Chapter 265: Tang San's Explosion Trigger, Rabbit's Confusing Move
It was clear Ma Hongjun definitely didn't dare to attack.
So while he hesitated, Zhu Zhuqing had already broken through and reached Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong.
However, just as she prepared to adjust her movement for another strike, her actions stalled for a brief moment.
Not because of anything else, but because of Xiao Wu's bizarre reaction.
To be honest, Zhu Zhuqing was puzzled. What kind of reasoning had led Xiao Wu to make such a choice?
Initially, when she saw Xiao Wu pulling Ning Rongrong back, she assumed that Xiao Wu would use her teleportation skill again. That was the logical choice.
Even though using another teleport would drain her soul power completely, leaving her unable to fight, it was still the correct move.
At worst, this was a Soul Master Tournament surrender was always an option.
But what Zhu Zhuqing hadn't expected was that Xiao Wu actually pushed Ning Rongrong behind her, put on a determined expression, and charged toward her, activating her second and first soul rings.
That's right charged at her, using her soft skill techniques.
And so, the entire scene turned into something extremely bizarre.
The moment Xiao Wu activated her soul skills, she leaped into the air. But unfortunately for her, her second soul skill, Charm, depended on the opponent's mental strength.
Zhu Zhuqing, by nature, was mentally resilient. She was a disciplined cultivator, meaning her spiritual power was already above average compared to her peers.
Not to mention that after meeting Han Li, her overall cultivation level had skyrocketed, indirectly enhancing her spiritual power. With the improved mental cultivation techniques she practiced, her spiritual power was now even stronger than Tang San's, who had been refining his Purple Demon Eye for ten years.
So when Xiao Wu's pink glowing eyes met Zhu Zhuqing's gaze, she let out a muffled groan, rolled her eyes, and fainted spectacularly.
However, because both her soul skills had activated and she had already leaped forward, she lost consciousness mid air resulting in her still lunging toward Zhu Zhuqing in a strange posture.
Yes, a very strange posture.
Her body was curled, both arms and legs stretched forward, aimed at Zhu Zhuqing's waist. This position would have allowed her to wrap around her opponent and use her flexibility to launch an attack upon contact.
But there was just one problem she had already fainted.
On the other hand, Zhu Zhuqing had already committed to her attack. Even if she had anticipated Xiao Wu's move, she still had to follow through what if Xiao Wu failed to react in time?
Of course, she had held back and refrained from using a skill.
Both were agility type soul masters, meaning their movements were incredibly fast.
Thus, in this rather absurd "mutual collision," their attacks met.
Zhu Zhuqing's hand had been shaped into a claw strike though, at the last moment, she retracted the sharp talons into a simple palm strike.
Through an unbelievable combination of coincidences, what should have been an attack to the chest instead met Xiao Wu's face.
Instinctively, Zhu Zhuqing shifted her legs backward to avoid Xiao Wu's flailing kicks.
If the scene were paused at this moment, it would look as though Zhu Zhuqing had lunged forward, dipped low, and delivered a massive slap across Xiao Wu's face sending her flying.
Slap!
A crisp sound echoed across the arena.
Ning Rongrong barely had time to react before she felt a gust of wind beside her. A figure flew past her at high speed, crashing hard onto the ground and tumbling a few times before coming to a stop.
Zhu Zhuqing was stunned.
Ning Rongrong was stunned.
Ma Hongjun, hovering in mid air, completely forgot that he was supposed to be looking for an opportunity to attack he froze in place.
Forget them every spectator watching the match on the giant sky screen was also stunned.
The entire coliseum fell into a deathly silence.
Only Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Tai Long, who were still fighting Zhu Zhuqing's three clones, remained unaware of what had just happened. They seized the opportunity of the clones' momentary rigidity and swiftly destroyed them.
Then, as they turned their heads, they saw everyone else standing there in shock.
"Fatty, attack!"
Without a second thought, Dai Mubai unleashed a White Tiger Light Wave toward Zhu Zhuqing while simultaneously calling for Ma Hongjun to strike.
The shout and the surging soul power behind her jolted Zhu Zhuqing back to her senses. In one swift motion, she dashed forward, grabbed Ning Rongrong, and moved laterally to dodge the attack.
Dai Mubai's energy blast struck the arena floor instead.
As Zhu Zhuqing came to a halt, her sharp claws extended again this time, they hovered threateningly near Ning Rongrong's pale neck.
"I surrender."
Only now did Ning Rongrong snap out of it. She shot a fierce glare toward Dai Mubai before raising her hand to signal the referee.
"Xiao Wu!"
Before the referee could even respond, a loud, anguished cry echoed across the arena.
Even Dai Mubai, who was standing beside Tang San, was startled. He quickly turned to look at him, confused by his sudden outburst.
