It was worth mentioning that Li Luo didn't fight personally this time. Instead, he quietly stayed off to the side, watching Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong work together.
As a mage, how could Li Luo possibly fight personally every time?
The whole point of being a mage was, of course, to command your pets in battle.
And a mature pet had to learn to fight on its own.
Seeing Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong work together so seamlessly and handle Zhao Wuji with ease, Li Luo was happy to take it easy. He had no intention of joining in.
Li Luo took a handful of melon seeds out of his Soul Tool and settled in to watch the show.
But then he spotted the "idle" Zhu Zhuqing out of the corner of his eye. His body turned into a prismatic blur, and in the next instant, he appeared beside her.
This was Xiao Wu's third Soul Skill, Teleportation.
Li Luo could freely use the Martial Souls and Soul Rings of the Soul Masters he had contracted with, without any restrictions.
Li Luo appeared beside Zhu Zhuqing without making a sound. Even the highly vigilant Zhu Zhuqing hadn't noticed someone suddenly appearing at her side.
At that moment, she was staring intently at Zhao Wuji as he tangled with Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong.
She wanted to join the fight, but realized she couldn't find a way in.
Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong worked together so seamlessly that they had no need for help from an outsider like Zhu Zhuqing.
Seeing this, Zhu Zhuqing felt shut out, and a sense of loneliness welled up inside her.
Ever since awakening her Martial Soul, she had become utterly alone.
Her parents paid her no attention, her older sister was hostile toward her, and even after entering Star Luo Royal Academy, few people were willing to approach her because of her status. Some even deliberately kept their distance.
Worse still, when she was eight, she learned that her fiancé, whom she had never even met, had abandoned her and fled to a foreign land.
She had spent five whole years alone in that familiar yet strange home.
On top of that, Zhu Zhuqing's talent wasn't particularly outstanding. Her Innate Soul Power was only level seven.
No matter how diligently she cultivated, no matter that she had reached level twenty-seven at just eleven years old,
with such a vast age gap between her and her older sister, Zhu Zhuyun, Zhu Zhuqing couldn't see any chance of winning the future battle for the throne.
Everyone else had their own team. Zhu Zhuqing alone was left by herself, like an unwanted kitten, forced to wander from place to place.
Her usual coolness wasn't a sign of pride so much as a disguise for self-protection—a cage she had built to shield and isolate herself.
Zhu Zhuqing suddenly felt deeply depressed. She even began to think of giving up on herself. Her heart was about to sink to the bottom, plunging into complete emptiness.
But just then, a warm, broad hand settled on her shoulder.
Feeling the weight on her shoulder, Zhu Zhuqing froze in surprise.
She raised her hand, instinctively wanting to slap away the hand on her shoulder. But halfway up, she suddenly stopped. She neither struck the hand nor lowered her own, caught in a moment of indecision.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't know whose hand rested on her shoulder. Instinctively, she assumed it belonged to her nominal "fiancé," Dai Mubai, which was why her first reaction had been to break free and get away from him.
She was deeply prejudiced against Dai Mubai, remembering only how he had abandoned her.
But then a soft, warm voice sounded in her ear.
"Want some melon seeds?"
That wasn't Dai Mubai's voice. It was... Li Luo's.
Hearing Li Luo's voice, Zhu Zhuqing unconsciously lowered the hand suspended in midair. She turned her neck slightly and looked at the hand on her shoulder, then at the young man standing beside her.
Zhu Zhuqing was startled and confused, and even a little shaken. She had no idea when Li Luo had appeared beside her. She hadn't sensed a thing.
Looking at Li Luo's handsome, friendly face, Zhu Zhuqing raised her arm without thinking and took the melon seeds he offered.
And just like that, she started eating melon seeds and watching the show with Li Luo.
Meanwhile, Zhao Wuji was still locked in a struggle with Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong.
Ning Rongrong stood on the Blue Silver Bamboo Pole Tang San had summoned, nimbly moving about and perfectly dodging Zhao Wuji's successive attacks.
And whenever Zhao Wuji used his Position Tracking Soul Skill to force his way toward her, Ning Rongrong would swing the big Blue Silver Bamboo Pole and give him a hard whack, interrupting his Position Tracking.
Unable to get at the support, Zhao Wuji shifted his attention to Tang San and Xiao Wu on the ground.
But with Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track under his feet and a Blue Silver Bamboo Pole in his hands, Tang San dodged Zhao Wuji's approaches time and again. Zhao Wuji couldn't even brush the hem of his clothes.
Several times, Tang San's summoned Blue Silver Grass tripped Zhao Wuji up, sending him crashing to the ground and landing face-first in the dirt.
He also took several heavy blows to the head.
As for Xiao Wu, Zhao Wuji couldn't get near her at all. Her third Soul Skill, Teleportation, activated instantly. Zhao Wuji couldn't touch her—he couldn't even catch sight of her figure.
"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The three of them took turns attacking Zhao Wuji with their Blue Silver Bamboo Poles. The poles were extremely hard, and even a Soul Saint like Zhao Wuji couldn't help feeling the pain.
"What a bunch of slippery little brats."
Unable to do anything about Tang San and the others, Zhao Wuji complained to himself in frustration.
By now, his anger had faded and he had calmed down. Since he couldn't handle Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong, he might as well switch targets.
Zhao Wuji's attention shifted to Li Luo and Zhu Zhuqing, who were munching on melon seeds.
"Damn it, I'm getting beaten over here, while you two little brats are sitting there cracking melon seeds!"
Seeing Li Luo and Zhu Zhuqing watch him get battered from start to finish, Zhao Wuji felt his pride take a hit. His first four Soul Rings flashed together, and he charged toward them.
"First Soul Skill, Immovable Wisdom King Body."
"Second Soul Skill, Vajra Palm."
"Third Soul Skill, Gravity Enhancement."
"Fourth Soul Skill, Position Tracking."
Zhao Wuji was fast. In the blink of an eye, he was almost on top of Li Luo and Zhu Zhuqing.
But Li Luo was faster. He used Xiao Wu's Teleportation Soul Skill and vanished from where he stood.
Before leaving, he didn't forget Zhu Zhuqing. He grabbed her before she could react and dodged Zhao Wuji's attack.
Zhao Wuji struck nothing but air. Li Luo reappeared some distance away, holding Zhu Zhuqing up in one hand.
Li Luo bounced Zhu Zhuqing in his grip.
"Tsk, tsk!"
"She doesn't look fat. How come she weighs so much?"
Zhu Zhuqing's slender figure weighed far more than Li Luo had expected.
There was only one reason: the two peaks on her chest were too big.
Li Luo put Zhu Zhuqing down. But the sudden series of movements had left her unsteady, and the moment her feet touched the ground, she pitched straight toward him.
Li Luo didn't manage to dodge in time (he didn't even try). In a fluster (with practiced ease), he raised his hands and caught Zhu Zhuqing.