"This is quite an amazing and intricate plan! It also takes into account to incite the soul beast into attacking, as its true purpose was to keep Wang Feng occupied, the 'Soul Emperor'. By exploiting the enemy's vulnerability, she can successfully unveil his mask!" Tang San mused.
The provocation of the soul beast is merely a diversion.
"I must admit, this scheme is rather intricate and depends mostly on luck. Right from the outset, the Shrek Seven allowed Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun to employ their soul abilities consecutively, setting the stage for a significant buildup of momentum. As an agility attack system soul master specializing in sensitive attacks, Zhu Zhuqing would secretly wield the Youxiang Qiluo immortal herb, swiftly encircling the adversary using soul beats without launching an assault.
This served two purposes, luring the soul beast and diverting its aggression away from them. The soul beast's primary target was Zhu Zhuqing due to the Youxiang Qiluo Immortal herb she carried.
Furthermore, Zhu Zhuqing refrained from disclosing her true intentions to everyone, she was conducting a test. Being an agility system attack soul master, Zhu Zhuqing could manipulate the distance, maintaining a strategic proximity to Soul Emperor, neither too far nor too close, providing the perfect window for the team to intervene and rescue her if necessary.
However, how the soul beast's would respond is not something Zhu Zhuqing's knew. Hence, before the battle, she remarked that success would hinge on the actual combat performance. As all of them put the her plan on motion.
Suddenly the appearance of the ten thousand years Ghost Tiger that was attracted was clearly beyond anyone's expectations!
It was also incredibly powerful! Even Zhu Zhuqing was caught off guard! When the Ghost Tiger approached, she felt utterly helpless. Despite the brilliance of the plan, its execution proved to be exceedingly challenging.
The unpredictable nature of the attracted soul beast posed a significant dilemma now. Consequently, when Zhu Zhuqing turned around and witnessed the Ghost Tiger's lunge, her complexion turned deathly pale.
'"""Zhuqing!""""
The cries and concerns of the onlookers were also genuine, not mere theatrics. Even Wang Feng failed to detect any issues in advance! While the plan was excellent, no one anticipated the emergence of a ten thousand year old ghost tiger!
Not even Flender, Zhao Wuji or Liu Erlong had time to react! One could argue that the plan unfolded flawlessly from the outset.
However, the sudden appearance of the ten thousand years Ghost Tiger exceeded everyone's wildest imaginations!
And what was even more unimaginable was the Soul Emperor's decisive action!
It was a moment of horror! It felt like a flashback to that fateful night. In the blink of an eye, the Soul Emperor vanished, only to reappear with Zhu Zhuqing successfully rescued and the Ghost Tiger obliterated on the spot!
When the Soul Emperor rescued Zhu Zhuqing, it was her sole opportunity to confront the adversary directly.
It also presented the optimal moment to unveil his mask!
'This is the moment!' Zhu Zhuqing quickly lifted the Soul Emperor mask but her expression froze on the spot.
Wang Feng clasped Zhu Zhuqing's slender waist as they elegantly descended from midair. With Wang Feng's back turned to Tang San and the others, they were unable to witness the Soul Emperor's identity when the mask was lifted. Only Zhu Zhuqing's wide-open, cold and watery eyes hinted at something extraordinary!
The mask, removed by Zhu Zhuqing, was promptly seized by Wang Feng before it could touch the ground and was swiftly reattached to his face. Zhu Zhuqing, somewhat bashfully, stepped out of the embrace, yet remained somewhat close to him.
"You all went a bit too far!" Wang Feng's icy voice resonated, causing Tang San and the others to bow their heads.
"And you!" Wang Feng's gaze fell upon the still-dazed Zhu Zhuqing. "While this was a clever plan, have you considered the possibility of encountering even more powerful and dangerous soul beast?"
Zhu Zhuqing hung her head low, unable to meet his gaze, her toes shifting slightly. She resembled a child scolded by a teacher for a wrong answer.
"What if that ten thousand year soul beast had been stronger?" Wang Feng's tone grew sterner. "Even though I could have rescued you, but what if I was not able to? I hope this serves as a lesson!"
Wang Feng had truly been terrified moments ago when the ten thousand years Ghost Tiger charged towards Zhu Zhuqing, his thoughts have been momentarily thrown into disarray. If he had been just two seconds late or lacked the evolved [Slow World], he might not have been able to save his Zhuqing!
There was only one possible outcome for Zhu Zhuqing: death!
"You all!" The four teachers approached with anxious expressions, their demeanor solemn and commanding amidst the crowd. "Tang San, while this idea originated from Zhuqing, as the leader, she could not have executed this plan without your approval! If something had gone awry, who would have beared the responsibility?"
They had been frightened moments ago, but thankfully, Xiao Feng acted swiftly, otherwise, Zhu Zhuqing might have ended up as a corpse. Tang San spoke with remorse, "Master, I apologize."
He hadn't anticipated attracting a soul beast as formidable as the ten thousand years Ghost Tiger in such a short span of time. Logically, it shouldn't have happened so quickly.
Before the teachers could respond, Wang Feng waved a hand, silencing them. "No, I don't blame them at all. The ten thousand years Ghost Tiger was drawn here for a reason. Besides the methods they employed, there must be a reason maybe, Zhu Zhuqing absorbing the Ghost Tiger soul ring.
