The Vajra Palm Zhao Wuji aimed at Zhu Zhuqing was nowhere near as powerful as the one he had used against Tang San. Instead, he deliberately weakened it considerably.
When he attacked Tang San, his displeasure with the boy had put him in a rage, so he had struck somewhat harder.
Now that he faced Zhu Zhuqing, Zhao Wuji naturally would not treat her the same way.
First, Zhu Zhuqing had done nothing to offend him.
Although her earlier attacks had also been cunning and ruthless, those were characteristic methods of an Agility Attack Spirit Master. There was nothing to criticize about them.
But the hidden weapons and poisons Tang San used were clearly not methods a Spirit Master ought to employ. They could count as a manifestation of his strength, but unleashing them during an assessment with resentment and murderous intent, seeking to kill him, was another matter entirely.
By contrast, Zhu Zhuqing was much more normal. She was simply participating in the assessment and launching attacks as expected, unlike Tang San, who had gone berserk with resentment and murderous intent.
Second, Zhu Zhuqing was an Agility Attack Spirit Master herself. Defense was her weakness, inherently poor-even somewhat weaker than Tang San's as a Control System Spirit Master.
On top of that, he had admired Zhu Zhuqing greatly from the very beginning.
Of course he would go easier on her.
Zhao Wuji deliberately removed nearly half the force from his Vajra Palm, intending only to leave Zhu Zhuqing unable to continue fighting.
Seeing that his Vajra Palm was about to strike Zhu Zhuqing, a faint smile had already crept onto Zhao Wuji's rugged, bluish-purple face.
To his surprise, however, the Vajra Palm never struck Zhu Zhuqing as intended. Instead, a long, strong hand lightly brushed it aside.
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