"Teacher Zhao, wasn't I supposed to handle this test?"
Dai Mubai looked at Zhao Wuji, who had risen to his feet, somewhat surprised.
"Four promising ones have shown up. I have to see them for myself."
Zhao Wuji took the incense stick and rubbed its tip between his fingers, lighting it. He didn't plant it in the ground immediately, instead giving the four some time to talk things over.
As long as they could hold out against his test for the prescribed time, they would pass.
After hearing this, Xiao Wu's first reaction was to look at Dai Mubai.
"He's a Soul Emperor too?"
Dai Mubai shook his head.
"A Soul Saint. Great Strength Vajra Bear."
All four of their expressions changed at once.
A Soul Emperor was already enough to shock them. Add another ring, and the difference was far more than just one extra Soul Skill.
Ning Rongrong looked at Zhao Wuji, suddenly recalling a title.
"Immovable Wisdom King?"
Zhao Wuji glanced at her and smiled.
"So someone's heard of me."
Of course Ning Rongrong had heard of him.
Back then, he had escaped despite being surrounded and attacked by sixteen Soul Emperor bishops from Spirit Hall. The matter had eventually been dropped, but how could an exploit like that be easily forgotten in the Soul Master World?
After she finished explaining in a low voice, the others looked at Zhao Wuji more gravely.
Lu Ye stood at the edge of the clearing, his expression unchanged.
He had heard this story on the other side too.
Told by the man who escaped, the same event was a tale of fearsome renown. Told by those who had chased him and failed to stop him, naturally, it didn't sound quite so good.
But today wasn't the time to dig up old scores.
He hadn't been given an assignment like that, and he wouldn't cast aside the task Ning Fengzhi had entrusted to him just because the man was standing in front of him.
First, he would watch the test.
Zhao Wuji had noticed him too, his gaze lingering for a moment on that young face.
Lu Ye hadn't hidden behind the tree, so he openly gave him a nod.
Zhao Wuji narrowed his eyes but didn't ask for the moment.
At the other end of the clearing, Tang San had already crouched down and arranged a few small stones on the dirt.
"First, let's talk about what each of us can do."
His voice was unhurried, and the others' somewhat scattered thoughts began to settle.
Blue Silver Grass, control.
Rabbit, close-range assault.
Hell Spirit Cat, agility attacks.
When Ning Rongrong's turn came, seven-colored light shone in her palm, and a small pagoda slowly appeared.
"My two Soul Rings boost strength and speed, respectively, both by thirty percent. As long as I'm not interrupted, I can keep it up."
Xiao Wu's eyes lit up.
"Thirty percent?"
Ning Rongrong nodded, that familiar pride returning.
This time, her pride was useful.
Tang San immediately placed her at the back, with himself in the middle to hold Zhao Wuji in check, Xiao Wu looking for a chance to get close, and Zhu Zhuqing seeking an opening from the side or rear.
He kept it brief, without treating teammates he barely knew like chess pieces he could move around at will. When Zhu Zhuqing asked about a retreat route, he moved one of the stones half an inch and added his own support to the plan.
Lu Ye watched without stepping forward to change their plan.
Some of the arrangements weren't perfect, but this was the first time the four had stood together, and it was already good that they could make clear who would protect whom in such a short time.
Ning Rongrong occasionally looked up, and seeing him still by the tree made her feel a little more at ease.
But she soon turned her gaze back.
She had agreed to take the test herself; she couldn't go looking for him the moment things got difficult.
"When you're ready, come on."
Zhao Wuji planted a fresh incense stick in the ground to mark the time.
Tang San and the other three summoned their Martial Souls at once.
"Seven Treasures turn, and glazed light shines forth."
Light burst from the little pagoda in Ning Rongrong's hand.
"First: Strength."
Beams of light fell on each of her companions.
"Second: Speed."
A second layer of light followed close behind.
Xiao Wu felt lighter on her feet and immediately darted forward. Zhu Zhuqing moved more quietly; a black shadow flashed as she circled around Zhao Wuji's flank toward his back.
Blue Silver Grass grew along the ground beneath Tang San's hand, first wrapping around Zhao Wuji's feet, while he left several vines along his teammates' retreat routes.
Zhao Wuji glanced down at the grass around his ankles, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
He didn't rush to break free.
Xiao Wu arrived.
She used the pull of a vine to launch herself upward, hooked her legs around Zhao Wuji's shoulders and neck, then bent in midair and exerted herself sharply.
At the same time, Zhu Zhuqing's claws struck from the side and rear.
