"Alright, Xiao Bai is injured and resting. You four, continue the assessment."
After settling Dai Mubai's situation, Zhao Wuji walked back to stand opposite Tang San and the others.
"I'll give you some additional information about myself. My spirit is the Vigorous Vajra Bear. I'm a Rank 76 Spirit Saint, balanced between offense and defense, with almost no physical weaknesses. People in the jianghu call me the Immovable Wisdom King."
"As long as you can hold out against me for the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn, you'll pass."
He paused, then turned to Bai Mu.
"As for you—although you defeated Xiao Bai, today's rules are special. You still need to perform an encore and face me together with them—"
"Wait. I refuse."
Bai Mu interrupted him, his eyes blazing.
"Teacher Zhao, I didn't come here to team up with others to fight a BOSS."
"Oh?" Zhao Wuji raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze changing. "Then what do you mean?"
"I want to challenge you alone," Bai Mu said slowly and clearly. "Right here."
The field fell completely silent.
"What?!"
Not only Tang San and the others—even Oscar outside the field and the dispirited Dai Mubai looked up in shock.
A Spirit Elder challenging a Spirit Saint alone?
Was this a joke?
"Hahaha… interesting. Very interesting!"
Zhao Wuji froze for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"Kid, you know my true rank and you still dare to challenge me? So young and reckless. Do you understand the gap between a Spirit Saint and a Spirit Elder?"
"I don't," Bai Mu answered decisively, shaking his head.
He only knew that even among Spirit Saints, the gap could be enormous.
If the opponent were Water Cloud Heart, even without Zygarde being quadruple-weak to Ice, he would still be suppressed by a single move like Ice Seal.
But if the opponent was Zhao Wuji, he felt he could give it a real try.
After all, hadn't he come to Shrek precisely to find a Spirit Saint who wouldn't kill him, just to test his limits?
Battle intent burned fiercely in his eyes.
"Precisely because I don't know, I must challenge."
"Good! You've got guts! I agree!"
Zhao Wuji stopped laughing and looked at Bai Mu deeply.
"After I finish testing these four, I'll give you your chance."
"You have the time of one stick of incense to prepare and discuss tactics."
With that, he tossed down an incense stick and folded his arms, waiting.
The others' expressions grew complicated.
This Bai Mu was not only terrifyingly strong—he was arrogantly fearless.
"Bai Mu… are you really going to challenge a Spirit Saint alone?"
Tang San asked with difficulty. Even he felt the gap between the two sides was far too absurd.
Even in the original scenario, if Xiao Wu hadn't been injured and he hadn't been enraged, he would never have dared to challenge Zhao Wuji head-on, even with hidden weapons.
That was why this scene shocked him so deeply.
Bai Mu shrugged and smiled.
"Life is about daring to try and challenge the impossible, isn't it?"
"That's right! A true powerhouse fears no challenge!"
Tang San was instantly convinced.
Just like before his transmigration, when he was merely an Outer Sect disciple—if he hadn't dared to try, he would never have glimpsed the brilliance of the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record.
If his spirit power weren't so low right now, he would have wanted to duel Zhao Wuji himself.
"Good luck later! Do you need my support?"
Ning Rongrong clenched her small fist, firmly standing on Bai Mu's side.
To her, recruiting Bai Mu into the sect was far more important than enrollment itself.
"No need. I'll handle it myself. You guys should focus on how to last for one stick of incense first."
Bai Mu smiled and waved as he stepped aside, adding pointedly,
"I remember you made quite a few powerful little gadgets back then, Tang San—hidden weapons, right? With such a huge spirit power gap, you should use them flexibly."
"I'll see how it goes," Tang San replied vaguely, while secretly checking the hidden weapons on his body.
Bai Mu then looked at Xiao Wu.
"The gap in spirit power is too large. Don't use charm-type abilities—you'll definitely suffer backlash."
"Ah? Oh… okay."
