Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Fire Line was easily nullified by his opponent's Soul Skill, and he was kicked, too, stumbling backward.
Tang San's Blue Silver Grass could entangle their opponents, but with him distracted protecting Oscar, he couldn't keep up on both fronts.
Dai Mubai was fighting two opponents alone, and his strength was gradually giving out.
"Useless!" Ye Zhiqiu gave a cold snort and finally entered the fight himself. He released his Martial Soul, the Black Tortoise, and five Soul Rings rose around him.
One white, two yellow, and two purple—he was a level 50 Soul King!
Ye Zhiqiu stepped forward and unleashed Mysterious Water Ice Seal. A bone-chilling cold instantly engulfed the three of them.
Dai Mubai, Tang San, and Ma Hongjun were frozen stiff. Then, the surging mysterious water shook them back again and again, and blood spilled from the corners of their mouths.
Seeing this, Xiao Wu quickly finished recording the clip and uploaded it. New messages immediately appeared in the group.
"Stop!"
A lazy voice rang out. Zhao Wuji appeared out of nowhere and waved a hand. "Everyone, go back to sleep."
Ye Zhiqiu stopped him. "Your students insulted Canghui Academy. You owe us an explanation."
"Canghui Academy is trash to begin with. That's not an insult."
Zhao Wuji raised his hand dismissively and slapped Ye Zhiqiu flying more than ten meters. Then he took the students back to the tavern.
After the people from Canghui Academy left in a sorry state, Zhao Wuji turned around and glared at Xiao Wu and the other two. "Why didn't you help just now?"
Dai Mubai clutched his chest and glowered at them. "Exactly. We could barely hold on, and you just stood there watching?"
Ma Hongjun chimed in angrily. "Yeah! You have no team spirit at all!"
Tang San frowned and looked at Xiao Wu, baffled. "Xiao Wu, why didn't you help me?"
[Sky Wing 6G: Here it comes, the blame-shifting! Zhao Wuji acting like he couldn't tell right from wrong just now was laughable.]
[Galaxy Baseball Bat Hero: Let's see how they fire back. They're in the right here.]
Xiao Wu lifted her gaze and looked at Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun.
"Weren't you the ones who started this? Why should we help you?"
Ning Rongrong nodded along. "That's right. You were the ones who ran your mouths and provoked them first. Why should we clean up your mess?"
Zhao Wuji slammed the table. "You're a team! You should put the team first. What kind of attitude is it to stand by and watch when trouble comes?"
Zhu Zhuqing, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke, her voice cool and clear. "If we were the ones being bullied, we wouldn't hesitate to help. But today, you picked the fight. You were in the wrong, so why should we pay for your recklessness?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Ning Rongrong finished recording the clip and uploaded it, then sent a message to the group.
"Incompetents! Incompetents!"
Zhao Wuji was furious.
"If you're too afraid to get into trouble, how will you ever make a name for yourselves in the Soul Master World? What future will you have?"
Ning Rongrong laughed in disbelief and pointed at Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun. "How does being afraid of trouble make someone incompetent? You were clearly looking for trouble! The people from Canghui Academy were just walking into the tavern. They hadn't done anything to you! You picked a fight, couldn't win, and now you're blaming us for not helping?"
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing also fixed Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun with sharp glares.
Their faces turned pale, then red. They opened their mouths, but couldn't find anything to say in their defense.
[I Am Not Swallow: Well said! Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun had it coming. Zhu Zhuqing was so imposing when she spoke up just now!]
[Galaxy Baseball Bat Hero: Zhao Wuji's double standards are something else. His own students were in the wrong, and he still turned around and blamed the others. That was the last clip, right?]
Watching the clips pop up in quick succession in the group, Ye Qiong mused to himself: It's too much trouble for Xiao Wu and the others to upload the clips in separate parts.
They really should livestream. Hopefully they'll reach level four soon.
Zhao Wuji was left speechless. He looked at Ning Rongrong and thought of her status as the young lady of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. In the end, he didn't dare lay a hand on her.
He suddenly stood up. "That's enough! This ends here! Everyone, go back to sleep. We're continuing our journey tomorrow morning!"
With that, Zhao Wuji turned and went upstairs, his face ashen.
Tang San sighed, feeling helpless. He knew the three girls had a point. Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun had indeed been in the wrong today. But watching the three of them stand by throughout the fight still made him feel that they lacked team spirit.
He secretly resolved to properly teach Xiao Wu a lesson later. He couldn't let her become estranged from the group by following Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing. Otherwise, if they kept pulling in different directions in future battles, they would never be able to work together properly.
Oscar frowned, too, and silently took a bite of his sausage.
He also thought the three girls weren't wrong. But they were all teammates, and while the others had been beaten so badly, the girls had watched the whole thing like a show.
That left him feeling a little uncomfortable.
Xiao Wu closed the group chat and shot Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun a cold glance. Then she turned and went back to her room with Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing.
At first light the next day, Zhao Wuji woke everyone up.
After breakfast, the eight of them officially entered Star Dou Forest.
As soon as they reached the edge of the forest, Zhao Wuji gave them a grave warning. "Stay alert! Soul Beasts are everywhere here. No one is to get more than twenty meters away from me. Ning Rongrong, Oscar, stay close to me. Don't act without my orders."
[First Cute Bunny: The Soul Hunting instance is officially underway! I'll be watching the whole thing and recording it~]
[Pagoda Suppresses River Demon: Copy that, copy that. Camera's ready.]
[No Petting Cats: Scout position online. Leave the scouting to me.]
The three of them started recording in the group chat.
Zhu Zhuqing climbed a tree, activated her Nether Civet Martial Soul, and scanned the surroundings.
Dai Mubai and Tang San led the way. Dai Mubai used his claws to cut through the brambles, while Tang San used his Purple Demon Eye to sense what was around them.
Along the way, Oscar made sausages every hour and handed them around.
But the three girls didn't take any. They simply released their Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda to buff everyone, checking the group chat now and then.
Tang San said, "There are ten-year Rodent Weasels ahead. Don't fight them. We'll go around. If we deal with them here, the smell of blood will attract powerful Soul Beasts."
Dai Mubai led the group around them.
Later, they encountered several groups of Hundred-Year Soul Beasts. They avoided most of them, and Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun teamed up to chase off the few that attacked.
At midday, Zhao Wuji ordered them to rest for an hour.
They had just sat down against a large tree when Zhu Zhuqing suddenly leapt down from it. "A Soul Beast is approaching. It's moving fast!"
Everyone released their Martial Souls and readied themselves.
A moment later, a seven-meter-long Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent flew low through the air.
"It's a Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent!" Zhao Wuji's eyes lit up, and he could barely hide his excitement. "Oscar, your opportunity has come!"
Tang San said, "It's a thousand-year Soul Beast, fifteen hundred years old. It's suitable for helping you break through level 30, and your third Soul Skill will most likely be related to speed."
Oscar said, "Really? That's great!"
[Galaxy Baseball Bat Hero: Ooh, here comes the star of the show! A Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent—looks like a dramatic Soul Ring struggle is about to begin.]
Everyone in the group chat grew excited.
Zhao Wuji gave a low shout. "Attack!"
Before you continue