Devouring Soul Emperor

"Oh? There’s something like that? Then how do you become a Gold Medal Captain?"

Xia He couldn’t help but ask.

With his personality, now that he knew about it, he was naturally itching to give it a try.

"You have to go to the Merit Assessment Office. There’s a massive Illusion Array there... Er, we’re at the gambling arena. Come on, Chu. Before you get on the stage, you and the others need to get the bet notarized first."

The three of them continued talking and soon arrived at the gambling arena.

However, none of them noticed two people following them from a distance, all the way from the captains’ quarters to the gambling arena.

One of them was someone Chu Qingyun and the others recognized: Grand Commander Chu Yu.

The other person had a gentle expression, yet he carried a natural air of authority. Even Grand Commander Chu Yu was exceptionally respectful toward him.

This person was one of the Six Great Army Commanders of the Great Xia Dragon Guard: the Celestial Wind Army Master.

"Chuyu, is that the Chu Qingyun you recommended for the last spot on the elite squad? Daring to accept a challenge from eighteen captains... he’s got guts."

The Celestial Wind Army Master said with a smile.

Grand Commander Chu Yu chuckled and said, "As far as I know, all eighteen of those captains are under Grand Commander Liu. Chu Qingyun and Liu Canghai’s bad blood goes back to their time in Flame City."

Hearing this, the Celestial Wind Army Master simply nodded without saying anything.

To him, this was a trivial matter. As long as it didn’t blow up, he couldn’t be bothered to intervene.

"Lord Military Commander, I have seen Chu Qingyun’s strength with my own eyes. It far surpasses that of an ordinary Gold Medal Captain. He is more than qualified to join the elite squad."

"Furthermore, he is only an eighth-level Martial Artist. He still has room to improve before reaching the Half-Step Martial Spirit realm."

"More importantly, the last remaining spot is for someone with a Control-type Soul. Chu Qingyun’s Martial Soul is the Tier Three Ten-Star Vine, and his control over it is nothing short of perfect!"

"This subordinate believes he is the most suitable candidate for this final spot!"

"Haha, Chuyu, it’s rare to hear such high praise from you. Now that you’ve put it that way, I’m genuinely curious," the Celestial Wind Army Master said with a laugh.

"My lord, shall I call him over for you to see?"

"No need. Since we’re here to see his strength, watching him on the gambling stage will naturally be clearer than a face-to-face meeting. Let’s use this opportunity to see if he’s as formidable as you claim, even without his Spirit Level Treasure Sword."

Grand Commander Chu Yu had recommended Chu Qingyun to the Celestial Wind Army Master, mentioning that he had slain a Half-Step Martial Spirit expert. Intrigued, the Celestial Wind Army Master had wanted to seek him out for a look.

Unexpectedly, they ran into the matter of the eighteen captains issuing a challenge, so the two of them simply followed along from behind to watch.

The gambling arena had a designated office for notarizing and recording the terms of the matches.

At this moment, several staff members there were looking strangely at Chu Qingyun and the eighteen captains.

"Captain Chu Qingyun, are you sure you want to accept a gambling match against all eighteen of these captains? I must remind you, these matches are consecutive, with no time to rest in between."

The person in charge of the gambling arena kindly reminded Chu Qingyun.

Chu Qingyun nodded. "I accept."

Then, the man turned to Meng Chengde and the other seventeen. "And you eighteen, are you sure you want to accept the terms? If you lose, you’ll pay out double the Military Merits?"

"I should also remind you that any Military Merits lost at this gambling arena must be paid back, no matter what. It will be recorded on your Tokens, and until the debt is cleared, you won’t even be able to enter the exchange office."

The eighteen men looked at each other and all nodded. "We agree!"

The person in charge of the gambling arena shook his head. ’Strange things happen every year, but this year’s especially full of them. One guy wants to fight eighteen, and the other side wants to pay double the Military Merits...’

However, the terms of the bet were decided by the parties involved. The gambling arena’s duty was merely to record the agreement and supervise the match.

Once the eighteen betting agreements were recorded, the gambling match officially began!

With a light leap, Chu Qingyun jumped over the crowd surrounding the stage and landed on it. "Alright, who’s first?"

Instantly, all eyes focused on Meng Chengde.

Clearly, he was the leader of the eighteen.

The importance of the first battle was self-evident. Regardless of the outcome or how fiercely they fought, it would have a major impact on morale.

Meng Chengde pondered for a moment before saying, "Duan Feichen, you’re up first. Don’t be careless!"

Among the eighteen, a burly captain laughed heartily, leaped up, and jumped onto the stage. "Hahaha, watch me cripple him! The rest of you can just sit back and wait for a free win!"

When Duan Feichen took the stage, the crowd below erupted.

"Damn, they’re sending Duan Feichen up first? They’re not giving him a chance. That kid is screwed."

"The difference in strength is too great. They have five Gold Medal Captains. Even if the kid manages to brute-force a win against one or two, once his Primordial Power is depleted and he’s exhausted, he’ll still lose all the rest." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"This gambling match is obviously a trap. That kid’s an idiot for jumping right into it. He’s just asking to die!"

"Heh heh, some people pass one little assessment and think they’re some kind of peerless genius. They have to take a hard fall before they realize they’re nothing..."

The vast majority of the crowd didn’t believe that Chu Qingyun, this unknown newcomer, could win.

Sun Daxiong and Xia He also wore grave expressions.

Without his Spirit Level Divine Weapon in hand, could Chu Qingyun really defeat Meng Chengde and the seventeen others in a row?

Xia He pulled his hands into his sleeves, gently touching the Storage Ring on his finger. He took out a small box and held it in his palm.

’Chu Qingyun, if you really are no match for them, I’ll give you this precious Violent Yuan Pill. It’s one of my life-saving trump cards, a true Elixir. This should be enough to repay the favor from our last bet, and I won’t have to be your lackey anymore...’

Xia He thought to himself.

Although Xia He had never admitted to being Chu Qingyun’s lackey, he wasn’t one to go back on his word. He had always remembered their bet.

Although Grand Commander Chu Yu and the Celestial Wind Army Master were some distance away, they could still clearly hear the discussions from the crowd below the stage.

"Chuyu, that Meng Chengde is quite a character. He knows the first battle is important and seems to have sent up a tough opponent. Looks like Chu Qingyun is in for some trouble..."

The Celestial Wind Army Master said softly.

Grand Commander Chu Yu shook his head. "Trouble? I wouldn’t call it that. Even without his Spirit Level Treasure Sword, given his strength, dealing with a Gold Medal Captain should be easy for him."

Having personally witnessed the power Chu Qingyun could unleash, Grand Commander Chu Yu had immense confidence in him.

On the stage, after both sides nodded in acknowledgment, the referee announced, "First match: Gold Medal Captain Duan Feichen versus regular Captain Chu Qingyun!"

"Begin!"