Crushing

"Seven Treasures Glazed Tile, Seven Treasures with a name, the first is Power, the second is Speed."

At the very start, Ning Rongrong swiftly summoned a seven-colored pagoda in her hand, followed immediately by six rays of colorful light that landed in pairs upon Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing.

It was evident that Ning Rongrong was highly experienced; as for why she did not buff Huo Yuhao, it was because he had refused on the grounds that he was a support-type.

"My duty is to provide support. There is no need to waste soul power on me; preserving soul power to buff the main combatants is what matters most."

Following closely behind Ning Rongrong, Huo Yuhao's pupils turned golden, and a ring of black circles quietly appeared around him.

As his first soul ring lit up, all four people present were pulled into his Spirit Sharing. Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong immediately turned back to look at Huo Yuhao, their eyes filled with amazement.

"This skill... how miraculous."

Before they could even savor the feeling, Zhao Wuji began to move.

He bent his legs into a half-squat, veins bulging on his arms, and slammed them violently into the ground. The earth trembled, and a wave of earthy yellow energy surged toward the group.

However, with the group under the effect of Spirit Detection, they had already begun to dodge the moment he made his move.

Even the range of the impact was predicted with perfect clarity; they only needed to follow the movement to stay safe. Even Ning Rongrong, who lacked defensive measures, was easily pulled out of the blast radius by Tang San using his Entangle skill.

Zhao Wuji raised his eyes, looking at the group as if they possessed precognition, a flash of shock crossing his face.

What was going on? If they had simply fled from afar, he wouldn't be this shocked.

But each of them had positioned themselves right at the edge of his skill range as if they had known exactly where to stand, which was utterly absurd.

He had no time to ponder; Xiao Wu had already rushed toward him. Once close, she pushed off with her legs, leaping high into the air to kick at him.

Seeing this, the corner of Zhao Wuji's mouth curled up. He stood stock-still, neither dodging nor parrying. Seeing Zhao Wuji treat her with such contempt, Xiao Wu's eyes turned fierce. She bent her legs, choosing to slam her knees downward into Zhao Wuji's shoulder.

After a dull thud, the man beneath her didn't even sway.

"Not quite enough, little girl."

The mocking voice came from below.

Xiao Wu gritted her teeth. "Hmph, you're tough, alright. Let's see if you're tougher than the floor."

Her first soul ring lit up: Waist Bow! She intended to use her leverage to spin Zhao Wuji around and slam him into the ground.

At the same time, Tang San caused vines to sprout beneath Zhao Wuji's feet, jerking him upward while the vines wrapped around his body tightened suddenly, combined with paralyzing toxins.

The once rock-solid Zhao Wuji lost his footing and was successfully hoisted up by Xiao Wu, who had him in a headlock.

"Truly impressive, but that is all," Zhao Wuji's lazy voice rang out.

Then, Xiao Wu felt as if she were holding onto a massive boulder; its weight increased exponentially, forcing her body back into an upright position. Immediately after, Zhao Wuji's body shook, and the vines upon him shattered instantly.

Just as Zhao Wuji raised his hand to grab Xiao Wu, a sudden pain flared in his back.

His expression tightened, and only then did he realize that Zhu Zhuqing had launched a series of attacks from behind him.

Although it only grazed his skin, it still meant she had managed to wound Zhao Wuji.

"Where did she pop out from??"

In the eyes of Dai Mubai and Zhao Wuji, it was as if Zhu Zhuqing had suddenly materialized out of thin air; they hadn't seen her at all before this.

It wasn't until she launched her attack that she suddenly appeared behind Zhao Wuji, unleashing a continuous barrage.

Dai Mubai's gaze flickered as he looked at Huo Yuhao. It seemed only he could pull off such a feat. An eye-type Martial Soul—could it actually mask an enemy's line of sight?

It must be said that his guess was correct; it was indeed Huo Yuhao's Simulation Soul Skill, and he had even guessed the effect of the skill quite accurately.

After her successful sneak attack, Zhu Zhuqing looked at Huo Yuhao with excitement. Such a soul skill combined with her own ability to conceal her presence for a surprise attack was a perfect match.

Reaching back to touch the wound on his back, Zhao Wuji let out a roar of extreme anger.

"Good, good, good! You really have made me look at you in a new light!"

To be wounded by a group of brats—if word got out, he'd be a laughingstock. It seemed he couldn't get his dignity back without using some real skill.

His body suddenly expanded, his height increasing by nearly a meter. Beneath him, seven soul rings—two yellow, two purple, and three black—rose up. This Soul Saint had finally activated his Martial Soul.

