Immovable Bright King Zhao Wuji (1)

"Come here." Dai Mubai lowered his voice, his face carrying a gravity they had never seen before. "I can't help you this time. Teacher Zhao is a level seventy-six Soul Saint, with the Vajra Gigantic Bear Wuhun. A Combat Soul Saint. He's the academy's vice dean, second only to the dean in strength."

Xiao Wu's face instantly turned pale. "Level seventy-six?"

"Age means nothing. Don't be fooled by how young he looks." Dai Mubai spoke rapidly. "Teacher Zhao has no weaknesses at all, and his defense is terrifyingly strong. Even Soul Masters of the same rank would find it difficult to break through it. Strength and defense are what he excels at most, which is why he's called the Immovable Bright King. Never mind the five of you—even with me added in, we might not last through one incense stick's worth of his attacks. Hurry up and get acquainted. State your abilities and figure out how to cooperate."

An Chen lowered his eyes.

In the original story, they had passed this trial through Tang San's Hidden Weapons, Xiao Wu's soft techniques, and Zhu Zhuqing's agility attacks.

With him added this time, it should go more smoothly than before.

"Tang San, Tool Wuhun Blue Silver Grass, level twenty-nine Control System Combat Soul Master." Tang San spoke first, his voice steady. "First Soul Skill, Binding. Second Soul Skill, Parasite. It has poison and control effects, and the Blue Silver Grass can regrow even after being severed."

"Xiao Wu, Wuhun Rabbit, level twenty-nine Assault System Combat Soul Master." Xiao Wu gestured as her ponytail swayed along with her. "First Soul Skill, Waist Bow. Once I wrap around someone's waist, they won't be able to shake me off."

"Ning Rongrong, Tool Wuhun Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, level twenty-six Auxiliary Instrument Soul Master." The short-haired girl hesitated before finally speaking. "First Soul Skill, Strength Amplification. Second Soul Skill, Speed Amplification. I can enhance multiple people, but the more people there are, the weaker the enhancement each person receives."

"Zhu Zhuqing, Wuhun Netherworld Civet, level twenty-seven Agility Attack System Combat Soul Master." The cold girl's voice was indifferent, as though she were reading a list unrelated to herself. "First Soul Skill, Nether Thrust, instant acceleration. Second Soul Skill, Netherworld Hundred Claws, high-speed consecutive strikes."

Four pairs of eyes turned toward An Chen.

"An Chen, Tool Wuhun... Iron Pot, level twenty-nine." He paused. "First Soul Skill, Black Fog. It releases a wide area of dense fog that blocks vision and suppresses perception. It probably won't be very useful against a Soul Saint, but anyone covered by the fog will receive my Shadow Mark. Second Soul Skill, Detonate the mark. It can briefly stun someone."

He had obtained his Second Soul Ring at level twenty, from a Netherworld Wolf found in the Soul Hunting Forest.

Originally, Elder Chen and he had spent an entire day without finding a suitable Soul Beast. In the end, An Chen had used one of the system's Divination functions.

He had divined the location of a suitable Soul Beast for his Second Soul Ring. The system had directly given him a location, and An Chen then suggested that Elder Chen check the place. There, they found a seven-hundred-year-old Netherworld Wolf.

He had gained the ability to place marks on opponents, then Detonate those marks to stun them.

The greater the gap in Soul Power, the shorter the effect. Against a Soul Saint, it would likely last only an instant. But sometimes, an instant was enough.

Tang San's eyes lit up. "Can the Black Fog cover Teacher Zhao?"

"It can cover him, but the effect probably won't be great. The difference in Soul Power is too large." An Chen said, "If he gets careless and enters the fog, I can plant a mark on him. At a critical moment, I can Detonate the mark and stun him for a few seconds."

What he did not say was this: what if Zhao Wuji did not underestimate them? What if he simply dispersed the fog with one punch?

"Good." Tang San immediately set the plan. "Ning Rongrong will provide support. Xiao Wu will lead the attack. I'll restrain Teacher Zhao's attacks, and Zhu Zhuqing will circle from the flanks. An Chen, use your Black Fog to cover him and control the whole field. You decide when to Detonate the mark."

An Chen nodded. He liked this arrangement. According to the original story, Tang San would deal with Zhao Wuji anyway. He just needed to coast along.

"Have you finished discussing it?" Zhao Wuji's booming voice rang out, making An Chen's eardrums buzz.

The five of them turned around. The incense on the ground had burned down to its end.

Zhao Wuji stood and rolled his wrists. A series of cracking sounds burst from his bones—crack, crack, crack—like an old machine starting up again. The invisible pressure grew even heavier.

With a casual motion, he produced another stick of incense and was about to light it...

"Seven Treasures turn forth with glazed light." Ning Rongrong moved first.

Brilliant seven-colored light poured from her body. In her right palm sat a seven-colored pagoda over a foot tall, while two yellow Soul Rings rose and revolved around her.

The treasure light flowed around her, making her seem almost like an immortal.

"Seven Treasures have a name. First: Strength." Three streams of colored light drifted out and landed on the other four.

An Chen felt a warm current surge through his limbs and bones. The Soul Power in his body rapidly rose, and his strength increased by thirty percent.

