The incense burned out.
Le Bai stopped abruptly, like a machine that had suddenly run out of power. A moment later, his fist relaxed, and he held out his hand with a smile. "Congratulations, you two. You passed!"
Zhu Zhuqing took Le Bai's hand and looked him straight in the eyes. "Thank you."
The moment Zhu Zhuqing set Ning Rongrong down, she began vomiting rainbows. Heaven knew what she had gone through while being carried over Zhu Zhuqing's shoulder.
Le Bai smiled and had Zhu Zhuqing help Ning Rongrong aside to rest, then walked over to Tang San and Xiao Wu. "Those two have passed. Now it's your turn. Who's going first?"
Xiao Wu was about to jump up on the spot, but Tang San moved even faster and stepped in front of her. He asked Le Bai, "You've fought three matches in a row. How about taking a break first?"
"No need."
Le Bai refused outright. "Only the third match made me move around a little. Even with the first two included, I haven't even worked up a sweat."
He said three battles weren't even enough for a warm-up. Was this guy really human?!
Tang San cursed inwardly, but maintained a pleasant expression as he asked, "Then can you tell me why you weren't poisoned by my Blue Silver Grass earlier?"
"Sorry, not yet."
Le Bai refused directly. "You haven't passed the examination yet, so figuring out what my abilities are is itself part of your test. Either way, it wouldn't be right for me to give you the answer in advance."
Seeing that Tang San still seemed to want to say something, Le Bai added first, "If you want to use those Tang Sect Hidden Weapons and poisons of yours, or fight together with Xiao Wu, that's fine too. But in that case, I'll use every method at my disposal as well. Weigh your options carefully."
With that, Le Bai stepped into the battle area and waited for either Tang San or Xiao Wu to come over.
Tang San had already learned from Le Bai's earlier words that he knew about the Tang Sect, but hearing him openly mention Tang Sect Hidden Weapons and poisons again still left his heart in turmoil.
"Brother, who exactly is this Le Bai? Why does he know about your Hidden Weapons?"
Xiao Wu stared at Tang San with her big eyes. "And the Tang Sect he mentioned... is that your sect?"
"Yes."
Tang San answered briefly. He instinctively began to recall the sect from his past life, and a tear slipped from the corner of his eye. "But I can't go back... I can never go back again."
Seeing Tang San like this, Xiao Wu felt a little heartbroken. She hugged him and comforted him. "Brother, you still have me."
"Mm, that's right. I still have you!"
Tang San lowered his head and looked at Xiao Wu. Smiling, he stroked her hair. "Thank you, Xiao Wu. I feel much better now. Let me go first."
"Mm."
Xiao Wu nodded obediently and encouraged him, "Brother, good luck! You're the best! You'll definitely pass the examination!"
"I will!"
Tang San said with a smile.
Then he walked into the battle area and faced Le Bai. "Are the rules the same as before?"
"The same."
Le Bai pointed at a newly lit stick of incense on the tree trunk and said to Tang San, "It seems you aren't planning to use Tang Sect Hidden Weapons?"
"No."
Tang San took a deep breath, calming and relaxing himself. "My intuition tells me that if I made you go all out, I might not pass this examination even with Hidden Weapons."
"He's a guy, yet his intuition is this accurate."
Le Bai muttered quietly, then raised his voice to normal volume. "Then let's begin."
First Soul Skill: Entangle!
Tang San did not waste any words this time. He immediately summoned his Martial Soul and used his Soul Skill. Large amounts of Blue Silver Grass burst from the ground and rushed straight toward Le Bai.
Le Bai decisively stomped down!
It looked like he had put great force into it, yet the ground did not cave in. Instead, Soul Power mixed with the impact blasted away all the Blue Silver Grass Tang San had released.
Le Bai had anticipated this result. The instant his foot landed, he rushed toward Tang San. Almost as soon as the shockwave blew the Blue Silver Grass aside, Le Bai had already passed through it.
He's already on guard against my Blue Silver Grass. Entangle is too slow. It's nearly impossible to bind him with it. I can only place my hopes on the Second Soul Skill!
Tang San settled on his next tactic. Purple Demon Eye, Mysterious Jade Hand, and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track activated simultaneously!
