Dai Mubai Knelt, Trash!

Tang Feng sidestepped again.

The second attack missed as well.

Both evasions had been by mere inches.

Yet Dai Mubai's tiger claws had not even brushed the corner of Tang Feng's clothes.

The Blue Silver Domain covered the entire street.

Every burst of force, every eruption of Soul Power, even where Dai Mubai intended to plant his next step—all of it reached Tang Feng's awareness in advance.

Dai Mubai shattered the stone slabs beneath his feet and charged for the third time.

Tang Feng raised his left hand.

A dark blue glow bloomed from his palm.

"Ruination Blue Silver Emperor."

Masses of dark blue vines rose from the ground.

The fine serrated edges of their leaves slowly unfurled.

Several vines lashed out first, winding around Dai Mubai's wrists and waist.

Dai Mubai crossed his claws and slashed downward.

Hiss!

The first layer of vines was torn apart by his tiger claws.

Dark blue sap splattered onto the White Tiger Bodyguard Barrier and was quickly blasted away by Soul Power.

Dai Mubai stepped forward.

Yet the severed ends of the shattered vines rapidly regrew.

One became three.

A mass of thin vines climbed upward along his legs.

Dai Mubai raised his foot and stomped the vines apart.

New dark blue leaves had already closed in from both sides.

Ahead.

Behind him.

Above him.

Every path of retreat was swiftly sealed under the control of the Blue Silver Domain.

Dai Mubai swung his tiger claws, continuously shredding the vines that approached his body.

But for every vine he broke, more burst from beneath the stone slabs.

Tang Feng stood several meters away.

"Is that all you've got?"

The White Tiger Bodyguard Barrier around Dai Mubai's body flickered violently.

He forcibly blasted away two vines winding around his waist.

"Tang Feng!"

The White Tiger Wuhun erupted at full force.

Dai Mubai smashed the ground beneath his feet and charged at Tang Feng again.

Three Spirit Rings slowly rose beneath Tang Feng's feet.

Yellow.

Black.

Black.

The instant the two Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings appeared, the phantom White Tiger behind Dai Mubai visibly stalled.

Ma Hongjun had just arrived at the entrance to the street.

The moment he saw those two black Spirit Rings, he immediately stopped.

Tang Feng raised his left hand.

The second black Spirit Ring suddenly lit up.

"Second spirit skill."

"Star-Binding Annihilation!"

Boom!

The street split open on all sides.

Nine thick Destruction Vines shot into the sky.

Dark purple star patterns raced along the vines.

Countless thin vines branched out from between the nine main vines, instantly sealing off every bit of space around Dai Mubai.

Dai Mubai raised his tiger claws.

The White Tiger Bodyguard Barrier was pushed to its limit.

Several thin vines were forcibly torn apart.

Yet more vines grew from the broken ends.

One vine wrapped around his right hand.

A second locked down his left arm.

The remaining vines coiled around his waist, chest, abdomen, and legs.

Dai Mubai still tried to charge forward.

Tang Feng curled his five fingers.

[Jeweled Gauntlet activated!]

[Fivefold spirit skill critical hit!]

The nine main vines simultaneously drew inward.

Boom!

The White Tiger Bodyguard Barrier twisted violently.

Dark purple destructive power erupted across the barrier's entire surface.

Crack!

The white Soul Power barrier shattered outright.

The white light around Dai Mubai's body scattered in every direction.

The vines passed through the shattered barrier and completely bound his limbs.

Dark purple corrosive power seeped into his meridians.

The White Tiger Soul Power had barely gathered before it was crushed apart on the spot.

Bang!

Dai Mubai was slammed to the ground by the vines.

The stone slabs cracked.

Dust spread outward from around him.

One Destruction Vine pressed down on his shoulder.

Two more vines twisted together, pinning his tiger-furred arms to the ground.

Dai Mubai tried to lift himself up.

The nine main vines tightened in response.

He could only be forced back against the broken stone slabs.

