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Xiao Wu's eyes shone with excitement. "Of course! Little Sixth is really powerful."
Zhu Zhuqing rose to her feet, her tone calm but firm. "I'll go assist."
While they talked, Ning Tian was already moving. He leapt into the air and delivered a swift kick, his leg striking a Cang Hui Academy student in the chest. The young man coughed, spitting out a bitter taste, and tumbled backward, hitting the ground hard, like a puppet with its strings cut.
Across the room, the three remaining Cang Hui students summoned their martial souls: a deer, a goat, and a horse. They were ordinary beast souls, nothing remarkable. Their soul rings were equally unimpressive, each had one white ring and one yellow ring, far from the best combination.
"You'll pay for that!" the horse soul master shouted, his first and second soul rings glowing brightly. A brown light surrounded him, his hands turning into hard hooves as he rushed at Ning Tian, swinging forcefully.
Ning Tian stepped aside, avoiding the wild attacks with little effort. As the horse soul master's right hoof swung toward him, Ning Tian clenched his fist. A faint green light flickered around his hand, and he struck back directly.
A loud crack echoed as their blows met. The horse soul master cried out, pulling his hand back in pain. Ning Tian pressed forward, landing a quick strike to the side of the young man's face, sending him crashing to the floor.
Ning Rongrong watched, her voice filled with surprise. "Do we even need to step in?"
She remembered their fight against Zhao Wuji. Back then, Ning Tian had been strong, but not overpowering–Zhao Wuji was a tough challenge, after all. Now, facing these weaker soul masters, she saw how much he stood out. He was taking them apart using only his raw soul power, without even calling his martial soul.
The horse soul master was the strongest of the three, and seeing him fall so quickly made the other two hesitate, fear creeping into their eyes.
"That's enough!" Ye Zhiqiu, the Cang Hui teacher, had seen all he could take. He motioned his students to step back and glared at Ning Tian's group. "I've never heard of this 'Tiannan Academy,' but you'd better bring your teacher out here. This isn't finished unless you do."
With a low rumble, he activated his martial soul. "Black Tortoise Possession!"
A wave of dark energy spread from him, filling the air with a heavy pressure. Tang San, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ma Hongjun quickly summoned their own martial souls to resist it.
Ye Zhiqiu's body glowed with black light, his arms and legs pulling in slightly as he transformed into a human-like tortoise. Five soul rings appeared around him—white, yellow, yellow, purple, purple. He was a Spirit King.
Ning Tian remained calm. He summoned his Azure Bamboo CloudSwarm Sword, and a surge of soul pressure flowed from him, easily balancing out Ye Zhiqiu's force.
Ma Hongjun grinned at the sight. "What can an old tortoise like you do? We don't need our teacher to handle you."
Ye Zhiqiu's expression hardened, he didn't like being compared to a tortoise, and the comment struck a nerve.
Before the situation could grow worse, the innkeeper hurried forward, hands clasped nervously. "Please, great soul masters, take this outside! My small inn can't handle this kind of trouble."
"Fine," Ye Zhiqiu said sharply, still angry. "Outside it is. Are you coming?"
Ning Tian, stepping forward as the group's leader, nodded casually pics. "Let's go."
The group moved outside, with the Cang Hui students leading the way and Ning Tian's friends following behind.
Tang San, always thinking ahead, began explaining. "His martial soul is a Black Tortoise, a strong water-type. We should use our speed to keep him unsteady and let Fatty's fire counter his water abilities…"
He continued, outlining a careful plan that focused on delaying Ye Zhiqiu, not defeating him outright.
Ning Tian interrupted, his voice steady. "That assumes he's a real danger."
In the original story, Yu Xiaogang had shaped the Shrek Seven into Tang San's personal supporters, creating tension among them. Ning Tian had no intention of letting that happen here.
Tang San frowned, slightly irritated. "So what's your plan, then?"
"It's straightforward," Ning Tian replied, calm and confident. "We strike hard and fast. Water souls often use ice abilities, so Fatty's phoenix flames can stick to him and disrupt his flow. Tang San, you restrict his movement. Zhuqing, attack from the side. Rongrong, enhance me first—I'll lift him into the air. Xiao Wu, hit him when he's up there. I'll finish it."
The plan was clear and direct, leaving little room for doubt. The others nodded, clearly impressed. Even Tang San couldn't object, especially with Xiao Wu agreeing.
Oscar spoke up, sounding frustrated. "What about me?"
"You're a food-type soul master," Ning Tian said plainly. "Stay back and support us."
Oscar's face tightened, but he stayed quiet. He had hoped to separate Ning Rongrong from the group, making her feel alone so he could step in later. But with Ning Tian, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing all close to her and Tang San too focused on Xiao Wu to care, Oscar found himself sidelined instead.
...….
Outside, a small crowd had gathered, drawn by the glowing soul rings lighting up the night. Ye Zhiqiu, calming himself slightly, studied Ning Tian's group. These kids were young, far too young yet surprisingly strong. "Han Li," he said roughly, "I'll give you one last chance. Apologize, and we'll call it even."
Ning Tian didn't respond with words. "Let's start."
At his signal, Ma Hongjun's first soul ring lit up, sending a stream of purple-red fire toward Ye Zhiqiu.
Zhu Zhuqing's first ring glowed at the same moment, her form blurring as she moved to the side, faster than before.
'She's been training hard,' he thought. He had suggested she adjust her first soul skill, Nether Thrust, to improve her overall speed, not just straight-line attacks. It seemed she was making progress.
Tang San, surprised by her improvement, reacted a moment late. Both his soul rings activated, and dark blue vines shot toward Ye Zhiqiu, aiming to trap him.
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