Both attacks arrived almost simultaneously.
Zhao Wuji lowered his shoulders and back, and his sturdy body actually swayed slightly. It wasn't that they had truly shaken his foundation, but their coordination had indeed been smoother than he expected.
"Not bad!"
As the words left his mouth, his first Soul Ring abruptly lit up.
Golden light spread outward from his body.
Xiao Wu's expression changed. Before she could fully disengage, the recoil sent her flying. Zhu Zhuqing's attack was forcibly blocked as well, and she flipped back to the side.
Tang San flicked his wrist.
The Blue Silver Grass he had left in place immediately pulled taut, tugging the two off their trajectories and keeping them from crashing straight into the pile of stones at the edge of the clearing.
Ning Rongrong instinctively took a step forward, but her boosts didn't falter.
She saw Xiao Wu roll across the ground, her palms already scraped raw. Zhu Zhuqing's fingers were trembling too after she landed.
This was a real fight.
Not like the uncles and elders in her sect slowing their movements and waiting for her to react before praising her.
Zhao Wuji had already lifted his foot and stepped toward her.
Tang San immediately pulled back his Blue Silver Grass, blocking the path. Ning Rongrong retreated to the side, but she was still half a beat too slow.
The ground beneath her feet suddenly seemed to sink.
It was as if a boulder had suddenly been loaded onto her back. Her knees nearly buckled, and even her breathing grew strained.
Zhao Wuji's third Soul Ring was glowing.
Gravity Enhancement.
Ning Rongrong gritted her teeth. The pagoda in her hand wavered, then steadied again.
Lu Ye's fingers moved slightly, but he didn't step forward.
This time, it wasn't yet time for him to intervene.
Tang San moved first.
Blue Silver Grass coiled around Ning Rongrong's waist and pulled her away from the worst of it, but in doing so he exposed one side of his body. Zhao Wuji struck at him with a palm, and he caught it with both hands, using the force to slide back several steps. His soles dragged two tracks through the dirt.
"Don't stop!"
Tang San called out in a low voice.
Xiao Wu had already lunged forward again.
She couldn't let Tang San take the blows alone at the front, and she didn't want her earlier attack to be her only contribution to the entire fight.
Zhu Zhuqing gritted her teeth and changed her angle.
This time, instead of charging straight in together, the two left a gap between their attacks so Tang San could follow up with his control. Ning Rongrong also learned to draw her attention away from whoever was closest and do her best to keep up with all three of them.
But the gap in Soul Power couldn't, after all, be bridged by coordination devised on the spot.
After another recoil, Zhu Zhuqing landed on one knee, barely able to lift her arms.
Xiao Wu used Charm at close range, but failed to shake Zhao Wuji and suffered a backlash instead. Darkness filled her vision, and she went limp.
"Xiao Wu!"
Tang San rushed over and caught her.
At the same time, the light of the pagoda in Ning Rongrong's palm dimmed considerably, and her forehead was covered in sweat.
The incense marking the time had yet to burn out.
Zhao Wuji stopped and looked at their condition, the smile on his face fading somewhat.
This fight had been harsher than he had initially expected.
Lu Ye had already left the shade of the tree and walked to the edge of the clearing, but he didn't announce the outcome of the test for them.
Dai Mubai also came forward to check on Zhu Zhuqing.
Tang San checked Xiao Wu's breathing. Only after confirming that she had merely lost consciousness did he look up at Zhao Wuji.
The composure in his eyes remained, but now there was also a chill he couldn't suppress.
"Teacher Zhao, I want to try again, alone."
Zhao Wuji raised an eyebrow.
Lu Ye glanced at Tang San.
This was a step Tang San had chosen to take himself, not one Ning Rongrong's escort should reach out and erase for him.
But the children on the ground who could no longer move couldn't be left in the middle of the next clash, either.
Lu Ye bent down and moved a broken length of wood still lying across the ground to the side. Looking up, he said, "First, get them out of the clearing."
Tang San looked at him.
Lu Ye made no grand declaration, only pointing to a level spot on the other side.
"If you want to try, then give yourself a place where you won't have to look back."
Ning Rongrong sat at the edge of the clearing, her palms slick with sweat.
She had thought Lu Ye would come over and ask if she was hurt, or say on her behalf that the test was inappropriate.
But he only checked that she hadn't injured any bones, then told her to sit steady and catch her breath.
The young girl looked at the incense stick, which hadn't yet burned out, and for the first time found herself somewhat at a loss for words.
She hadn't held out.
She couldn't pretend it hadn't happened just because Lu Ye was here.