Although Zhao Wuji had lost the ability to resist, his physique was extraordinarily tough as a Soul Saint with a powerful beast martial soul.
As a support-type Soul Master, Ning Rongrong's attacks were not even worth mentioning-they did not so much as scratch him. Even after she used her strength-boosting Soul Skill on herself, her tiny fists failed to leave a single red mark on Zhao Wuji. It was nothing more than a massage. By the end, her hands hurt, and she stopped attacking of her own accord.
After Martial Soul Possession, Zhu Zhuqing's claw attacks barely counted as scratching him. Only with Ning Rongrong's enhancement did she manage to leave numerous shallow scratches on Zhao Wuji.
Xiao Wu's attacks could not break through his defenses either. She did only slightly better than Ning Rongrong, leaving a few fist-sized red marks on Zhao Wuji.
Even when Xiao Wu used her most powerful attack, the Eight-Stage Throw, she only left Zhao Wuji looking a little more bedraggled.
In short, the damage was minimal, but the humiliation was immense.
And so, an incense stick's worth of time passed. Liu Hao withdrew his pressure, allowing Zhao Wuji to move again.
"..."
Zhao Wuji got up and released his Martial Soul Possession. He looked at the girls with mixed feelings for more than ten seconds before finally fixing his gaze on Liu Hao and asking, "What level are you?"
"Level 99. A Limit Douluo."
Zhao Wuji had already expected something like this. After all, Liu Hao had immobilized him with pressure alone, without even releasing his martial soul, Soul Rings, or Soul Skills. That had given him some idea of Liu Hao's strength.
Even so, the revelation that he was a level 99 Limit Douluo shook Zhao Wuji's heart like a magnitude-nine earthquake, leaving him utterly stunned.
"...Fucking incredible. My respects, Your Eminence."
After a moment of silence, Zhao Wuji offered that supreme appraisal and bowed respectfully to Liu Hao.
Then he cast a meaningful glance at Dai Mubai, who was preparing to sneak away nearby. Once Dai Mubai noticed his gaze and obediently stopped, Zhao Wuji turned back and smiled. "Congratulations. All four of you have passed the assessment."
"Good. Then we'll watch Tang San from the sidelines and see how he passes the assessment on his own," Liu Hao said teasingly.
Zhao Wuji nodded, then turned to Tang San with a smile. "So your name is Tang San. A fine name. Three gives rise to all things, an endless cycle of life. I heard what you said earlier. You want to pass my assessment alone. Very good. Your courage is exceptional, and I admire that."
"You flatter me, Senior."
Tang San cupped his hands in a humble reply, but inwardly, he was deeply uneasy.
He seemed to have underestimated his opponent.
Earlier, he had thought that with his formidable array of hidden weapons, even if he could not defeat Zhao Wuji, he could at least last for an incense stick's worth of time.
But after feeling the might Zhao Wuji unleashed during Martial Soul Possession and watching him withstand the full-force attacks of three Soul Grandmasters-especially emerging unscathed from Xiao Wu's Eight-Stage Throw-Tang San was no longer so sure.
Still, there was nothing he could do. He had already blown his own trumpet.
Could he go back on his word now? Where would he hide his face? What would Xiao Wu think of him? How would Liu Hao mock him?
He could only grit his teeth and go through with it.
"Are you ready?" Zhao Wuji asked with a smile.
"Yes." Tang San gritted his teeth and nodded.
"Very good. Let's begin."
With that, Zhao Wuji tossed out another incense stick to start the countdown.
Then he began releasing his martial soul, preparing for Martial Soul Possession.
At that very moment, however, Tang San struck.
His entire body became a blur as he used a strange footwork pattern. His hands turned the color of jade, and purple light shone in his eyes as he rapidly closed in on Zhao Wuji.
At the same time, his hands seemed to become roaming dragons, shifting constantly in a dazzling display.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
As Tang San's hands shifted, countless streaks of cold light shot out before him, flying toward Zhao Wuji's vital points.
