Seven Against One!

Xiao Wu burst out laughing at his line, "If you want sausages, come find me."

After introducing the older students, Flander went on to announce the names and martial souls of Yun Tian and the other four.

When he said, "Yun Tian, forty-second rank, four-ring Soul Ancestor, Earth Shadow Stone martial soul," the chicken bone in Ma Hongjun's mouth nearly fell out.

He stared wide-eyed as he sized Yun Tian up and down, as if he were looking at some rare animal.

"Damn, bro, you've got four rings at twelve?" Ma Hongjun strode over and bluntly asked, acting familiar to an outrageous degree. "Did you start cultivating in the womb?"

Yun Tian laughed at the blunt question and shook his head. "Just got lucky."

"Lucky enough to get four purple soul rings? Who the hell would believe that?" Ma Hongjun rolled his eyes, but he wore a cheerful grin, clearly without any ill intent.

Flander's gaze swept across the crowd, and the smile at the corner of his lips grew increasingly amused.

The wooden slip in his hand spun around his fingers. Rather than drawing lots, he directly announced the first matchup. "First match!"

"The seven of you, together. Fight Yun Tian alone."

The training ground fell silent for a moment.

"Huh?" Xiao Wu was the first to cry out. "Seven against Brother Yun alone? Headmaster, did you get that wrong?"

Tang San also frowned, looking at Flander with confusion.

Zhu Zhuqing showed no particular expression, but her catlike pupils narrowed slightly as her fingers unconsciously curled at her side.

Ning Rongrong even forgot to fan herself with her little fan. Her mouth hung slightly open, her entire face saying, Are you kidding me?

Ma Hongjun and Oscar exchanged looks. Then Ma Hongjun broke into a grin. "Headmaster, are you trying to help Boss Dai vent?"

Flander pushed up his glasses, his expression unchanged. "Vent what? I simply want to see how much pressure the strongest new student in our academy can withstand. Seven against one—yet you have to fight without killing or crippling him. That is the real test. You seven happen to represent Shrek's current overall strength. If Yun Tian can last through one incense stick's worth of time under the siege of all seven of you, then it will prove that I, the headmaster, did not misjudge him."

Dai Mubai stood among the crowd with a complicated expression.

Of course he knew Flander was helping him reclaim some dignity.

The headmaster remembered how Yun Tian had crushed him in public yesterday and wanted to help him recover a little face this way.

But the problem was...

Dai Mubai looked up at the brown-haired youth across from him, whose expression remained calm.

There was no surprise in Yun Tian's eyes, no panic, not even the slightest trace of tension. It was as though Flander had merely said, "The weather is nice today."

"Headmaster, are you sure?" Yun Tian spoke casually. "If all seven come at me together and I accidentally hurt someone, whose responsibility is that?"

Flander raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead and fight. As long as you don't kill or cripple anyone, I'll cover the medical expenses for any injuries."

"Fine." Yun Tian nodded and walked to the open space in the center of the training ground. He beckoned to the seven opposite him. "Come on. Saves time compared to fighting one by one."

Ma Hongjun was the first to lose it. Rolling up his sleeves, he marched toward the training ground. "Hey, what a temper! Bro, you're way too arrogant! If I don't teach you how terrifying the phoenix is today, I'll write the name Ma Hongjun backward!"

Tang San smiled bitterly and shook his head. Though he felt this arrangement was somewhat inappropriate, since Flander had ordered it, he could only step forward as well.

Xiao Wu had long been eager to fight. Rubbing her fists together, she winked at Yun Tian. "Brother Yun, I won't go easy on you!"

Zhu Zhuqing silently entered the combat area, the fighting spirit in her catlike eyes even stronger than usual.

She truly wanted to see just how many trump cards this youth—who had saved her yesterday and gathered them all here today—had yet to reveal.

Ning Rongrong was the last to enter. Standing at the very back, she had already raised the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda in her hand. "Let me make this clear first. I'll be in the rear supporting the other six, so don't blame me for ganging up on you!"

Oscar somehow produced a sausage and held it in his mouth, mumbling, "I'm just here to watch the fun... and top up everyone's health while I'm at it..."

The seven spread out in a semicircle, surrounding Yun Tian at the center.

The atmosphere on the training ground abruptly tightened. Standing to one side, Flander and Zhao Wuji crossed their arms as they watched with interest.

"Begin!" Flander ordered.

Seven figures moved at once.

