A Wise Man Knows When to Yield

Boom!

Suddenly, an indescribably terrifying aura erupted from Su Mo, filling the grounds with cruelty, slaughter, and madness.

Soul rings appeared beneath his feet-

Purple, purple, purple, black, black, black, red, red, red!

Three purple soul rings, three black soul rings, and three red soul rings-a full nine soul rings appeared on a twelve-year-old boy.

What did nine soul rings mean?

They meant the pinnacle of the continent-a Titled Douluo!

What was more, three Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings pulsed around Su Mo, crimson as blood. The pressure spilling from them and the lingering soul beast aura seemed anything but fake.

Everyone present was shocked into speechless silence.

The first thought in all their minds was that it was impossible. How could anyone obtain a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring at level seventy?

And Su Mo was only twelve!

Yet that hundred-thousand-year aura was so terrifying and so real.

Zhao Wuji felt his hair stand on end.

He had seen Titled Douluos before, and he had seen hundred-thousand-year soul beasts. The aura Su Mo displayed could not possibly be false.

But how could a twelve-year-old boy be a Titled Douluo?

Could it be...

A Titled Douluo disguised as a twelve-year-old boy?

But what would he gain from that?

Unable to make sense of it, Zhao Wuji ventured, "Who exactly are you?"

Su Mo merely gave a cold smile, a faint hint of amusement on his face. "Did you really think my flight earlier was the effect of a Soul Bone Skill?"

Zhao Wuji: "!!!"

He instantly grasped the crucial point. Su Mo had not flown using a soul bone-Titled Douluos could fly to begin with.

"Greetings, Your Eminence."

Fear appeared in Zhao Wuji's eyes, and he immediately bowed. "May I ask what brings Your Eminence to our academy?"

Su Mo put on the air of a pompous old man. "I merely accompanied a youngster here to look around Shrek Academy. Seeing you bully the young with your seniority seemed rather interesting, so I thought I would try it myself."

Zhu Zhuqing froze at the way Su Mo referred to himself.

She suddenly recalled how her own teacher had often called himself an old man at first, and had even mentioned making arrangements at Shrek. Could it be...

"Your Eminence, you've misunderstood. I had no intention of bullying the young. This is only a sparring assessment. I would have held back." Zhao Wuji was drowning in regret. If only he had known, he would never have interfered with the assessment.

"Then spar with this old man. I will hold back too."

Zhao Wuji: "..."

"Pfft!"

Xiao Wu could not hold back her laughter. Clutching her stomach, she rolled around on the ground. "Pff-hahahaha... I really can't help it, hahahaha..."

Everyone was taken aback at the sight.

What was so funny?

After a brief pause, Tang San caught on too. Su Mo had grown up alongside him. How could he possibly be a Titled Douluo?

He must have used some soul skill to fake it.

"Heh..."

Thinking of how Teacher Zhao had been frightened into a cowering quail, Tang San laughed too.

Seeing their reactions, Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, and Dai Mubai gradually caught on as well. Su Mo was probably bluffing with some sort of soul skill.

Once they figured it out, all three looked as though they wanted to laugh but did not dare.

Zhao Wuji: "???"

He soon caught on too. These applicants had all had their bone ages tested. How could a Titled Douluo have slipped in among them?

More importantly, no Titled Douluo would be bored enough to play tricks on a mere Soul Saint like him.

"Fuck!"

Realizing he had been played, Zhao Wuji visibly turned red with rage. His Soul Saint aura pressed down on everyone present until they could barely breathe.

It was not that the pressure Su Mo had simulated was inadequate.

Rather, Su Mo had only simulated a state in which he released a faint pressure, while Zhao Wuji had unleashed his aura at full force in his fury.

"You little bastard. It's been a long time since anyone dared play me like this. You've got some nerve."

Seeing Teacher Zhao fly into a rage, Su Mo felt rather helpless.

Looks like I took it too far...

The assessment has barely started, and I've already triggered the boss's berserk mode. How am I supposed to fight now?

In the end, Su Mo decided that, having started, he might as well go all the way. He immediately snorted. "You keep calling me a little bastard. Unless I show you what this old man can do, you'll really think I'm good-tempered."

As he spoke, he slapped both hands against the ground, and his first purple ring flashed faintly.

"Wood Release: Nativity of a World of Trees!!!"

The earth began to tremble, as though something had awakened deep underground.

Zhao Wuji noticed the ground beneath his feet cracking. He frowned, but before he could leap away, an earth-shattering transformation swept across the grounds.

Rumble-

Countless thick roots burst out of the soil, each as thick as Zhao Wuji's arm. They shot upward at a speed visible to the naked eye, their branches spreading wildly in every direction.

Leaves grew in a frenzy, blotting out the sky and sun.

In an instant, Shrek Academy vanished, replaced by a primeval forest.

A wind rose, and countless leaves trembled together, rustling like ocean waves. The sound was gentle yet vast, as though they were singing.

"Gasp!"

Everyone stared blankly at the forest that had appeared before them like a miracle. Their understanding of the world shattered, and their minds shut down completely.

Was this truly something a human could accomplish?

With a single move, he had changed the entire ecosystem of Shrek Academy.

Even Xiao Wu and Tang San, who knew Su Mo well, were stunned. Everyone else's minds were filled with question marks. You call this a support type?

"Zhao Wuji, what do you think of that move?"

Su Mo's voice drifted down.

Everyone looked up toward the sound and saw Su Mo standing on a thick branch of a towering tree. Sunlight filtered through layers of leaves and branches, casting dappled light and shadow over him.

"Impossible... This must be an illusion!"

Zhao Wuji challenged him. Having been fooled once, he would not fall for it so easily again.

"Oh?" Su Mo teased. "Then do you think an illusion cast by a Soul Grandmaster could affect a Soul Saint?"

Zhao Wuji: "..."

Right. How had he forgotten that?

Whether it was creating a primeval forest with a wave of his hand or affecting a Soul Saint with an illusion, neither was remotely possible for a level-twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster.

Once every impossibility had been eliminated, whatever remained, however unbelievable, had to be the truth.

Smack!

Zhao Wuji slapped himself across the face, then gave Su Mo an ingratiating smile. "Your Eminence, I had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai, and offended you. Please be magnanimous and let me go like a fart."

A wise man knew when to yield. There was no shame in it.

He had seen it clearly just now: Su Mo had used his first soul skill. If he used his other soul skills, they would probably be even more terrifying.

"Tsk. Boring."

Su Mo said flatly, "There's no fun in sparring with someone who won't resist. As punishment, stand there for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. After that, I won't interfere with your assessment. Test them however you like."

"Thank you for your mercy, Your Eminence."

Zhao Wuji hurriedly agreed, then stood at rigid attention.

He still clutched that incense stick in his hand.

Seeing Zhao Wuji behave himself, the others fell silent as cicadas in winter. They could no longer tell whether Su Mo was an applicant or a senior expert. After all, summoning a forest with a lift of his hands had truly shaken them.