Tang Feng walked over through the dark blue vines.

He stopped in front of Dai Mubai.

"You can't even get close to me."

Dai Mubai raised his head and glared at Tang Feng.

His White Tiger Wuhun was already being suppressed by the destructive power.

His three Spirit Rings dimmed one after another.

From the moment he attacked to the moment he lost, he had never touched Tang Feng even once.

News of Dai Mubai's crushing defeat quickly made its way back to Shrek Academy.

Inside the training room.

Bang!

Xiao Wu slammed her palm onto the table.

The cups on the table jumped from the impact, spilling tea everywhere.

"It's that Tang Feng again!"

"He beat Ma Hongjun first, and now he's beaten Dai Mubai into this state."

"I'm going to find him!"

Xiao Wu turned to leave.

Tang San reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Don't be rash."

Xiao Wu turned back.

"Brother, he's already bullying us to this extent."

"You still want to put up with it?"

Tang San did not let go.

His gaze fell on the other side of the room.

Dai Mubai sat on a bench, his arms and shoulders wrapped in bandages.

Though the destructive power had been removed, the suppression in his meridians had not fully recovered.

Ma Hongjun stood beside him.

The footprint on his chest had been washed away, but his expression was still rather unnatural.

In just two days.

Two Shrek Academy students had lost to Tang Feng in succession.

Tang San looked back at Xiao Wu.

"Dai Mubai attacked first."

"Tang Feng merely retaliated."

Xiao Wu pressed her lips together.

"Even so, he shouldn't have pinned someone to the ground."

Dai Mubai raised his head.

"A loss is a loss."

"He never went too hard on me from start to finish."

Xiao Wu said nothing more.

Tang San walked over to Dai Mubai.

"Tell me the course of the battle again."

Dai Mubai fell silent for a moment.

"He possesses a special domain."

"As long as there were plants around the street, he could evade every attack I made in advance."

"Even when I charged right in front of him, I couldn't touch him."

Tang San's brows gradually furrowed.

He was also a Blue Silver Grass Spirit Master.

More than anyone else, he understood what sensing an opponent through plants meant.

Vision could be obstructed.

Auras could be concealed.

But the senses transmitted by plants would not be easily affected.

Dai Mubai continued:

"His Ruination Blue Silver Emperor is difficult to deal with."

"After the vines are torn apart, the broken ends split into even more thin vines."

"If all the roots can't be destroyed at once, their numbers will only keep growing."

Tang San lowered his head and looked at his palm.

An ordinary Blue Silver Grass slowly grew from it.

Its leaves were slender.

Its toughness was also far inferior to the Ruination Blue Silver Emperor.

They were both Blue Silver Grass.

Yet the two had already taken entirely different paths.

Tang Feng possessed the Blue Silver Domain and could detect attack trajectories in advance.

The Ruination Blue Silver Emperor was responsible for continuously sealing off and compressing an opponent's space to move.

Once every route of retreat disappeared, the Ten Thousand Year spirit skill, Star-Binding Annihilation, would deliver the final suppression.

Beyond that.

Tang Feng also had a Flying Spirit Bone.

Ultimate Fire.

The quality of Soul Power brought by two Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings.

Tang San fell silent for a moment.

"His foundation is strong."

"His strength, speed, perception, and Soul Power control have no obvious weaknesses."

The training room door was pushed open at that moment.

Yu Xiaogang walked in from outside.

He placed the training records in his hand on the table.

"It is not that he is stronger."

"It is that Tang Feng has already formed his own combat system."

Everyone's gaze fell on Yu Xiaogang at once.

Yu Xiaogang walked to the center of the room.

"The Blue Silver Domain is responsible for perception."

"The Flying Spirit Bone is responsible for movement."

"The Ruination Blue Silver Emperor is responsible for containment."

"Star-Binding Annihilation is responsible for ending the battle."

"Every ability can coordinate with the others."

"That is why Dai Mubai could not get close to him."

Ma Hongjun could not help asking:

"Master, then what is his weakness?"

