Talismans for Everyone! Ning Rongrong Was Stunned

"Okay, everyone, follow my lead!"

Tang San spoke up at once.

His mind worked fast, and he soon had the outline of a plan.

"Lin Xuan, put a Gale Talisman on everyone first."

"We're facing an assault-type Soul Sage. His strength and defense are far beyond ours. We can't take him head-on, so we have to use our speed to keep our distance. The Gale Talismans will make everyone faster. That's how we stay alive."

Lin Xuan nodded.

Tang San continued:

"Then put on the Frost Lock Talismans. Teacher Zhao's skin is tough, and we can't break through his defense, but the freezing effect might slow him down. Even a slight delay could save one of our lives."

"What about the Blazing Fire Talismans?" Xiao Wu asked.

"Not yet." Tang San shook his head.

"We don't need to beat him. We just need to last until the incense burns out. Boosting our attacks with fire won't help. Let's conserve Lin Xuan's Soul Power for when it matters."

Lin Xuan gave him a silent nod of approval.

Tang San had judged it well. Lin Xuan's Soul Power was limited, and against a level seventy-six Soul Sage, every bit of it had to count.

"Zhu Zhuqing." Tang San turned to the silent girl in black.

Zhu Zhuqing looked up at him.

"You're the fastest. You and Xiao Wu will stay mobile. Whoever Teacher Zhao goes after, harass him from the flank. Don't get drawn into a fight. Strike once and get out."

Zhu Zhuqing was silent for a moment. "All right."

"Ning Rongrong."

Ning Rongrong had dropped her earlier defiance and was listening closely.

"Give your boosts to Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu. Focus on speed. Our whole strategy comes down to one word—run."

"I'll use Blue Silver Grass to restrict Teacher Zhao's movements. Every second I can hold him helps."

Tang San looked around. "Any questions?"

No one spoke.

Xiao Wu cracked her knuckles. "Nope!"

Tang San looked at Lin Xuan.

Lin Xuan gave him a thumbs-up.

In the middle of the courtyard, Zhao Wuji rose from his chair. He rolled his neck, and his joints cracked twice.

"Two minutes are up."

He took a step forward.

"Come on."

Lin Xuan's three Soul Rings had already lit up. Two yellow and one purple revolved beneath his feet.

He flipped a stack of Talisman Paper into his right hand and channeled Soul Power through his left.

"Second Soul Skill: Gale Talisman!"

"Third Soul Skill: Frost Lock Talisman!"

In barely a second, Lin Xuan used his Spiritual Power to draw five Gale Talismans and five Frost Lock Talismans.

Ten talismans fluttered between his fingers. Lin Xuan split his Spiritual Power five ways, and the papers flew from his hand.

The five Gale Talismans landed on Xiao Wu, Tang San, Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, and Lin Xuan himself. The instant their azure light sank into them, an astonishing lightness surged up from beneath their feet.

The Frost Lock Talismans followed.

Five papers marked with purple patterns attached themselves to their bodies. A chill spread through their limbs without hurting them, leaving a thin layer of frost over their hands and feet.

Less than three seconds had passed.

Zhu Zhuqing moved first.

Her Martial Soul was built for speed and agility. Speed was what she relied on most.

But the moment the Gale Talisman took effect, she tapped the ground with her toes and shot forward far faster than usual.

What surprised her even more was that when she made a sharp turn, her body briefly left the ground.

She hadn't jumped. She was hanging in the air.

It lasted only a second, but that was enough to change direction midair. When she landed, she lost almost no momentum.

Zhu Zhuqing's mind reeled.

She had spent years training her footwork, always constrained by friction and inertia. With this talisman, she had gained another dimension in which to dodge.

That was far more powerful than a simple speed boost.

Ning Rongrong was stunned too.

She looked down at her hand, where frost flickered over her fingertips, then up at Lin Xuan, who had already run to her side.

"You... you can give five people two different boosts at once?"

Lin Xuan didn't answer. He took three Clear Mind Talismans from his storage ring and flicked two of them out.

One flew toward Xiao Wu, the other toward Tang San.

Azure light sank into their brows. Xiao Wu's mind sharpened, and Tang San's Blue Silver Grass began reacting visibly faster.

Lin Xuan used the third one on himself.

The next moment, his mind cleared, and everyone's movements around him came into sharp focus.

Ning Rongrong stood beside him, her mouth still open.

Three kinds of support, all applied to five people at once. With the Clear Mind Talismans, that made four.

She was an heir to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda and a direct descendant of one of the Upper Three Sects. She had grown up hearing that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was the strongest support Martial Soul on the continent, without equal.

Yet she could currently boost only two attributes and cover no more than two people at a time.

This twelve-year-old Soul Elder with a Paper Martial Soul had covered all five of them in one breath.

Ning Rongrong took a deep breath and forced down her resentment.

This was no time to compete.

Her two yellow Soul Rings lit up. A pillar of light rose from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda in her palm, and one golden beam and two emerald beams fell upon Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing.

"Seven Treasures, first: strength! Second: speed!"

A faint golden glow covered Xiao Wu's fists. Emerald light flashed beneath Zhu Zhuqing's feet, adding another boost to her speed.

The support effects stacked.

Zhao Wuji was still sitting in his chair, watching it all.

At first, he hadn't thought much of it.

Five kids working together, the strongest only level thirty-five. Against him, they might as well have been made of paper.

But the speed and reach of Lin Xuan's talisman distribution made his brow twitch.

"Interesting."

Zhao Wuji stood, and his Soul Power began to rise.

Two yellow, two purple, and three black Soul Rings appeared beneath his feet and slowly revolved around him.

Martial Soul Possession.

His body suddenly swelled. Coarse brown fur burst through his skin, and his muscles bulged in thick layers.

But he activated only his first Soul Skill, Immovable Bright King Body.

Golden light enveloped him as he took a heavy stride forward.

That single step shook the ground.

Xiao Wu charged first.

With both the Gale Talisman and Ning Rongrong boosting her speed, she moved so fast she left afterimages.

Her Soft Bone Rabbit Martial Soul possessed her. Power gathered in her legs, and she drove a frost-coated side kick toward Zhao Wuji's waist.

Zhao Wuji raised a hand and swatted at her.

Xiao Wu twisted in midair, narrowly avoiding his huge hand. Her toes grazed his forearm, and the Frost Lock Talisman took effect, forming a layer of white frost where she touched him.

But Zhao Wuji released a pulse of Soul Power, shattering the frost. It hadn't even held for a second.

The gap between level seventy-six and level thirty-three was so vast that the freezing effect only made his arm hesitate for an instant.

Zhu Zhuqing swept in from the flank. Using the Gale Talisman's brief airborne effect, she passed above Zhao Wuji's shoulder from an angle he hadn't expected, her claws slashing at the back of his head.

Zhao Wuji tilted his head and dodged.

The instant Zhu Zhuqing landed, he swung a palm at her. She tapped the ground with her toes and sprang away on the wind, barely escaping his reach.