Three Against Zhao Wuji

"Alright, Mubai. Now that you've all met, eat a few more of those Recovery Sausages you wanted and get your injuries healed."

With that, Ma Hongjun introduced Lin Hao to Zhao Wuji, who was sitting in a chair.

"Xiao Hao, this is Zhao Wuji, the vice dean of Shrek Academy. We call him Dean Zhao."

"He's also the examiner for the fourth stage of the entrance test."

Lin Hao nodded to Zhao Wuji.

"Hello, Teacher Zhao!"

Seeing that Lin Hao and the other two had gathered, Zhao Wuji wanted to test the three students Flender had specifically said could enter Shrek Academy without taking the exam.

"Mm!"

"Since all three of you are here and I have nothing else to do, I might as well give you some pointers and see what you're made of."

"How about it?"

Before the three could answer, Oscar spoke up from the side.

"Teacher Zhao, are you really giving them pointers? Your hands are just itching for a fight."

Zhao Wuji shot Oscar a fierce glare.

"What's that? Do you want some pointers too?"

Oscar hurriedly waved his hands and shrank back.

"No, no!"

Looks like Zhao Wuji's definitely getting beaten up this time, Lin Hao thought.

With that in mind, Lin Hao tugged Xiao Wu's hand, then looked at Tang San.

The three exchanged a brief glance.

"Alright. Thank you for the guidance, Teacher Zhao."

Zhao Wuji rose from his chair and nodded to the three of them.

"Good! We'll use the same rules as the fourth-stage test."

"The test is for the three of you to work together and withstand my attacks for the time it takes one stick of incense to burn. If even one of you lasts until the end, you pass."

"Hongjun, tell them about my martial soul and Soul Skills. We'll begin once you're done."

The four gathered together, and Ma Hongjun explained Zhao Wuji's martial soul and Soul Skills.

After hearing what they needed to know about Teacher Zhao, Lin Hao, Xiao Wu, and Tang San quickly worked out a strategy.

Then the three took their places opposite Zhao Wuji and activated their martial souls.

"Teacher Zhao, we're ready."

A stick of incense appeared in Zhao Wuji's hand. He had only just lit it and had yet to plant it nearby when Xiao Wu made the first move. Her second Soul Ring flashed, and Gravity Crush bore down on Zhao Wuji.

Xiao Wu and Lin Hao charged him from left and right, while Tang San used his First Soul Skill, Blue Silver Thorn. Vines grown from his Blue Silver Grass burst from the ground beneath Zhao Wuji's feet and stabbed at him.

Facing a Soul Sage like Zhao Wuji, Lin Hao had no intention of using the back of his blade. He led with the Soul Blade.

"First Soul Skill, Vajra Slash!"

"First Soul Skill, Waist Bow!"

Lin Hao struck from the left with Heavenly Blade, while Xiao Wu kicked from the right. Both attacks aimed for Zhao Wuji's head.

The three-pronged assault startled Zhao Wuji. An ordinary Soul King caught off guard like this might well have lost if he failed to take them seriously. Fortunately, Zhao Wuji was a Soul Sage, and his Soul Power was far more condensed.

"First Soul Skill, Immovable Bright King Body!"

He gathered Soul Power into both hands to shield his head, then stamped his right foot down hard. The Blue Silver Vines, not yet fully solidified, shattered beneath him.

But although Zhao Wuji had shielded his head with Soul Power, Lin Hao's armor-piercing strike still left a cut across his left hand.

Soul Power quickly stopped the bleeding, but a drop of blood had already fallen.

When the strike failed to bring him down, Lin Hao and Xiao Wu used the recoil to retreat.

Zhao Wuji looked at the wound on his arm, then glanced at Lin Hao's Heavenly Blade martial soul.

"Well, that's quite a martial soul. If I'm not mistaken, it's a mutated martial soul, and its First Soul Skill can break through defenses."

Lin Hao nodded in answer.

"That's right. My martial soul mutated from a longsword. I call it Heavenly Blade."

"You'd better be careful now, Teacher Zhao."

As he spoke, Lin Hao's second Soul Ring flashed.

Five identical Lin Haos appeared around Zhao Wuji. All six raised their Heavenly Blades and used Vajra Slash at the same time, bringing their blades down on him.

Zhao Wuji was startled when Lin Hao used his second Soul Skill to summon five copies with identical auras and strength.

As far as he could sense, the five Clones Lin Hao had summoned were just as strong as the original.

Zhao Wuji had seen Soul Masters with Clone Soul Skills before, but most Clones had only sixty or seventy percent of the original's strength. Even the best reached eighty percent at most.

Yet all five Clones Lin Hao had summoned matched the original's strength. That genuinely surprised him.

Feeling Vajra Slashes coming from every direction, Zhao Wuji knew his third Soul Skill, Gravity Enhancement, would not be enough on its own. So...

"Third Soul Skill, Gravity Enhancement!"

"Fifth Soul Skill, Gravity Crush!"

Under the crushing gravity, the six Lin Haos' slashes slowed noticeably.

Zhao Wuji seized the opening and used his second Soul Skill in rapid succession against the three Lin Haos in front of him.

"Second Soul Skill, Powerful Vajra Palm!"

After knocking those three away, Zhao Wuji started to turn and deal with the three behind him. Blue Silver Vines caught his feet, slowing his turn.

When Lin Hao had launched his attack with his second Soul Skill, Tang San had stayed to the side. Unable to join the melee, he had appeared to be doing nothing.

In fact, Tang San had been concentrating all his strength on growing tough Blue Silver Vines around Zhao Wuji's feet. They could not hold him in place completely, but they could slow his turn considerably.

By the time Zhao Wuji broke free of the vines and turned to face the other three Lin Haos, it was too late.

He knocked one Lin Hao away with Powerful Vajra Palm, but the other two had already brought their Vajra Slashes down on him.

Two Vajra Slashes could not do Zhao Wuji much harm. At most, they made him shed two or three drops of blood.

But the first three Lin Haos had regained their footing and charged back in with their blades.

The six Lin Haos began attacking Zhao Wuji in a coordinated assault from every direction.

Whenever Tang San spotted an opening, he drove a Blue Silver Thorn up from the ground at Zhao Wuji.

After taking a dozen or two slashes, Zhao Wuji finally had enough.

"Sixth Soul Skill, Powerful Vajra Roar!"

Zhao Wuji roared at the sky. The sound wave swept outward, blasting back the Lin Haos charging in with their Heavenly Blades and shattering the Blue Silver Thorns rising at his feet.

When the six Lin Haos steadied themselves and prepared to attack again, Zhao Wuji hurriedly called out.

"Stop!"

"Time's up!"

"The test is over. You've proved yourselves."

Zhao Wuji withdrew his Powerful Vajra Bear martial soul and shook his head.

That had been miserable for him. If he had been free to use his full power, he could have flattened Lin Hao with one palm strike. But this was a test.

Besides, he could not tell which of the six was the real Lin Hao. He had not dared to use his full strength, leaving Lin Hao free to keep fighting with all five Clones.