Caught You

Zhao Wuji cleared his throat. "Bring your focus back! Before the team battle begins, I'll arrange your positions."

He began to set the formation.

"Tang San, you stay at the very back. Your Blue Silver Grass is responsible for area-wide control and containment. Dai Mubai, center front row; hold the line against my attacks head-on. Zhu Zhuqing, left-wing guerrilla; look for opportunities to strike from the flank. Ma Hongjun, far right-wing output. Xiao Wu, center-row mobility; support any direction at a moment's notice. Oscar, back row; handle recovery. Ning Rongrong, stay with Oscar and provide auxiliary buffs."

The seven of them took their respective positions.

Zhao Wuji stood in the center of the field, his arms hanging at his sides, his presence as unremarkable as ever.

Yet, everyone knew that this old man standing motionless was the most terrifying existence on the entire field.

"Come," Zhao Wuji said.

Dai Mubai was the first to charge forward. White Tiger Vajra Transformation!

His muscles instantly swelled in size. Pale golden tiger stripes spread from his arms to his cheeks, and his pupils turned into vertical slits. He slammed his fists together with a dull thud, then lunged at Zhao Wuji with all his might.

Zhao Wuji stood still.

When Dai Mubai's fist struck his chest, Zhao Wuji merely tilted his body slightly, letting the fist slide past his ribs. At the same time, he placed his right hand on Dai Mubai's shoulder and pressed down.

Dai Mubai felt as if he had been filled with lead; his knees buckled and he hit the ground.

The earth shook, and gravel sprayed up, pelting Dai Mubai's face.

"Too reckless," Zhao Wuji said, releasing him.

In that brief gap, Zhu Zhuqing struck from the left. Nether Thrust.

Black claw-light ignited at her fingertips, five sharp rays slicing toward Zhao Wuji's waist. She moved with extreme speed, accompanied by a hissing sound as she tore through the air. Her body stayed low to the ground during the sprint, her center of gravity pressed down, making her look like a bolt of black lightning.

Without even turning his head, Zhao Wuji blocked with his left hand, his bear-paw-like palm accurately clamping onto Zhu Zhuqing's wrist.

Zhu Zhuqing's claw-light stopped three inches from Zhao Wuji's waist, unable to push any further.

"Not enough power," Zhao Wuji repeated.

As he let go, Ma Hongjun launched an attack from the other side.

A fireball the size of a fist roared from Ma Hongjun's palm, carrying a scorching heat wave straight toward Zhao Wuji's face.

Zhao Wuji flicked his right hand, and the wind from his palm scattered the fireball instantly. Sparks flew everywhere, a few landing on the sandy ground and extinguishing after a puff of smoke.

"Firepower isn't concentrated; still the same old problem."

Tang San, in the back, did not rush to strike. His Blue Silver Grass had already quietly spread from beneath his feet, three strands weaving into a net, creeping along the ground toward Zhao Wuji.

Zhao Wuji stepped on a strand of Blue Silver Grass, and it immediately coiled upward. But with a vibration from the sole of his foot, the grass snapped instantly.

"Not enough toughness. Try braiding the Blue Silver Grass into a three-strand plait; the cross-section will be thicker and harder to break."

Tang San froze. A three-strand plait?

He looked down at the Blue Silver Grass in his hands and fell into thought. Zhao Wuji's suggestion was indeed logical. Using three strands individually lacked toughness. If braided together, the strength would at least double.

But he had no time to dwell on it.

Xiao Wu struck from the side. Waist Bow!

Her body arched like a bent bow, her legs springing out like coils. She rotated a full turn and a half in the air, kicking toward Zhao Wuji's temple.

The explosive power of this kick was immense, the air whistling from the force.

For the first time, Zhao Wuji moved his feet. He stepped back half a pace, letting the kick graze past three centimeters from the tip of his nose.

"Not bad," Zhao Wuji offered a rare compliment. "But your target point is too high; if you miss, it's a waste of stamina. Aim below the waist next time."

