Take out this support first, and this battle will be over in a minute.
Unfortunately, his well-laid plans fell through once again. Oscar had long been prepared — seeing Dai Mubai turn his attention toward him, he ate a Mushroom Sausage before his opponent could even close in and soared into the air.
Dai Mubai's White Tiger Blazing Light Wave was capable of long-range attacks, but its effective range was limited to within twenty meters. Extending it any further would require a massive expenditure of Soul Power. He had already used the White Tiger Diamond Shield in his earlier fight with Tang San, which had drained a considerable amount. Naturally, he didn't dare burn through more than he had to.
Seeing Oscar and Ma Hongjun each consume a Recovery Sausage in midair, with Oscar hovering right beside Ma Hongjun rapidly conjuring his bizarre Martial Souls, while Ma Hongjun continuously spat streams of Phoenix Fire Line down from above — with the Recovery Sausages bolstering his reserves, his Soul Power drain was being partially offset. In the short term, there was absolutely no worry about running dry.
With the Fire Phoenix Immersion amplifying his power, Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Fire Lines were devastatingly potent. The purple flames scorched the ground and left deep furrows in their wake. What truly infuriated Dai Mubai was that this fat kid kept sweeping fire across the area from above, and already lacking agility, he was forced into an embarrassingly wretched state. The first Soul Ring skill, White Tiger Protective Barrier alone, couldn't withstand the fat kid's flames. Left with no choice, when dodging was impossible, he had to meet the fat kid's fire head-on with his own White Tiger Blazing Light Waves.
But on one side there was the support of Recovery Sausages, while on the other, Dai Mubai had just burned through a large chunk of Soul Power. As the balance shifted against him, by the time Ma Hongjun ate his second Mushroom Sausage to maintain flight, Dai Mubai's reserves were already running thin.
In peak condition, Dai Mubai could have contested the fat kid's endurance through sheer Soul Power reserves. After all, each Recovery Sausage only restored a small amount. Moreover, crafting Mushroom Sausages also cost Oscar a considerable amount — hold out long enough, and these two would inevitably have to land.
But right now, Dai Mubai had already depleted a significant portion through his White Tiger Diamond Shield, and on top of that, ever since Oscar had reached Rank 30, producing Recovery Sausages was nearly instantaneous — as if they cost him no Soul Power at all, he kept hurling them to Ma Hongjun without pause. With such abundant Recovery Sausage support, the fat kid's staying power was clearly going to last far longer.
When Ma Hongjun ate his third Mushroom Sausage, Dai Mubai's White Tiger Blazing Light Waves were barely holding back the fat kid's Phoenix Fire Lines. His Soul Power was no longer sufficient to sustain the exchange.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Tang San and Xiao Wu were locked in a fierce battle of their own.
The moment Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun had started fighting, Tang San and Xiao Wu had also engaged each other.
Tang San and Xiao Wu had sparred countless times before. Blue Silver Grass instantly spread across the area around his body — the moment Xiao Wu entered that zone, the Binding skill would activate automatically.
Tang San knew Xiao Wu well, but wasn't she equally familiar with him? Although his Blue Silver Grass had undergone significant changes after obtaining the third Soul Ring, Xiao Wu had carefully observed his fight against Dai Mubai earlier and had roughly gauged the extent of his Martial Soul's transformation.
"Xiao San, do you really need to be this wary?" Xiao Wu's voice carried a hint of resentment, tinged with a touch of grievance.
Tang San instinctively looked up at her. Even as his head rose, he realized his mistake, but it was already a fraction too late — he caught sight of Xiao Wu's eyes, which had turned a soft pink.
Xiao Wu's second Soul Ring skill, Charm, activated.
Tang San felt a wave of dizziness wash through his mind. Fortunately, he had closed his eyes the instant he noticed, preventing her skill's power from fully taking effect. However, having reached Rank 30, Xiao Wu's soul skills had also grown somewhat stronger. Even so, the brief contact was enough to plunge Tang San's consciousness into a momentary blank.
Tang San silently cursed himself for being careless. Ever since coming to Shrek Academy, he had never practiced against Xiao Wu, and he had grown complacent. If he had activated the Purple Extreme Demon Eye from the very start, he wouldn't be in this passive position now. The Purple Extreme Demon Eye was the natural counter to Xiao Wu's Charm soul skill.
