The girls were stunned by Su Ming's move—was he really going to crush Teacher Zhao's head with a bite?
At first, Zhao Wuji was only mildly shocked by the head-shaking action. But with his defense being almost invincible among those at his level and focusing most of his soul power on his head, he thought there was no way Su Ming's wooden dragon could harm him.
Just as he felt confident, he noticed something strange: his soul power was draining... fast?
What the—?!
It wasn't just fast; the wooden dragon was actually absorbing his soul power! Panic struck him. At this rate, his soul power wouldn't last, and his head might actually be in danger!
Zhao Wuji was now conflicted. Should he use his Martial Soul Avatar to break free of Su Ming's control? But if he did, he'd lose his dignity!
"Hey, Su Ming, let me go, or I won't hold back!" Zhao Wuji shouted.
Su Ming remained silent, controlling the dragon's soul power absorption at a steady pace, neither too fast nor too slow, letting Zhao Wuji fully experience the feeling of approaching death.
Zhao Wuji was under both physical and mental pressure: the impact of Tang San's poison needles coursing through him and the constant dilemma over using his Martial Soul Avatar.
Unfazed, Su Ming thought to himself: if Zhao Wuji actually used his Martial Soul Avatar, he'd lose all respect as a teacher. Plus, would Ning Rongrong and the others even still want to enroll in a school with teachers like this?
Just as Zhao Wuji felt his soul power slipping beyond recovery, the wooden dragon abruptly released him, disappearing along with the vines that bound him.
Su Ming flashed a small smile. "Teacher Zhao, the incense stick has burned out. We've passed the trial."
Zhao Wuji looked down and saw that the incense had indeed burned completely. With a sigh, he muttered, "You little rascal, couldn't you have held back?"
He then glared at Tang San. "And you, too!"
Su Ming replied calmly, "After all, Teacher Zhao, you're a powerhouse at the Soul Saint level, with unmatched defense. For us to stand any chance of victory, we had to give it our all."
"And since we couldn't break through your defenses, the only option was to drain your soul power. Fortunately, my third soul skill allows me to absorb soul power. But, to be fair, if you had used your Martial Soul Avatar, we would've lost."
Zhao Wuji grumbled, "If I need to use my Martial Soul Avatar to deal with a group of kids, I may as well quit the Soul Master world!"
"Well, the incense stick has burned down. You've passed the fourth trial and can enroll!" Zhao Wuji said, feeling dejected. Who would've thought he'd lose to a bunch of kids? Was he really becoming outdated? He was the famous Immovable King!
Initially, he'd joined the trial to test these applicants himself, hoping to show off a bit. But he didn't expect things to go so poorly, leaving him rather humiliated.
With the trial over, everyone else put away their martial souls. Su Ming walked over to Ning Rongrong and used his third and fourth soul skills to help restore her energy, as she had kept her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda activated the entire time.
Thanks to the feedback from his wooden dragon's soul power absorption, along with his own soul power recovery rate, Su Ming was already back to full energy.
Ning Rongrong felt her energy rapidly returning, her previously depleted strength filling up quickly. She gave Su Ming a warm smile in appreciation.
At this point, Tang San approached Zhao Wuji with an apologetic look. "Teacher Zhao, let me remove the needles from your body; otherwise, they'll harm you further."
With a special technique, Tang San carefully extracted the needles, making Zhao Wuji wince in pain.
Zhao Wuji shot a glare at Dai Mubai. "Why are you standing around? Go call Oscar over here!"
"Oh, right!" Dai Mubai shouted out, "Oscar, got a job for you! Get over here!"
"Where's the job? Where's the job?" Oscar's distinct, soft voice grew louder as he quickly approached the group.
Dai Mubai waved him over. "Little Ao, get over here."
Oscar trotted over. "Boss Dai, what's up?"
Dai Mubai nodded slightly. "Teacher Zhao needs you!"
Oscar looked around, searching. "Where? Where's Teacher Zhao?"
Zhao Wuji's face darkened as he walked over and smacked Oscar on the head. "I'm right here! Stop pretending not to see me!"
Oscar rubbed his head, smiling sheepishly. "Just trying to lighten the mood, Teacher Zhao."
Already in a foul mood, Zhao Wuji cut him off. "Give me two of your sausages—both the large and small ones!"
Dai Mubai explained to the others, "Little Ao's martial soul is a sausage. He's a food-type Soul Master. His first soul skill, the large sausage, helps heal physical injuries, while the small sausage can cure poison. The chant is... a bit weird, but you'll see for yourselves."
Remembering something, Dai Mubai turned to Su Ming. "Wait, Su Ming, can't your fourth soul skill heal Teacher Zhao's injuries?"
Having experienced Su Ming's healing skill himself, Dai Mubai knew how effective it was.
Su Ming feigned innocence. "Teacher Zhao didn't ask for my help, and after all that fighting, I don't have enough soul power left for the fourth skill."
Dai Mubai nodded in understanding. Su Ming had used all four of his soul skills multiple times during the battle, so his soul power was probably depleted. Given his level, casting the fourth skill required significant soul power.
What Dai Mubai didn't know was that Su Ming was actually in perfect shape; he just didn't want to heal Zhao Wuji. After all, Zhao had unfairly used his strength against them, and Su Ming didn't exactly feel fond of him.
Oscar, disappointed, noticed there wasn't much business and complained, "Boss Dai, you tricked me! There's no work here."
Oscar glanced around at the other applicants, realizing they were all in decent shape with no apparent injuries. It looked like his sausages wouldn't be needed after all.
Seeing this, Zhao Wuji knocked Oscar on the head again. "Stop whining and hurry up!"
[T/N:
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