Shrek Trial

In the middle of the training ground stood a burly man, like an iron tower. His upper body was bare, exposing muscles like granite. He was none other than the Immovable Wisdom King, Zhao Wuji, a seventy-sixth-level Defense System Battle Soul Saint.

Tang San stood quietly beside Zhao Wuji. When he saw Yan Zu arrive, a shadow flashed across his eyes.

"Four more?" Zhao Wuji's voice boomed like a great bell as his eagle-like gaze swept over the four of them. "Dai Mubai, are these the ones you mentioned? Their Soul Power is all above level twenty-five?"

Dai Mubai nodded coldly, a hint of schadenfreude in his wicked eyes. "Teacher Zhao, Yan Zu is a level thirty-one Support System Soul Master, Xiao Wu is a level thirty-two Power Attack System Soul Master, Ning Rongrong is a level thirty-one Support System Soul Master, and Zhu Zhuqing is a level twenty-seven Agility Attack System Soul Master. That Ning Rongrong is from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

"Oh? Level thirty-two? And a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda too?" Zhao Wuji's eyes lit up. His great, rough hand thumped against his chest. "Interesting! This year's Little Monsters have come in a pack! Release your Martial Souls and let me have a good look!"

The four did as he said. Four lights flared to life, illuminating the dilapidated training ground with dazzling colors.

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda certainly lives up to its name, and the Hell Spirit Cat is promising material too..." Zhao Wuji's gaze swept over Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing before settling on Yan Zu's Qilin Martial Soul. His pupils contracted sharply. "That's... an External Beast Martial Soul? And it carries such a pure breath of vitality? In all my years, this is the first time I've seen anything like it!"

He grinned, baring his stark white teeth. Soul Power erupted around him, and seven Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black. Soul Saint-level pressure bore down on the four of them like a mountain. "I'm Zhao Wuji, in charge of the fourth test! The rules are simple. The four of you come at me together, and if you can last against me for one incense stick, you pass!"

"Teacher Zhao, isn't that unfair?" Tang San suddenly spoke, his voice calm but edged with hidden sharpness. "With the four of them joining forces, they have every advantage in numbers. Even if they win, it won't be an honorable victory."

Zhao Wuji waved a hand, unconcerned. "The gap in Soul Power is right there. Four of them will make it interesting! What about it, Tang San? Want to join in too?"

"I've already completed the test. I'm only watching." Tang San stepped back, his gaze fixed on Yan Zu, a barely perceptible challenge in his voice. "I just want to see whether certain people are truly qualified to set foot through Shrek's gates."

Yan Zu acted as though he hadn't heard. His dark eyes swept calmly over Zhao Wuji as he quickly gave the three women instructions in a low voice. "Stick to the plan. Rongrong, use only your usual boosts. Don't reveal your other methods. Zhu Zhuqing, harass him from the flank. Don't meet him head-on. Xiao Wu, keep him occupied with Moon Shadow Instant Step. I'll control the field from the middle. Understood?"

"Understood!" the three women answered together, their voices firm.

Ning Rongrong took a deep breath, and the light of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda grew ever brighter. "Seven treasures turn, glazed tile shines. First: strength! Second: speed!"

Three boosts landed precisely on Yan Zu, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing. The three of them instantly surged with presence, their already considerable strength rising another notch.

"Begin!" Zhao Wuji bellowed. His First Soul Skill, Immovable Bright King Body, activated in an instant. Golden light swirled around him, his skin hardened like metal and stone, and he became a moving vajra arhat. He stamped his foot, shaking the training ground with a thunderous crash and sending broken stones flying.

Almost as soon as he moved, Xiao Wu's figure flashed. Moon Shadow Instant Step activated, and her pink figure became an afterimage, appearing at Zhao Wuji's side in an instant.

She didn't meet him head-on. Instead, she used her superior speed to dart quickly around him, whipping her right leg at his knee joint-a relatively weak point in the Immovable Bright King Body's defense.

