ma Hongjun's actions, they all turned their attention to him.
Amidst the curious gazes of the crowd, Ma Hongjun summoned the Dragon Soul Spear once more.
And then, his fifth spirit ring lit up.
The black spirit ring became particularly eye-catching at this moment, and the shock in the eyes of tens of thousands of people was hard to hide.
"He's going to kill someone!"
"Is he crazy?"
"He doesn't take the Great Spirit Arena seriously at all."
"That's not all! He's already won, yet he still resorts to such ruthless tactics."
"He's a werewolf!"
...
The audience was already in an uproar, and the organizers rushed to the arena.
Yang Feng stared wide-eyed at Ma Hongjun, filled with disbelief. His dark face tightened as he struggled to get up.
"What are you doing? I've already lost."
Yang Feng panicked. Ma Hongjun's "helping" meant ending his suffering and sending him on his way.
And with his fifth soul skill! Now he had no power to resist, yet Ma Hongjun was using his fifth soul skill—a skill he hadn't used during the battle.
Was this to let him witness his strongest soul skill before he died?
In normal thinking, the power of a soul ring usually increases with its level.
A silver spear spirit, a power-attack type soul master—who would have thought he had a healing soul skill?
"You're too badly injured, let me help you." As
Ma Hongjun spoke, the light of his fifth soul ring was transmitted to the spear, illuminating the emerald green patterns on the Dragon Soul Spear.
Ma Hongjun raised his gun, aiming it at Yang Feng's already ripped abdomen.
Yang Feng's eyes widened in horror and rage, and he hysterically shouted,
"Screw you... cough cough..."
Ma Hongjun thrust the gun forward, the tip piercing Yang Feng's abdomen.
"Ah... cough cough..."
After coughing up two mouthfuls of blood, Yang Feng actually fainted.
"He couldn't hold on that fast!"
Ma Hongjun sighed inwardly.
He accelerated the flow of soul power into Yang Feng's body. His fifth soul skill, the Wooden Spear, should actually be called the Spear of Life.
As the life power entered Yang Feng's body, the wound stopped bleeding.
At this moment, the audience erupted in chaos. Those who had been shouting were now cursing loudly. After all, from any angle, Ma Hongjun looked like he was killing someone.
Yang Feng still had many supporters. Although he had just lost, they didn't want him to die.
One-on-one soul battles are games of strategy, not killing. This wasn't a team battle; Ma Hongjun's actions had violated the rules.
Zhu Zhuqing and the others knew about Ma Hongjun's fifth soul skill, but the scene was too chaotic; with tens of thousands of voices, no one could control them.
Fortunately, there was a transparent crystal separating the arena from the audience seating area; otherwise, the indignant spectators might have rushed down to gang up on Ma Hongjun.
"Stop!"
"How dare you! You dare to kill someone in the Great Soul Arena! No matter who you are, you will be punished!"
Two middle-aged men appeared behind Ma Hongjun, both with six soul rings.
Ma Hongjun panicked and immediately realized his actions had caused a misunderstanding.
It was indeed hard to imagine a gun having a healing effect.
Moreover, Ma Hongjun had used this method of stabbing him in to heal.
"Hey, don't misunderstand, I'm healing him,"
Ma Hongjun quickly explained.
"Misunderstanding! You've already stuck the gun in! Do you think we're blind?"
The middle-aged man said, activating his soul rings, ready to attack.
"Sometimes the eyes can deceive. Of course, you don't know the truth.
My fifth soul skill has a healing effect."
Ma Hongjun said, slowly pulling out his Dragon Soul Spear. Green light flickered at Yang Feng's wound, and as the spearhead emerged, the wound healed at a visible speed.
Seeing this, the two Soul Emperors stopped their soul skills.
"Ah~"
As soon as the spear was pulled out, Yang Feng was awakened again.
Seeing Yang Feng awake, Ma Hongjun also put away his martial soul, and the two Soul Emperors finally believed Ma Hongjun's words.
This scene shocked the audience even more. Ma Hongjun's strength had already been demonstrated, and now he even had a healing soul skill.
Yang Feng felt the injuries in his body. There was a dense energy in his abdomen.
This energy was nourishing his internal organs, giving him some energy.
Yang Feng looked at Ma Hongjun with complicated feelings,
but ultimately did not say a word of thanks. Although he understood that Ma Hongjun was healing him, this method was indeed hard for him to accept.
Such a large spearhead, inserted so suddenly, without any preparation.
"Hehe!"
Ma Hongjun gave Yang Feng an awkward smile.
Yang Feng nodded, bowed slightly, and then turned and left through the passage.
Originally, Yang Feng had planned to ask Ma Hongjun for pointers on marksmanship, but after this treatment, the shot made him abandon the idea.
Ma Hongjun also felt a bit of fear from that shot, thinking back to when he used the Dragon Beard Needle to prick Dai Mubai and Tang San, which caused the two to resent him for a long time.
Using such a large needle to prick Yang Feng this time was quite a feat for him.
With no excitement to watch, the audience began to disperse.
