I Shoot

Chen Xuan followed Flender to a large clearing behind Shrek Academy.

Dai Mubai was already waiting there, with three girls standing beside him.

Tang San and Xiao Wu went without saying.

Of the other two, one wore black leather and had a fiery figure. The other wore a long green dress and looked like she had been pampered since childhood.

A reclining chair sat in the middle of the clearing.

A burly man less than 1.6 meters tall but with shoulders wider than a door lay on it, snoring.

Flender walked over and kicked one of the chair legs.

"Old Zhao, stop sleeping. We've got work."

Zhao Wuji rubbed his eyes and sat up, sweeping his gaze over the five new students before him.

"Quite lively this year. Five of you?" Zhao Wuji stood up, cracking his bones. "Fine, I'll set the rules. The five of you work together and last one incense stick against me. If you manage it, you pass."

With that, he pulled out an incense stick from his pocket and casually flicked it.

The incense stick shot straight into the hard yellow earth, and its tip ignited without flame.

"I'll give you one incense stick's time to discuss your strategy." Zhao Wuji lay back down. "Call me when you're ready."

Tang San immediately turned around and gathered everyone together.

"Everyone, Teacher Zhao is a level seventy-six Soul Sage. We definitely can't take him head-on. We have to coordinate." Tang San's tone was steady as he habitually took command.

He looked at the two new girls. "My name is Tang San, level twenty-nine control-type battle soul master. My martial soul is Blue Silver Grass. What about you two?"

The girl in green spoke first. "Ning Rongrong, level twenty-six support-type tool soul master. My martial soul is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda."

The girl in leather spoke coldly. "Zhu Zhuqing, level twenty-seven agility-attack-type battle soul master. My martial soul is the Netherworld Spirit Cat."

Xiao Wu introduced herself as well. "Xiao Wu, level twenty-nine close-combat type. Soft Bone Rabbit."

Tang San nodded, his gaze finally falling on Chen Xuan.

He paused, then took the initiative to speak for Chen Xuan.

"Chen Xuan, level eleven. His martial soul is... a stone."

Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing turned toward him at the same time, their faces full of astonishment.

Level eleven? A stone?

Didn't this place only accept monsters? How had someone with that setup made it to the fourth test?

Tang San gave them no chance to ask questions and immediately began assigning roles.

"I'm control-type. I'll coordinate from the center and restrict Teacher Zhao's movements."

"Ning Rongrong will stay in the rear and provide attribute boosts."

"Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing will attack from both sides when opportunities arise."

The division of labor was clear.

Tang San finally looked at Chen Xuan.

"Chen Xuan, your level is too low. You can't withstand Teacher Zhao's attacks head-on." Tang San thought for a moment before making the arrangement. "Stay on the flank and adapt as the situation demands. Do your best to protect yourself."

Chen Xuan heard him out without arguing.

He knew Tang San's style too well.

This so-called "adapt as the situation demands" was just a polite way of saying Tang San considered him dead weight and had no intention of including him in the core strategy.

Tang San's control chain had always covered only the teammates he considered valuable.

"Fine." Chen Xuan took two steps back. "I'll adapt as the situation demands."

Seeing that Chen Xuan understood, Tang San turned to Zhao Wuji.

"Teacher Zhao, we're ready."

Zhao Wuji rose from the chair and grinned.

"Come on, little monsters."

"Seven Treasures Turn, Glaze Emerges!" Ning Rongrong made the first move.

Brilliant seven-colored light rose from her palm, and two halos precisely settled over Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing.

Their speed and strength instantly increased by thirty percent.

Chen Xuan was the only one left out.

He was standing too far away, and Ning Rongrong felt it was completely unnecessary to waste soul power on someone at level eleven.

"Go!" Tang San shouted.

Dozens of thick Blue Silver Grass vines burst wildly from the ground, instantly binding Zhao Wuji's legs.

Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing charged from the left and right, turning into two afterimages.

"Netherworld Hundred Claws!"

"Eight-Section Throw!"

The two girls attacked with extreme ferocity. Combined with Tang San's Blue Silver Grass restraints, they kicked up clouds of dust.

The scene looked extraordinarily dazzling.

Tang San stood in the rear, his hands constantly moving as he precisely controlled the direction of every strand of Blue Silver Grass, striving to push his control to the limit.

He felt his strategy was perfect.

Several dozen seconds later, the dust settled.

Zhao Wuji stood where he was, without even moving a step.

He patted the dust from his clothes and let out a huge yawn.

"That's all the strength you have? Were you scratching an itch for me?" Zhao Wuji rolled his neck. "My turn."

The instant he finished speaking, all seven soul rings around Zhao Wuji lit up.

His second soul ring shone brilliantly.

Immovable Vajra Body!

A dazzling layer of golden light erupted from Zhao Wuji's body, powerful protective energy becoming almost tangible.

