After that bout of fighting, everyone from Shrek had suffered injuries from the ice to varying degrees, while Ye Zhiqiu was even more astonished.
These youngsters were not only powerful, but also worked together seamlessly. What academy had produced so many geniuses?
Although he had grown wary, being defeated by a few students like this would leave Ye Zhiqiu with nowhere to put his face. His eyes shifted, and a plan immediately came to mind.
Using his Blue Silver Grass, Tang San supported Xiao Wu and Dai Mubai as they launched another fierce assault on Ye Zhiqiu. Zhu Zhuqing also seized the opportunity to ambush him from behind.
But just as the three reached his side, Ye Zhiqiu suddenly unleashed Black Water Ice Seal, intending to immobilize them.
Tang San had already prepared for this move. His Blue Silver Grass activated, immediately pulling all three back to safety. Little did he know that this was precisely the result Ye Zhiqiu wanted.
"Hmph! Brats, you're still far from matching me in actual combat experience!" As Ye Zhiqiu spoke, he suddenly spat a black stream of freezing cold from his mouth. It was his fourth Soul Skill, Black Water Surge.
And Ye Zhiqiu's target was not Tang San or the others, but Ning Rongrong, whom they had been protecting!
Rather than injure all ten fingers, it was better to sever one. Ye Zhiqiu intended to take one of his opponents out of the fight, then defeat the rest one by one.
Just as Ye Zhiqiu's Black Water Surge was about to strike Ning Rongrong, with Tang San and the others already too late to help, Qi Ling suddenly appeared from above and gathered Ning Rongrong protectively into his arms.
Then he swept the cloak behind him around. Ye Zhiqiu's Black Water Surge struck it and was actually blocked outright.
Next, Qi Ling unfastened his cloak and draped it over Ning Rongrong before walking up to Ye Zhiqiu. "All right, Xiao San, go back and eat. Leave this old tortoise to me."
The moment Ma Hongjun saw Qi Ling arrive, he exclaimed happily, "Woohoo! Boss Qi, you're finally willing to make a move! Great, now we can rest."
Tang San, however, cautioned Qi Ling, "Big Brother, his Martial Soul is very unusual. Be careful."
Qi Ling smiled. "Relax. No matter how unusual it is, can it be more unusual than mine?"
Everyone from Shrek Academy immediately returned to the restaurant, intending to watch how Qi Ling would teach Ye Zhiqiu a lesson.
Before Ning Rongrong left, she also applied her Soul Skill to Qi Ling.
Looking at the youngster who had effortlessly blocked his Soul Skill, Ye Zhiqiu asked, "Who are you? Are you a student of this Shrek Academy too?"
"You guessed right, but right now, I have another identity too." Qi Ling smiled. "I'm the one who's here to crack your tortoise shell!"
Ye Zhiqiu flew into a rage. These brats kept violating his greatest taboo. If he could tolerate this, what could he not tolerate?
"Hmph! Don't talk big, brat. What can a mere Soul Grandmaster like you do to me?" Ye Zhiqiu sneered.
"This Black Tortoise shell on my back is where the essence of my Martial Soul lies. Never mind you-even a Power Attack System Soul King couldn't break through it!"
"Oh? It's that impressive?" Qi Ling said casually. "How will we know without trying?"
"Hmph! You overestimate yourself! In that case, come at me!" As Ye Zhiqiu spoke, he withdrew his entire body into his shell, fully demonstrating what it meant to be a tortoise hiding its head.
"Soul Skills: Black Tortoise Armor, Ice Barrier!" Ye Zhiqiu used two defensive Soul Skills in succession, believing he had reached his most perfect state. "You little punk, if you're not afraid of freezing your hand off, come at me!"
"Honestly, to think there's actually someone who begs others to hit him. Nothing I can do about it!" Qi Ling summoned his Martial Soul with a smile. "Divine Dragon Emperor: Possession!"
If Ye Zhiqiu had used his ice traits to engage him in a mobile battle, the ice's control abilities really would have made him difficult for Qi Ling to handle.
But now, relying on his tortoise shell, he actually dared to stand still and let Qi Ling hit him. That was undoubtedly courting death!
The reason was that after Qi Ling's True Dragon Body broke through its second level, he had gained an extremely frightening attribute. Combined with his Soul Skill, Tyrant Dragon Fist, it could produce truly astonishing results.
At once, the Thousand-Year Soul Ring on Qi Ling's body lit up. He clenched his right fist tightly, but instead of swinging it immediately, he focused all his attention on it, continuously gathering his Soul Power.
As more and more Soul Power gathered in his right fist, everyone around him had their gaze drawn to it. Ma Hongjun swallowed. "What's Boss Qi doing? Is he planning to destroy the world?"
Zhao Wuji wiped away cold sweat with a grave expression and muttered to himself, "I wonder if I could withstand that punch."
That was right. The ability Qi Ling had mastered was charging up! The longer he spent storing up power, the greater the power he could unleash!
This charging up did not merely gather the strength within his body. It also allowed Qi Ling to draw in large amounts of Spiritual Qi from his surroundings, further increasing the power of his punch.
As he continued charging, the power of Qi Ling's punch grew increasingly astonishing: forty-five times, fifty times, fifty-five times... At the limit of its charge, this punch could even unleash a hundred times the destructive power!
"This is an ability I've newly mastered. I call it 'Super: Tyrant Dragon Fist,'" Qi Ling said. "Feel honored, old tortoise. You're the first person to taste this punch!"
In the next instant, Qi Ling had already thrown that punch, which shocked everyone, straight into Ye Zhiqiu's tortoise shell.
The incomparably fierce force even caused the surrounding space to briefly stagnate!
Ye Zhiqiu's Ice Barrier was like paper, serving no purpose at all. The punch landed squarely on his tortoise shell.
Crack, crack. Faint, brittle sounds rang out. Everyone looked closely and saw that the tortoise shell on Ye Zhiqiu's back had split into pieces!
Ye Zhiqiu's entire body then crashed forward without any reaction! The impact of Qi Ling's punch had already knocked him unconscious!
"Teacher! Teacher!" Alarmed, the students of Canghui Academy hurried forward to help Ye Zhiqiu up, only to discover that even his Martial Soul Possession had ended.
They had never imagined that their teacher, a Five-Ring Soul King, would fail to withstand even a single move from Qi Ling. Just who was he?
"Sorry about that. I hit a little too hard. You don't mind, do you?" Qi Ling smiled. "If anyone's still dissatisfied, I'm ready whenever you are."
How could those Canghui Academy students have the nerve? All they wanted now was to flee this place as quickly as possible. The person before them was clearly even more terrifying than the Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest!
Only after everyone from Canghui Academy had slunk away did Qi Ling hold out his right hand and suck in a sharp breath. "That old tortoise's shell really was hard!"
Although Qi Ling's move just now had indeed been powerful, that overwhelming force had exceeded the limits of what he could withstand. Combined with the damage from Ye Zhiqiu's ice attribute, it had left him unable to throw another punch.
But a victory was a victory, and if he was going to act cool, he had to see it through. After all, if he had clutched his right hand and screamed in pain just now, his cool factor would have dropped by far more than a single notch.