"Come, let's go again!"

From this point on, Zhao Wuji, having activated Martial Soul Possession, was no longer someone they could handle.

Whether it was Xiao Wu or Zhu Zhuqing, they exhausted every trick they had but couldn't inflict even the slightest damage. Zhu Zhuqing flashed and appeared behind him again, her second soul ring lighting up, but her Nether Hundred Claws only produced the sound of clanging metal.

Looking at the faint white marks left behind despite her best efforts, her pupils constricted. The defensive power of Zhao Wuji after activating his Martial Soul was simply terrifying.

Huo Yuhao was not surprised by this result. If a Soul Saint who had activated his Vajra Bear Martial Soul could be wounded by a Soul Grand Master, that would be the real joke.

A fifty-level gap could not be bridged by technique alone.

Seeing a flash of impatience in Zhao Wuji's eyes, Huo Yuhao felt a chill in his heart. It seemed he was preparing to get serious.

Sure enough, as Zhao Wuji's first soul ring flickered, a golden light erupted from his body, and the battle quickly drew to a close.

Although Zhu Zhuqing, who was beside him, had dodged based on the predictions of Spirit Detection, the golden light was released too quickly. Unable to dodge completely, Zhu Zhuqing was struck as if by a heavy blow, letting out a pained cry as she flew backward, only to be caught by Huo Yuhao, who reached out to steady her.

Xiao Wu, who was slightly further away than Zhu Zhuqing, was also left dizzy and disoriented, her footing unstable.

Tang San was largely unharmed, though the destruction of his creations caused him some backlash.

Ning Rongrong could not help but feel anxious as she saw the three combatants lose their fighting capacity to varying degrees.

If things continued this way, with only Huo Yuhao and herself left as support types, this test could essentially be declared a failure.

Tang San glanced at the incense, which had a third of its length remaining, and gritted his teeth, preparing to risk it all, when Huo Yuhao's voice rang out.

"San, that's enough. Leave the rest to me."

Tang San looked back at Huo Yuhao, hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Be careful, Yuhao." He then silently retreated.

Zhao Wuji did not move, simply watching everything unfold, and mocked Huo Yuhao.

"What is it, kid? Is this some kind of stalling tactic?"

"No, Teacher Zhao. I intend to fight you again, one-on-one. Could I trouble you to light a new stick of incense?"

Huo Yuhao spoke these shocking words calmly, leaving even Dai Mubai stunned.

He believed that if Huo Yuhao were to hold out for the remaining time alone, it would be no problem, but he had not expected Huo Yuhao to be this arrogant.

Huo Yuhao was naturally unaware of what the others were thinking; at this moment, his eyes were filled with excitement.

He had finally found an opponent against whom he could unleash his full strength. The suppression of several years would be released in this one moment.

"Oh? You're that confident?"

Zhao Wuji looked over the youth whom Dai Mubai had asked him to pay special attention to with great interest.

"Of course, Teacher Zhao. I wouldn't joke about my enrollment qualifications. Besides, I was the one who used the skill to hide Zhu Zhuqing's figure earlier. You must feel quite humiliated, right? Do you want to beat me up to vent your frustration?"

As he spoke, Huo Yuhao chuckled and displayed his Simulation Soul Skill.

Watching Huo Yuhao disappear and reappear, veins bulged on Zhao Wuji's forehead.

"Good kid, you play the provocation game well, but I'll take the bait! As you wish!"

Seeing that Zhao Wuji had agreed, he turned and placed Zhu Zhuqing into Xiao Wu's arms.

"Yuhao..."

Tang San and Xiao Wu were somewhat worried, while Zhu Zhuqing, panting slightly in Xiao Wu's arms, stared at the youth before her with complex eyes.

Even Ning Rongrong, standing to the side, felt a bit nervous. She had originally felt that losing didn't matter—if worse came to worst, she would just go to another academy.

Now, however, she found herself hoping that this youth could win.

Huo Yuhao smiled slightly, his voice gentle. "Don't worry, I will get everyone enrolled."

He turned around.

He walked toward Zhao Wuji step by step, two yellow and one purple soul rings slowly emerging beneath his feet.

Zhao Wuji held a stick of incense in his hand, looking at the youth with the peculiar eyes, and felt a jolt in his heart. "Are you ready?"

Seeing Huo Yuhao nod, Zhao Wuji rubbed his hand, tossed it, and the lit incense was planted firmly into the ground.

"Then let's begin!"