With that thought, Zhao Wuji blocked Xiao Wu's kicks while knocking aside two strands of Blue Silver Grass winding toward him, his lips moving slightly.
He sent out a Soul Power voice transmission, this time not to Flender, but straight into Tang San's ears alone.
"Heh heh, Tang San, right? You're pretty good, but it's a shame your martial soul is Blue Silver Grass. Just a trash martial soul."
Tang San's expression remained utterly calm at those words. He did not so much as frown, continuing to direct the Blue Silver Grass at Zhao Wuji in an orderly assault.
Such attempts to unsettle him posed no threat to Tang San at all.
Seeing this, Zhao Wuji remained unhurried. He chuckled and continued transmitting his voice:
"What's your teacher Li Hanqiu got to be so smug about? He's only fit to teach trash like you."
In the midst of the fierce battle, Tang San abruptly froze.
He raised his head, sparks seeming to explode in his dark eyes.
"What did you say?"
The voice transmission rang out again. "What? Didn't hear me? I said, with his pathetic abilities, Li Hanqiu thinks he's worthy of entering Shrek? He's garbage, trash, understand?"
Tang San's eyes slowly reddened.
He stopped moving and lowered his head, his long hair hiding most of his face, his expression cold as frost.
Ning Rongrong and the others also noticed something was wrong with Tang San and halted their attacks.
At the sight of him, Xiao Wu's heart lurched. The way Tang San looked now reminded her of that day at the Rose Hotel.
Tang San suddenly lifted his eyes, the anger he had held down surging up, a cold gleam flashing in his gaze.
"Oh, angry now?" Zhao Wuji grinned nastily, folding his arms with a look of disdain.
Tang San slowly raised his hand, the killing intent in his eyes deepening. "Don't you dare insult my teacher!"
"First Soul Skill-Vitality Vine Bind!"
Blue Silver Grass erupted from his sleeves, beneath his feet, and all around him at once.
Hundreds upon thousands of grass stems recklessly swept toward Zhao Wuji.
"Second Soul Skill-Life-Force Seed Planting!"
Tang San roared.
Blue Silver seeds as fine as dust drifted along the grass stems and rode the wind.
Through every gap in the Soul Power stirred by Zhao Wuji's punches, they swarmed toward him, blotting out the sky.
"Third Soul Skill-Myriad Life Assimilation!"
Bloody tears seemed to run from Tang San's eyes as vigorous Soul Power surged around him.
On the back of his right hand, a pale cyan mark shaped like Blue Silver Grass flickered between light and darkness.
Within fifty meters of Tang San, everything seemed to be stirred by an invisible hand.
The life force of every wild grass on the ground, all the stray Soul Power in the air, every wisp of force Zhao Wuji released.
All energy containing life force was dragged over by a five-element force, condensing in midair into pale blue phantoms of Blue Silver Grass.
Countless grass phantoms surged like a sea rolling backward, wave after wave crashing toward Zhao Wuji.
"What's wrong with Tang San?"
Ning Rongrong held one hand out before her, her face paling as she felt the immense waves of Soul Power surging from Tang San.
Zhu Zhuqing was struggling too. She hunched slightly, her expression suddenly strained, and gritted her teeth against the impact of his Soul Power.
Of the three, Xiao Wu was faring best, but even she had one hand braced against the ground as she struggled to withstand Tang San's outpouring of Soul Power.
Helplessness crossed Xiao Wu's face as she murmured, "Little San, why have you gone berserk again?"
Outside the arena, Flender and Yu Xiaogang were both astonished. Flender frowned slightly as he watched the Myriad Life Assimilation spanning fifty meters around Tang San.
Uncertainty flickered in his eyes. Such a powerful Soul Skill was merely his third?!
More importantly, where had a Level 35 Soul Elder gotten such vast reserves of Soul Power?
That quantity of Soul Power could likely rival even some lower-ranked Soul Kings!
Yu Xiaogang looked even worse, his body trembling slightly. If Flender had not deliberately protected him from beside him...
The instant Tang San released his Soul Power, Yu Xiaogang would probably have been blown who knew where.
Gritting his teeth, Yu Xiaogang narrowed his eyes and noticed the Blue Silver Grass mark on the back of Tang San's right hand.
Something seemed to occur to him. His expression froze briefly before realization dawned.
"Flender, I've figured it out. Look at the mark on the back of Tang San's hand. If I'm right, that's Li Hanqiu's exclusive secret art, something called a 'Soul Mark'!"
At those words, Flender stole a glance at Li Hanqiu, who stood nearby watching Tang San intently, and murmured to himself:
"A Soul Mark? Even a mere Soul Elder can use it to gain Soul Power reserves comparable to a Soul King's. If I could get my hands on it..."
As he thought this, a furtive glint of covetous greed flashed through Flender's eyes.
In the arena, Zhao Wuji felt it most keenly. His pupils contracted slightly as his gaze fell on the torrent of Soul Power surging around Tang San.
Then he snorted. "So what? I'm a Soul Saint!"
With that, Zhao Wuji threw a punch, the force condensed from his Soul Power fierce and heavy.
But when it struck that sea of grass, it first struggled under the overwhelming burden, then gradually dwindled, until the waves of Blue Silver Grass devoured it mouthful by mouthful.
