Showdown

"So there's even someone from the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan."

Zhao Wuji didn't mind Ning Rongrong's head start; the time would only count from when he lit the incense anyway, but he still had to light it.

Flicking the lit incense aside, Zhao Wuji crouched down and slammed his hands into the ground, sending a shockwave of earth surging straight toward Ning Rongrong.

It wasn't a soul skill, but he figured it would be enough to give these little ones a hard time.

However, things clearly exceeded Zhao Wuji's expectations.

Jiang Jiu, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing completely ignored Ning Rongrong, each crossing the tremors of the shockwave in their own way.

"Such incredible speed!"

Possessing a family-inherited combat style, Zhu Zhuqing had a complete set of combat logic. She immediately chose to maneuver to the side, moving silently and with extreme swiftness.

At the same time, she maintained a keen insight into the situation on the field, ready to act when the moment was right.

This was the basic discipline of a Nether Civet soul master.

However, she was currently a bit startled by the explosive speed of Jiang Jiu and Xiao Wu. Never mind Xiao Wu, who was a Soul Elder, but was Jiang Jiu's speed—which seemed to instantly propel him in front of Zhao Wuji—actually for real?

Zhu Zhuqing had even caught a glimpse of an afterimage.

Are you the one who should be the agility-type soul master?

Thud!

Accompanied by a dull sound, a sturdy figure was sent flying.

"What immense strength!"

This was Zhao Wuji's thought.

He had originally intended to show off a little, keeping his hands behind his back and letting these close-combat youngsters attack while he remained as immovable as a mountain—such a scene would be the best interpretation of his title, "Immovable Bright King."

But what was with this overbearing punch force?

Zhao Wuji questioned his life in mid-air. He was still quite relaxed; after all, with his soul power protecting his body, he wasn't injured in the slightest.

Boom!

Suddenly, a whistling sound came from behind, and a heavy whip kick slammed into the back of Zhao Wuji's neck.

Xiao Wu's kick caused Zhao Wuji to lose his balance in mid-air, leaving him feeling somewhat dizzy.

Jiang Jiu closed in, meeting the flying Zhao Wuji, locked his hands around his neck, and followed up with a powerful back-throw.

If he were playing dirty, he would naturally attack Zhao Wuji's neck, the back of his head, eyes, and chin with full force, but since the opponent was holding back, a simple throw was enough.

Zhao Wuji's body slammed into the dirt, creating a solid crater; Jiang Jiu hadn't held back his strength.

Feeling his head buzzing, Zhao Wuji immediately discovered his ankles being gripped, and his body, just thrown to the ground, was hoisted into the air once more.

This time, he landed face-first.

"Are you done yet!"

After being thrown several times in a row, Zhao Wuji started to get angry.

Fine, he had been unable to handle the first mouthful of dust.

This was too embarrassing, especially with a group of little ones and those two old guys, Li Yusong and Lu Qibin, watching.

"I have to get serious."

There was no help for it; those two brats had some real skill and power, but he, Zhao Wuji, had his pride, and he had only been careless before.

Keenly sensing Zhao Wuji beginning his martial soul avatar, Jiang Jiu chose to retreat, and Xiao Wu stepped back in tacit agreement.

However, the way the two of them retreated was somewhat strange—slow in appearance but fast in reality—with the collision of their legs interspersed, as if they were accumulating something.

"You two are so amazing."

Ning Rongrong had previously been pulled away from Zhao Wuji's shockwave by the vines Tang San had fashioned from his Blue Silver Grass, but she currently showed no signs of combat tension, only watching Jiang Jiu and the other with wide, shining eyes.

She had yet to realize just how ferocious Zhao Wuji would be once he used his martial soul avatar.

"San, give it everything you've got."

Looking at the opponent, whose stature had increased by about a meter, and the seven soul rings with the optimal configuration, Tang San could only offer a helpless, bitter smile.

Jiang Jiu and Xiao Wu had already taken all the glory during the easy part of the fight; how was he, a Blue Silver Grass Soul Master, supposed to hold off a beast-type martial soul saint who had activated his avatar?

But even if he couldn't hold him off, he had to try.

Tang San took a deep breath, his soul skills ready to be unleashed.

"Old Zhao, using your martial soul avatar against a group of children? That doesn't seem right, does it?" Lu Qibin, who was watching from the sidelines, interjected.

Letting these children witness the strength of their Shrek Academy was one thing, but using a martial soul avatar was another matter entirely.

But Zhao Wuji was looking to reclaim his face, so he paid no heed to such things.

"I have my own sense of proportion."

"You don't have a damn sense of proportion."

Zhao Wuji was getting a bit heated and could only brush him off, "None of the children objected."

"Look, they're even more excited now!"

Lu Qibin and the others looked toward Jiang Jiu, where Jiang Jiu and Xiao Wu were kicking each other with their legs, the momentum fierce and lively, their spinning forms as elegant as a dance.

Taking advantage of the fact that Lu Qibin and the others had been distracted, Zhao Wuji hurriedly prepared to continue the battle that had been interrupted.

"Children, let's continue."

Covered from head to toe in brown fur, Zhao Wuji stared straight at Jiang Jiu with his brownish-yellow eyes.

This was the guy who had sent him flying with a single punch earlier, and the culprit behind him being thrown around repeatedly afterward.

Xiao Wu's kick was naturally no light matter, but who could blame her when she was the future treasure of their Shrek Academy?

"Something isn't right."

Unlike Zhao Wuji, who had only taken a hurried glance, Li Yusong observed for a moment longer and sensed the power continuously accumulating between Jiang Jiu and Xiao Wu.

"Xiao Jiu, it seems this is as much as we can stack for now."

"That's enough."

"Rise!"

Xiao Wu exerted her entire body to unleash her Soft Technique, turning her frame into a conduit to transfer her strength to Jiang Jiu and "launch" him forward.

"Well done!"

Watching Jiang Jiu sweep his leg toward him while spinning in mid-air, Zhao Wuji intended to meet the attack with his fan-sized palms.

If such young children had this much courage, what did he, the dignified Immovable Bright King, have to fear?

"Who?"

Just as Zhao Wuji expected a decent collision to follow, thorny vines suddenly wrapped around his body; although they couldn't break through his bear fur, they still hindered his ability to exert force.

Most crucially, the vines emerging from the ground to lift him upward were even more malicious in their intent.

Furthermore, a little kitten was attacking his lower back; it couldn't break his defense either, but the constant ding-ding-ding was quite annoying.

So be it if it's embarrassing.

Compared to the fate of being kicked away by Jiang Jiu in front of him, Zhao Wuji silently decided to use his first soul skill.

In truth, both outcomes were embarrassing, as being forced to use a soul skill by a group of little ones was hardly a victory, but at least it would save a bit of face.

"Immovable Bright King Body!"

As the first soul skill activated, a dazzling golden light erupted across Zhao Wuji's body.

Zhu Zhuqing let out a pained groan and was sent flying, though fortunately, Xiao Wu caught her.

Xiao Wu quickly dropped her to the ground, however, and looked nervously toward Jiang Jiu's direction.

Jiang Jiu's foot slammed into Zhao Wuji's face, the two forces clashing against each other.

The flesh on Zhao Wuji's face contorted, his teeth clenched tight, looking exceptionally ferocious.

I cannot fly!