Xiao Wu slipped slightly upon landing but immediately regained her balance, crouching in place and locking her eyes on Zhao Wuji, preparing for a second wave.

In the back, Ning Rongrong pressed her palms together and chanted softly: "Seven Treasures turn out glazed, one for Power!"

A golden light shot from the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda rising behind her, enveloping Dai Mubai. Dai Mubai felt his strength surge dramatically. His eyes lit up, and without a word, he roared and charged again.

"Two for Speed!"

The second beam of light landed on Zhu Zhuqing. Her figure became even faster, almost impossible for the naked eye to track.

Oscar stood at the very back, muttering his blush-inducing incantation while rubbing out Recovery Sausages to replenish his teammates' stamina.

The team battle had lasted over a dozen rounds.

Throughout the entire time, Zhao Wuji hadn't used a single soul skill, relying only on basic combat and his level-seventy-six physical strength to suppress all seven of them. His defense was like a mountain; if you struck it, you were the one who suffered first. His counterattacks were precise and restrained, each one just enough to push someone away without causing serious injury.

Even so, after a dozen rounds, everyone had sustained some damage.

The corner of Dai Mubai's mouth was split, a trickle of blood running down his chin. He wiped it away, licked his lips, and looked unbothered.

Tang San's left shoulder had been grazed by the wind of Zhao Wuji's palm, leaving his entire arm numb and significantly reducing the precision of his Blue Silver Grass control.

Ma Hongjun had it worse; he'd been swiped in the back by Zhao Wuji's palm and rolled three times across the sand. When he climbed up, his mouth was full of grit, which he spat out with a hiss.

Xiao Wu's knees were scraped, and her pants were smudged with dust.

Oscar was tossing out Recovery Sausages as if they were free. Dai Mubai caught one, Xiao Wu caught one, and Ma Hongjun grabbed two.

The battle continued.

Zhao Wuji struck out with a palm, the wind sweeping toward the right wing.

Zhu Zhuqing was positioned on the right flank, preparing to launch a Nether Thrust, but the palm strike arrived too quickly for her to dodge completely.

She leaned to the side, but the force of the palm swept past her waist. The impact was far greater than she had anticipated.

Zhu Zhuqing was lifted off her feet by the wind of the strike, losing all control of her body.

Her feet left the ground as she was sent flying diagonally backward. The wind roared in her ears. She struggled desperately to stabilize herself in mid-air, but the power behind Zhao Wuji's strike was so immense that she couldn't muster any strength in her core.

The direction she was flying happened to be the side where Qin Chuan was crouching to watch the battle.

The moment Qin Chuan saw Zhu Zhuqing being swatted away, he did not hesitate. He calculated her landing spot, took two steps to the right, and opened his arms.

When Zhu Zhuqing collided with his chest, the massive impact nearly knocked him over as well.

The back of Zhu Zhuqing's head pressed against his chest, brushing against him. Her hair was short and tied into a neat low ponytail; the ends swept across Qin Chuan's chin, tickling him.

Qin Chuan looked down, and Zhu Zhuqing looked up. Their faces were very close.

Zhu Zhuqing clearly hadn't yet processed what had happened.

One second ago, she was exchanging blows with Zhao Wuji; the next, she was lying in a boy's arms.

"Zhuqing!" Dai Mubai's voice rang out from not far away.

Dai Mubai had witnessed the entire sequence. He saw Zhu Zhuqing get swatted away, saw Qin Chuan rush out, and saw Zhu Zhuqing land in Qin Chuan's arms.

The entire process took less than two seconds, and he had been unable to do anything.

Qin Chuan saw all of this with perfect clarity.

[The closer the distance, the better the effect. A perfect opportunity!]

[First Soul Skill, Shadow Hypnosis! Target: Zhu Zhuqing. Activate!]

Hum.

An extremely faint ripple emanated from the center of Qin Chuan's forehead, piercing into Zhu Zhuqing's mental sea like an invisible, silent needle.

Zhu Zhuqing's vertical pupils dilated for a fleeting moment.