"Let me first introduce you to Teacher Zhao's characteristics," Dai Mubai said to the four of them. "Teacher Zhao possesses a powerful beast-type martial soul, the Vigorous Vajra Bear, which combines offense and defense without any flaws. Speed used to be his weakness, but given the vast difference in spirit power between you and him, that weakness is now irrelevant."
"Fortunately, your martial soul combinations are decent. Hurry up and come up with a strategy; otherwise, not to mention lasting the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, you might not even survive his first wave of attacks!"
To be honest, Dai Mubai wasn't optimistic about the four of them. Whether they passed or not depended entirely on how much Zhao Wuji decided to hold back.
In reality, Tang San and the others didn't have much to discuss. With their roles clearly defined as offense, agility, control, and support, each simply had to execute their responsibilities well.
Soon, the four of them stood before Zhao Wuji, and Ning Rongrong was the first to take action.
"Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda!" Rongrong's body spun gracefully in place, releasing a radiant multicolored light from within her. A shimmering and noble-looking treasure pagoda appeared in her hands. "Seven Treasures: First is Strength, Second is Speed!"
Using her Heart Separation Control, Ning Rongrong precisely amplified the team. Strength boosts were applied to Tang San and Xiao Wu, while speed boosts were given to Zhu Zhuqing. This method of conserving soul power allowed her to maximize her support effects.
"Impressive. Among this year's candidates, there's actually someone from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, and she even mastered Heart Separation Control. Not bad, not bad. That old ghost Flender is going to be thrilled!" Zhao Wuji chuckled as he lit an incense stick and casually planted it into the ground.
At that moment, Zhao Wuji moved instantly. He squatted slightly, then slammed his fists into the ground.
"Not good!" Tang San exclaimed, immediately understanding Zhao Wuji's intentions. Grandmaster had once told him that if he ever encountered a soul master from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, his first priority should be to eliminate them.
Zhao Wuji clearly understood this principle well. A wave of earthy yellow energy surged toward Ning Rongrong. Tang San quickly extended his Blue Silver Grass, intending to pull Ning Rongrong out of harm's way.
But Ning Rongrong's reaction was even faster. Her footwork was bizarre, and with a series of unpredictable, shifting movements, she evaded Zhao Wuji's attack completely.
"Hmm, what's this?" Zhao Wuji frowned, slamming the ground several more times in quick succession, unleashing four consecutive waves of energy.
Yet each time, Ning Rongrong seemed to predict the attack's trajectory in advance. With her exquisite footwork, she dodged effortlessly.
"This footwork is even more elusive and unpredictable than my Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. And Ning Rongrong seems to have a detection-type spirit ability. Combined with this footwork, it's a perfect synergy. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's foundation is truly profound!" Tang San thought to himself, initially assuming this was a secret technique passed down by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
In reality, this was a technique taught to Ning Rongrong by Tian Lin: the Shu Mountain Scout's Detection Technique and the advanced footwork Drunken Immortal Moon Step. The purpose was to improve Ning Rongrong's survivability on the battlefield.
Since Zhao Wuji was focusing solely on attacking Ning Rongrong, the other three quickly found an opening. Tang San released his Blue Silver Grass, binding Zhao Wuji tightly.
At the same time, Xiao Wu launched a frontal assault while Zhu Zhuqing attacked from the side. The three of them working together left Zhao Wuji feeling quite embarrassed.
"Hmph, this Zhao Wuji! I'm going to kill him!" In the shadows, Yin Yang was fuming with rage. "A Soul Sage, yet he keeps targeting my little princess!"
"Yin Yang, calm down. Your little princess is fine!" Tang Hao tried to console him.
But the next moment, Zhao Wuji suddenly shifted his focus, charging toward Tang San. Since he couldn't deal with the support, he decided to take out the control-type soul master instead. In a team, the control-type soul master acts as the brain. Once the brain stopped functioning, the offensive and agile soul masters, acting as the limbs, would naturally lose their effectiveness.
"Second Spirit Ability: Vigorous Vajra Palm!" This time, Zhao Wuji even activated a spirit ability. If this palm landed, with Tang San's meager Soul Grandmaster-level physique, he would likely lose all combat capability immediately.
"Zhao Wuji, you're asking for it!" Just moments ago, Tang Hao had been advising Yin Yang to calm down. Now, he was gripping the Clear Sky Hammer. The Tang family's infamous double standards were acting up again, and their tendency to protect their own was no different from other Title Douluos.
"Seven Treasures: Second is Speed!" At the critical moment, Ning Rongrong applied a speed boost to Tang San.
Tang San felt his body grow lighter and marveled at Ning Rongrong's perfect support ability. At the moment he needed it most, she had provided the most suitable boost.
"Excellent! Mysterious Jade Hand, Controlling Crane Catching Dragon, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track!" Tang San unleashed three Tang Sect techniques in quick succession.
First, he used the Mysterious Jade Hand to directly block Zhao Wuji's attack. Then, with Controlling Crane Catching Dragon, he gradually redirected the force of the attack. Finally, with the accelerated Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, he quickly retreated out of Zhao Wuji's attack range.
"Dragon Beard Needle, go!" After dodging the attack, Tang San immediately counterattacked. His combat awareness was exceptional.
The Dragon Beard Needle was a powerful hidden weapon Tang San had recently acquired. With Ning Rongrong's dual boosts to strength and speed, the power and speed of the hidden weapon were significantly enhanced.
Zhao Wuji initially didn't take the tiny needle seriously. With his defense, a mere needle couldn't possibly harm him. However, to his surprise, the Dragon Beard Needle curled up upon entering his body, entangling his muscles and causing him immense pain.
"Seven Treasures: Second is Speed!" At this moment, Ning Rongrong applied the speed boost to herself and Xiao Wu while retracting the strength boosts from everyone else.
Tang San exchanged a glance with her and immediately understood her strategy. Direct confrontation was impossible. They had to focus on evading Zhao Wuji's attacks. As long as they lasted until the incense stick burned out, they would win.
Aside from Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing was the fastest among the remaining three. Ning Rongrong and Tang San relied on their bizarre footwork, darting around the battlefield and leaving Zhao Wuji unable to catch them all at once.
"A bunch of little monsters. I underestimated you. Fine, then. Fifth Spirit Ability: Gravity Squeeze!"
Frustrated, Zhao Wuji unleashed his ten-thousand-year spirit ability. This powerful control-type ability unleashed immense pressure in all directions, pulling all opponents toward him like a black hole.
Faced with this ability, Tang San and the others were left without options. No matter how precise their footwork was, it was useless under such overwhelming gravity.
"Blue Silver Grass, First Spirit Ability: Bind!" As the control-type soul master, Tang San could only try to buy time. He used his Blue Silver Grass to entangle everyone, slowing down the speed at which they were being pulled toward Zhao Wuji.
Time was running out. If they could just hold on a little longer, victory would be theirs.