Even Xiao Wu herself hadn't expected to succeed. Seeing Tang San close his eyes, the luster fading from his Blue Silver Grass, she naturally seized the opportunity. She pushed off with one foot and darted toward him in near silence.
In a strict sense, Xiao Wu should be classified as an agility-type attacking Soul Master. The difference between her and Zhu Zhuqing was that Xiao Wu's fighting style required close contact to be effective, while Zhu Zhuqing's was a hit-and-run approach — the path of an assassin.
Tang San's mind had gone momentarily blank, but the subconscious instinct for self-protection remained. He raised his right hand without hesitation, and a blue-green glow flared once more.
The light expanded instantly. A spider web five meters in diameter materialized and sealed off every angle of approach from the front, leaving no gap for an enemy to exploit. Xiao Wu's charge was no exception.
From the outside, Xiao Wu's attack seemed completely committed — there was no possibility of changing direction. She was about to plunge straight into Tang San's Spider Web Binding. Even Dai Mubai hadn't been able to break free from this web. With her level of Soul Power, once caught, she would be paralyzed on the ground and stripped of all combat ability.
But Xiao Wu was no different from Ma Hongjun soaring through the sky on Mushroom Sausages. Facing Tang San's Spider Web Binding, she showed not a trace of panic. Just as the Great Master had said — every soul skill had its counter.
As the web closed in, Xiao Wu's third Soul Ring blazed to life, and her third soul skill was finally revealed to everyone for the first time.
The third Soul Ring on Xiao Wu's body erupted with purple light, but unlike anyone else's, this purple glow instantly enveloped her own body. In the very next instant, Xiao Wu simply vanished into thin air.
At that precise moment, Tang San was breaking free from Xiao Wu's Charm skill. Thanks to his Purple Extreme Demon Eye training, his ironclad willpower, and the Mysterious Heaven Skill's innate suppression against such charm-type abilities, his dazed state had lasted only a brief moment. When he returned to normal, he happened to witness Xiao Wu's body disappearing within the wrap of purple light.
Xiao Wu vanished, and Tang San's spider web plunged through empty space. When the purple light reappeared, it was behind the web — or more precisely, right in front of Tang San. Xiao Wu's slender legs had already hooked over his shoulders, and her sweet laughter drifted into his ear. "Xiao San, you lose."
In their past encounters, once Xiao Wu got within arm's reach, Tang San had no recourse without using Hidden Weapons.
With her Soul Power enhanced beyond Rank 30, the boost was clearly noticeable. Even through the fabric of her pants, Tang San could feel the astonishing elasticity of her calves. They clamped around his neck, and the first soul skill — Waist Strike — activated instantly. It yanked his entire body off the ground.
With her increasing Soul Power level, Xiao Wu's Waist Strike could now amplify the strength of her waist beyond one hundred and twenty percent. No Soul Master of the same rank could resist that through sheer physical strength alone.
Feeling Xiao Wu's body arch backward and the tremendous force on his neck, Tang San managed a shout through his shock: "Not necessarily!"
The blue-green glow appeared once more — but this time, it was directed at his own body.
The Spider Web Binding was an instant-cast skill. The massive, sticky web clamped Tang San and Xiao Wu's bodies tightly together. Although Xiao Wu's Waist Strike had fired successfully, with them bound to each other, there was no way to fling Tang San away. With a heavy thud, they both tumbled to the ground.
"Alright, you can all stop now." The Great Master's voice rang out at just the right moment. It was right around then that Oscar descended from the air.
Only then did Dai Mubai recall that when Oscar ate his own sausages, their effectiveness was somewhat reduced. A pity — his Soul Power was already far too depleted. Otherwise, now would have been his chance to turn the tide.
Dai Mubai was in an extremely foul mood. Losing to Tang San's third soul skill was one thing — after all, Tang San was a Control Type. But that fat kid Ma Hongjun had never been his match. To have slipped up this time was galling. He said with unconvinced stubbornness, "If my Soul Power were at its peak, they wouldn't stand a chance."