Dai Mubai felt a chill shoot straight from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, causing every hair on his body to stand on end!
He looked at Zhao Wuji's unquestionable gaze, then at Lin Xia's calm, unfathomable face across from him, and finally at Zhu Zhuqing's cold eyes, which carried a faint hint of mockery. An overwhelming sense of absurdity and fear instantly drowned him!
He wanted Dai Mubai to test Lin Xia?!
What kind of joke was this?!
Yesterday, at the Rose Hotel, he hadn't even seen how Lin Xia had attacked. Three streaks of black light, each powerful enough to kill him, had been casually blocked by Lin Xia. He himself had been suppressed by Lin Xia's aura and methods like a stray dog and forced to sign the humiliating letter breaking off his engagement!
And now he was supposed to face a twelve-year-old Soul King?
A twelve-year-old Soul King who possessed such a bizarre Martial Soul and terrifying strength, while also being the City Lord of Gengxin City?
This wasn't a test.
It was suicide!
It was a public execution!
Dai Mubai's handsome face immediately crumbled. His expression became a complete mixture of fear, humiliation, pleading, and despair, as though someone had knocked over an entire paint palette.
His lips trembled as he spoke almost in a sobbing voice.
"Teacher Zhao! I… This isn't appropriate, is it? City Lord Lin."
He was so anxious that he could barely form a coherent sentence, desperately wanting to remove himself from the situation.
Seeing Dai Mubai's cowardly appearance, as though he were about to cry at any moment, even the stern expression Zhao Wuji had been forcing himself to maintain could no longer hold.
The corner of Zhao Wuji's mouth twitched.
He also knew that this joke had gone a little too far.
Have Dai Mubai test Lin Xia?
That would simply be the perfect example of bringing humiliation upon himself.
"Tsk!"
Zhao Wuji impatiently waved his fan-sized hand, interrupting Dai Mubai like he was shooing away a fly. His tone also became much more casual.
"Enough, enough! Look at you! I was just joking with you. Look how scared you are! Go stand over there!"
Dai Mubai felt as though he had just been granted a pardon. He silently let out a long breath, his entire body relaxing as though he had narrowly escaped death.
He hurriedly lowered his head and retreated to the edge of the field, wishing he could shrink himself into the corner and disappear into the shadows. He no longer dared to look at Lin Xia.
Zhao Wuji's gaze returned to the five people before him. This time, he restrained most of his casual attitude and replaced it with a more serious scrutiny, especially when his gaze lingered on Lin Xia.
He sat back down on the dilapidated wooden chair and spoke in his rough voice.
"I'm Zhao Wuji! Since all five of you came directly to the fourth test without taking the previous ones, let's not bother with all those fancy formalities!"
Zhao Wuji pointed at Lin Xia, Zhu Zhuqing, Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong.
"The test is very simple! I'll personally play with you!"
As he spoke, Zhao Wuji somehow produced a thick incense stick from somewhere on his body. He casually rubbed the tip between his calloused thumb and index finger.
With a soft hiss, the tip of the incense stick suddenly ignited with a tiny red glow.
With a flick of his finger, the incense stick seemed to be held steadily by an invisible hand. It flew precisely into the ground at the center of the field, standing upright as wisps of smoke slowly rose from its tip.
"One incense stick's worth of time!"
Zhao Wuji's voice boomed like a war drum, echoing across the silent clearing.
"You have the time it takes for this incense stick to burn to get to know one another and discuss your tactics! Once it burns out, the assessment begins!"
Zhao Wuji swept his gaze over the five of them before finally fixing his oppressive gaze on Lin Xia. He emphasized each word.
"The test is for the five of you to work together and withstand my attacks for the time it takes this incense stick to burn! As long as even one of you is still standing on this field when the incense burns out, all five of you pass! Understand?"
Zhao Wuji seemed worried that these arrogant geniuses might develop some unrealistic expectations, so he added a warning.
"Listen carefully! Don't think about playing tricks, and don't even think about relying on your speed to run away!"
