The group headed toward the Assessment Arena. In its center, Zhao Wuji stood with his hands behind his back and circled the four of them.
"You little brats, let's get the rules straight first." He grinned. "Don't accuse old Zhao of bullying girls. All four of you can come at me together. As long as you can last against me-"
He held up one finger and wagged it. "One incense stick. Stay on your feet for one incense stick, and you pass."
Xiao Wu clapped her hands, utterly fearless. "Just one incense stick? Won't that be a breeze?"
Zhao Wuji snorted. "Just don't start bawling."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Wuji pushed off with his toes and slid thirty feet backward, smashing a large crater into the ground.
Zhao Wuji planted himself in the crater and folded his arms, clearly inviting the four of them to strike first.
"Girls, I'll let you make the first move," Zhao Wuji said.
Tang San glanced back toward Li Hanqiu. Seemingly noticing his gaze, Li Hanqiu even raised a hand and gave him a thumbs-up.
Tang San closed his eyes. When he opened them again, nothing remained in them but blazing fighting spirit.
"Xiao Wu, attack his left flank. I'll take the right."
"Zhu Zhuqing, sorry for the trouble, but circle behind him."
"Rongrong, get ready to support us."
Tang San was a Control System Soul Master. Control system masters generally formed the core of a team and were responsible for directing its tactics.
He had clearly fulfilled that role, laying out their positions in a few concise, crystal-clear instructions.
Xiao Wu had long since developed a seamless rapport with Tang San. She moved the instant she heard him, kicking up dust as she darted diagonally forward.
Tang San followed close behind, Blue Silver Grass spreading along the ground like a green net cast outward.
Zhu Zhuqing reacted just as quickly. The instant Tang San spoke, her figure flashed, vanishing into the shadows along the flank.
Ning Rongrong took half a step back and pressed her palms together, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda spinning between them.
"Seven Treasures Have Names, First: Strength."
A beam of golden light fell upon Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu felt her heels grow light, as though a gust of wind had lifted her back and waist, driving her charge even harder.
She stamped one foot against the ground and sprang into the air, sweeping around from the left toward Zhao Wuji's back.
"Oh?" Zhao Wuji turned slightly.
He thought nothing of Xiao Wu's attack. Spreading his large hand, he casually prepared to block it.
Before Xiao Wu's leg reached him, Zhao Wuji had already raised his arm.
But at that very moment, more than a dozen strands of Blue Silver Grass suddenly pushed out of the soil beneath him and coiled around his ankles.
It was Tang San's Blue Silver Grass!
"Hmm?" Zhao Wuji's eyelid twitched. "What a fast release."
He lifted his foot and wrenched it free, releasing his soul power outward. The Blue Silver Grass snapped apart in an instant.
"Heh!" Before Zhao Wuji could finish congratulating himself, he saw that the Blue Silver Grass grew just as quickly as it broke.
The strands in front had yet to finish breaking when more wrapped around him from behind.
Even stranger, as one strand of Blue Silver Grass brushed across the top of his foot, he actually felt a trace of his soul power leak out.
"What is this stuff..." Zhao Wuji frowned. He had never encountered anything so uncanny before.
At the same time, Zhu Zhuqing had already closed in.
Like a real cat, she appeared behind Zhao Wuji without a sound.
Her black hair swung, her bearing sharp and valiant. At the same time, her ten fingers curled into claws and struck straight for Zhao Wuji's shoulders and neck.
Zhao Wuji gave a cold snort and blocked with a backhand without even turning his head.
Zhao Wuji's strength was terrifying. The blast of air stirred up by his backhand nearly blew Zhu Zhuqing away.
Fortunately, Zhu Zhuqing did not try to meet him head-on. Instead, she used his force to flip backward, shooting three steps away and landing at the edge of the grassy net.
"Seven Treasures Have Names, Second: Speed."
Ning Rongrong's second beam of colored light fell upon her at just the right moment.
Without any hesitation, Zhu Zhuqing pushed off and charged in a second time.
This time, she targeted only Zhao Wuji's eyes, throat, and heart.
Zhao Wuji finally got serious. Bracing both fists, he sent his thick soul power surging like a wall, forcing Zhu Zhuqing back.
But the moment Zhu Zhuqing retreated, Xiao Wu closed in again from the left.
"Second Soul Skill, Soft Bone Continuous Steps. Try Sister Xiao Wu's chain of kicks!" Xiao Wu cried.
At the same time, she unleashed three heavy kicks, all aimed beneath Zhao Wuji's ribs.
