The blade missed its mark, and before one could even catch a glimpse of the afterimage, the neck twisted with a crisp "crack" sound, and instantly a fresh corpse appeared on the field.

"What?! That's incredibly fast!"

Another burly man wielding a meteor hammer showed a look of horror on his face as the hammer, propelled by inertia, struck the corpse whose neck had been swiftly snapped by Qian Yuelong.

Flesh and blood burst open, and internal organs were stuck to the spiky body of the meteor hammer like minced meat.

A thick, pungent smell of blood filled the air. A poisoned blade tore through clothing, leaving a faint mark on the bulging arm. In just a few breaths as he turned to search for his target, a terrifying dark purple hue seeped into his body through his veins.

"Cough!"

His muscles began to spasm, and a large mouthful of blood mixed with black liquid gushed out of the burly man's mouth.

The world before his eyes swayed and overlapped, and the shadow of death appeared silently behind the big man. Before he could react, a fair hand was pressed against his back.

It was icy cold, not like the temperature of a living person.

"The second one."

Qian Yuelong's soft murmur vanished in an instant.

The spiritual energy gathered under his palm was used to break through the protective aura formed by the soul power. Using the technique of hitting a cow from across a mountain, he borrowed the force to strike back and shattered the big man's heart!

The moment the second corpse was unearthed, those who had been standing at the edge, intending to observe further before rushing towards Qian Yuelong, all took a step back in fear when those gray eyes, gleaming with cold light, turned towards them.

As he retreated, another predatory opponent launched an attack.

Under the intimidation of Qian Yuelong, the competitor who was unable to dodge was hit squarely.

But the first blow wasn't fatal.

After realizing he had been stabbed, he gritted his teeth and dodged several other attacks that flew toward him, temporarily surviving at the cost of having one leg pierced through.

Death's march will not stop because of this.

A competitor, lurking in the shadows, seizes the opportunity amidst the chaos to deliver a fatal blow and try to claim the crown.

The dark side of human nature was vividly displayed on this battle platform with a diameter of 100 meters.

Everyone strives to live, stepping over the corpses of others.

With the last opponent looking on incredulously, Qian Yuelong didn't even use her martial spirit. She appeared in front of the panting last opponent with a strange and ethereal movement, and expressionlessly raised her leg to kick him hard in the face.

A loud bang drowned out the sound of bones shattering.

The opponent, his skull shattered and his flesh mangled, lay motionless in the crater. He hesitated for a moment, then fell still.

"......"

The entire room fell silent.

No one expected that this killing contest would end in such a crushing manner.

Qian Yuelong was not injured at all from beginning to end, and even her cloak and robes were not torn.

She was like a ghost.

While people were still racking their brains trying to figure out how to kill their opponent, Qian Yuelong had already silently approached and reaped the lives of him and his opponent, instantly eliminating any agonizing thoughts.

“Victory, the victor... loses.”

The referee, regaining his composure, announced the winner somewhat haltingly.

Just like the rules of the battle arena outside, you can also choose a code name that you like.

But this code name will stay with that Soul Master forever and cannot be changed.

The moment the words fell, the corpse on the platform was suddenly covered with a faint red light.

Their soul power dissipated on the battle stage, flowing towards Qian Yuelong.

Qian Yuelong cautiously tried to retreat, but the referee stopped her, explaining with a smile to the newcomer: "No need to dodge, newcomer. This is a reward from the King of Slaughter to every winner of the Slaughter Arena. You will absorb their soul power to improve your cultivation!"

Qian Yuelong, who was still using her Spirit Vision, was speechless.

The black cloak concealed her face and her indescribable expression.

The direction of the soul power flow was clearly displayed in the vision of the spirit.

Less than a quarter of the soul power flowed to her; the rest went directly to the ground at a 90-degree angle.

It's all just for show, for others to see.

They're taking an even bigger cut than she is.

Although she was disgusted, Qian Yuelong still stood there and pretended to absorb the soul power flowing to her, preparing to convert it into spiritual power when she got back.

What a joke! Her soul power cultivation is already stuck at level 79, just one level away from level 80.

Being in the City of Slaughter, even if her soul power level reached 80, she couldn't go out to hunt soul beasts and obtain soul rings. She had no use for that soul power.

At the edge of the highest tier of the stands, a woman in a black dress, standing in the shadows of one of the entrances, stared in astonishment at Qian Yuelong, who had defeated several opponents without even unleashing her martial spirit. A deep sense of apprehension surfaced in her eyes.

On the other side, in the middle tier of the audience, Hu Liena, dressed discreetly in a cloak like the others, lowered her voice and spoke to Xie Yue, who was sitting next to her and also dressed in a black cloak:

"Brother, don't you think that person's movement technique..." looks a lot like Yue Long's?

Although the body-tempering methods and movement techniques they had practiced over the years were similar, they had become quite familiar with Qian Yuelong's movement techniques through daily sparring within the academy.

And this person, who never even showed his face from beginning to end...

Xie Yue, who was standing next to Hu Liena, had the same feeling.

But as he listened to the names announced by the referee and watched the opponent move during the battle, and saw the occasional wisp or two of black hair fluttering in the air, Xie Yue became less certain.

They might just be people from the Spirit Hall like them.

And what about Gongshu... is that the Soul Master's real name, or just a title?

Xie Yue fell into deep thought.

If Qian Yuelong knew what Xie Yue was thinking, she would probably answer her that it was the name of her wife in her previous life.

If you're going to use meal replacements, then go all the way with them.

"Brother, should we follow them secretly?" Hu Liena stared at the dark figure that disappeared into the entrance passage, recalling the opponent's movements on the battle stage, the sense of familiarity growing stronger.

Xie Yue pondered for a moment and said, "No rush. Since the other side has also come to the City of Slaughter, they are in the same situation as us and cannot leave for the time being. They will also continue the Slaughter Tournament. We can observe for a while longer, especially regarding their Martial Soul."

A person's appearance can be faked, but it is very difficult to fake one's martial spirit.

Especially in this killing city where soul skills cannot be used.

While the possibility of it being a Soul Bone skill cannot be ruled out, it's best to proceed with caution in this city of sin.

So in the following days, Xie Yue and Hu Liena not only registered for the killing tournament in batches, but also paid attention to the matches that Qian Yuelong had registered for.

Neither of them was in a hurry to go find the other.

However, to Xie Yue and Hu Liena's surprise, they discovered that the person who might be Qian Yuelong or "Gongshu," who was also from the Spirit Hall like them, would only sign up for a killing tournament every five or six days.

It's been half a month, and this is the third killing match the other side has participated in.

This greatly surprised the Juanwang siblings, who had participated in five killing matches in half a month.

What exactly is this person doing in the City of Slaughter?

Why do you seem so lazy and unenthusiastic?

—A side note—

Yuelong: Mainly here to undermine others.