Bang!

Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing were sent flying by the energy, flipping through the air several times before barely landing on their feet.

The Blue Silver Grass wrapped around Zhao Wuji's legs shattered inch by inch, exploding into fragments that filled the sky.

Tang San grunted, suffering soul power backlash as he staggered back a step.

His defense was too strong.

Conventional attacks simply could not break through it.

Gritting his teeth, Tang San quietly reached for the Twenty-Four Bridges Under Moonlight at his waist.

Against an opponent with such monstrous defense, he could only use hidden weapons to seek out a weakness.

He pinched a Dragon Whisker Needle between his fingers.

The instant Zhao Wuji withdrew his protective energy to counterattack, he would fire the Dragon Whisker Needle into him.

Tang San stared fixedly at Zhao Wuji's movements, holding his breath.

Just as Zhao Wuji raised his arms and prepared to launch his next attack—

Chen Xuan, who had been standing at the edge of the battlefield without any presence at all, suddenly raised his right hand.

He had been waiting a long time for this opportunity.

Zhao Wuji's Immovable Vajra Body was indeed like a turtle shell.

But whenever protective energy circulated, there would always be weak points in the transition of energy.

The moment his arms lifted, his armpits became the thinnest point of the protective energy.

Green light flickered in Chen Xuan's palm.

The Wind Eagle Crossbow instantly took shape.

Chen Xuan did not even bother aiming. He raised his hand and fired.

Whoosh!

An icy blue streak tore through the air.

It was absurdly fast.

Tang San had not even drawn out his Dragon Whisker Needle when that streak skimmed past his shoulder.

The ultimate penetrating force of the wood attribute, combined with the explosive power of an epic-grade weapon.

Pfft!

An extremely faint yet distinct muffled sound rang out.

The crossbow bolt struck precisely into Zhao Wuji's right armpit.

"Ah, fuck!"

Zhao Wuji let out a sharp cry of pain.

The golden protective energy that even level twenty-nine assault-type soul masters could not break had been forcibly pierced open at his armpit.

The icy blue short bolt sank in nearly half an inch.

It had not injured his muscles or bones, but the armpit was packed with nerves. The piercing pain made Zhao Wuji's entire body twitch, and he stumbled back three large steps.

The glow of the Immovable Vajra Body instantly dimmed.

The clearing was so silent that one could have heard a needle drop.

Tang San's hand, which had been reaching for the Dragon Whisker Needle, froze in midair. His eyes were fixed on the bolt lodged beneath Zhao Wuji's arm.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda in Ning Rongrong's hand nearly fell to the ground.

Zhu Zhuqing was stunned as well.

The three of them were all in their twenties, boosted by thirty percent, yet after fighting for so long, they had not even left a white mark.

That level eleven guy standing far in the back, who had not even received a boost—

He fired one bolt.

And broke a Soul Sage's defense?

This was level eleven? This was a stone martial soul?!

Dai Mubai stood at the edge of the field, the corner of his eye twitching violently.

Yesterday, this guy had pulled out an iron pot at the hotel. Today, he had produced a repeating crossbow. Just how much random junk was he carrying around?

Tang San turned to look at Chen Xuan dozens of meters away.

Chen Xuan was unhurriedly putting the Wind Eagle Crossbow back into his system space, his face completely expressionless.

He had not even taken a breath.

An indescribable sense of frustration surged through Tang San.

He had painstakingly devised the strategy and controlled the entire field, only to end up as bait drawing fire for someone else.

Most importantly, Chen Xuan had seized the timing of that shot with vicious precision.

It had landed exactly in the gap between Zhao Wuji's old force fading and his new force not yet forming.

That could not be explained by luck.

Plop.

The final bit of ash fell from the incense stick planted in the yellow earth.

The incense had burned out.

Zhao Wuji grimaced in pain and reached up to pull the crossbow bolt from beneath his arm.

He examined the short bolt in his hand for a moment, then looked up at Chen Xuan.

Rubbing his armpit, Zhao Wuji strode over to Chen Xuan.

"Good kid. This thing has some kick. It can even pierce my protective energy." Zhao Wuji narrowed his eyes and looked Chen Xuan up and down. "But did you hold something back just now?"

Chen Xuan spread his hands, his tone utterly sincere.

"Teacher Zhao, I'm only level eleven. It was already good luck that I managed to break your skin. How could I possibly be holding anything back?"

Zhao Wuji snorted.

Yeah, right.

When that bolt had flown at him just now, he had not even sensed a fluctuation of soul power.

"Alright, the incense is burned out." Zhao Wuji tossed the short bolt back to Chen Xuan, then turned and shouted at Flender. "Boss Flender, these little monsters pass. But this kid..."

Zhao Wuji pointed at Chen Xuan.

"You need to leave this kid to me. I need to properly investigate just what the hell those broken stones of his are capable of!"