Tang San's Conviction

At that moment, a figure landed before the palm print. With a grab of each hand, he tossed Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong behind him and used his body to withstand the blow head-on!

Bang!

With a muffled thud, Xiao Tianyang only retreated three steps. When he looked up, his gaze met Zhao Wuji's.

"Ding!"

"Congratulations, Host, for completing the Side Quest: [Assist]!"

"Mission Reward: Host's charm increased!"

Xiao Tianyang looked slightly smug. "Teacher Zhao, the time for one incense stick is up!"

Just as expected, the mission had indeed been completed!

Since they had not allowed him to get involved from the start, they clearly had not wanted him to affect the process.

So, he had acted just before the incense burned out and seized the last opportunity. This way, he had both participated in the fight without forcibly intervening, making the completion of the mission only natural.

Still, to be honest, their victory had been rather perilous. Anyone with a discerning eye could see the gap between both sides in Soul Power.

But when it came to technique, Tang San and Xiao Wu held an absolute advantage.

Therefore, lasting through the remaining third of the time would not have been much of a problem.

It was only because concern had thrown him into disarray. If Tang San had chosen to retreat to the side and not charged into the attack range of the Great Strength Vajra Palm, then their victory would have been assured.

But he had not. In the end, Xiao Tianyang had stepped out and blocked the Great Strength Vajra Palm. Otherwise, Tang San and the others probably would not have passed the test.

Even if it seemed that only Tang San was still standing in the end...

There was no doubt that they had passed!

Zhao Wuji frowned slightly and looked toward the incense stick. Sure enough, it had already burned out.

"Xiao Wu!"

A voice rang out from behind Xiao Tianyang. It was Tang San's.

"She has merely suffered backlash from her own Soul Power. After sleeping for a night, she'll be fine tomorrow."

Zhao Wuji took the initiative to speak, but the frustration on his face refused to fade.

A dignified Soul Emperor had actually been unable to deal with four Soul Masters. He would be utterly humiliated if word got out!

"Why wait until tomorrow?"

Xiao Tianyang chuckled as flames rose from his hand, and two Soul Rings rose beneath his feet.

One purple and one black!

Zhao Wuji had frowned when he first heard those words.

But when he saw those two Soul Rings, his jaw nearly dropped to the ground!

What the hell was this?

Xiao Tianyang's purple Soul Ring lit up. With a flash at his side, nine fist-sized balls of flame appeared.

First Soul Skill, Myriad Transformation Flame.

The nine balls of flame ignited around Xiao Tianyang. Then, four of them turned green and entered Tang San and the other three.

Tang San's body trembled, and disbelief filled his eyes.

His injuries, Soul Power, stamina, and mental strength were recovering at an unbelievable speed!

Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, who had been knocked unconscious by the shockwave earlier, woke first. In less than three seconds, they opened their eyes. Though their heads still hurt somewhat, their condition was gradually improving!

Finally, there was Xiao Wu. She should have suffered Soul Power backlash and mental injury, yet she too woke within five seconds.

However, her eyes remained vacant.

"Xiao Wu, you're awake!"

Tang San cried out in delight.

"Little San, what happened to you?"

As Xiao Wu slowly recovered, she discovered that she was lying in Tang San's arms, and her pretty face could not help but flush red.

Yet she did not struggle. She merely asked softly.

"How on earth did you do that?"

Dai Mubai stared in shock as Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing rose from the ground.

At that moment, their expressions were relaxed. There was not the slightest sign that they had been injured.

But clearly, the confusion on their faces proved that they did not know what had happened.

"Didn't you see? First Soul Skill."

Xiao Tianyang turned to Zhao Wuji. "Teacher Zhao, can our test begin now?"

"Are you really sure you want to fight me?"

Zhao Wuji narrowed his eyes. "They passed just now because I suffered a loss once. Do you think I'll stumble in the same place twice in a row?"

"That may not necessarily be true."

Xiao Tianyang had his own reasons for being confident.

In a direct fight, he definitely could not win. There was no need to even think about that.

But his advantage was that the other party would neither kill him nor seriously injure him.

Once that was the case, he would have plenty of room to perform.

Defeating him was impossible, but merely keeping him tied down for the time it took an incense stick to burn was no problem.

However, just as Zhao Wuji darkened his face and was about to nod, Tang San suddenly set Xiao Wu down and stepped forward voluntarily. "Teacher Zhao, I hope to have a serious fight with you!"

Although Xiao Wu had recovered, Tang San truly had a pent-up fire in his heart.

If it had not been for Xiao Tianyang, they would probably all have fallen just now!

He had once promised that unless he died, he would never allow anything to happen to Xiao Wu!

But what about now?

Even though winning now held no meaning, it was just as Xiao Tianyang had once said.

If one's conviction was lost, then rather than standing there lost and despondent, it was better to try and find it again!

"Little San..."

Xiao Wu wanted to stop him, but Xiao Tianyang stopped her.

"Teacher Zhao, I don't think you have any reason to refuse, do you?"

Xiao Tianyang spoke first. "They are students of the academy now. Logically speaking, if you, their practical combat instructor, refuse a student's request, that would be somewhat against the rules, wouldn't it?"

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Zhao Wuji, who had been about to lose his temper, forcibly swallowed his words.

His actions just now had already counted as a violation. He had only acted because he was itching for a fight; it had not been the fourth test at all.

And now that Tang San and the others had passed, if Zhao Wuji refused their request, even if these students did not hold it against him later, Frank would definitely give him trouble.

At that thought, Zhao Wuji felt a headache coming on. It seemed that whether he wanted to agree or not, he had no choice but to agree.

"Fine!"

Zhao Wuji curled his lips and snorted out a breath of hot air. "But this time, I won't hold back. Think it through—do you still want to fight me?"

Tang San glanced at Xiao Tianyang. Encouraged by the latter, he looked at Zhao Wuji. "I'm sure!"

"Then let's begin. The same time limit—one incense stick!"

Zhao Wuji flicked his hand, planting another incense stick in the ground. "Begin!"

The moment his words fell, Tang San activated the Purple Demon Eye. His hands turned jade-colored as he repeatedly touched Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlight Night, and countless hidden weapons he had crafted floated around him.

Taking this chance, Xiao Tianyang retreated to the side. He also casually grabbed Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, who wanted to move closer to watch the excitement, and pulled them farther away.

"That's dangerous. If you don't want to get caught in the crossfire, stand here and watch."

Xiao Tianyang's voice rang out at the same time.

Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, who had originally wanted to break free, could not help but abandon the thought upon hearing that.

First, they could not break free. Second, they did not want to. They chose to trust Xiao Tianyang.

After all, he had just used his mortal body to block Zhao Wuji's Second Soul Skill!

Some of the hidden weapons around Tang San reflected a cold gleam beneath the sunlight, while others appeared completely ordinary.

Yet what puzzled Zhao Wuji was that those seemingly ordinary ones made him feel a faint threat instead!

Xiao Tianyang stepped forward. Seeing this, the corners of his lips rose.

"Under my guidance, Tang San has already added small amounts of alloy to some of his hidden weapons. Even if Teacher Zhao gets serious, he will still suffer at the hands of these weapons while unaware of their nature!"