His eyes, shoulders, throat, heart, knees, groin, and dantian-not a single target was spared.
Clearly, Tang San intended to catch Zhao Wuji off guard before his Martial Soul Possession was complete.
In other words, it was a sneak attack.
And sure enough, the sudden assault startled Zhao Wuji. He nearly failed to react in time.
Fortunately, his years on the run and wealth of combat experience allowed him to respond in the best possible way.
He mobilized his Soul Power to form a defensive layer over his body while swiftly darting diagonally backward. The hidden weapons aimed at his vital points struck only his limbs instead, where his Soul Power defenses blocked them.
Their formidable penetrating power surprised even Zhao Wuji.
Had he not dodged, he might have suffered minor injuries.
"What a vicious brat. Such devious attacks."
Zhao Wuji snorted coldly. Any thought of going easy enough to let an ocean's worth of slack through vanished at once.
After completing Martial Soul Possession, he immediately unleashed his third Soul Skill, Gravity Enhancement.
Tang San's body abruptly faltered. His previously nimble footwork slowed, and the power of the hidden weapons in his hands plummeted. It was as though he had sunk into a mire, every movement becoming sluggish.
His expression changed drastically. He had never expected Zhao Wuji's brute-force martial soul to possess such a powerful control-type Soul Skill. It was completely unexpected.
"Heh. Brat, let's see how you launch those damned things now!" Zhao Wuji advanced with a savage grin.
Seeing this, Tang San hurriedly released his blue silver grass and activated Entanglement, trying to stop Zhao Wuji in his tracks.
Unfortunately, his fragile blue silver grass might as well have been made of paper before Zhao Wuji. It snapped at a touch and accomplished nothing.
No!!
Watching Zhao Wuji draw ever closer, Tang San screamed inwardly and unleashed the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track he took such pride in, hoping to escape.
Unfortunately, Zhao Wuji's Gravity Enhancement was far too monstrous. Against a low-ranking Soul Master like him in particular, it was an attack from an entirely higher dimension.
"Heh, heh, heh..."
Zhao Wuji sneered as he approached step by step, yet always maintained a certain distance, like a cat toying with a mouse.
In his panic, Tang San kept launching hidden weapons, hoping to hold him off for even a moment. But gravity dragged every one off course and sent them falling to the ground, utterly harmless.
What followed was easy enough to imagine.
Zhao Wuji beat Tang San until his nose was swollen, his eyes were blackened, and bruises covered his body. He was a truly pitiful sight.
His agonized cries rang throughout the entire academy, making the three girls' scalps prickle.
Had Xiao Wu not pleaded for mercy and Liu Hao spoken up to stop him, Zhao Wuji would probably have continued beating him until the incense stick burned out.
Of course, Zhao Wuji had actually held back and knew his limits. The blows merely hurt a little more, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of Tang San's mouth, but his life was not in danger.
"Brother San, are you all right?" Tears filled Xiao Wu's eyes, her heart aching for him.
"I-I'm not dead. It just hurts a little." Tang San shook his head with a bitter smile, but in his heart, he had already marked Zhao Wuji as someone who had courted death.
"Brat, you did well. Although you didn't last the full incense stick, you have my approval. You passed the assessment." Zhao Wuji had no idea how serious the situation was and still looked quite appreciative.
"Oscar! Bring your sausages over here." Seeing Tang San grimacing in pain, Zhao Wuji called for Oscar.
"Coming, coming! Teacher Zhao, who wants to buy my sausages?"
A boy with a full beard but a pair of alluring peach-blossom eyes hurried over, smiling as he pushed a cart.
"There. Your new junior, Tang San." Zhao Wuji pointed him out with a lift of his chin.
"Oh, right, Oscar. Remember to go to Dai Mubai's room later and feed him a few Recovery Sausages too." After leaving those instructions, Zhao Wuji tucked the remorseful Dai Mubai under his arm and departed.
"Huh? This..."
Oscar froze for a moment, rather confused.
"Stop standing there. Give Tang San a few of your sausages," Liu Hao said.
Before you continue