"Here I go."
Lin Yang bent slightly, ready to move, when his eyes suddenly narrowed. Without betraying anything, he swept a glance toward a certain spot.
Just then, several more streaks of colored light flew from Ning Rongrong's hands, and another yellow soul ring rose.
"Seven Treasures Have Names, Second: Speed."
Zhao Wuji was genuinely surprised at the sight.
"Well, well, one of this year's candidates actually has the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. Not bad. That old devil Flender is going to be thrilled."
As he spoke, he suddenly noticed Lin Yang at the very front. His red eyes were particularly striking.
"Oh? A red-eyed one too? This year's batch is full of surprises."
When the second streak of colored light enveloped him, Lin Yang suddenly felt much lighter, as though his whole body were floating.
His eyes stayed fixed on Zhao Wuji. The meridians inside the man's body and the flow of his soul power were laid bare before him.
"Move!"
Even as Lin Yang shouted, he had already charged out-not toward Zhao Wuji, but toward Ning Rongrong.
The very next second, Zhao Wuji slammed both fists toward the ground.
"Watch out!"
Tang San instinctively retreated a few steps. Seeing Zhao Wuji's movement, he cried out, instantly realizing his intention.
Tang San hurriedly looked toward Ning Rongrong and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Lin Yang had beaten him to it.
Zhao Wuji's fists struck with a muffled boom. The earth shook violently, and a wave of ocher energy raced toward them.
By then, Lin Yang had reached Ning Rongrong. As she cried out in surprise, he slipped one arm around her waist and leaped.
With Lin Yang's warning, Xiao Wu reacted instantly, evading the shock wave with a light jump.
Though Zhu Zhuqing froze for a moment, she still reacted in time and dodged it with a sideways flip.
"Tang San."
Lin Yang's voice reached his ears, and Tang San, who had just landed, looked up.
Lin Yang had leaped several meters high and was still airborne. He released his hold around Ning Rongrong's slender waist and rapidly formed hand seals.
Tang San instantly understood his meaning. He flung out a long blue-black vine, which caught Ning Rongrong and set her off to one side.
Before Ning Rongrong could even cry out, she had been safely returned to the ground. She looked up, ready to scold him, only to freeze.
Lin Yang completed his hand seals the instant he landed. He tilted his head back, and the next second, searing flames gushed from his mouth.
The flames took the shape of a dragon in midair, roaring as it charged toward Zhao Wuji.
Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique.
Apart from Tang San and Xiao Wu, who had already seen it before, everyone watched, dumbstruck. Even from halfway across the clearing, they could feel the air turning scorching hot.
Feeling the wave of heat rushing at his face, Zhao Wuji's smiling expression grew a little more serious.
He lowered his body and spread his legs into a horse stance. Soul power coursed through him, and he stood like an ancient tree, steady as a rock.
The fire dragon exploded the instant it struck him, engulfing him in fiery light.
"That... took care of him?"
Ning Rongrong stared blankly at that tall figure's back, murmuring to herself.
"What are you standing there for? Where are the buffs?"
Lin Yang whipped his head around, startling her with his scarlet eyes.
Only then did Ning Rongrong realize that, in her moment of distraction, her soul skill had ended without her noticing.
She hurried to activate her soul skill, but the next moment, Zhao Wuji burst from the fiery light. Aside from some blackened patches on his face, he was completely uninjured.
Lin Yang said nothing more and charged toward Zhao Wuji. Xiao Wu joined him from the side.
Seeing him charging straight at him, Zhao Wuji grinned and thrust a palm as large as a palm-leaf fan forward.
Zhao Wuji's movements were perfectly clear in Lin Yang's eyes. He reached past the man's palm to his wrist and gently deflected it, borrowing that force to slip past him.
Zhao Wuji was not annoyed that his strike had been evaded so easily. Without withdrawing his hand, he swung it backhanded toward Lin Yang.
But Lin Yang merely turned sideways and circled behind him. Just as Zhao Wuji tried to turn, Xiao Wu suddenly closed in and planted a vicious kick on his chest.
A dull thud rang out, but Zhao Wuji did not even sway. He grinned.
"Little girl, haven't you got any strength?"
As he spoke, he reached out to grab her. Suddenly, an aching pain shot through his arm, and even the circulation of his soul power faltered. He turned to look.
It was Lin Yang. With soul power wrapped around his fingers, he had jabbed hard at Zhao Wuji's elbow joint, a node through which soul power flowed.
A recoil surged through his fingertips, almost numbing them. Having landed his strike, Lin Yang immediately pulled back, and Xiao Wu used the opening to retreat as well.
Zhao Wuji was about to pursue them when he suddenly felt his entire body tighten. Thorn-covered vines had bound him fast.
He had barely broken free when Lin Yang suddenly appeared in front of him and jabbed hard at his chest, disrupting the circulation of his soul power once more.
He was about to counterattack when his expression suddenly changed. The next second, his body abruptly swelled, shooting up a full meter in height until he resembled a small giant.
Seven soul rings-two yellow, two purple, and three black-rose from beneath his feet at once. The next second, a rapid series of sharp cracks sounded behind him.
They came from the claw strikes Zhu Zhuqing had unleashed in an instant. Seeing that her attack had failed, she immediately withdrew, making not a sound throughout.
Seizing the opportunity, Xiao Wu circled behind Zhao Wuji. Both hands struck the joints behind his knees, and she wrapped her body around him, exerting all her strength at once.
But no matter how hard she strained, Zhao Wuji stood rooted to the spot, his legs seeming to have taken root in the earth.
Just then, the colored light of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda enveloped them once more.
At that same moment, Lin Yang fired a Great Fireball at point-blank range, instantly striking Zhao Wuji, while Xiao Wu used the opening to retreat.
When the smoke and dust cleared, Zhao Wuji emerged completely unharmed, though the tips of his hair were slightly curled.
Zhao Wuji fixed his eyes on Lin Yang and decided to deal with him first. He immediately charged toward him.
His hill-like body produced a heavy thud with every step, radiating an overwhelming sense of pressure.
This time, Lin Yang did not dodge. His scarlet Sharingan spun rapidly as he met the charge head-on.
Zhao Wuji laughed heartily and brought a heavy fist crashing down with tremendous force.
Lin Yang lowered his body, with no intention of taking the blow head-on. He lightly clasped the man's fist with both hands, turned his body, and pulled along with the momentum.
To Zhao Wuji's surprise, his center of gravity suddenly pitched forward. Just as he was about to be thrown, he quickly adjusted his balance, merely stumbling a few steps forward.
This was Four Ounces Moves a Thousand Pounds.
Before he could steady himself, Lin Yang had already rushed over. He instinctively threw a punch.
Lin Yang caught his wrist and pulled downward, shifting Zhao Wuji's center of gravity forward again. This time, he gave him no chance to adjust-his knee had already slammed viciously into Zhao Wuji's chin.
The tremendous force snapped Zhao Wuji's head back. Just then, Zhu Zhuqing suddenly appeared.
One cat claw went for his throat and the other for his eyes, both among the human body's most vulnerable points.
Zhao Wuji's eyes abruptly widened, and an imposing force erupted from his body. Like a fallen leaf in the wind, Zhu Zhuqing's slender figure nimbly leaped backward through the air.
Lin Yang also retreated a few steps. Xiao Wu and a somewhat pale-faced Tang San came to his side, and he looked at Zhao Wuji, who had turned his gaze toward them again.
"Round two begins."
Before you continue