Tang San's eyes were bloodshot, his breath ragged. His entire body trembled as he stared intensely at the spot where Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong stood.
Following Tang San's gaze, Dai Mubai and Tai Long finally noticed the figure lying on the ground, dressed in the same uniform as them who else could it be but Xiao Wu?
Soul Masters had excellent eyesight, and they could clearly see that Xiao Wu's left cheek was swollen high, with a bright red palm print imprinted on it, and a trickle of blood at the corner of her mouth.
At that moment, they finally understood the strange sound that had echoed behind them earlier, why the atmosphere on the stage had suddenly become so bizarre, and why the entire arena had fallen into dead silence.
If Xiao Wu had been attacked, then Tang San's reaction was nothing out of the ordinary after all, it wasn't the first time.
But seeing her face so swollen well, that was a first.
Unknowingly, Tang San's hand had already moved to his belt, as if ready to pull out the hidden weapons stored inside.
Zhu Zhuqing had been watching Tang San closely and immediately noticed his movement. Without hesitation, she pressed even closer to Ning Rongrong. Having witnessed the power of hidden weapons during the Shrek Academy entrance exam and having trained under Han Li's influence, she didn't know Tang San's current skill level or what hidden weapons he might have, but she wasn't about to find out the hard way.
Based on her understanding of Tang San, this was someone who, in a fit of rage, might truly launch a public attack on her.
"Match paused! Nobody move from their positions!"
The referee for this match descended from above, looking at Tang San with clear displeasure. What was he shouting so loudly for? Wasn't it just a teammate getting knocked out?
During their previous matches, hadn't they injured plenty of opponents themselves? Why was he making such a fuss now? Didn't he know that after someone surrenders, only the referee is allowed to remove them from the stage, except for those currently engaged in battle?
Moreover, the person in question was Ning Rongrong. Her father, the sect master, was watching from the stands where was the respect?
The high ranking figures in the audience were observing everything. If Tang San broke protocol, it would only make the referee look incompetent.
And it wasn't as if the referee didn't understand what was happening. Unlike the spectators, he had a clear view of Xiao Wu's condition.
That girl it looked bad, sure, but it was mostly superficial. Her most severe injury wasn't even from Zhu Zhuqing's attack but from the backlash of her own failed mental assault.
Yes, the scene was ridiculous, but her actual injuries weren't that severe. The blood at the corner of her mouth? She had likely bitten her lip or tongue when she hit the ground unconscious. If she couldn't even handle that, how was she supposed to compete in the Soul Master Tournament?
Besides, when Xiao Wu had been using her legs to kick opponents into serious injuries or throwing them down with her grappling techniques, hadn't Tang San been watching happily?
So it was fine when he was the one dishing out pain, but the moment his own teammate got hurt, it was suddenly unacceptable?
Feeling the warning in the referee's tone and with Tai Long subtly pulling on his arm, Tang San finally regained a sliver of composure, though his gaze remained locked onto Zhu Zhuqing like a predator about to pounce.
The referee wasted no time. He quickly walked over to Xiao Wu, picked her up, nodded at Ning Rongrong, and carried them both toward the arena's edge.
Only after officially removing them did he announce, "The match will continue."
The moment the match resumed, Ma Hongjun, who had been waiting for the right moment, wasted no time retreating from Zhu Zhuqing. Flapping his rapidly fading third soul skill's wings, he quickly descended toward his remaining three teammates.
Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing dodged a burst of fire and evaded Tang San's Blue Silver Web before once again pulling back, waiting for her soul skills to recover.
Tang San's venomous gaze made her even more cautious.
To Zhu Zhuqing, this battle was more of a trial given to her by Han Li. And she always remembered his words
"Agility type Soul Masters are like assassins. If a strike doesn't land, retreat immediately. If the mission must be completed, then stay close, lurking like a predator, waiting patiently for the opportunity."
He had specifically reminded them if a situation could be resolved using soul skills, don't foolishly engage in close combat. What if the opponent had trained for it too? He had them practice melee combat to improve their skills, not to restrict their use of abilities.
And unfortunately for Tang San, from Zhu Zhuqing's perspective, he was precisely the type who excelled at close combat. While she had also learned advanced techniques, she knew that compared to Xiu'er and the others, she was still lacking. So she chose to play it safe.
Seeing Zhu Zhuqing once again create distance between them, Tang San's expression darkened further.
Ma Hongjun had been panting heavily since landing, and as the flames on the arena floor gradually faded, Tang San didn't need to ask he could tell that Fatty was running on empty. There was no point relying on him anymore.
With Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong eliminated, they had lost their support. But just surrendering? He wasn't willing.
He had promised Xiao Wu he would never let anyone hurt her. And now, he had failed.
The scent of blood from his wounded arm filled his nostrils, and a wave of violent energy surged through his body, clouding his mind with murderous intent. His expression twisted into something monstrous.
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