Following the mix-up earlier, after defeating Cao, Ye Qin had indeed reached the twentieth round of cultivators.

“Brother Chu, are you considering stepping up for a match?” “Heh heh, Brother Wang, your Golden-element minor divine ability is clearly a cut above mine.

Why don't you take a turn against Fellow Daoist Ye?!” “Well, haha, I’m currently deep in the study of a new technique these past few days.

It’s at a critical juncture, so stepping onto the arena might be inconvenient.

Once I’m done with my research, if no one else has challenged Fellow Daoist Ye yet, I’ll give it some thought.” Inside the Demon Fighting Arena, several exceptionally talented Nascent Soul cultivators were casually discussing who should venture up.

They were the absolute top-tier among the twentieth-round cultivators, and currently, only they possessed the standing to challenge on Platform Ten.

Other cultivators simply lacked the necessary credentials.

Of course, whether they were willing to step up was another matter entirely.

A victory would undoubtedly boost their reputation, but defeat carried severe consequences.

Just as no one made a further challenge and Ye Qin was contemplating leaving the platform, a figure clad in crimson, a woman, soared onto the stage and strode toward him.

The instant the woman in red landed on the platform, the chaotic din of the Demon Fighting Arena instantly fell silent.

Even those top-tier twentieth-round Nascent Soul cultivators who had just been bantering ceased speaking, focusing solely on the stage.

The Spirit Guard cultivator overseeing the platform was taken aback when the woman in red ascended.

He hurried forward, attempting to dissuade her, “Miss Dou, you are a twenty-first-round cultivator, a full tier above the current Platform Master Ye.

According to the rule that higher ranks cannot initiate challenges against lower ranks, you are barred from ascending to challenge! You must wait until Platform Master Ye completes another round before you can issue a challenge!” “Get lost!” The woman in red cast a cold glance at the guard, showing no interest in engaging him further.

The Spirit Guard, swept by her gaze, instantly felt a chill penetrate his bones and retreated, daring not utter another word.

Any cultivator who had spent time in Spirit Demon City knew this ‘Little Demoness’ was notoriously ruthless, fiercely overbearing, and savage—a reputation known throughout the city.

She even held the moniker of the “Little Demoness.” Not only was she the direct, core disciple of the great Lord Dou of Spirit Demon City, but she had also achieved twenty-one consecutive victories in the Demon Fighting Arena, her prestige echoing throughout the entire city.

In the Nascent Soul realm, she was nearly unmatched.

While the Southern Demon Continent boasted cultivators with twenty-one straight wins, those individuals had already broken through to the Soul Transformation realm.

As of now, within the Nascent Soul stage, the woman in red held the highest rank.

A mere Spirit Demon City Guard, a lower-tier Nascent Soul cultivator, would never dare provoke such a figure.

Ye Qin was unaware of the woman in red’s background, only knowing she was a twenty-first-round cultivator.

He pondered whether, in addition to his original six flying swords, he might need to summon his Ice and Thunder element swords to contend with her.

Based on his assessment of the Southern Demon Continent cultivators’ strength, a nineteenth-round cultivator was slightly inferior to the Sect Master of the East Sea Heavenly Dao Alliance or a major figure in the Heavenly Demon Alliance.

A twentieth-round Nascent Soul cultivator was roughly equivalent to the strength of such a Sect Master or major figure.

A twenty-first-round cultivator, he estimated, could match the Ghost Lord.

The Saint Emperor, he surmised, would rank at the twenty-second, perhaps even twenty-third round.

Ye Qin’s Eight Extremes Sword Array, if fully unleashed, should be capable of killing the Ghost Lord, assuming the Ghost Lord didn't flee.

Therefore, he estimated he could likely fight up to the twenty-second round.

Whether he could defeat the Saint Emperor was highly uncertain; he probably had about a fifty-fifty chance.

“I did not ascend here to challenge you!” The woman in red stated calmly.

“Oh? Then why have you come up?” Ye Qin’s brow tightened.

“Since you have defeated the nineteenth-round cultivator, you are now among the most elite twentieth-round Nascent Soul cultivators in Spirit Demon City.