"Within the boundaries of this field, I can tell you clearly that no one can outrun my lock-on!"
"And anyone who thinks they can withstand my attacks alone is dreaming!"
"Your only chance is to cooperate with one another and coordinate your defenses! Understood?!"
Zhao Wuji's words were filled with the powerful confidence of a Soul Saint and the absolute superiority he felt toward the Soul King realm. Even when facing Lin Xia, a Soul King who defied common sense, the pride of the Unmovable King deep in his bones still prevented him from believing that a Soul King-level opponent could truly threaten him.
At most, Lin Xia would simply be a little troublesome.
However, the moment Zhao Wuji finished speaking.
"Heh."
A soft, almost inaudible chuckle rang out, yet it was crystal clear, like an ice bead falling onto a jade plate. It instantly shattered the oppressive atmosphere Zhao Wuji had created with his words.
Everyone turned toward the source of the sound, only to see Zhu Zhuqing's exquisitely beautiful face, as pure and cold as a snow lotus on an icy mountain, with the corners of her lips curved into an unmistakable, deeply mocking smile.
Her eyes were clear and bright, as though she could see through every falsehood. Her gaze swept over Zhao Wuji before finally settling on Lin Xia's tall, upright figure.
There was not the slightest hint of worry in her eyes.
Instead, there was only a pampered and proud amusement, as though she were watching a clown who had no idea of his own limitations.
How dare he underestimate Brother Lin Xia like that?
How long had it been?
How long had it been since she had seen someone so ignorant of the vastness of the heavens and earth, someone who actually thought he could measure Brother Lin Xia by relying on his status as a Soul Sage?
Zhu Zhuqing sneered inwardly.
Zhu Zhuqing's soft laugh and mocking gaze were like an invisible thorn, stabbing sharply into Zhao Wuji's brows and causing them to furrow deeply. The anger in his heart began rising again.
He was just about to speak when Dai Mubai could no longer hold himself back.
He knew just how terrifying Lin Xia was. He was definitely not as simple as an ordinary Soul King!
Suppressing his fear, Dai Mubai practically stumbled back to Zhao Wuji's side and hurriedly whispered in a trembling voice,
"Teacher Zhao! Please be careful with your words! Lin Xia... Lord Lin, he's the City Lord of Gengxin City! His strength is absolutely unfathomable! Yesterday at the Rose Hotel, he...."
Dai Mubai recalled how Lin Xia had effortlessly neutralized deadly attacks while controlling the entire situation without even showing the slightest hint of panic. He also remembered that terrifying Martial Soul of his, which had never been fully revealed.
His voice even began to tremble with fear.
"His Martial Soul is extremely unusual! You absolutely cannot measure him by the standards of an ordinary Soul King! You should still be careful!"
Dai Mubai's words caused Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong to tense up once again.
After hearing this, the flesh on Zhao Wuji's face twitched slightly, and his thick eyebrows rose.
He looked toward Lin Xia once again, and a deeper scrutiny flashed through the depths of his eyes. However, it was immediately overwhelmed by an even more forceful aura.
Zhao Wuji suddenly slapped his thigh with a loud "pa," his voice booming like a great bell and filled with domineering confidence.
"Unfathomable? An unusual Martial Soul? Hmph! So what if he's the City Lord of Gengxin City?"
"No matter how powerful he is, he's still just a Soul King! I'm a dignified Level 76 Soul Sage, and my Martial Soul is the Mighty Vajra Bear! The title of 'Unmoving Bright King' was earned through countless battles! You think I'm going to be afraid of some brat?"
"Mu Bai, get the hell out of here! Stop trying to undermine everyone's morale and boost someone else's confidence!"
Zhao Wuji's tone was filled with absolute confidence in his own strength and the arrogance that came with being a Soul Sage.
In his eyes, the gap between levels was impossible to overcome. No matter how extraordinary one's Martial Soul might be, in the face of absolute power and overwhelming level suppression, it was nothing but an illusion.
---
For additional chapter's
Join pateron.com/Translaterappu