After hearing Zhao Wuji's words, Tang San immediately moved to stand up and challenge him alone. He was Xiao Wu's older brother too. Even if he had to reveal every trump card, he would not let Zhao Wuji get off easily.
"Xiao San, sit down!" Qi Ling pressed a hand firmly onto Tang San's shoulder, making him sit beside Xiao Wu. "Take good care of Xiao Wu. Leave this guy to me!"
"But, big brother..." Tang San still wanted to say something. After all, he had just acquired a new hidden weapon, perfect for dealing with Zhao Wuji.
"Don't worry, Xiao San. You're injured too, so don't push yourself," Qi Ling said. "I'm your big brother. As long as I'm here, I won't let anyone bully you!"
Qi Ling's words left Tang San with no reason to refuse. He could only watch Qi Ling's back as he rose and say, "You can do it, big brother!"
"Oh? I didn't see you earlier, kid. Are you new here too?" Zhao Wuji asked disdainfully as he looked at Qi Ling.
"But it doesn't matter. Whether there are four of you or five, come at me together!"
"Teacher Zhao, there's something I'd like to ask of you!" Qi Ling walked up to Zhao Wuji and looked him straight in the eye.
"Hmm? What is it? If you're going to surrender, I'll be very disappointed in you!" Zhao Wuji said with a cold laugh.
"No, Teacher Zhao. I'd like to ask you to light a fresh stick of incense and have a fair, one-on-one match with me!" Qi Ling said.
"If I win, please let all of us pass!"
Hearing this, Zhao Wuji reacted as though he had heard a hilarious joke. "Hahaha! Have you lost your mind, kid? I'm a Soul Saint, and you're actually asking for a one-on-one match with me? A fair one, at that?"
"I don't need anything close to my full strength to deal with you brats. Even with just two Soul Rings, I could wipe the floor with you! Don't underestimate me, Zhao Wuji, kid!"
"Thank you for agreeing, Teacher! Since you're being so fair and just, I couldn't possibly turn down your kindness!" Qi Ling said with a smile.
"Then, Teacher, please use four Soul Rings to fight me. That way, it won't count as you picking on me."
Qi Ling said this precisely because he had just obtained the Ring Sealing Technique. Although it was still only at the beginner level, it had an extremely powerful ability.
As long as he obtained the other party's permission, Qi Ling could seal three of their Soul Rings, along with the Soul Power of those three Soul Rings!
Although requiring the other party's consent made this function something of a chicken rib, if he could upgrade it to the intermediate level, it would undergo a qualitative transformation, allowing him to forcibly seal one of the other party's Soul Ring skills!
One could imagine how much of an impact having a skill sealed outright in actual combat could have. It could very well decide the outcome of a battle! Calling it a divine skill would be no exaggeration.
After hearing Qi Ling's explanation, Zhao Wuji felt as though he had lifted a rock only to smash his own foot!
Having three Soul Rings sealed not only meant that he could not use his three strongest Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Skills, but also that his Soul Power would be suppressed to the level of a Soul Ancestor with four Soul Rings!
But he had only just made his grand boast. Wouldn't going back on his word now be a slap to his own face? If Zhao Wuji, the Immovable Wisdom King, could not even keep his own word, people would laugh their teeth out.
Besides, even if he only had the strength of a Soul Ancestor left, his combat experience, physical constitution, and control over Soul Power were all beyond what these children could compare with. He had no reason to fear him.
"Fine. In that case, go ahead and use that Ring Sealing Technique of yours on me!" Zhao Wuji said boldly. "That way, you'll accept your defeat wholeheartedly!"
"All right. Then please reveal your Soul Rings first, Teacher Zhao," Qi Ling said.
Zhao Wuji shook his head nonchalantly. Then seven Soul Rings appeared around his body: two yellow, two purple, and three black, displaying his strength as a Soul Saint.
Next, Qi Ling pointed a finger and activated the Ring Sealing Technique. Zhao Wuji's three black Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings gradually vanished.
As Zhao Wuji felt his Soul Rings disappear, his expression finally changed.
He truly could no longer sense any trace of those three Soul Rings. He could not draw on their Soul Power or use their Soul Skills. The sensation was utterly bizarre!
This kid really is uncanny. Surely I won't end up crashing and burning? The thought arose unbidden in Zhao Wuji's mind.
"Then, Teacher Zhao, please show me what you've got!" Qi Ling said as he summoned his Martial Soul. "Divine Dragon Emperor: possession!"
After seeing Qi Ling reveal his Martial Soul, Zhao Wuji finally understood where his confidence came from!
Indeed, such an imposing presence was nothing like what a Soul Grandmaster should possess!
This kid was incredibly strong!
But even so, as the Immovable Wisdom King, how could Zhao Wuji be frightened so easily by a brat?
Zhao Wuji immediately let out a roar. The muscles all over his body began to swell, and bear-like fur sprouted from him. Already tall and burly, he now looked even more like a humanoid ferocious beast!
"Great Strength Vajra Bear: possession!"
Facing such a formidable enemy, Qi Ling wasted no words and chose to attack immediately. A long, melodious dragon roar rang from his mouth as he used his first Soul Skill.
Even with only four Soul Rings left, Zhao Wuji's strength still far surpassed his own. Showing him any mercy or underestimating him would be an insult to his title of Immovable Wisdom King.
As the dragon roar reached his ears, Zhao Wuji's expression changed, for he discovered that his body had actually been stunned!
Although my Soul Rings have been sealed, my mind and physique are still at the Soul Saint level! Xiao Wu's Charm didn't have the slightest effect on me earlier, so why can this kid stun me?
Naturally, Qi Ling would not waste time explaining. Seizing every instant, he rushed before Zhao Wuji at his greatest speed, gathered strength in his right fist, and punched at him.
"Second Soul Skill: Tyrant Dragon Fist!"
If Zhao Wuji took this overwhelmingly domineering, full-power punch in his current defenseless state, he would be gravely injured, if not killed!
First, control the opponent with Nine Heavens Dragon Roar, then settle everything with a single Tyrant Dragon Fist. This was the simple combination of Qi Ling's Soul Skills! Though quite straightforward, it was extremely effective, almost guaranteed to succeed whenever he used it.
Unfortunately, his opponent this time was not so easy to deal with! Zhao Wuji was Zhao Wuji, after all. At the final moment, he broke free of the stun and immediately unleashed his Soul Skill.
"First Soul Skill: Immovable Bright King Body!"
Zhao Wuji's body suddenly became as hard as steel, his defense increasing dramatically. A ring of Soul Power seemed to protect his entire body.
Although this was only a Hundred-Year Soul Skill, it immediately produced a different effect when used by Zhao Wuji, perfectly complementing his Martial Soul.
Even so, Qi Ling's full-power punch was not so easy to withstand. Under forty times the attack power, Soul Elder Dai Mubai could not last even a second. Zhao Wuji, with only the strength of a Soul Ancestor remaining, had a hard time as well.
When Qi Ling's right fist struck Zhao Wuji, it produced an extremely heavy sound, as though he had punched a lump of pig iron.
The instant Qi Ling's fist struck him, Zhao Wuji's expression changed!
He had expected Qi Ling's punch to be heavy, but never this heavy. It felt as though what struck him was not a fist, but a rhinoceros charging at full speed.
The two reached a stalemate. This was a collision of their Soul Power, and even more a contest between strength and defense.