Purple Demon Eye allowed Tang San to keep up with Le Bai's speed;
Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track temporarily made Tang San slightly more agile than Le Bai, allowing him to effectively evade frontal attacks;
Mysterious Jade Hand kept Tang San's hands from being grazed and injured by Le Bai's attacks.
Le Bai's attacks came continuously and fiercely, seemingly giving Tang San no chance at all to release Blue Silver Grass.
Yet that only further confirmed Tang San's thoughts. Just as I thought! He's wary of my Blue Silver Grass! He said before that it wasn't immune to the poison of the Blue Silver Grass, but that he hadn't been pricked by the thorns on its leaves!
After once again dodging Le Bai's fist by a hair's breadth, Tang San prepared to counterattack. A Blue Silver Grass appeared in his right hand, but instead of pressing it into the ground, he flung it toward Le Bai's eyes using a Hidden Weapon technique.
But Le Bai did not bother with the Blue Silver Grass at all. He let it fly before his eyes, strike a layer of Soul Power, and bounce away.
"I understand now!"
Tang San's Purple Demon Eye caught that instant. As he continued dodging, he did not forget to explain, "You've covered your body with a layer of Soul Power, protecting your entire body like armor! That's why the thorns of my Blue Silver Grass never pricked you! No wonder you weren't poisoned!"
"Correct."
Le Bai paused slightly. "But how are you going to deal with it?"
Then he resumed his relentless assault on Tang San.
"As long as I know the reason, it's easy to find a solution!"
As Tang San dodged, he drove the Mysterious Heaven Skill within his body at full force. Keeping both hands in the state of Mysterious Jade Hand, he released Blue Silver Grass and wrapped it around his hands.
Whenever he dodged Le Bai's attacks, he swiftly brushed his Blue Silver Grass-wrapped hands across Le Bai's arms, torso, back, and other areas.
Although the Soul Power covering Le Bai's body had some defensive capability, it could not yet withstand direct attacks. Once Tang San's Blue Silver Grass-wrapped hands brushed Le Bai's skin, the thorns finally cut through it, allowing the poison to seep into Le Bai's body!
After that, Le Bai's speed dropped rapidly at a visible rate!
"It finally worked!"
A confident smile appeared on Tang San's face again. "But this still isn't enough to ensure victory over you. Take this—Second Soul Skill: Parasite!"
The instant his Blue Silver Grass-wrapped hands brushed past him, Tang San had already stuck seeds onto Le Bai's skin. Now, activating them caused them to grow directly beneath Le Bai's protective layer of Soul Power!
"Along with First Soul Skill: Entangle!"
The Blue Silver Grass growing directly from Le Bai's skin immediately bound him. The tiny thorns on its leaves pierced through his skin, releasing even more paralysis-inducing poison beneath it.
To ensure Le Bai could not break free, Tang San poured in nearly all of his Soul Power. The wildly growing Blue Silver Grass turned Le Bai into a "Blue Silver Grass dumpling" in the blink of an eye, while the massive amount of poison further weakened Le Bai's ability to move.
"Ha... ha... ha..."
Tang San panted heavily. Using the Tang Sect's techniques in succession had consumed a great deal of stamina, and his final all-out activation of the Second Soul Skill and First Soul Skill had sent his Soul Power consumption soaring. Still, he had successfully restrained Le Bai.
"So this means... I won, right?"
Still panting, Tang San turned to Zhao Wuji in the spectator area and asked.
Although a quarter of the incense remained, Tang San was confident that Le Bai could not possibly detoxify himself and break free within that time.
Zhao Wuji looked at the Blue Silver Grass dumpling on the ground. "Le Bai, what do you think?"
Tang San smiled confidently. "Le Bai probably doesn't even have the strength to speak ri—"
"You can absolutely pass."
Le Bai's clear, steady voice once again interrupted Tang San's showboating, freezing his confident smile on his face.
Then, under Tang San's ghostly stare, the Blue Silver Grass instantly loosened. Le Bai stood up as though nothing had happened and brushed the dust from his clothes after falling. "By every measure, you've already reached the level required by the Dean."
Thanks to Lost in the Book World for the donation.
Before you continue