I am in need of a powerful retainer, and I want you to be my chief retainer, serving me! You must know that as a twenty-first-round cultivator, serving me is no disgrace to you.

Naturally, I won't treat you poorly; any prime spiritual treasure I acquire, you will receive a share.

How about it?” The woman in red spoke with an air of utter entitlement, as if Ye Qin becoming her retainer was the most natural thing in the world.

Ye Qin was slightly taken aback.

He had encountered arrogance before, such as that Cao Liangbai.

But he had never encountered anyone as presumptuous as this woman in red, whose full name he didn't even know.

Even the Blood Gourd Ancestor, when trying to recruit him, had used soft persuasion and honeyed words, never speaking with such an imperious tone.

“I want her physical body.

Engage her in a fight immediately and distract her so I can secure this perfect, nearly flawless body with extremely high spiritual roots!” Just as Ye Qin was about to refuse, a sudden, startlingly welcome voice echoed in his mind.

Ye Qin nearly jumped, his expression shifting drastically.

But he quickly realized the source: it was Qing Qiu Li, the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox Demon Saint hidden within the Fire Sword, speaking directly into his consciousness.

Qing Qiu Li had remained utterly silent since embedding herself in the Fire Sword.

Her sudden interjection now caused Ye Qin considerable alarm.

“No! This is in the open, with several Soul Transformation cultivators watching.

If you attempt possession here, how can you hide it from them?! If you expose yourself, you will surely be hunted by Soul Transformation cultivators.

Can you fight them off?” Ye Qin urgently communicated with Qing Qiu Li using his divine sense.

If Qing Qiu Li were captured by a Soul Transformation expert and interrogated, leading to the exposure of the Gray Egg, it would spell colossal trouble—a situation Ye Qin desperately wished to avoid.

“But if I miss this excellent fighting opportunity, it will be hard to find another suitable moment for possession! … Or, you could follow her, find other chances later? Didn't she say she wanted to recruit you as a retainer?” Qing Qiu Li continued to offer reckless suggestions.

“In any case, since you don't want anything to happen to Bing’er, I will find a way to take over her body!” “… Let’s look for another opportunity later.

The Southern Demon Continent is vast.

Even if Senior cannot possess this specific body, there are other cultivators.” Ye Qin was utterly speechless.

Regardless, if Ye Qin did not assist, it would be difficult for Qing Qiu Li to successfully possess a body on her own.

This Southern Demon Continent was not the East Sea Cultivation World where Demon Saints could act with impunity.

If a Demon Saint caused trouble here, it was tantamount to suicide.

In the air above, Ye Qin’s expression shifted complexly, as if wrestling with indecision.

After a long moment, his demeanor returned to normal.

“I prefer to cultivate alone!” Ye Qin shook his head, rejecting the woman in red’s recruitment offer.

A wave of gasps swept through the Demon Fighting Arena.

Many Nascent Soul cultivators were filled with intense jealousy, even indignation.

Those twentieth-round Nascent Soul cultivators all had established factions and backing within Spirit Demon City; it was impossible for the woman in red to recruit them.

As for the lower and mid-tier Nascent Soul cultivators who aspired to become the Little Demoness’s retainer, they were as numerous as carp crossing a river in Spirit Demon City.

Unfortunately, their strength was insufficient, and the Little Demoness paid them no mind.

And yet, this person actually refused her offer.

“You! You court death!” The woman in red was furious.

With a sweep of her crimson sleeve, she prepared to summon her magical artifacts to strike.

“Dou Hongshan, you are making things exceedingly difficult for this ancestor on the Demon Fighting Stage.” At that moment, a cold snort of warning echoed from a spot not far from the platform.

A terrifying pressure, characteristic only of Soul Transformation cultivators, enveloped Platform Ten, seemingly showing a shred of leniency toward the woman in red.

The Demon Fighting Stage had Soul Transformation experts maintaining order, preventing wanton destruction of the rules adhered to for countless years.

“Consider yourself lucky! … No one else is permitted to challenge! This round of challenges ends here.” The woman in red shot Ye Qin a look of blazing anger, perhaps relenting due to the presence of the Soul Transformation expert.

