Zhao Wuji cleared his throat. "Pay attention! Before the team battle starts, I'll assign your positions."
He began arranging their formation.
"Tang San, take the rear. Use Blue Silver Grass for wide-area control and disruption. Dai Mubai, front and center. Take my attacks head-on. Zhu Zhuqing, scout the left flank and look for a chance to strike from the side. Ma Hongjun, long-range damage on the right. Xiao Wu, stay mobile in the middle and support whichever side needs you. Oscar, hold the rear and handle recovery. Ning Rongrong, stay with Oscar and boost everyone's abilities."
The seven of them took their positions.
Zhao Wuji stood in the center of the arena, arms hanging at his sides, his air as unruffled as ever.
But everyone knew that the old man standing motionless was the most terrifying presence on the field.
"Come," Zhao Wuji said.
Dai Mubai charged first. "White Tiger Vajra Transformation!"
His muscles swelled in an instant. Pale golden tiger stripes spread from his arms to his cheeks, and his pupils narrowed into slits. He slammed his fists together with a dull thud, then threw himself at Zhao Wuji with all his strength.
Zhao Wuji didn't move.
When Dai Mubai's fist struck his chest, Zhao Wuji merely turned slightly, letting it skim 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'd been filled with lead. His knees hit the ground.
The earth shuddered, and sand sprayed up, pelting Dai Mubai's face.
"Too brute-force," Zhao Wuji said, releasing him.
In that instant, Zhu Zhuqing attacked from the left. "Hell Stab!"
Black claw-shaped light flared at her fingertips, five sharp streaks slicing toward Zhao Wuji's side. She was incredibly fast, with a hiss of air trailing in her wake. Her body barely cleared the ground as she charged, her center of gravity low; she was like a bolt of black lightning.
Zhao Wuji didn't even turn his head. He reached back with his left hand, and his massive, bear-like palm caught Zhu Zhuqing's wrist with pinpoint accuracy.
Her claw-light stopped three inches from Zhao Wuji's side and couldn't move any farther.
"Not enough strength," Zhao Wuji said, repeating himself.
As he let go, Ma Hongjun attacked from the other side.
A fist-sized fireball shot from Ma Hongjun's palm, carrying a wave of scorching air as it hurtled straight for Zhao Wuji's face.
Zhao Wuji swept his right hand out, and the force of his palm dispersed the fireball. Sparks scattered everywhere. A few landed in the sand, smoked briefly, then went out.
"You're still making the same mistake. Your firepower's too scattered."
Tang San didn't rush to attack from the rear. His Blue Silver Grass had already begun creeping quietly across the ground. He braided three strands into a net and sent it sliding toward Zhao Wuji.
Zhao Wuji stepped on one of the Blue Silver Grass vines, and it immediately coiled around his foot. But he gave a stomp, and the vine snapped.
"Not tough enough. Try braiding the Blue Silver Grass into a three-strand plait. Its cross-section will be thicker, so it'll be harder to break."
Tang San froze. A three-strand plait?
He looked down at the Blue Silver Grass in his hands and began to think. Zhao Wuji's suggestion made sense. Three separate strands weren't tough enough. Braided together, their strength could increase by at least twofold.
But he didn't have time to think it over.
Xiao Wu attacked from the side. "Waist Bow!"
Her body bent like a drawn bow, her legs sprang like coils, and she spun one and a half times in the air before kicking at Zhao Wuji's temple.
The kick had tremendous explosive force, and the air cracked beneath it.
For the first time, Zhao Wuji moved his feet. He stepped back half a pace, and Xiao Wu's kick passed within three centimeters of his nose.
"Not bad," Zhao Wuji said, offering rare praise. "But you aimed too high. If you miss, you've wasted your strength. Next time, aim below the waist."
Xiao Wu slipped as she landed, but quickly regained her balance. She crouched where she was, eyes fixed on Zhao Wuji as she prepared for another attack.
At the rear, Ning Rongrong clasped her hands and softly recited the incantation. "The Seven Treasures turn, the Glazed Pagoda appears. First: Strength!"
A golden ray shot from the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda that had risen behind her, enveloping Dai Mubai. He felt his strength surge, and his eyes lit up. Without a word, he roared and charged again.
"Second: Speed!"
A second ray of light fell on Zhu Zhuqing. She became even faster, almost too quick for the eye to follow.
At the very back, Oscar muttered his embarrassing incantation and began making Recovery Sausages, replenishing his teammates' strength.
The team battle went on for more than ten rounds.
Zhao Wuji didn't use a single Soul Skill. He relied solely on basic combat techniques and his level-seventy-six physique to keep all seven of them on the back foot. His defense was like a mountain: strike it, and you'd be the first to suffer. His counterattacks were precise and restrained, each one just enough to push someone back without causing serious injury.
Even so, after more than ten rounds, everyone was battered.
Dai Mubai's lip was split, and a trickle of blood ran down his chin. He wiped it away, licked his lips, and acted like it was nothing.
Zhao Wuji's palm wind had clipped Tang San's left shoulder. His whole arm had gone numb, and his control over Blue Silver Grass had grown much less precise.
Ma Hongjun had it worse. Zhao Wuji had slapped him across the back, sending him tumbling three times across the sand. When he got up, his mouth was full of sand, and he spat it out with a series of coughs.
Xiao Wu had scraped her knee, and several streaks of dust marked her pants.
Oscar tossed out Recovery Sausages as if they cost nothing. Dai Mubai caught one, Xiao Wu caught one, and Ma Hongjun caught two.
The battle continued.
Zhao Wuji struck out with one palm, sweeping a wave of force toward the right flank.
Zhu Zhuqing happened to be on the right, preparing to use Hell Stab. The attack came too fast for her to dodge completely.
She turned sideways to avoid it, but the force swept past her waist. The impact was far greater than she'd expected.
The force lifted Zhu Zhuqing off her feet, sending her body out of control.
Her feet left the ground, and she flew diagonally backward. Wind roared in her ears. She struggled to steady herself in midair, but Zhao Wuji's palm had hit too hard. She couldn't engage her core at all.
And she was flying straight toward the side where Qin Chuan was crouching to watch.
The moment Qin Chuan saw Zhu Zhuqing get knocked into the air, he didn't hesitate. He judged where she would land, took two steps to the right, and opened his arms.
When Zhu Zhuqing crashed into him, the tremendous impact nearly knocked him over too.
The back of Zhu Zhuqing's head brushed against his chest. Her hair was short, tied in a neat low ponytail, and the ends tickled Qin Chuan's chin.
Qin Chuan looked down, and Zhu Zhuqing looked up. Their faces were close.
Zhu Zhuqing clearly hadn't yet processed what had happened.
One second ago, she'd been exchanging blows with Zhao Wuji. The next, she was in a boy's arms.
"Zhuqing!" Dai Mubai called from nearby.
Dai Mubai had seen the whole thing. He'd watched Zhu Zhuqing get knocked away, Qin Chuan rush forward, and Zhu Zhuqing land in his arms.
The whole thing had taken less than two seconds, and there was nothing he could do.
Qin Chuan saw all of this clearly.
[The closer the distance, the better the effect. This is a perfect chance!]
[First Spirit Ability, Shadow Hypnosis! Target: Zhu Zhuqing. Activate!]
Buzz.
An almost imperceptible ripple emanated from the center of Qin Chuan's brow, like an invisible needle silently piercing Zhu Zhuqing's sea of consciousness.
Zhu Zhuqing's slit pupils went unfocused for an instant.