What made his eyelids twitch even more was that this brat seemed to have an inexhaustible supply of Soul Power.
First Soul Skill, second Soul Skill, third Soul Skill-he hurled them out as though they cost nothing.
The Blue Silver Grass broke and regrew, then grew and broke again. Soul Power gushed out like a bottomless underground river.
"What the hell..." For the first time, Zhao Wuji felt something was seriously uncanny.
At the edge of the arena, Ning Rongrong was also stunned.
She looked down at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda in her hands, then back at Tang San.
"None of my Soul Skills can replenish or amplify someone's Soul Power. Where is he getting all this Soul Power?"
She murmured to herself, her small face filled with bewilderment.
Apart from a select few, no one noticed the back of Tang San's right hand.
A small pale cyan grass mark was lighting up pulse by pulse, flickering between brightness and darkness.
It was the Blue Silver Grass Soul Mark.
Five years' worth of stored Soul Power poured out in its entirety at that moment.
Zhu Zhuqing stood on the flank, no longer advancing to support the attack. Her gaze remained locked on Tang San.
By now, no one could step forward to help Tang San. Going in would only add to the chaos.
At first, Tang San's fighting style had been that of a standard Control System Soul Master.
Controlling the battlefield, coordinating movements, creating opportunities-a type balanced equally between support and combat.
But now, Tang San was fiercer than even a Power Attack System Soul Master, his Blue Silver Grass running rampant as though he meant to strangle Zhao Wuji alive within that sea of grass.
Yet Zhao Wuji was still Zhao Wuji-a high-ranked, level seventy-six Soul Saint!
The Blue Silver Grass attacked in interlocking waves, layer upon layer. There was also its bizarre absorption of Soul Power, its parasitic seeds, and attacks that assimilated his Soul Power into Blue Silver Grass phantoms.
That frenzied barrage stoked real fury in Zhao Wuji.
"Little brat, you've got some nerve, hitting this hard!"
He growled, Soul Power swelling in his arms as all his golden soul rings lit up.
"Third Soul Skill-Gravity Enhancement!"
An immense, crushingly heavy force exploded from his body.
The Blue Silver Grass, its phantoms, and the Blue Silver seeds all struck what seemed to be an invisible wall half a foot from his body and shattered together.
The blast forced Tang San three steps backward. Three layers of Blue Silver Cushion spread beneath his feet in rapid succession-tap, tap, tap-before he barely managed to dissipate the force.
But he still refused to yield. With a flick of his wrist, the coldly gleaming tip of a Sleeve Arrow emerged.
Before Tang San could use his hidden weapon, however, Zhao Wuji had already stepped forward.
This time, he was truly angry and no longer cared about Flender's instructions.
He swept his large hand forward, his palm transforming into a thick bear paw.
At the same time, Zhao Wuji's strength soared. His palm carried layers of crushing gravity, and even the surrounding air seemed to ripple with a wave of heat, distorting space.
"Second Soul Skill-Great Strength Vajra Palm!"
The vicious palm strike came straight down toward Tang San's face.
At the edge of the arena, Flender's expression changed drastically, and he screamed inwardly:
Old Zhao! Damn it, I didn't tell you to go all out!
Flender immediately moved to rescue him, but it was already too late.
Martial Soul Possession and activating a Soul Skill to make the rescue both required time.
Rescuing someone from a Soul Saint whose level was close to his own was harder than ascending to heaven, even for someone like him who excelled at speed-based attacks.
Tang San's pupils contracted. For the first time, he felt the breath of death.
Yet there was not a trace of fear in his eyes, only unwavering resolve.
Instead, he flicked his wrist, his Sleeve Arrow poised to fire, its tip coated in dark purple poison.
Even if I die, I'll take this man who insulted my teacher with me!
Time seemed to have been paused. Flender looked frantic, his Cat Owl martial soul only just completing its possession.
Yu Xiaogang was distraught, clutching his head with both hands as he fell helplessly to his knees.
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing had yet to react, both standing frozen where they were.
Panic filled Xiao Wu's face as she reached out and lunged forward, seemingly trying to take the blow for Tang San.
But it was already too late.
Zhao Wuji's Great Strength Vajra Palm was almost upon Tang San. Gripping his Sleeve Arrow, he roared inwardly, Come on! Who's afraid of whom? At worst, I'll die!
At that very instant.
A golden silhouette shot up from the edge of the arena.
Then came a dragon's cry.
The dragon's cry was deep and resonant. The earth trembled faintly, the air throughout the Assessment Arena humming without cease as a solemn hush fell over everything!
Holy Light Ao became a streak of golden light, cutting between Zhao Wuji and Tang San. With a curl of his dragon tail, he wrapped it around Tang San's waist and pulled him backward.
Boom! The Great Strength Vajra Palm missed and slammed into the ground. The earth shuddered violently, spiderweb cracks spreading in all directions around a deep palm print.
Li Hanqiu himself was already standing behind Zhao Wuji.
With one hand behind his back, he raised his head slightly and fixed Zhao Wuji with an icy stare.
"Zhao Wuji."
His voice was calm and unhurried.
"My disciple doesn't know any better. How about a fight with me?"
The entire arena was deathly silent.
Before you continue