These two are intertwined. You must have realized that the Ghost Tiger was attracted because Zhu Zhuqing carries the scent and soul ring of a Ghost Tiger with her, making her an immediate target."
Upon hearing this, the group fell silent, pondering the implications.
Everyone was taken aback, realizing why such a powerful Ghost Tiger had been attracted in the first place.
"Alright, you've completed the special training," Wang Feng remarked, casting a glance at everyone before turning to leave.
Suddenly, Zhu Zhuqing stepped forward, gently tugging at Wang Feng's white robe. She whispered, "Thank you... I won't attempt something like this again..."
With a soft voice, Zhu Zhuqing added, "And... I know who you are."
Wang Feng remained silent, merely retracting his robe before vanishing into the shadows with a swift jump.
"Alright, let's head back. You've all passed the special training and the initial test with flying colors!" Flender urged, leading the way back to the academy.
In that moment, Tang San approached Zhu Zhuqing, encircling her with his presence.
"Zhuqing, when you removed the mask of the Soul Emperor, did you see what he looked like?" Xiao Wu asked with curiosity.
The enigmatic Soul Emperor was veiled from head to toe, his voice neutral and cold, and his demeanor peculiar, leaving everyone utterly baffled.
Xiao Wu's question piqued everyone's curiosity, and all eyes turned to Zhu Zhuqing. However, Zhu Zhuqing shook her head.
"I don't know."
"You don't know? Didn't you remove his mask?" Ning Rongrong asked, puzzled.
Surprisingly, Zhu Zhuqing responded, "Beneath his mask... there was yet another mask."
The revelation left everyone speechless. They had been unable to see the Soul Emperor's face when Zhu Zhuqing had opened the mask because he had his back turned to them.
But wouldn't Zhu Zhuqing have been able to see while in his embrace?
To their astonishment, there was another mask beneath the first mask...
"I'm speechless," Ma Hongjun exaggerated. "Why is this person trying to be so secretive? He even swiftly rescued Zhuqing and even killed the ten-thousand-year-old Ghost Tiger with a single punch. I didn't expect him to be this eccentric!"
"Were you able to discern his gender? Surely you should be able to smell something or detect it through physical contact?" Ning Rongrong pondered.
Zhu Zhuqing had been embraced just moments ago. It should have been easy to discern, right?
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head, sounding somewhat embarrassed. "There's no scent.... His chest is concealed with somekind of protective gear akin to iron and I couldn't even feel the heartbeat... his hands were also clad in heavy attire, and I wasn't able to sense their skin. But I think the Soul Emperor is a man."
Wang Feng's disguise was not so easily penetrable.
"Isn't that too formidable?" Oscar couldn't help but remark. "We couldn't even come up with a way to discern his gender and can only guess, and it seems the Soul Emperor, Grandmaster's friend, is also exceedingly mysterious and powerful."
"A truly potent disguise technique," Tang San whispered. "From their voice to their scent, it appears to have multiple layers of masks covering every part of their body. It's rather unsettling."
While everyone was astonished, they also harbored admiration. Only Zhu Zhuqing remained silent, her thoughts unknown.
"Hehe, anyhow, we passed the special training test! We'll get to see Wang Feng once we return to the academy!" Ning Rongrong glanced at Zhu Zhuqing, her expression filled with joy. However, her face fell slightly after she finished speaking.
"But in a few days, it's the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament... I wonder if Wang Feng will compete alongside us."
Upon hearing Ning Rongrong's words, everyone's minds refocused.
"Don't worry, Grandmaster mentioned that it's possible to bring a substitute to the tournament," Ma Hongjun said with a grin. "Our captain will be our ace substitute!"
"Is that so?"
"If that's the case, it's fantastic!"
"I wonder how much Feng'ge has progressed in the past six months?"
...
Excitement brimming, everyone returned to the Shrek Academy in high spirits. There was no disappointment, as they finally laid eyes on Wang Feng!
Seeing him, Wang Feng was reclining leisurely on a boulder in the college square, chewing on a blue silver grass. Observing this scene, everyone couldn't help but twitch in response especially Tang San.
It had been over half a year since they last saw him. In their eyes, Wang Feng's once fair complexion had slightly darkened, exuding a more masculine, youthful aura, and standing at 1.9 meters tall.
At that moment, he had his eyes closed, humming a tune softly, clad in a light gray windbreaker over a black, tight-fitting combat suit. His long hair cascaded naturally around him.
Though his demeanor seemed somewhat lazy, they could still sense his distinctive powerful aura.
A formidable presence indeed!
The battle with Er Ming over the past half year had bestowed upon Wang Feng a unique aura, even though he revealed nothing. However, this particular posture was unfamiliar to everyone except Tang San.
In a mere blink of an eye, nearly eight years had elapsed. To Tang San, Wang Feng's posture was incredibly familiar as it was the same from the Holy Soul Village, when he used to lay around the boulder like a salted fish.
"Oh, I heard you all went to acquire your fourth soul ring?" Wang Feng seemed to sense Tang San and his companions' presence. With a graceful leap, he dislodged from the boulder and descended, wearing a smile as he gazed at them.
.....
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