So this was an Auxiliary Soul Master. No wonder everyone wanted to snatch up a Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda.

"Seven Treasures have a name. Second: Speed." Several more streams of colored light appeared.

An Chen's whole body felt lighter, and even his breathing became much smoother.

Zhao Wuji gave Ning Rongrong a surprised look. "Well, well. There's actually a little girl from the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect this year. Not bad, not bad. That old bastard Flender is going to be overjoyed." As he spoke, the incense in his hand had already been lit. He tossed it casually, planting it into the ground.

At that very moment, Zhao Wuji moved.

He bent his legs slightly and slammed both fists into the ground.

An Chen's intuition suddenly jolted. The Listener's instinct let him hear the muffled sound deep beneath the earth first, like some colossal beast turning over underground, or a bell being struck from within.

"Get out of the way!"

Boom!

An earthen-yellow wave exploded outward. The ground rose like a rug being flipped over, hurling shattered stones toward the five of them.

Tang San's Blue Silver Grass shot out, wrapping around Ning Rongrong's waist and pulling her away from where she stood.

Xiao Wu leaped straight ahead, while Zhu Zhuqing darted out from the side.

An Chen held the Iron Pot across himself to shield his head and face. A fist-sized rock, carrying a fierce gust, smashed against the pot's bottom with a clang, numbing his arm.

He retreated half a step to disperse the force. A faint white mark had been left on the pot's rim.

An Chen turned the Iron Pot around, its opening facing outward. His First Soul Ring lit up.

Thick Black Fog poured from the Iron Pot and slithered straight toward Zhao Wuji. In the blink of an eye, it swallowed him, along with the patch of ground beneath his feet.

Within the fog, An Chen's perception expanded without limit.

Zhao Wuji's circulating Soul Power, his breathing, the rise and fall of every muscle—all of it was as clear as though it were right before An Chen's eyes.

For the first time, he focused all his perception upon a single target, then "looked" toward Zhao Wuji.

Within the Black Fog, Zhao Wuji's Soul Power circulated clearly and steadily, showing not the slightest sign of being suppressed.

An Chen's heart sank. The Black Fog could not suppress him.

The perception of a level seventy-six Soul Saint was not something a Soul Skill from a Soul Master in his twenties could fool.

"A smoke bomb?" Zhao Wuji's voice came from the fog, calm and unhurried. "Kid, this fog is useless against a Soul Saint. Save your strength."

Before his words had even faded, he charged straight for Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu's reaction was not slow. She tapped the ground with her toes, preparing to retreat, but Zhao Wuji was far faster than she had imagined.

A hand reached out and seized her ankle, lifting her up like a chick before casually slamming her into the ground.

Bang.

Dust flew up. Xiao Wu was thrown so badly that the world spun around her. She struggled to climb back up, blood already staining the corner of her mouth.

"Zhu Zhuqing, fall back!" An Chen shouted.

But it was too late. Zhao Wuji turned and swung a palm at Zhu Zhuqing, who was pouncing in from the flank.

Nether Thrust pushed her speed to the limit in that instant. Her cat claws grazed his face, leaving only a pale streak without even breaking his skin.

"Too slow." Zhao Wuji backhanded Zhu Zhuqing across the waist.

The girl flew away like a kite with its string cut, crashing through two branches before hitting the ground.

Tang San's Blue Silver Grass wrapped around him at the same time—Binding and Parasite—layer upon layer coiling around Zhao Wuji's legs.

Zhao Wuji looked down, then flexed his legs. The Blue Silver Grass snapped apart inch by inch like hemp rope.

"Tang San, don't force it!" An Chen called. "Your grass can't bind him. Save your strength and trip him instead!"

Tang San froze for a moment, then immediately withdrew the grass. No longer wrapping around Zhao Wuji, the Blue Silver Grass slithered across the ground like snakes, ready to entangle his feet at any time.

Zhao Wuji's gaze swept through the fog before finally settling on Ning Rongrong.

"Take out the support first." He took a step and charged directly at Ning Rongrong.

Ning Rongrong's face immediately went pale.

She was only an Auxiliary Soul Master. She could not even run quickly.

An Chen moved. His First Soul Ring lit up again, but this time he did not spread the fog out. Instead, he condensed all of it above Zhao Wuji's head, like an overturned pot descending over him.

Zhao Wuji's vision was blocked for an instant. Just an instant.

"Detonate." Yellow Light flashed around An Chen as he spoke softly.

Shadow Mark, Detonate.

Zhao Wuji's body paused, as though someone had shoved him from behind.

He turned his head. Through the Black Fog, those brown-yellow beast eyes locked precisely onto An Chen.

"Kid, that kind of dirty trick usually doesn't work well against the strong."

Sweat slid down An Chen's forehead.

Detonating the mark against a level seventy-six Soul Saint had only bought him a momentary pause.

And in that instant, Tang San had only managed to drag Ning Rongrong behind a tree.

The gap in Soul Power was simply too great. Level twenty-nine against level seventy-six—what lay between them was not merely numbers, but an entire chasm.

But Zhao Wuji did not head toward the tree. He turned around and walked toward An Chen instead.

"You've been hiding back there and releasing fog. You're pretty good at picking your position." Zhao Wuji approached one step at a time, his stride steady. "Let's see what else you can do."