"Don't hurt Xiao San!" Xiao Wu dashed toward Lu Feng.
Privately, she called him big brother, but in public, it was always Xiao San.
"First Soul Skill: Waist Bow!"
Her feelings for Tang San ran deep, but she also knew him, knew he'd never accept defeat so easily.
He was about to use his deadliest hidden weapons, the kind that could kill even a Soul Ancestor.
If Lu Feng slipped up, even for a second…
He could die.
So Xiao Wu intervened, lunging into the fight, not to attack, but to stop it.
With her in the way, Tang San would hesitate before resorting to underhanded tactics.
And Lu Feng wouldn't keep pressing the assault.
In a flash, her inverted silhouette appeared above Lu Feng's head.
Her jade-like hands gripped his shoulders as her body twisted with inhuman flexibility.
As a 100,000-year-old Soft Bone Rabbit reborn in human form, her physique was peerless, supreme resilience, unmatched agility.
In pure close combat, even Tang San couldn't escape once she locked him in her Waist Bow.
Now, her legs, slender but powerful snapped downward.
A whip-like arc from her waist sent her feet rocketing toward Lu Feng's chest.
But she held back. Only using 30% of her strength.
This wasn't an attack, it was a shove. A way to separate them.
If anything, she was protecting Lu Feng from Tang San's lethal retaliation.
Lu Feng was startled by her sudden move but he sensed no malice in it.
She just wanted the fight to end.
So he didn't dodge.
Her restrained soul power made her intentions clear.
But with Dragon Shadow Step active, his reflexes were five times sharper.
What seemed blindingly fast to others, even Tang San's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, was slow to his eyes.
Xiao Wu's movements were no exception.
He dropped into a crouch—
But her Waist Bow was already in motion. Avoiding it completely was impossible.
If he had to take the hit, he'd choose the least damaging way.
Instead of meeting her feet head-on, he slid forward—
Or rather, she closed the gap, her legs scissoring toward his neck.
Xiao Wu hadn't expected this counter.
Her eyes widened in panic.
With her mastery of jujutsu, she still had room to adjust, twisting mid-air to pull her upper body back.
But it was too late.
They collided.
Lu Feng's face crashed into Xiao Wu's flat abdomen without any fat.
"Ah—!" A soft gasp escaped her lips.
It wasn't because of pain but surprise and shame.
Lu Feng's hands shot up, bracing her thighs to cushion the impact—
And suddenly, they were tangled together.
His pulse spiked.
He raised his head, and their eyes met.
This… wasn't what he'd planned.
A sweet face bloomed before him, ruby-like eyes rippling with autumn water, glistening and amorous, flawless, white, tender skin so soft it seemed it might drip water; long, soft, scorpion-braided hair hanging behind her a pink skirt outlining a youthful, budding, stunning little beauty.
Her calves were slender, her thighs round and sexy. He had once thought Xiao Wu's legs were perfect, the brightest and most boundless scenery.
The arena fell dead silent.
Every eye locked onto them, expressions a mix of disbelief and… something else.
Though surely, surely, this was just an accident.
Some spectators deliberately turned their gazes toward Tang San, eager to witness his reaction.
The effects of Light of Life still lingered, Tang San had only temporarily suppressed the poison.
Now, seeing Xiao Wu in such close contact with Lu Feng, hearing her soft gasp, his heart twisted in agony.
Was she hurt?
Rage erupted within him.
"LET GO OF XIAO WU!!"
His hands blurred as a storm of hidden weapons, needles, blades, caltrops, whizzed toward Lu Feng like a locust swarm.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
"Using hidden weapons outside of martial soul skills? How shameless!"
"He'll do anything to win, huh?"
"Lu Feng, watch out for the hidden weapons!"
Some in the crowd couldn't help but shout warnings.
Tang San had timed his attack perfectly, Lu Feng's line of sight was blocked by Xiao Wu's body, leaving him vulnerable.
This wasn't just underhanded.
This was cowardly.
And it revealed the true nature of Tang San.
Normally, he played the humble, righteous prodigy, a mask no one could see through.
But in moments of crisis?
His ruthlessness surfaced without restraint.
Lu Feng knew this better than anyone.
In the original timeline, Tang San had used Xiao Wu's devotion, betrayed Qian Renxue's mercy (who spared him multiple times), and only lost his chance to kill her because Bibi Dong intervened.
Now, Lu Feng "saw" the incoming projectiles, not with his eyes, but through the Starry Sky Tree's awareness.
A wry thought flickered:
If I let go of Xiao Wu now, she'll be in the line of fire.
So instead—
"Root Entanglement!"
His First Soul Skill activated.
The World Tree's branches trembled as dozens of thick, serpentine roots surged forth,
But this time, they wrapped around Lu Feng himself.
In an instant, the roots wove into a tight, impenetrable barrier blocking the hidden weapons and blocking everyone's view.
Lu Feng knew Tang San's arsenal included boomerang-style projectiles that could strike from behind, so he shaped the barrier into an oval cocoon, sealing himself and Xiao Wu inside.
Moreover, being straddled by Xiao Wu in full view of everyone felt humiliating.
In a private, secluded place, it would've been fine…
If conditions weren't ideal, he'd create them.
The oval cocoon of roots formed a small, enclosed space for just him and Xiao Wu.
He wasn't in a hurry to release her.
He almost wanted to thank Tang San for creating this opportunity.
Clanging and banging echoed relentlessly.
Darts, sleeve arrows, flying nails, and more struck Lu Feng's root barrier, ringing like metal collisions.
Yet, none of the hidden weapons pierced the roots; they bounced off one by one.
Lu Feng's roots were astonishingly sturdy, their defense rivaling a copper wall or iron fortress.
Yu Xiaogang, the dean, and others were stunned.
Yu Xiaogang, in particular, knew Tang San's hidden weapons could penetrate three centimeters of iron when used with full force.
Yet, they couldn't breach the vines of Lu Feng's martial soul.
The Star Tree's defensive power was extraordinary.
This peerless genius, with his dazzling performance, deeply shocked Yu Xiaogang and the others.
To Yu Xiaogang, Lu Feng was a comet soaring into the sky, its radiant light outshining all peers, even Tang San, whom he had so highly valued.