Zhao Wuji struck out repeatedly with both hands, blocking the first two kicks. The force behind Xiao Wu's chained kicks was astonishingly heavy.
A flicker of surprise crossed Zhao Wuji's eyes. Faced with Xiao Wu's third heavy sweeping kick, even he had to turn aside.
The moment he dodged, the Blue Silver Grass coiled around him again, "biting" into him like a stubborn medicinal plaster and siphoning his soul power.
It was clearly the four youngsters' first time working together, yet under Tang San's direction-
Xiao Wu's frontal attacks supplied their main offensive power, while Tang San's Blue Silver Grass controlled him and drained his soul power.
With Ning Rongrong's support and Zhu Zhuqing's agile strikes adding damage, they actually forced Zhao Wuji to retreat again and again.
The longer Zhao Wuji fought, the more stifled he felt. Fighting a handful of juniors was bad enough, and with girls among them, he simply could not bring himself to use his full strength.
But if he did not get serious, these little brats were far too cunning.
That Blue Silver Grass in particular seemed to multiply without end. No matter how he tore it apart, he could not destroy it.
Even now, he had not dared use soul power beyond the level of his Fifth Soul Skill, afraid that a moment's poor restraint would crush these promising seedlings.
But if this stalemate continued and he actually lost, where would he hide his old face?
At the edge of the arena, Yu Xiaogang's expression also changed for an instant.
He hunched over and hurried to Flender's side, lowering his voice. "What's going on? Didn't you say old Zhao could handle them easily? This... what on earth is happening?"
Flender wore a smile, though the corners of his mouth were tight. "Why panic? Old Zhao hasn't used his real strength."
"But if he uses his real strength, how could those youngsters withstand it?" Yu Xiaogang rubbed his hands anxiously. "If he injures Tang San, how is he supposed to become my disciple?"
Flender ignored him, his eyes behind his lenses fixed intently on the arena.
How could he not be anxious himself?
Their original plan had been simple: Zhao Wuji would knock the four youngsters down in a few swift moves.
Then, under the pretext of "a spar between colleagues," he would have Zhao Wuji and Li Hanqiu "exchange pointers."
When the time came, Zhao Wuji would strike a little harder, leaving Li Hanqiu sprawled on the ground, unable to get up, in front of all the students.
At that point, how could Tang San and Xiao Wu fail to see who the real teachers were?
Then they would have Yu Xiaogang step forward and casually say a few words about "choosing a better teacher."
Those two Little Monsters would belong to Yu Xiaogang. No, they would be geniuses belonging to his Shrek Academy.
But now, the four youngsters worked together seamlessly, their formation as impregnable as a fortress with metal walls and boiling moats.
Tang San in particular seemed unremarkable in terms of individual strength, yet with every move meshing with the others, he had actually driven Zhao Wuji into retreat after retreat.
Flender's eyes slowly narrowed to slits.
He raised a finger and gently pushed up his glasses.
At the same time, he murmured into the air. An extremely fine Soul Power Transmission carried his voice into Zhao Wuji's ear like an invisible filament.
"Old Zhao, hurry up and use your real strength! At this rate, you're going to lose!"
While blocking Xiao Wu's chained kicks, Zhao Wuji impatiently replied through Soul Power Transmission:
"Damn it, Flender, all you do is talk! These little brats are so bloody hard to handle. Unless I use my Fifth Soul Skill..."
"Absolutely not! They're all promising seedlings for my Shrek Academy. If you hurt them, I'll dock every last coin of your wages when we get back!"
Flender anxiously sent a Soul Power Transmission, his glasses nearly slipping off as his body trembled.
"Then tell me what to do! I can't hold on anymore!"
At those words, cold sweat streamed down Flender's forehead. Did he really have to let Zhao Wuji use a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Skill?
But what if that injured Tang San and the others...
Just as Flender was growing frantic, Yu Xiaogang's eyes rolled slyly, and a sleazy smile curled at the corners of his mouth.
He moved closer to Flender and gestured for him to lower his head. Puzzled, Flender nevertheless bent down, only to hear Yu Xiaogang whispering in his ear.
Before long, Flender's eyes lit up as understanding dawned. Drawing out a long "Oh," he exclaimed, "Xiaogang, you really are full of devious schemes."
"Of course. This Grandmaster's reputation isn't an empty boast."
Flender straightened and murmured, sending a Soul Power Transmission into Zhao Wuji's ears.
Zhao Wuji's ears twitched.
At the same time, he let out a "Heh," and his eyes suddenly lit up.
The method might have been a little underhanded, but with an idea like that, how could the little girl fail to take the bait?
Before you continue