"Clang, clang, clang!"
A series of metallic clatters rang out as the tiny hidden weapons were sent flying by the Soul Power on the surface of Zhao Wuji's body.
"Ha!"
Zhao Wuji stomped forward, but instead of reaching for Tang San, he set his sights on Xiao Yan.
After all, of the two, Xiao Yan's pale ice crystals not only dealt damage, but also slowed him down and briefly dazed him.
Several times, he had nearly caught Tang San, only for Xiao Yan's pale ice crystals to briefly hold him in check, allowing Tang San to dodge by the skin of his teeth.
"Kid, you'd better go sit down and take a break first!"
Zhao Wuji's gaze turned dangerous. Xiao Yan had been hiding at the edge of the battlefield so Tang San could unleash his hidden weapons freely, without having his hands and feet tied.
But now that Zhao Wuji was attacking him, Xiao Yan had no room to dodge.
Having witnessed Zhao Wuji's strength firsthand, Xiao Yan naturally wouldn't be foolish enough to take his attack head-on again. He glanced at the incense stick by the edge of the field, which had already burned two-thirds of the way down.
Xiao Yan looked at Zhao Wuji charging straight at him, then waved his hand, sending several more pale ice crystals to seal off the space around Zhao Wuji. He immediately stepped back, leaving the bounds of the match.
"Teacher Zhao, you'd better focus on giving Tang San a good beating. Bye-bye~"
Zhao Wuji watched the pale ice crystals Xiao Yan had sent flying, a flicker of anger burning in his eyes. Seeing Xiao Yan withdraw from the field, he couldn't help slamming both fists into the ground in front of him.
"Boom!"
An earthy-yellow shock wave of Soul Power surged along the ground toward Xiao Yan. Seeing Xiao Yan blasted away by his Soul Power, Zhao Wuji wore a faint, satisfied smile and laughed.
"Brat, that was an accident, an accident, hahaha..."
Before he could turn around, however, the sound of something cutting through the air rang out behind him again. Tang San's hidden weapons were once more shooting toward the back of his head.
"Kid, you're the only one left."
Zhao Wuji was furious. With Xiao Yan no longer interfering from the side, he charged straight at Tang San. The endless stream of hidden weapons had made him lose a great deal of face.
"Haha, got you!"
Seeing that he had driven Tang San into a corner, with no one left to help him, Zhao Wuji couldn't help looking a little excited. He had already decided to give Tang San a thorough thrashing.
"Whoosh!"
But just as Zhao Wuji's hand was about to grab him, Tang San bent his upper body slightly forward, aiming several pitch-black openings on his back at Zhao Wuji. The air whistled as hidden weapons burst out of the devices.
"Clang!"
Zhao Wuji's eyes widened. He narrowly dodged several of them, and when he saw the last one shooting straight at his face, he opened his mouth and caught it between his teeth.
However...
"Click!"
A faint, intricate sound rang out, and another section shot out from within the hidden weapon between his teeth, piercing Zhao Wuji's tongue. A fishy taste spread through his mouth.
Immediately afterward, his tongue began to go numb. Tang San had added Mandala poison to the hidden weapon.
At such close range, he had finally managed to get the poison into Zhao Wuji's body. Now Zhao Wuji had no choice but to divert some of his Soul Power to suppress it.
"Poison!?"
Zhao Wuji stared at Tang San in disbelief. These underhanded tricks were each more unexpected than the last, and the numbness in his tongue made it hard for him to speak clearly.
"Damn you!"
With an angry roar, Zhao Wuji bared his teeth and swung his palm at Tang San.
"Smack!"
With nowhere to dodge, Tang San was slapped flying. Fortunately, he was sent toward the center of the field.
His body spun continuously through the air as a dense barrage of hidden weapons burst from his body, hair, wrists, and back, thwarting Zhao Wuji's attempt to take advantage of the opening.
"Brat, I finally caught you!"
Having taken a slap from Zhao Wuji head-on, Tang San was in poor shape and looked somewhat dazed. The hidden weapons he had thrown while airborne were already the best he could manage.
Now that Zhao Wuji was closing in, Tang San could only defend himself on instinct. Unfortunately, before Zhao Wuji's strength, he was reduced to a punching bag.
"Brat, let's see you throw some more!"
Zhao Wuji grabbed Tang San's arms with both hands and pinned them firmly in place, his face full of excitement as he said,
"Let's see how you throw them now!"
Holding Tang San's arms, Zhao Wuji drove his own head straight into him. The impact immediately raised a large bump on Tang San's forehead.
The next second, Tang San opened his mouth, and another tiny golden hidden weapon shot toward Zhao Wuji's cheek. At such close range, all Zhao Wuji could do was block it with his hand.
He hadn't expected the hidden weapon to pierce straight through his defense and sink deep into his skin. A stabbing pain shot through his wrist.
It was the Dragon Whisker Needle Tang San had only obtained two days ago.
Zhao Wuji had now become the Dragon Whisker Needle's first victim.
"Argh!!! You brat!"
The intense pain made Zhao Wuji strike with much greater force. He slammed a punch into Tang San, knocking him into the air, then leaped straight up and rained punch after punch down on him.
Tang San's body became visibly "bloated."
At the edge of the field, Xiao Yan sat on the ground, his brows twitching as he watched Tang San's miserable plight.
Seeing the last ash fall from the incense stick, Xiao Yan hurriedly called out,
"Teacher Zhao, time's up! The time it takes an incense stick to burn has passed!"
"Hm?"
In the field, Zhao Wuji, whose punches were landing squarely on flesh, glanced at the incense stick, which had burned out by the edge of the field. He gave a cold snort and landed another punch on Tang San's eye, knocking him out of the field.
"All right, you've passed the test!"
Zhao Wuji sat down where he was, feeling aggrieved and baring his teeth. He was still using his Soul Power to suppress the Mandala Snake venom on his tongue.
"Oscar! Oscar, get over here! You've got customers!!"
At the edge of the field, Dai Mubai finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw everyone complete the test. But looking at them all lying on the ground, he couldn't help looking a little helpless.
"Teacher Zhao is as willful as ever."
The fourth trial originally set by the dean had clearly been to last against Dai Mubai for the time it took an incense stick to burn, with Teacher Zhao serving as the examiner. Now, instead, he had completely let loose.
"What is it, what is it? Boss Dai, where are the customers?"
Hearing Dai Mubai's call, a soft, languid voice sounded in the distance. Then, under Xiao Yan's gaze, an "uncle" about the same height as them, dressed in simple gray clothes and sporting a full beard, came running over at great speed, pushing a cart.
A wooden sign stuck up from the cart, bearing the words "Sausages for sale," and sausages were laid out on it.
"This is Little Ao. He's also a student at the academy. Don't let that full beard fool you; he's only fourteen."
Dai Mubai spoke slowly, explaining to the few who had staggered to their feet,
"Little Ao's Martial Soul is rather special. He's an extremely rare food-type Soul Master, and his Martial Soul sausages are remarkably effective at helping injuries heal."