After the first round of combat, the five had not suffered any losses at the hands of Zhao Wuji.
"Not bad, your teamwork is quite good," Zhao Wuji praised twice in a row.
But then his tone changed, and his gaze grew sharp. "However, the real battle is just beginning."
A burning incense stick lasts about thirty minutes, but the fierce exchange just now had taken less than a minute.
Watching the slow-burning incense, Ning Tianchen felt, for the first time, how long time could stretch.
The assessment was not over yet, and he definitely wouldn't give up now.
"Tang San, I'll engage Zhao directly up close later. You try to slow down his attack speed."
The Seven Kill Sword differs from the Haotian Hammer. The sword focuses on precise, scalpel-like strikes, while the hammer covers a broad area with heavy firepower.
No matter how strong Zhao Wuji's defense was, attacking a specific point on his body would surely find a chance to break through.
"Seven Treasures are famous, second virtue is speed."
With the speed boost, Ning Tianchen swiftly moved to Zhao Wuji's side.
The Seven Kill Sword suddenly swept upward, the tip aimed straight at Zhao Wuji's neck.
"Good kid."
The sword technique was fierce and sharp, with no hesitation in the strike.
Such a performance in the Grand Dou Soul Arena, especially in the Soul Sovereign tier, was nearly invincible.
Zhao Wuji sighed, "The teaching standards of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect are truly impressive."
No matter the teaching quality, honing swordsmanship to this level was Ning Tianchen's own ability.
Zhao Wuji looked at him with full admiration, and his attacks slowed down, as if feeding moves or instructing a younger disciple.
However, this situation was soon broken.
Zhao Wuji's attack speed slowed to match Ning Tianchen's — they were now evenly matched.
Tang San saw this as a great opportunity and immediately organized a full-scale attack.
Since the opponent was deliberately holding back, he didn't mind seizing the chance to win the sparring match.
"Zhu Zhuqing, you and Xiao Wu flank from left and right; cooperate 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 said quietly, but the others heard him clearly.
Zhu Zhuqing did not move.
Ning Rongrong couldn't help but ask, "Tang San, this isn't Tianchen's tactic. Don't rush in—just follow Tianchen's plan."
Tang San frowned immediately.
Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong not following his orders was causing delays.
But in this situation, he couldn't be too forceful, so he politely urged, "Please trust me this once. This sparring determines whether we can enroll in the academy. I won't act recklessly."
"Teacher Zhao is intentionally guiding Ning Tianchen, which is a good thing. But we are opponents; though it's not life or death, we can't miss this opportunity."
Even if Zhao Wuji lost this sparring, with an outside teacher's recommendation and his own strength, he might be kept on.
But they wouldn't be.
If they don't stand out, teachers won't remember them, so how could they be admitted to Shrek Academy?
Moreover, Tang San had never let Yu Xiaogang down, so naturally, he wouldn't fail even to get admitted to Shrek Academy.
After several rounds of persuasion, Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong were convinced and chose to cooperate with Tang San in a full-scale attack on Zhao Wuji.
...
"I swear, his strength can't be this strong, can it?" Dai Mubai, watching nearby, couldn't help but exclaim when he saw Ning Tianchen's performance.
Zhao Wuji also gave him individual instruction from time to time. Even though Zhao restrained himself during teaching, to Dai Mubai, the power of a Soul Saint was like a mountain crushing him, making it hard to breathe.
That was a Soul Saint! Why could Ning Tianchen perform so well while he was only being suppressed?
Before he could figure it out, Tang San, leading Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu, charged at Zhao Wuji.
"What's going on? This wasn't the original plan."
Seeing Zhu Zhuqing rush forward, Ning Tianchen instantly grew tense.
He knew Zhao Wuji hated being ganged up on more than anything. Wasn't this exactly provoking him?
"Second soul skill: Ghost Vine Parasite!"
The second soul ring beneath Tang San's feet suddenly emitted light.
Earlier, when Blue Silver Grass was wrapping around Zhao Wuji, it left Ghost Vine spores on his clothes.
The moment the soul skill was activated, the spores grew wildly, completely enveloping Zhao Wuji's body.
"Now's the time!" Tang San shouted loudly.
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing attacked simultaneously, with Ning Rongrong's buff enhancing both of them.
Ning Tianchen was momentarily stunned—he hadn't expected Tang San to so quickly abandon his original plan.
With things having come to this, he could only strike back forcefully.
"Seven Kill Sword Technique, Pressing Sword Form!"
The Seven Kill Sword Martial Soul has a complete inheritance, and the Seven Kill Sword Technique is similar to the Haotian Nine Techniques; only those with extraordinary talent are qualified to cultivate it.
No matter how exceptional Ning Tianchen's understanding and comprehension were, after so long, he had only mastered two forms of it.
Raising the Seven Kill Sword above his head, he suddenly brought it down fiercely. The sword momentum was like a meteor crashing down, with a majestic and overwhelming aura.
Zhao Wuji was breathing heavily, enraged by the scene.
The memory of being hunted by multiple Soul Emperors from the Martial Soul Hall seemed to unfold before his eyes.
At this moment, he no longer held back.
"Third Soul Skill, Gravity Enhancement!"
Earth-yellow soul energy burst out centered on his body. The steps of the others suddenly grew heavy, as if their whole bodies were sinking into mud. Their attacking soul skills faltered halfway, collapsing like deflated balloons.
Riding this momentum, Zhao Wuji pushed Ning Tianchen back with a palm strike.
This palm strike was restrained, not causing internal injuries.
But Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing were not so lucky—the powerful Vajra Palm struck from both sides, sending them flying backward.
The force of that palm strike was so great that the two women crashed repeatedly into multiple walls before finally coming to a stop.
The village houses were not sturdy to begin with, and after their collisions, several houses immediately collapsed.
Seeing the situation turn bad, Ning Rongrong silently complained in her heart, "Tang San really can't be relied on—he messed up a great opportunity."
She felt some regret for having believed Tang San's earlier nonsense.
Ning Tianchen had been fighting Zhao Wuji for about ten minutes without showing signs of exhaustion. If they continued to stall, lasting the full length of the incense stick wouldn't be difficult.
But Tang San insisted on taking unnecessary risks.
Now it was too late to say anything. Following the original plan, after Ning Rongrong applied her soul skill enhancement to Ning Tianchen, she moved her body backward and stepped out of the arena boundary.
...
Seeing Xiao Wu seriously injured, Tang San's eyes blazed with fury as he shouted loudly, "I said, I won't let anyone who hurts Xiao Wu go unpunished."
Hearing this, Ning Tianchen couldn't help but step back, quietly smiling to himself, "Has Tang San gone berserk? Haha, interesting."
Wasn't this whole mess caused by Tang San's own recklessness?
If he hadn't been so eager to show off, neither Xiao Wu nor Zhu Zhuqing would have been hurt.
And now, not only had he ruined a great opportunity, he was blaming Zhao Wuji for it.