Fivefold Strength Boost-Why Was He So Strong?

Dai Mubai stood a few steps away, shaking out his fist with a satisfied smile.

Then he charged at Tang San again.

Ye Lin and the other three gathered and briefly introduced themselves.

He gave them a quick outline of his approach.

"The best defense is a good offense. Teacher Zhao is far stronger than we are. Any Soul Master would feel pain when attacked and leave an opening, but Teacher Zhao won't."

"We have to keep attacking and hold out until the incense burns down!"

Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong all nodded.

Ye Lin might not be much of a good guy either,

but he was the best option they had.

Dai Mubai had beaten Tang San black and blue.

Tang San had the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record, but as a support-type Soul Master in this life, his physique was far weaker than in his previous life. The techniques in the record were far less effective as a result.

Dai Mubai turned toward Zhao Wuji and jerked his chin.

"Teacher Zhao, I'm almost done here. You'd better hurry up over there."

Zhao Wuji chuckled, then turned to the four youths before him and rolled his neck.

"All right. Let's not stand around."

"You four finished discussing your plan?"

Ye Lin took a deep breath and stepped to the front.

Ye Lin said they were ready, and all four released their Martial Souls at once.

Two yellow Spirit Rings rose beneath each of them.

Furry rabbit ears appeared atop Xiao Wu's head, and the muscles in her arms and legs tensed slightly.

After Zhu Zhuqing activated Martial Soul Possession, a pair of cat ears sprouted on her head, and a long black-furred tail extended behind her, swaying constantly.

A small, exquisite seven-colored pagoda hovered above Ning Rongrong's palm, light flowing across it.

Zhao Wuji laughed. "All ready? Then don't mind me."

He slammed both fists into the ground with a deep boom.

A visible shockwave burst outward along the ground.

Yellow earth heaved and stones flew as it bore down on the four of them.

Xiao Wu tapped the ground with her toes, flipped halfway through the air, and landed neatly where the shockwave had already passed.

Zhu Zhuqing moved even more nimbly. With a light tap of her foot, she became a dark blur and swept past it.

Ye Lin glanced behind him.

"Sorry about this."

He wrapped an arm around Ning Rongrong's waist and lifted her. Using Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, he leaped lightly over the edge of the shockwave.

When they landed,

Ning Rongrong's nose almost touched his chin. Her hand pressed against his chest without her realizing it.

Through the thin fabric, she could feel the firm muscles of his shoulder and arm.

Ning Rongrong froze for a moment, then turned her head away. "Thank you," she said softly.

Ye Lin let her go. "Be careful."

With that, he turned and charged forward.

After landing, Ning Rongrong pivoted and drew back two steps.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda in her palm blazed with light. The glazed tiers of its first two levels lit up in turn.

Two beams of different colors rose from the pagoda.

They split into six slender rays that landed precisely on the other three.

"Seven Treasures, Seven Names! First, strength. Second, speed!"

Ye Lin felt warmth flood through every part of his body.

It was as though something had expanded the muscles in his arms and legs from within. His strength and reflexes surged.

Xiao Wu's sweeping kick struck Zhao Wuji's shoulder squarely with a dull thud.

His shoulder did not budge.

Zhu Zhuqing's cat claws slashed across Zhao Wuji's arm from the side.

Her claws scraped his skin, leaving a faint white mark.

Zhao Wuji glanced down at the arm, which barely showed a trace, and grinned. "Not bad speed, young lady. Your strikes need more power."

"Looks like I could stand here and let all four of you hit me, and you still couldn't break through my defenses."

Ye Lin was a step behind the other two because he had stopped to help Ning Rongrong.

"First Soul Skill: Great Strength!"

"Second Soul Skill: Soul-Transformed Strength!"

He drove Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to its limit. In a flash, he closed in on Zhao Wuji from the front.

His right fist, backed by a fivefold strength boost, shot straight at Zhao Wuji's face.

Boom!

Zhao Wuji had never even considered dodging.

The punch landed.

His footing gave way, and he stumbled backward.

Zhao Wuji took two more steps back before he could steady himself.

He narrowed his eyes and studied Ye Lin for several seconds before swearing.

"Holy shit, kid! How are you so damn strong?"

Ye Lin shook out his tingling fist, his chest rising and falling.

He knew the punch had landed cleanly only because Zhao Wuji had not been on guard.

Zhao Wuji had treated a Soul Grandmaster in his twenties as a child. He had never expected that punch to make him stumble.

But now that Zhao Wuji was taking them seriously, Ye Lin probably would not get another chance like that.

Sure enough, Zhao Wuji dropped his lazy expression and rolled his neck. His vertebrae gave a sharp crack.

"All right. This is getting interesting. I won't hold back, then."

Zhao Wuji flung his arms wide.

A dense layer of earthy yellow light erupted around him.

His body visibly swelled.

Already built like a small mountain, he grew more than half a head taller.

His Mighty Vajra Bear Martial Soul had fully possessed him.

Seven Spirit Rings rose beneath his feet: two yellow, two purple, and three black. Their lights overlapped,

and the pressure bearing down on the entire training ground intensified.

Zhu Zhuqing did not hesitate.

She glanced at Zhao Wuji, tapped the ground with her toes, and shot forward as a dark blur.

She was faster than before. Her figure nearly became a single streak beneath the sunlight as she aimed for the side of Zhao Wuji's neck.

"First Soul Skill: Netherworld Hundred Claws!"

Zhao Wuji's first Spirit Ring lit up at the same time.

"First Soul Skill: Immovable Wisdom King Body!"

A translucent earthy yellow barrier appeared close to his skin.

Zhu Zhuqing's attack struck the barrier.

The first slash. The second. The third...

Her claws hammered against it in a rapid series of metallic clangs, sparks flying, but not one strike pierced his defense.

Zhao Wuji stood motionless. He even had time to turn his head and glance at Zhu Zhuqing's tense, cold face.

The Immovable Wisdom King Body shuddered violently.

The barrier suddenly exploded outward in a ring of force.

Zhu Zhuqing was hurled away by the recoil. The sharp crack of both arms dislocating rang out in midair, and a thin line of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

She lost her balance and fell backward.

Ye Lin reacted at once.

He stamped his foot and drove Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to its limit. In a flash, he reached the spot where Zhu Zhuqing would land.

He stretched out both arms and caught her securely, holding her like a princess.

Zhu Zhuqing's shoulders and arms felt limp against him. With her joints dislocated, she clearly could not use them.