After the four had finished introducing themselves, Dai Mubai took a deep breath.
"Your team composition isn't bad — no repeated martial spirit types. How you block Teacher Tang's attacks is up to you."
Tang San thought for a moment before speaking.
"Ning Rongrong will handle support for the three of us. Xiao Wu will be the main attacker. I'll try to control Teacher Tang's movements, restricting him as much as possible while supporting Xiao Wu in a frontal assault. Zhu Zhuqing, I'll need you to use your speed to harass him from the flanks."
Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong nodded. Zhu Zhuqing glanced at Tang San, then gave a slight nod of agreement. With so little time to plan, this was the best strategy they could settle on.
As for whether it would work — they would just have to test it in actual combat.
They'd never faced an opponent of such overwhelming strength before, and only by fighting would they understand exactly how terrifying he was.
"Done talking?" Yun Chuan's calm, clear voice drifted over. The four turned and saw that the incense in the ground had already burned almost to its end.
"Teacher Tang, we're ready," Dai Mubai said, giving Yun Chuan a nod before quickly retreating to the side to watch. Although it was an uneven match, seeing this mysterious new teacher in action was too good an opportunity to miss — especially since he was the youngest Soul Sage on the continent.
Yun Chuan pulled another incense stick from his soul tool, but before he could light it, Ning Rongrong made the first move.
"Seven Treasures turn out Liuli."
Her body twirled gracefully in place, and brilliant seven-colored light burst from within her. In the palm of her right hand appeared a seven-colored pagoda over a foot tall, radiating a noble brilliance. Smiling serenely, she looked every bit a celestial maiden. Two yellow spirit rings rose at her feet, circling her body.
"First of the Seven Treasures: Strength."
Her first spirit ring lit up, covering the pagoda in radiant light. At her left-hand gesture, three beams of rainbow light shot forth, enveloping Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing.
Instantly, a warm energy surged through all their limbs, filling their bodies with power. Their spirit power seemed to boil, rising rapidly within them.
Seeing their sudden surge in strength, Yun Chuan couldn't help but praise, "Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda… truly worthy of being called the continent's number one support martial spirit. This boost is ridiculous."
As he spoke, he casually lit the incense and stuck it in the ground.
"Second of the Seven Treasures: Speed."
Three more beams of colored light spilled out, activating her second spirit ring. Tang San felt his body turn almost weightless, his movements far more agile. In his heart he had to admit — the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda's reputation was well deserved. With a thirty percent increase to both strength and speed, his combat power leaped noticeably.
It was then that Yun Chuan finally made his move.
His hands began forming a rapid sequence of complex seals, his spirit power fluctuating wildly around him. Dai Mubai stared intently at the strange gestures, trying to discern the technique.
In reality, Yun Chuan was just putting on a show. Against four juniors like this, he didn't need any actual seals — he could blow them away with a breath if he wanted.
"Self-created spirit skill — Blue Silver Battle Armor!"
With the final seal, a surge of Blue Silver Grass erupted around him, the vines wrapping his body completely before fusing together. They wove into the shape of a three-meter-tall armored giant.
From the outside, it radiated an impression of indestructibility and immense strength.
Tang San was left momentarily dumbfounded.
'Another new technique? How can he weave Blue Silver Grass into an armored colossus like that? Does it have some unique property?'
The three girls were equally stunned, momentarily frozen by the intimidating sight.
The giant's eyes glowed blue as Yun Chuan's gentle, clear voice resonated from its mouth.
"As you can see, my martial spirit is the 'useless' Blue Silver Grass. It doesn't boost my body as much as beast spirits do, so I spent a great deal of time developing this self-created skill — Blue Silver Battle Armor."
"This armor both protects me with tremendous defense and amplifies my physical strength to rival beast spirit battle masters of the same rank.
"But it has its flaws — plenty of defense and power, but poor speed and agility. And I'll be fair: during this fight, aside from controlling the armor, I won't use any other skills. In fact, this armor has a fatal weakness — find and strike it, and it will collapse. Whether you can locate and exploit it is up to you."
In truth, this was all a lie. It wasn't a spirit skill at all, just something he created by manipulating plants with his Plant Goddess spirit. Far from boosting his strength, it actually restricted it — the armor was far weaker than his real body, and controlling it let him avoid accidentally killing them with a stray blow.
"Well then… shall we?" Seeing that their buffs were complete and they were at peak state, Yun Chuan decided it was time to attack.
His armored giant stomped hard, the ground exploding with a deep boom. The impact sent a ring of earthen waves radiating outward, carrying spirit power toward the four like a shockwave.
It wasn't a spirit skill — just a technique of channeling spirit power through his legs to the ground. Simple, brutal, and effective.
"Not good!" Tang San realized instantly what Yun Chuan was doing. His teacher had once told him — when facing the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, your first target must be the support master.
The giant's attack wasn't aimed solely at Ning Rongrong, but this kind of area attack was clearly intended to take her out early. Tang San couldn't allow that.
A long lashing vine shot out from his hand — Blue Silver Grass with no thorns, infused only with his first-ring ability. It coiled around Ning Rongrong's waist, and with a leap, Tang San pulled her into the air with him.
The shockwave slammed into the ground with a heavy boom, shaking the arena. Xiao Wu reacted instantly, leaping head-on, while Zhu Zhuqing darted to the side, both avoiding the attack. Tang San's and Xiao Wu's jumps matched almost perfectly in height.
"Xiao Wu, go!"
At his cue, Xiao Wu's toes pressed against his palms — they had fought together for six years and moved with absolute coordination. Using his push, she shot toward the armored giant like an arrow.
Attack was the best defense here. If they stayed passive, letting the opponent unleash his full might, they'd have no chance. Aggression might buy them precious seconds.
Watching Xiao Wu fly at him, Yun Chuan didn't dodge, simply standing there as if inviting the strike.
She didn't waste the chance. Midair, she tucked her body into a roll, then extended just before reaching him. She completed her spirit attachment transformation in that instant, both feet landing squarely on the giant's shoulders.
Two muffled thuds. The giant didn't even sway.
"Little rabbit, your strength is far too small," Yun Chuan's voice came from the armor.
Xiao Wu gave a cold snort. Too weak? She'd show him. Her toes hooked inward, clamping at the giant's neck, and she twisted her body violently, spinning in midair.
Alone, she couldn't move him — but she wasn't alone.
Inside, Yun Chuan suddenly felt vines constricting around the armor — Tang San's work. Poison-laced Blue Silver Grass coiled around its arms and legs, tightening fiercely. The venom couldn't affect the armor, but the bind was firm.
Though disappointed, Tang San had anticipated this and had a follow-up. More vines erupted from the ground, lifting the armor's feet off the earth.
No matter how strong, without firm footing, stability was difficult.
With Tang San and Xiao Wu's seamless cooperation, the massive three-meter armored giant was actually lifted into the air. Spinning under Xiao Wu's momentum, it soon resembled a huge blue-and-black dumpling bound in Tang San's grass.
With Ning Rongrong's buffs, both Tang San and Xiao Wu were now fighting at strength beyond rank thirty.
(End of Chapter)