She then leaped off the platform.

With the threat left behind by the woman in red hanging in the air, none of the other twentieth-round cultivators dared to step up.

Angering this Little Demoness was a deeply troublesome affair.

The native cultivators of Spirit Demon City could not afford to ignore her existence as Ye Qin could.

For a trivial matter to earn the Little Demoness’s wrath was something they were highly unwilling to risk.

Ye Qin waited a moment, seeing no new challengers appear, and then instructed the Spirit Demon City Guard to settle the Yuan Crystal tally.

“Sir, you have achieved twenty consecutive victories, accumulating winnings that have doubled from a single seventh-rank Yuan Crystal to 1,048,576 seventh-rank Yuan Crystals.

After deducting the one-twentieth tax, the remaining 996,000-plus crystals are yours.

Would you like me to help you exchange them for higher-rank crystals?” The guard’s face was beaming with smiles.

“How does the exchange work?” Ye Qin asked, momentarily surprised.

“Ten seventh-rank crystals trade for one eighth-rank crystal, ten eighth-rank crystals trade for one ninth-rank crystal, and so on.

Your remaining crystals calculate out to nine twelfth-rank Yuan Crystals, eleven eleventh-rank Yuan Crystals, six tenth-rank Yuan Crystals…” The guard quickly explained.

“Convert ninety thousand into nine twelfth-rank Yuan Crystals.

The remaining ninety thousand-plus can remain as seventh-rank crystals,” Ye Qin interrupted, waving his hand.

Ye Qin accepted the bag of settled Yuan Crystals, descended from the platform, and entered Spirit Demon City with Huangfu Bing’er and the ecstatic Bai Xiuer.

Entering and exiting the city gate required seventh-rank Yuan Crystals, as did temporary lodging within the city walls each day.

However, this time, the city gate guards showed no further obstruction toward Ye Qin and his group; instead, they proactively presented him with an entry token.

After Ye Qin, Huangfu Bing’er, and the other two entered the city, the Spirit Demon City guards stared at their vanishing silhouettes, clicking their tongues.

“I truly couldn’t believe it.

This fellow couldn’t produce even a few seventh-rank Yuan Crystals when he visited Spirit Demon City a while ago, yet he managed twenty rounds in the Demon Fighting Stage!” “It’s a shame the Little Demoness interfered and stopped him from continuing.

If he could have won one more match against the twentieth-round cultivators, he would have reached the twenty-first round, placing him on the same level as that Little Demoness.

Tsk tsk, no wonder the Little Demoness felt compelled to intervene.” “Twenty-first round—that’s a ‘Quasi’ Soul Transformation cultivator! As long as they don’t die unexpectedly, reaching Soul Transformation is only a matter of time.” “Which lord wouldn’t scramble to recruit such a figure!” … With the twentieth round of duels concluded, the high-stakes excitement surrounding the Demon Fighting Stage finally dissipated, returning to its usual quiet order.

Cultivators resumed their duels, and bettors returned to their wagering.

Only fighting one or two rounds clearly lacked much thrill.

Cao Liangbai clutched his severed arm, feeling an unusual surge of anger, even desolation.

After suffering that single defeat and losing an arm, no one spared him a second glance.

The injury to his physical body would significantly impact his future cultivation; both his practice and spellcasting would certainly be weakened.

He had never been an exceptionally outstanding Nascent Soul cultivator to begin with, and now, with his body damaged, his strength would likely fall to the eighteenth round or lower, making the prospect of reaching Soul Transformation even more remote.

When Dou Hongshan departed, she completely ignored him, as if he were invisible.

Only his few retainers remained by his side, yet even those followers shamelessly snickered behind his back.

He didn't need to turn around to know their laughter was laced with contempt.

“Damn it! I will certainly avenge today’s humiliation.

Just wait and see.

… And very soon! Dou Hongshan, you’re so eager to recruit powerful subordinates because of the upcoming Beast Hunt, aren't you? That hunt determines who achieves Soul Transformation! … I won’t let you succeed.

If I cannot reach Soul Transformation, then none of you shall either!” Cao Liangbai snarled, his teeth grinding.