Tang San's Blue Silver Grass erupted first. Four dark green vines slithered along the ground, attacking from the front and left flank;

Xiao Wu burst in from the right at high speed, her twin braids whipping in the wind as she leaped into the air and aimed straight for Yun Tian's face;

With a flicker, Zhu Zhuqing melted into the shadows and silently slipped in from Yun Tian's blind spot behind him;

Ma Hongjun spread his arms, phoenix flames blazing fiercely in his palms as a line of fire sealed off Yun Tian's retreat from the right;

Dai Mubai took a deep breath, his White Tiger soul power erupting in full as he charged directly at Yun Tian with unstoppable momentum.

Five attacks arrived at once.

Meanwhile, Ning Rongrong's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda had already begun to shine. A speed boost landed precisely on Xiao Wu, while a strength boost fell upon Dai Mubai's fist.

The two attackers immediately felt their bodies grow lighter and heavier, their speed and power rising another notch.

Seven people, seven different methods. Their coordination was not particularly seamless, but they had strength in numbers, pressing in from every direction without a single blind spot toward the brown-armored figure at the center.

Yun Tian stood where he was. Behind his visor, his eyes calmly watched the attacks rushing at him from all sides, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

Then he raised his right foot and lightly stomped down.

"Mountain Collapse and Earth Split."

The instant his second soul ring lit up, the entire training ground violently churned.

Cracks spread outward in rings from beneath his feet as shattered stone and dirt shot into the air.

Dai Mubai, charging from the front, was blasted two steps back by the oncoming shockwave. Three of Tang San's Blue Silver Grass vines were torn apart by the rupturing ground. Xiao Wu, still in midair, was knocked into a flip by the shockwave and staggered several steps upon landing.

The aftershock from the splitting earth knocked Ma Hongjun's fireline off course, while the suddenly crumbling ground beneath her feet forced Zhu Zhuqing out of the shadows.

One round of coordinated assault had crumbled in an instant.

Flander's eyelid twitched.

Yet Yun Tian still stood in place, not having retreated even half a step.

He rolled his neck, the joints of his armor giving off faint metallic scraping sounds. The voice from beneath his visor carried a lazy hint of amusement. "That's it? Again."

At the edge of the training ground, Zhao Wuji muttered under his breath, "This kid... he's a real monster."

"Don't look down on us!" The flames of Ma Hongjun's Fire Phoenix surged again. Thrusting both palms forward, he sent a roaring line of fire burning along the ground toward Yun Tian. "Phoenix Fireline!"

Tang San's Blue Silver Grass erupted from the soil once more. This time, he did not spread out his attacks. Instead, he concentrated all his soul power into two vines that lashed toward Yun Tian's ankles from both sides. His goal was clear: restrict Yun Tian's movement first and create opportunities for the others.

Xiao Wu descended from the air for a second time, her legs pressed together like a spear as she stabbed toward Yun Tian's back.

Zhu Zhuqing's figure flashed through the smoke and dust, the ghostly blue gleam on her claw blades striking straight at the gap in Yun Tian's armor at his waist.

After adjusting his breathing, Dai Mubai pressed forward once more, the White Tiger Fierce Light Wave gathering between his fists.

Six attacks arrived simultaneously from six directions.

But Yun Tian reacted faster than they did.

His right foot fiercely spun half a turn in place as his first and second soul rings lit up at the same time.

The Earth Tiger Armor burst forth with dense earthen light. The shockwave of Mountain Collapse and Earth Split erupted outward from his body in every direction. It was not a mere stomp in place; rather, he was like a stone hurled into water, the shockwave spreading in rings and blasting all six attacks away at the same moment.

More than half of Ma Hongjun's flames were suppressed by the ocher shockwave. Tang San's Blue Silver Grass shattered inch by inch. Xiao Wu was tossed through the air by the blast, flipping twice before landing and retreating seven or eight steps. Zhu Zhuqing was forced back five steps before she regained her footing. Dai Mubai's White Tiger Fierce Light Wave was interrupted before he could even fire it.

When the six steadied themselves again, each of their breaths had faltered.

Yet Yun Tian still stood firmly at the center of the training ground.

The ground around his boots had already cracked into a spiderweb pattern, but not even a single scratch marked the surface of his armor.

It was not seven against one.

It was one person holding seven people at bay across the training ground.

Standing at the edge of the field, Flander pushed up the glasses that had slipped down his nose and quietly said to Zhao Wuji, "Old Zhao, do you think he's using his full strength?"

Zhao Wuji fell silent for a moment, then shook his head.

"At least half his trump cards are still unrevealed."