Wu Zhangkong paused for a moment, then gave a bitter smile, "Like me? No, I don't count. I'm just a student who was... abandoned by the Shrek Academy." As he said this, his tone suddenly became low, as if he was recalling some unpleasant past events.
Zhong Shenxiu didn't press further, he just nodded. He didn't actually care how strong Shrek Academy was; what he cared about was the look in Wu Zhangkong's eyes when he mentioned Shrek Academy. That look and that emotion made him very unhappy, and he really wanted to find someone from the Shrek Academy and beat them up!
"You accepted that challenge?" Wu Zhangkong suddenly asked.
"Um."
"Time? Place?"
She didn't say a specific time, only that she would come to find me later.
Zhong Shenxiu narrowed his eyes slightly. "She probably knows that she's no match for me right now."
Wu Zhangkong paused, his gaze towards Zhong Shenxiu becoming complex. He knew his student too well; when Zhong Shenxiu said those words, he wasn't boasting or belittling the other person, but simply stating a fact.
But it was precisely this calm statement that made Wu Zhangkong even more worried.
People from the Shrek Academy never admit defeat easily. Since that girl dared to challenge him, she must have her reasons.
" Shenxiu, be careful."
Wu Zhangkong's voice was soft, " Shrek people are best at breaking through in battle. You may think she's inferior to you today, but perhaps the next time you meet, she'll be on par with you."
Zhong Shenxiu turned her head, glanced at Wu Zhangkong, and smiled slightly, "Isn't that even better?"
Wu Zhangkong fell silent. He suddenly recalled his younger self, when he had the same mindset. He felt no fear when facing strong opponents, only excitement. But what happened later? The experiences he had at the Shrek Academy, those so-called trials and tribulations, gradually smoothed out his rough edges...
The two walked down a long street, their shadows stretched long by the setting sun.
Evenings in Eastsea City are always bustling, with shops lighting up and vendors calling out their wares. But all this noise seems irrelevant to the two of them; their world consists only of each other and the things about Soul Master.
The intense study and practice routine resumed with the start of the new school term.
Xu Xiaoyan integrated into the team very quickly. She is smart and good at cooperating with others. Her personality is also lively and cute, which is the complete opposite of Gu Yue's taciturn nature.
However, her strength was indeed weaker during the day, so she worked very hard to improve herself.
To Tang Wulin's dismay, Xu Xiaoyan's talent was exceptional; in just one month since the start of the semester, she had already reached level eighteen in Soul Power. Gu Yue was even more incomprehensible; she had only arrived at the Second Ring before the end of the last semester, and now she already possessed level twenty-seven in Soul Power!
I heard that I had a strange encounter during the holiday and ate a rare and exotic fruit that was exceptionally old.
Tang Wulin himself still hadn't broken through to level seventeen. No matter how good the Mysterious Heaven Skill was, his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul was still there, so his improvement speed was just slower.
One afternoon, sunlight streamed obliquely through the windows of the training field, casting a bright golden hue on the ground.
Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, Xu Xiaoyan, and Gu Yue stood in the center of the training field, facing Zhong Shenxiu.
Zhong Shenxiu gripped the Light-Imperial Ninja Blade in his right hand, the golden light on its blade suppressed to its lowest brightness, making it appear like an ordinary longsword. His movements were slow, each step perfectly avoiding the attacks of the four men.
"Left!"
Xie Xie shouted, his figure blurred, and the Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger were thrust out at the same time. The two dagger lights, one bright and one dark, clashed and slashed towards Zhong Shenxiu's ribs.
Zhong Shenxiu turned to the side, holding the Light-Imperial Ninja Blade horizontally in front of him, the back of the blade blocking the Light Dragon Dagger Shadow Dragon Dagger. With a soft clang, both attacks were neutralized simultaneously. But Xie Xie did not retreat. He shifted his feet, circled around to Zhong Shenxiu's side, and thrust out with both daggers again.
This is the result of their cooperation over the past month. Xie Xie is no longer the reckless young man who only knows how to attack head-on; he has begun to learn to use his speed advantage to launch attacks from different angles and distract Zhong Shenxiu.
At the same time, Tang Wulin charged forward from the front.
He held a pair of Forging Hammer in his hands. The hammerheads were not large, but they were quite heavy. The hammers still bore the marks left from the forging process and looked rough, but they felt exceptionally steady in Tang Wulin's hands.
Tang Wulin rushed in front of Zhong Shenxiu, swung his right hammer, and smashed it down on Zhong Shenxiu's shoulder with a whooshing sound. The trajectory of this hammer was very straight, without any fancy changes, but it was fast and powerful.
Zhong Shenxiu's Light-Imperial Ninja Blade had just deflected Xie Xie's attack, leaving him no time to defend. He could only raise his left hand and slap the hammerhead. With a snap, the hammerhead was deflected slightly, grazing past Zhong Shenxiu's shoulder.
Tang Wulin was not discouraged. He swung his left hammer in quick succession, this time sweeping it horizontally towards Zhong Shenxiu's waist. His hammer technique was indeed not very refined, and even a bit rough, but the hammers in his hands seemed to have eyes, always finding the most suitable angle to exert force.
A month ago, Tang Wulin's basic knowledge of weaponry was almost zero. Zhong Shenxiu casually mentioned the importance of basic weaponry training, but Tang Wulin took it to heart and spent a month integrating the feel for forging he had accumulated into his combat skills.
Even Zhong Shenxiu had to admit that this unconventional approach was somewhat interesting.
But not many!
Zhong Shenxiu took a half step back, avoiding the sweeping hammer, but Tang Wulin's offensive did not stop. He swung his two hammers alternately, one after another, each hammer blow stronger than the last, like hammering metal during forging, applying pressure with each strike.
An ordinary opponent would likely have been forced back by Tang Wulin's unreasonable hammer techniques. But Zhong Shenxiu was no ordinary person. His steps remained composed, and the Light-Imperial Ninja Blade twirled in his hand, accurately blocking each hammer attack.
But Tang Wulin's mission was not to defeat Zhong Shenxiu, but to restrain him.
Just as Zhong Shenxiu blocked Tang Wulin's third hammer blow, a beam of icy blue light shot out from the side.
It's Xu Xiaoyan.
She didn't approach the battlefield, but stood a dozen meters away, the Star Wheel Ice Staff in her hand shimmering with a faint blue light. A chain of ice shot out from the Star Wheel, heading straight for Zhong Shenxiu's ankle.
Zhong Shenxiu's attention was diverted by Tang Wulin and Xie Xie, and he only noticed the ice chains when they were close by. He twisted his ankle and spun his body at an incredible angle, barely avoiding Entangle the ice chains.
But the ice chains didn't miss; instead, they wrapped around the Light-Imperial Ninja Blade in his hand.
Zhong Shenxiu frowned, flicked his wrist, and unleashed a burst of power, shattering the ice chain. But that momentary pause gave Gu Yue an opportunity.