The competition ended late at night. Ma Hongjun had originally planned to just have a casual match to warm up before going to the Grand Soul Arena to discuss the Fairy Robe Pavilion matter.
However, unexpectedly, his match was scheduled for the last one.
After Ma Hongjun met up with Zhu Zhuqing and the others, they went to the lobby and, through the receptionist, met the person in charge of the Grand Soul Arena.
"Manager Liu, they've arrived,"
the receptionist said respectfully, leading Ma Hongjun and the others to the reception room.
To Ma Hongjun and the others' surprise, a graceful woman emerged from the inner room.
The person in charge of the Star Luo Grand Soul Arena was actually a middle-aged woman, still possessing considerable charm. Her most striking feature was her impressive bust, even more robust than Zhu Zhuqing's, making her a very charismatic woman.
Ma Hongjun produced a letter of introduction from the Zhang family in the Heaven Dou Empire, a letter of recommendation he had Zhang Gan write before coming.
"Manager Liu, hello. This is a letter from Zhang Gan of the Zhang family of Tian Dou, sent on my behalf.
We're looking for a collaboration with your Grand Soul Arena,"
Ma Hongjun said, handing over the letter of introduction and getting straight to the point.
It was already late at night. Although the Grand Soul Arena was open at night, it was too late to waste time haggling.
Business is about integrity and profit. This collaboration was supposed to be a win-win situation, and Ma Hongjun didn't need to beat around the bush, since both parties were in charge and could make decisions on a whim.
Manager Liu took the letter but didn't open it immediately. She received many such letters; the contents were usually similar, the main difference being who recommended them.
After glancing at Ma Hongjun, Manager Liu turned her gaze to Zhu Zhuqing.
Her gaze towards Zhu Zhuqing was gentle, as if she knew her.
Zhu Zhuqing also looked at her, but there was some confusion in her eyes; it was clear that Zhu Zhuqing didn't recognize her.
"Zhuqing?"
Manager Liu asked tentatively, but it sounded more like a greeting, as if she knew Zhuqing but was seeing her for the first time.
"Yes, and you are?"
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes softened, as if she had guessed the other person's identity.
"Hehe, I knew it was you. You should call me... Auntie!"
Manager Liu smiled gently.
"Auntie!"
Zhu Zhuqing called out, without doubting the other person's identity.
"Sit, all of you sit!"
Ma Hongjun and the others sat down, having unexpectedly encountered a relative.
Manager Liu tore open the letter and quickly read it through.
She paused to think for a moment, then said,
"I already know your purpose. Regarding the cooperation with Fairy Robe Pavilion, I cannot make a decision alone.
We need someone else's consent. As long as she agrees, I can help you facilitate cooperation not only in the Star Luo City Grand Soul Arena, but even in the entire Star Luo Empire's Grand Soul Arena.
Well then, it's already quite late.
Tomorrow, Zhuqing, you bring him along. The two of you come together. I'll let you know whether we can cooperate then."
Manager Liu said with a smile.
Then he took Zhu Zhuqing's hand and whispered a few words to her alone.
When they came out of the Great Soul Arena, the moon and stars were sparse.
"Hongjun, let's take a walk alone!"
Zhu Zhuqing said, pulling Ma Hongjun along.
"You guys go back first!"
Yu Tianheng, Ning Rongrong, and the others went back first.
Ma Hongjun and Zhu Zhuqing strolled along the streets again. The streets were deserted, the empty avenues feeling somewhat desolate.
They had no destination in mind, just wandering aimlessly, avoiding the bustling streets.
This scene seemed to transport them back to that night in Soto City, when Ma Hongjun and Zhu Zhuqing had also strolled through the streets at night. He
remembered that night when he, Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, and Xiang Chengxian finally clarified their relationship.
It was also on that night that Ma Hongjun took Zhu Zhuqing's virginity.
"Zhuqing, did you call me out alone because you want to talk to me about something?"
"Can't you just walk with me alone if there's nothing wrong?"
"Of course not."
"Hmph, man."
"Little kitty, are you trying to hog everything?"
"Pah, dream on! I'm all alone now, I don't want to suffer."
"Oh!"
"Tomorrow, you're coming with me to meet my mother."
"Meet your mother!"
"What, you don't want to!"
"Of course not!"
"Hmph, men!"
...
Master Liu really is Zhu Zhuqing's aunt. The Liu family is one of the founding families of the Great Soul Arena and holds considerable influence in the Star Luo Empire.
Zhu Zhuqing's mother, Liu Yan, is the eldest daughter of the Liu family.
Besides being the wife of the Duke, she is also one of the leaders of the Star Luo City Great Soul Arena.
Because Zhu Zhuqing grew up in the Duke's mansion and later left for the Heaven Dou Empire, she is not familiar with her mother's family.
As the two walked, the road ahead became increasingly remote.
Suddenly, they heard the sounds of fighting.
In the dim sky ahead, the light of soul rings flickered.
"Invincible Divine Spear, your spear isn't very powerful.
Has it gone soft?
Haha..."
Brothers, I recommend a book
titled "I Have a Billion-Dollar Talent"
by Iron-Headed.