Yu Xiaogang looked at him.

"His level."

"Tang Feng is only level thirty-three. The total amount of his Soul Power still has a limit."

"But none of you can even force him to expend a large amount of Soul Power."

Ma Hongjun immediately shut his mouth.

Xiao Wu stepped forward.

"As long as we attack together, he cannot trap everyone at once."

Yu Xiaogang shook his head.

"He is a control-type Spirit Master."

"The more people there are, the more openings he can exploit."

"If you challenge him now, you will only lose again."

Xiao Wu looked at the spilled tea on the table.

She was still unconvinced.

"Then we just never fight him again?"

"Of course not."

Yu Xiaogang took out a stack of training plans.

"Starting today, a new round of special training will begin."

"Don't you want to catch up to Tang Feng?"

"First, make your bodies keep up with your ambitions."

Daytime.

Outside Shrek Academy.

Seven figures ran continuously along the outskirts of Heaven Dou City.

Each of them carried a bamboo basket filled with stones on their back.

Iron weights hung beneath the baskets.

The heavy pressure bore down on their shoulders, backs, and legs.

Dai Mubai ran at the front of the group.

Sweat streamed down his forehead, soaking his golden hair.

Every time his feet hit the ground, the dirt beneath them sank inward.

The soreness in his meridians steadily intensified.

Dai Mubai did not stop.

That defeat on the street remained fixed in his mind.

He had torn through layer after layer of vines.

Yet in the end, he had not even touched the corner of Tang Feng's clothes.

Dai Mubai gritted his teeth and quickened his pace once more.

Tang San followed behind.

The stones in his bamboo basket clattered without pause.

The crushing weight bent his back slightly.

The Mysterious Heaven Skill continued circulating through his meridians.

Tang San controlled his breathing rhythm, sending every trace of strength into his legs.

Blue Silver Domain.

Vine containment.

The landing points of spirit skills.

Again and again, he replayed the battle Dai Mubai had described.

If it were him, how would he respond?

Would he use Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to break through the blockade?

Or would he use Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon to alter the vines' direction?

Tang San found no answer.

Star-Binding Annihilation covered too broad an area.

Ordinary Blue Silver Grass could not directly clash with the Ruination Blue Silver Emperor either.

He could only keep running forward.

Xiao Wu was in the middle of the group.

The bamboo basket on her back swayed continuously.

Her scorpion braid was soaked with sweat and stuck to the back of her pink uniform.

After running for so long, her legs gradually weakened.

Her steps began to grow unsteady as well.

Ning Rongrong supported her arm.

"Xiao Wu, steady yourself."

Xiao Wu used her support to regain her footing.

"I can still run."

Ning Rongrong's face was equally covered in sweat.

The body of a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Spirit Master was never known for its toughness.

The weight on her back was less than the others', yet the basket straps had still rubbed red marks into her shoulders.

The two supported each other and continued following the group.

Oscar was in an even more miserable state.

His uniform had been soaked through with sweat.

Every few steps, the bamboo basket slammed against his lower back.

"I'm saying..."

"Did Master put the wrong stones in my basket?"

"Why is my basket so heavy?"

Ma Hongjun panted as he passed beside him.

"Talk less."

"Talking wastes energy too."

Oscar glanced at him.

"Since when did you become so diligent?"

Ma Hongjun did not answer.

The image of the Ruination Blue Silver Emperor passing through the Phoenix Line surfaced in his mind once again.

The Evil Fire Phoenix he had always been proud of had been utterly useless before Tang Feng.

Not only had the purplish-red flames failed to burn the vines, they had become the other side's strength.

Ma Hongjun lowered his head and continued running.

Zhu Zhuqing remained at the back of the group.

Her black training clothes clung to her figure.

Her high ponytail swung with every step.

She had not joined the discussion in the room.

Nor had she said she wanted revenge on Tang Feng.

Dai Mubai had taken the initiative to attack Tang Feng.

His defeat had been his own choice.

