Chapter 111: The True Nature of a Hellcat (Part 5)

Flandre shook his head. "No, you're wrong. I don't particularly like places like the Grand Battle Arena either, but I have to admit that the Grand Battle Arena is absolutely an important venue for demonstrating the value of Soul Masters. You're thinking about it too simply. The Grand Battle Arena has its own complete system, and you could say it's a special faction unto itself. It was jointly established by the seven most prestigious Soul Master families on the entire continent, and it doesn't belong to either of the two great empires or Spirit Hall — you could call it a third-party force. It's wealthy enough to rival a nation. Soul Masters who become famous in the Grand Battle Arena become shining stars throughout the entire country, not only earning enormous wealth but also gaining tremendous fame. Moreover, the Grand Battle Arena is a relatively fair place — even if you kill the heir of some major family here, you don't need to worry about retaliation. That's its fairness."

At this point, a dazzling light shone in Flandre's eyes. "A Martial Soul's rank is a marker of a Soul Master's strength, and Soul Rings are the best way to express that. However, that doesn't represent a Soul Master's true ability. Only a title earned through one's own effort in the Grand Battle Arena is the best reflection of one's real strength."

"After any level of Soul Master enters the Grand Battle Arena, they're simply designated by the term 'Battle.' After winning your first match, you receive a badge. After that, every victory earns a certain number of points. When your points reach a threshold, your badge rank is upgraded. This badge is a symbol of your rank in the Grand Battle Arena, and it's recognized across all major cities on the entire continent. The benefits of a high-ranked badge are numerous — I won't go into detail. Badge ranks are distinguished by the quality of minerals, starting from the lowest: Iron Badge, or Iron Battle Soul, then progressing upward through Copper, Silver, Gold, Purple Gold, Sapphire, Ruby, and Diamond. Eight ranks in total."

At this point, Flandre's gaze swept across the five students before him one by one. "Your mission is to earn at least a Silver Battle Soul badge before graduation. Understood?"

"Don't think earning a Silver Battle Soul badge is easy. Mubai and Hongjun have been competing here in actual combat for over a year. Mubai, tell the three of them what the requirements are for advancing badge ranks here, and what your records look like."

As he spoke, Flandre calmly took a sip of the mediocre tea in front of him. He had been running Shrek Academy for twenty years, so he naturally knew what teaching approach was most effective for students. It was to spark their interest — in anything you do, if you start with interest, everything becomes twice as efficient with half the effort.

Those who could be selected for Shrek Academy were undoubtedly monster-like children. These students, whether you called them monsters or geniuses, simply couldn't be taught using conventional methods.

Dai Mubai said, "I started competing in the Sotuo Grand Battle Arena when I was Rank 29. I've fought a total of fifty-six matches, and my current record is twenty-nine wins and twenty-seven losses. My current points are two. Advancing from Iron Battle Soul to Copper Battle Soul requires one hundred points. Each victory earns one point, but each loss deducts one point as well. If you win more than five matches in a row, then each additional consecutive win increases your points by ten directly. If you win more than ten in a row, the next win adds a hundred points. Even once your points reach the Copper Battle Soul threshold and you successfully advance, if your points drop below one hundred, your Copper Battle Soul qualification will be revoked. Advancing from Copper Battle Soul to Silver Battle Soul requires one thousand points. In matches between Copper Battle Souls, each victory earns ten points, and each loss deducts ten points. The consecutive win bonus ratio is the same as for Iron Battle Souls."

Tang San had some understanding of Dai Mubai's strength, and hearing this, he was secretly shocked. "Mubai, with your strength, you've only won twenty-nine and lost twenty-seven? How is that possible? Your Martial Soul should be one of the most powerful among Beast Martial Souls."

Dai Mubai smiled bitterly. "Nothing is impossible. The Grand Battle Arena isn't such an easy place to navigate. There are three types of competition here. The first is called a Duel — it's a sparring-style match, which follows the rules I just described. Competitors are grouped by rank, or rather by the number of Soul Rings. The moment you gain an additional Soul Ring, you can only participate in the next group's duels. When I was Rank 29, I won four matches in a row and was about to start earning the tenfold points for a streak, but my strength had also advanced to Rank 30 and I obtained my third Soul Ring. After that, I lost more than ten matches in a row, and my points went negative. At three Soul Rings, a Rank 30 version of me stood no chance against opponents at Rank 38 or 39. To earn a winning streak here, you'd have to compete at Rank 29 for a while, then stop once you hit Rank 30, and only resume competing at Rank 39 — then it might be possible. But our goal is real combat experience, so we can't do that. Naturally, my record suffered a bit. Even my points are lower than Fatty's."

Ma Hongjun chimed in, "So far I've fought thirty-three matches — twenty-one wins, twelve losses. Nine points."

Flandre glanced at the sky outside. "About time. Let's head over, and I'll fill you in on the rest of the details once we're there."

He paid for the tea, and the group of six walked out of the teahouse, heading toward the Sotuo Grand Battle Arena.

As they drew closer, the awe inspired by the Grand Battle Arena grew even more overwhelming. When Tang San and Xiao Wu had first arrived in Sotuo City, they hadn't visited this part of the city, so they'd never noticed that there was such a magnificent building hidden within it.

(End of Chapter)