"Good!" Zhao Wuji neither dodged nor evaded. His knee dipped slightly as he took the kick head-on.

A sharp clang rang out. Xiao Wu felt a searing pain in her toes, as though she had kicked a slab of steel. The impact sent her flying back, but she twisted in midair and landed steadily, her face only a little pale.

"Not bad, but your strength isn't enough to break through my defense, little girl!" Zhao Wuji roared with laughter and swung his left hand, striking with his Second Soul Skill, Great Strength Vajra Palm. The wind from his palm howled as it surged toward Xiao Wu's face, carrying tremendous Soul Power.

"Careful!" Yan Zu shouted, activating his Second Soul Skill, Jade Blessing. A pale cyan group shield instantly enveloped Xiao Wu, fine cloud patterns appearing across its surface.

Bang! Great Strength Vajra Palm slammed into the shield. The pale cyan light rippled violently but did not shatter. It merely caved in slightly before springing back, dispersing most of the force from the palm. Xiao Wu used the rebound to retreat several steps.

Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing seized the opening created by Zhao Wuji's attack on Xiao Wu. Pushing the Hell Spirit Cat's speed to its limit, she cut in from the flank like black lightning.

She activated her First Soul Skill, Netherworld Hundred Claws, raking rapidly at Zhao Wuji's elbow joint and the acupoints on his shoulder, her movements so fast they left afterimages.

Hiss, hiss, hiss! Her sharp claws swept across his metal-hard skin, leaving only faint white marks and failing to inflict any real damage.

"You've got some tricks!" Zhao Wuji frowned and spun around, sweeping his left arm sideways to drive Zhu Zhuqing back.

Zhu Zhuqing was ready. Activating Hell Stab, she accelerated abruptly and slipped around behind Zhao Wuji like a ghost. She unleashed Netherworld Hundred Claws again, focusing her attacks on his back.

"You work well together!" Zhao Wuji laughed. Rather than retreat, he pressed forward and abruptly unleashed his Third Soul Skill, Gravity Enhancement!

Hum! With Zhao Wuji at its center, gravity doubled in an instant within a radius of twenty meters. The ground seemed to turn into a thick mire. Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing both faltered, their speed dropping by more than half as their faces grew grave. Gravity Enhancement not only suppressed speed but also continuously drained Soul Power, making it particularly unfavorable for Agility Attack System Soul Masters.

"Now!" Yan Zu's gaze sharpened, and he activated his First Soul Skill, Vitality Corridor, at full strength.

A pale green halo spread outward from Little Jade, covering a radius of fifteen meters and just encompassing all three women.

Wherever the halo reached, gravity's suppression instantly weakened by thirty percent. Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing felt their bodies grow lighter, their Soul Power recovery speed soared, and their sluggish movements became swift again.

Zhao Wuji, standing at the edge of the halo, felt an inexplicable pressure bear down on him. Even the golden light of his Immovable Bright King Body dimmed somewhat, and the circulation of his Soul Power grew sluggish.

Is this... a domain-type skill? Zhao Wuji was shocked. His First Soul Ring came with a domain? And it has the dual effects of recovery and debuffing? This Martial Soul is absurd!

Yan Zu gave Zhao Wuji no time to react. Using the Nine Spiral Shadows footwork, he wove nimbly through the Gravity Domain and headed straight for him.

He didn't launch an attack. Instead, guided by the insight of his Illusion-Breaking Spirit Eyes, he extended a finger and precisely jabbed at the Shanzhong acupoint on Zhao Wuji's chest-a central node in the circulation of Soul Power and a weak point in the Immovable Bright King Body's defense.

"Kid, you dare come close?" A fierce glint flashed in Zhao Wuji's eyes. His right hand clenched into a fist and smashed toward Yan Zu with surging Soul Power. It was a variation of Great Strength Vajra Palm, even more powerful than before.

Yan Zu had anticipated it. He slipped to the side, and even as he evaded the fist, his fingertip touched Zhao Wuji's chest.