Zhu Zhuqing focused only on the road beneath her feet.

The residual medicinal power of the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone slowly released within her muscles and bones.

Whenever her stamina approached its limit, the gentle medicinal power blended into her flesh and blood, allowing her to maintain her pace.

Yu Xiaogang stood on a distant slope.

Flender stood beside him with his arms folded.

"This training load is already more than double their usual amount."

Yu Xiaogang watched the seven gradually receding figures.

"They need to know where their limits lie."

"Only after their Soul Power is exhausted does the real training begin."

One lap.

Two laps.

Three laps.

Tang San's Soul Power was the first to near exhaustion.

The Mysterious Heaven Skill slowed more and more.

His legs felt as though they had been filled with lead.

He did not stop.

Dai Mubai's White Tiger Soul Power was also steadily depleting.

After losing the support of Soul Power, the weight on his back suddenly increased.

His steps slowed.

Xiao Wu's face turned pale.

Every step sent a distinct ache through her knees.

The seven continued onward.

No one set down the bamboo basket on their back.

Until the sun set.

The final lap ended.

The moment Xiao Wu crossed the finish line, her legs gave out.

Tang San immediately caught her.

"Xiao Wu."

"Brother, I'm fine."

Xiao Wu steadied herself against Tang San's arm.

She tried to lift her foot, but her legs did not immediately obey her.

Dai Mubai untied the bamboo basket from his back.

The heavy stones fell to the ground.

Bang!

The dirt cracked across a wide area from the impact.

He braced himself on his knees and panted for a long while before straightening up again.

Yu Xiaogang did not give them much time to rest.

"Go to the medicinal baths."

Night.

Inside Shrek Academy's bathhouse.

Several wooden barrels were arranged neatly in a row.

The dark brown medicinal liquid churned continuously.

Steam filled the entire room.

The moment everyone entered the barrels, the scalding medicinal power surged through their skin and into their muscles and bones.

The soreness left behind by the day's training was stimulated by the medicinal power and rapidly intensified.

Oscar abruptly grabbed the edge of the barrel.

"Master!"

"That's way too brutal!"

"I feel like I'm about to be boiled alive!"

Yu Xiaogang stood outside the door.

"The medicinal bath will repair your muscles and meridians."

"If you want to catch up to them, endure it."

Oscar stared at the medicinal liquid that kept giving off steam.

"Can't you use a little less medicine?"

"No."

Oscar leaned back against the wooden tub.

"I knew it."

Tang San closed his eyes.

The Mysterious Heaven Skill guided the medicinal power into every corner of his body.

As the scorching heat passed through his meridians, the fatigue accumulated during the day slowly began to fade.

In another bathroom.

Xiao Wu sat in a wooden tub, with only her shoulders and neck exposed.

Her damp long hair was coiled atop her head.

Her cheeks had been flushed red by the steam.

Ning Rongrong leaned against another wooden tub, her fingers resting on its edge.

When the medicinal power surged into her shoulders, she could not help frowning.

"Xiao Wu."

"Are you still going to find Tang Feng?"

Xiao Wu opened her eyes.

"Of course."

"But not now."

Ning Rongrong turned to look at her.

Xiao Wu raised an arm, and the medicinal liquid slid down her wrist.

"Once I become stronger, I'll definitely fight him."

Zhu Zhuqing sat at the very back.

She did not join their conversation.

The warm medicinal power seeped into her muscles and bones, mingling with the effects of the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone.

The minute injuries caused by the day's training rapidly healed.

Zhu Zhuqing closed her eyes and continued circulating her Soul Power.

For several days in a row.

Everyone at Shrek rose early every morning.

They ran with heavy loads during the day.

At night, they entered the medicinal baths.

Dai Mubai poured all his frustration over his defeat into cultivation.

The weight in his bamboo basket kept increasing.

Yet his speed did not continue to decline.

Whenever his body neared its limit, Dai Mubai would remember the sight of himself being pinned to the street by vines.