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After the first round of exchanges, the five of them hadn't suffered any losses at Zhao Wuji's hands.
"Not bad—your coordination is quite impressive," Zhao Wuji praised them twice in a row.
However, his tone suddenly shifted, and his gaze turned sharp. "But the real battle starts now."
A stick of incense burned for about thirty minutes, yet the intense exchange that had just occurred had taken less than a minute.
Looking at the slowly burning incense, Ning Tianchen felt, for the first time, that time was dragging on endlessly.
The assessment wasn't over yet, and he certainly couldn't give up now.
"Tang San, I'll engage Teacher Zhao in close combat next. Try to slow down his attack speed as much as possible."
The Seven Kill Sword was different from the Roaring Heaven Hammer. The Seven Kill Sword emphasized precise strikes like a scalpel, while the Roaring Heaven Hammer focused on overwhelming firepower and area coverage.
No matter how strong Zhao Wuji's defense was, concentrating attacks on specific parts of his body would inevitably create an opportunity to break through.
"Seven treasures are named thus: second is speed."
With the speed boost, Ning Tianchen swiftly appeared at Zhao Wuji's side.
The Seven Kill Sword slashed upward forcefully, its tip aimed directly at Zhao Wuji's neck.
"Not bad, kid."
The swordplay was swift and fierce, executed without hesitation.
Such a performance would almost be invincible in the Great Spirit Arena's Soul Elder matches.
Zhao Wuji inwardly sighed, "The teaching standards of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect are truly formidable."
Regardless of the teaching quality, achieving this level of swordsmanship was Ning Tianchen's personal ability.
Zhao Wuji admired him deeply, and his movements unconsciously slowed, as if he were feeding Ning Tianchen moves or guiding a junior.
However, this situation didn't last long.
Zhao Wuji's attack speed slowed, and he seemed to "evenly match" Ning Tianchen.
Tang San saw this as a good opportunity and immediately organized a full-scale assault.
Since the opponent was intentionally holding back, he didn't mind taking advantage of the situation to secure victory in this sparring match.
"Zhu Zhuqing, you and Xiao Wu will flank him from both sides. Work with Tianchen to restrain Teacher Zhao. I'll find a way to use Blue Silver Grass to pull him out of the arena," Tang San whispered. Though his voice was low, it was clearly heard by everyone.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't move.
Ning Rongrong couldn't help but counter, "Tang San, this isn't Big brother Tianchen's strategy. Don't rush things—just follow Tianchen big brother's plan."
Tang San frowned immediately.
Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong not following his orders was causing delays.
But under these circumstances, he couldn't afford to appear too forceful, so he gently persuaded them. "Please trust me this once. This sparring match determines whether we can enroll in Shrek Academy—I won't act recklessly."
"Teacher Zhao is deliberately guiding Ning Tianchen, which is a good thing. But we're opponents. While it doesn't have to end in life-or-death, we can't miss this opportunity either."
Even if they lost this sparring match, Zhao Wuji's guidance of Ning Tianchen, combined with his own strength and the recommendation of the teacher outside, might still allow him to stay.
But the others wouldn't be so lucky.
Without standout performances, the teachers wouldn't remember them—how could they let them join Shrek Academy?
Besides, Tang San had never let Yu Xiaogang down before. Naturally, he wouldn't fail to get into Shrek Academy.
After several rounds of persuasion, Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong were convinced and chose to cooperate with Tang San's full-scale assault on Zhao Wuji.
…
"Wow, his strength can't really be this strong, can it?" Dai Mubai, watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but exclaim at Ning Tianchen's performance.
Zhao Wuji often gave him private lessons. Even when Zhao Wuji held back during teaching, his power as a Soul Sage was like a mountain pressing down on Dai Mubai, leaving him gasping for air.
He was a Soul Sage, after all. How could Ning Tianchen achieve this while Dai Mubai was unilaterally suppressed?
Before he could figure it out, Tang San led Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu in charging toward Zhao Wuji.
"What's going on? This isn't the strategy we originally planned!"
Seeing Zhu Zhuqing charge forward, Ning Tianchen's heart immediately tensed.
Zhao Wuji hated being ganged up on the most. Wasn't this provoking him?
"Second soul skill, Ghost Vine, Parasite."
The second soul ring beneath Tang San's feet suddenly glowed.
Earlier, when the Blue Silver Grass had wrapped around Zhao Wuji, it left behind Ghost Vine spores on his clothes.
The moment the soul skill activated, the spores grew wildly, completely enveloping Zhao Wuji's body.
"Now!" Tang San shouted loudly.
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing attacked simultaneously, and Ning Rongrong's enhancement fell upon both of them.
Ning Tianchen was momentarily stunned—he hadn't expected Tang San to abandon his plan so quickly.
At this point, he could only go all out.
"Seven Kill Sword Technique, Pressure Slash!"
The Seven Kill Sword martial soul had a complete inheritance. The Seven Kill Sword Techniques were akin to the Nine Heavenly Hammer Techniques—only those with extraordinary talent were qualified to practice them.
No matter how extraordinary Ning Tianchen's understanding and comprehension abilities were, after practicing for so long, he had only mastered two of the techniques.
He raised the Seven Kill Sword above his head and then slashed down fiercely. The sword's momentum was like a meteor crashing down, radiating overwhelming power.
Zhao Wuji panted heavily, enraged by this sight.
The scene of being chased by multiple Soul Emperors from the Spirit Hall years ago seemed to replay before his eyes.
At this moment, he stopped holding back.
"Third soul skill, Gravity Enhancement!"
Earthy-yellow soul power erupted from his body. The group's movements suddenly became heavy, as if they were sinking into a swamp. Their attack soul skills, halfway through execution, collapsed like deflated balloons.
Zhao Wuji took advantage of the situation and struck Ning Tianchen back with a palm strike.
This palm strike was restrained and didn't cause internal injuries.
But Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing weren't so lucky. The Vajra Palm struck them from both sides, sending them flying.
The sheer force of the strike caused the two girls to crash through multiple walls before finally stopping.
The houses in the village weren't sturdy to begin with, and after being hit by them, several collapsed.
Seeing the dire situation, Ning Rongrong mentally complained, "This Tang San is unreliable after all—he ruined a perfectly good situation."
She regretted believing Tang San's nonsense earlier.
Ning Tianchen had been fighting Zhao Wuji for about ten minutes without showing signs of exhaustion. If they had continued as planned, lasting through the incense-burning time wouldn't have been difficult.
But Tang San had to overcomplicate things.
It was too late to say anything now. Following the original plan, Ning Rongrong applied her soul skill enhancement to Ning Tianchen and then moved backward, stepping out of the arena.
…
Seeing Xiao Wu severely injured, Tang San's eyes filled with rage, and he roared, "I said I wouldn't forgive anyone who hurt Xiao Wu!"
Hearing his voice, Ning Tianchen couldn't help but step back, a faint smile appearing on his face. "Has Tang San gone berserk? Hm, interesting."
Wasn't this mess entirely Tang San's fault?
If he hadn't been so eager to show off, neither Xiao Wu nor Zhu Zhuqing would have been injured.
Now, not only had he ruined a great situation, but he was also blaming Zhao Wuji for everything.
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