While Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing engaged the armored giant, Zhu Zhuqing hadn't been idle either. Seeing the towering figure charge toward Tang San and Xiao Wu, the two yellow spirit rings around her body lit up at once. Her pupils narrowed vertically within her left emerald eye and right sapphire eye as her speed surged. Silent as a shadow, she sprang forward, leaping into the air.
Enveloped in her soul power, she curled her body tightly and began spinning at high speed, hurtling toward the armored giant like a living drill. Within that spinning blur, claw shadows flashed endlessly — her second spirit skill, Nether Hundred Claws. Using her rapid spin and the piercing power of her cat claws, she could deliver over a hundred strikes to the same point in an instant, the concentrated force devastating to most foes.
The instant Xiao Wu's kick landed on the giant, Zhu Zhuqing's Nether Hundred Claws slammed into its back, her blow spinning like a whirling sawblade, slicing furiously against the armor.
"Useless."
Yun Chuan's voice rumbled from within. For the first time, he stirred a little more seriously. Soul power surged within him and the giant's feet slammed into the ground as a terrifying surge of blazing blue energy erupted outward.
The shockwave burst from him in an instant. Zhu Zhuqing was blasted away before she could react, a muffled cry leaving her lips midair.
Dai Mubai, lightning fast, darted to catch her — but before he could, the ground beneath her split open and more than a dozen strands of Blue Silver Grass sprouted like living ropes, weaving quickly into a net that caught her gently before she could hit the ground.
Hurrying over, Dai saw she'd fainted from the impact, her breath uneven — but thankfully, no serious injury.
Xiao Wu wasn't spared either. She had just been yanked back up by Tang San's Blue Silver Grass when the giant's soul power blast detonated. Every vine within three meters of that massive frame, whether already wrapped or still approaching, was blown away. Even the ones touching it were shattered with a sickening crack.
The simultaneous shock knocked all three — Xiao Wu, Tang San, and Zhu Zhuqing — reeling.
Of the three, Xiao Wu took it the worst. In midair, the concussion made her cough a mouthful of blood. Numbness swept through her limbs, and she tumbled back into Tang San's arms, her body limp.
Tang San was shaken but still standing, yet the sight of Xiao Wu spitting blood snapped his control. His breathing turned ragged.
What Yun Chuan had unleashed wasn't even a true spirit skill — just a simple release of raw energy, a soul power shockwave. But that simple, almost casual technique, backed by the might of a Soul Sage, was devastating to Soul Masters of their level. In an instant, their coordinated formation lay in ruins.
This was the difference in strength — the real power of a Soul Sage.
With nothing more than a pulse of his energy, they were utterly overwhelmed. If he actually fought seriously… the outcome was obvious.
In the span of seconds, three of the four were defeated. Ning Rongrong's heart raced. The incense had only burned past halfway, but her Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda could only grant boosts — no healing. With just two spirit rings, her repertoire was fixed; there was nothing she could do for them now.
The armored giant charged again, each stride shaking the ground, barreling straight for Tang San. Reaching him, it raised one enormous hand to swat him aside.
The sheer force the giant carried — even a casual blow was crushing.
Still holding Xiao Wu, Tang San instinctively pulled her aside to shield her — but in doing so, he lost his own chance to dodge.
At that instant, the second ring on Xiao Wu's body flared. Her eyes turned blood-red, locking intently on the giant's glowing blue gaze — Yun Chuan's line of sight from within the armor. She knew that attacking those eyes was as good as striking his real body.
The crimson glare met that cold blue — and Xiao Wu gave no cry before collapsing limply in Tang San's arms, blood spilling from her mouth and nose.
"Heh… who gave you the nerve to use a mental-type skill on a Soul Sage?" The giant's voice dripped with amusement, mocking her foolishness. Still, the raised palm halted.
Tang San instinctively seized the opening, footwork flowing into Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to disengage from danger.
"Xiao Wu! Xiao Wu!" He carried her to a safer distance, pushing his Mysterious Heaven Power into her body — but she didn't stir.
The giant made no move to follow. "She's fine. Mental-type techniques are potent, but the gap in our strength is too vast — soul power backlash was inevitable. She'll wake in a while."
Holding the unconscious Xiao Wu, Tang San slowly lifted his head. His eyes were void of emotion, cold and empty, like a puppet without a soul. Wordlessly, he turned, striding to Ning Rongrong and murmuring, "Please… take care of her for now."
Startled, Ning Rongrong dismissed her Pagoda and accepted the girl into her arms. Despite her delicate appearance, she was a Soul Master; carrying another girl was hardly a burden.
With Xiao Wu passed into safe hands, Tang San turned back toward the armored giant.
Watching him approach, Yun Chuan immediately understood. The infamous "wife-protector" Tang San was about to snap. He'd been waiting for this — the perfect chance to beat him into the ground.
Blue light flared in the giant's eyes as Yun Chuan's calm voice echoed, "What now? Still want to continue? A Soul Sage's might is beyond your imagining. Even releasing soul power alone can bury you."
Tang San shook his head.
"What, so you're admitting defeat?"
Another shake. "No. I want to fight you — seriously. Start again, from the top. Light another stick of incense. If I can last through it, allow all four of us into Shrek Academy."
"Oh? So this is to stand up for that girl, Xiao Wu?" The giant's voice carried a note of wry amusement before it softened evenly. "Tang San… by Shrek's standards, even if the incense hasn't burned out, your group's performance has already met the requirements. You've passed my stage."
"We've… passed?" Ning Rongrong blinked in surprise. Zhu Zhuqing, stirring groggily nearby, also froze at the news.
"Regardless," Tang San said firmly, "I still want to fight you one-on-one. If I lose, I'll leave the academy voluntarily." His eyes blazed; Xiao Wu's injury had stoked fury and guilt deep in his chest. Only a pure, all-out fight could cool the fire in his heart.
"Fine. If you want a beating, I'll oblige," Yun Chuan laughed inside the armor. This was the first time someone had volunteered for a thrashing. Surely Tang San didn't think his little hidden weapons could harm a Soul Sage? Clearly the boy's brain shut down when Xiao Wu was hurt.
"But even if you lose, you're still admitted. This next match is just me, as your teacher, giving some pointers to a new student."
After all, if Tang San left Shrek, who knew how far from the original plot things would drift — and as a transmigrator, Yun Chuan couldn't afford to lose that advantage.
And so…
The next battle began.
Tang San planted his feet steadily, neither too wide nor too narrow, soul power gathering around him. This time, he hid nothing. Xiao Wu's injury had rattled him deeply, a blade of guilt stabbing at his heart. If he couldn't win back justice for her, what right did he have to call himself her brother?
If Yun Chuan could have heard his thoughts, he'd have scoffed: Justice, my foot! That old rabbit knocked herself out from rebound damage — fair and square. Don't make it sound like I used underhanded tricks. Want to avenge your girl? Just say it, and drop the noble excuses.
Tang San remembered a core teaching of the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record: Never pretend to be a pig to eat the tiger — or you might end up as the pig.
Now he truly understood. If the man in front of them hadn't been a teacher but an enemy, Xiao Wu might have been lost for good. And he hadn't even used his real trump cards — he'd regret that for life.
So he would stop holding back. Against the youngest Soul Sage on the continent, he would see for himself just how far his strength had come.
Without Ning Rongrong's boosts, his body already felt heavier; his arms quivered slightly as he adjusted to the change. Slowly, his hands turned a jade-white sheen, lustrous as fine crystal. Faint currents of energy flowed between his fingers as he dipped his head — hiding the fact that his eyes had shifted completely to a deep, luminous purple.
(End of Chapter)