A wisp of pure Nine Yin True Qi passed into his body. It wasn't an attack; instead, it traveled along Zhao Wuji's Soul Power meridians, disrupting its circulation.

"Hm?" Zhao Wuji felt a tightness in his chest. His Soul Power actually grew sluggish for an instant, and the force of Great Strength Vajra Palm weakened somewhat.

He was increasingly astonished. The boy's method of attack was far too strange. His Soul Power was clearly much weaker than Zhao Wuji's, yet he could pinpoint a weakness and even disrupt the circulation of Soul Power.

"Good chance!" Ning Rongrong cried. Her Third Soul Skill activated. "Seven Treasures Have Names, third: soul!"

A pale purple Soul Power amplification halo settled over Yan Zu, not only increasing the strength of his Soul Power but also speeding its recovery by ten percent. Yan Zu felt the Soul Power within him grow fuller, and the power of his Nine Yin True Qi increased slightly as well.

Seeing this, Xiao Wu immediately activated her Third Soul Skill, Jade Rabbit Clone! Two solid clones identical to her instantly formed. They possessed seventy percent of the original's combat strength and copied her movements without the slightest deviation.

All three Xiao Wus activated Moon Shadow Instant Step at once, darting rapidly around Zhao Wuji and leaving several afterimages that thoroughly disrupted his vision.

Under cover of the clones, the original activated Waist Bow again, her right leg slicing through the air toward Zhao Wuji's ribs. The two clones attacked in sync, one striking at his legs and the other at his shoulder, their coordination seamless.

Zhu Zhuqing also seized the opening, circling to Zhao Wuji's right. Combining Hell Stab with Netherworld Hundred Claws, she targeted his lower back, her pale black claws tearing through the air with a piercing hiss.

"Good!" Zhao Wuji roared. Ignoring the interference, he instantly activated his Fourth Soul Skill, Position Tracking! He vanished from where he stood and appeared behind one of Xiao Wu's clones the next second. His right hand formed a palm strike, lashing toward the clone's back with a fierce gust.

Bang! The palm strike blasted the clone apart, turning it into pink motes of light that scattered. But the instant he attacked the clone, Yan Zu moved!

"Third Soul Skill, Starlight Descent!"

Yan Zu shouted, and the deep purple Third Soul Ring beneath his feet suddenly blazed. Little Jade swelled to more than a zhang tall, silver-blue starlight enveloping her entire body, while all of Yan Zu's attributes instantly increased by fifty percent.

He leaped onto Little Jade's back and rode the Qilin straight at Zhao Wuji. At the same time, Little Jade opened her mouth and fired a silver-blue blast of starlight at Zhao Wuji's eyes, carrying an effect that caused brief blindness.

"Damn it!" The starlight stung Zhao Wuji's eyes, and he instinctively closed them and raised his guard, only to be struck by Yan Zu's starlight blast, which caused him a burst of intense pain.

The original Xiao Wu seized that brief opening and activated Waist Bow at full strength, kicking Zhao Wuji in the shoulder. Zhu Zhuqing also took the chance to unleash Netherworld Hundred Claws, raking his arm and leaving three shallow white marks.

Riding Little Jade, Yan Zu used the speed boost from Starlight Descent to circle behind Zhao Wuji. He gathered internal force in his right hand and struck at his back.

Bang! Soul Power landed on Zhao Wuji's back. Though the Immovable Bright King Body blocked it, the blow made him stumble, his blood and Qi churning.

"You've got some skill!" Zhao Wuji forcibly steadied himself and opened his eyes, a fierce glint flashing in them. He hadn't expected the four youngsters to work together so seamlessly or pull out so many tricks. Yan Zu's Third Soul Skill in particular not only boosted his combat strength but also let him fight while mounted. He was practically a mobile attack platform.

The battle that followed grew increasingly fierce. Relying on his Soul Saint-level Soul Power and defense, Zhao Wuji launched one fierce assault after another, cycling through Great Strength Vajra Palm, Gravity Enhancement, and Position Tracking. Every attack was astonishingly powerful. He destroyed both of Xiao Wu's clones in succession and injured Zhu Zhuqing with an impact.

But Zhao Wuji discovered that when the shields Yan Zu cast were broken, they also had a stunning effect. Every time he broke one, he was stunned for an instant.

By the time he recovered, Yan Zu had cast Jade Blessing again. Meanwhile, Vitality Corridor provided continuous recovery, Ning Rongrong's boosts remained active, the original Xiao Wu resumed attacking after recovering, and Zhu Zhuqing also relied on Vitality Corridor to quickly heal her injuries and rejoin the fight.

The time it took an incense stick to burn gradually passed. Dust billowed across the training ground, and waves of Soul Power rose and fell. Fine beads of sweat appeared on Zhao Wuji's forehead. He had expended nearly thirty percent of his Soul Power-not much for a Soul Saint, but the longer he fought, the more frustrated he became.

His attacks were either blocked by shields, quickly healed by Vitality Corridor, or disrupted by the clones and starlight blasts. He could never inflict effective damage.

Of course, Zhao Wuji still had finishing moves, but this was an entrance test, after all, not a real Soul Fight or a battle to the death.

In the original story, Zhao Wuji had struck hard enough to injure Tang San only because Tang San's Hidden Weapons were so underhanded that they had driven Zhao Wuji to fury.

Now, the fight between Yan Zu's group and Zhao Wuji was merely an ordinary sparring match, so Zhao Wuji mostly used his first four Soul Skills against them.

Although Yan Zu and the other three had also expended Soul Power, with Ning Rongrong's support and the nourishment of Vitality Corridor, they maintained more than seventy percent of their combat strength throughout and grew more spirited as they fought.

Bang! Another Great Strength Vajra Palm struck Jade Blessing, shattering the pale cyan shield with a crash. The impact sent Xiao Wu flying backward, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

But the nourishment of Vitality Corridor immediately followed. Color quickly returned to her face, and she struggled to her feet before activating Moon Shadow Instant Step and charging back in.

Watching this, Zhao Wuji finally couldn't hold back a roar. He stopped attacking, and the Soul Rings around him slowly receded. "Stop! You've passed!"

The sudden shout startled all four of them, and they stopped moving.

Zhao Wuji wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at Yan Zu, his face caught between laughter and tears. "Kid, your Martial Soul is way too shameless!"

He pointed at Yan Zu's Qilin Martial Soul, his tone helpless. "I've been fighting all these years, and this is the first time I've encountered a fighting style like yours! Shields, recovery, a domain, plus support from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the little girl's clones harassing me-you were pulling me in every direction! Even with stronger Soul Power than yours, I can't stand being worn down like that!"

Yan Zu calmly withdrew his Martial Soul. "Teacher Zhao, you're very powerful. We only managed to last for one incense stick by luck because you held back and didn't use your full strength."

"Luck, my ass!" Zhao Wuji waved a hand, a note of appreciation in his voice. "Your Martial Soul's traits are perfectly suited to a drawn-out fight. You know how to play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses, and you brought out the full effect of every Soul Skill. But remember, this fighting style depends on your Soul Power reserves. You're only level thirty-two now, so your total Soul Power is limited. Against a truly powerful opponent, if your shields are broken repeatedly and your recovery can't keep up, you'll still lose."

He paused, then looked at Ning Rongrong, a speechless expression crossing his face. "But with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda supporting you, your staying power is even greater. Once you've all grown stronger, your team will be extremely troublesome. Even challenging opponents above your level won't be a problem!"

Ning Rongrong lifted her chin proudly. "Naturally. I'm the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!"

"All right, you've passed!" Zhao Wuji waved his hand, his tone growing somewhat serious again. "The four of you have good coordination and strength, especially Yan Zu. You use your Martial Soul flexibly and have a clear tactical mind. Cultivate well, and you have a promising future."