Xiao Wu nodded blankly.
"Good luck, little kitten."
Bai Mu casually rubbed her head.
"…"
Zhu Zhuqing looked at Bai Mu, then at the proactive Ning Rongrong. Beneath her cold expression, her emotions were complicated.
Soon, Tang San and the other three discussed tactics for facing Zhao Wuji, while Bai Mu stood nearby, amicably helping them fill in the gaps.
The scene looked harmonious.
Who could imagine that this old friend—who seemed to have such a good relationship with Tang San—actually shared a blood feud and the hatred of a stolen bone with him?
Even Tang Hao, hiding in the shadows and secretly watching, knew nothing of it.
The assessment soon began.
Unlike the original path, because of Bai Mu's butterfly effect, Tang San lost the more practical Parasite—but the Blue Silver Poison Mist produced a miraculous result.
The sudden eruption of poison mist caused Zhao Wuji to inhale it accidentally, slowing the circulation of his spirit power and slightly affecting his movements.
Though it angered Zhao Wuji, the four coordinated more cautiously. At the final moment, Tang San even used his hidden weapons.
When the incense burned out, although all four were injured, they successfully endured.
"Good! Good! Good!"
The test ended. Zhao Wuji, his clothes tattered by hidden weapons, laughed instead of getting angry.
"The kids this year really are little monsters! You pass!"
"Finally… we won!"
"Yay!"
"As long as we passed!"
Tang San and the others were visibly excited.
"That Bai Mu—after I recover a bit, I'll test you."
Zhao Wuji coughed twice and shouted off the field,
"Oscar! Bring me Big Recovery Sausages and Small Detoxifying Sausages!"
"Everyone did well."
Bai Mu smiled as he walked over, his first spirit ring lighting up.
"Jungle Healing."
Waves of green life energy spread outward, enveloping Tang San and the others.
"This really is a healing spirit ability!"
Ning Rongrong blinked as she looked at his spirit ring.
"This might be the strongest hundred-year healing ability I've ever seen."
Even Xiao Wu couldn't help praising it.
"Thanks, Bai Mu."
Tang San smiled warmly and said,
"As expected, Grandmaster's judgment was right. Attaching poison to Blue Silver Grass really is hard to guard against."
In his view, if the poison mist hadn't caught Zhao Wuji off guard, they could never have lasted one stick of incense without using the Dragon Beard Needle he'd obtained yesterday.
"Although I don't like Grandmaster much, I completely agree with his plan for you, Little San."
Bai Mu looked at Tang San sincerely—and deliberately led him astray.
"I've been to Heaven Dou City and heard of a Titled Douluo known as Poison Douluo. His spirit is the Jade Phosphor Serpent, and his toxins are all snake-based—too singular."
"But you're different. Blue Silver Grass is like a blank sheet of paper—it rejects no poison. You can freely incorporate toxins from all kinds of spirit beasts."
"Snake venom, spider venom, centipede venom—fuse them all together, and eventually you'll create the strongest composite poison imaginable."
"When that time comes, even Poison Douluo will look at you the way a mayfly looks at the sky."
The moment those words were spoken, everyone was stunned.
"???"
Ning Rongrong was completely confused. How did the topic suddenly jump to Titled Douluo-level experts?
"Brother, what Bai Mu said… makes sense," Xiao Wu couldn't help agreeing.
"No one understands Tang San's talent better than I do."
"It really isn't bad," Tang San nodded hesitantly.
"I've considered that path before, but if I do that, the spirit beasts involved would be too varied. The toughness of Blue Silver Grass itself might not keep up—it doesn't quite match Grandmaster's plan."
"Is that so? I don't think so."
"A toad's tongue, a spider's web—as long as you choose the right spirit beasts, it'll definitely keep up."
"And even if it doesn't, so what?"
"Why must you control the enemy before attacking? Why not throw poisoned hidden weapons? Or even throw Blue Silver Grass like a hidden weapon?"
Bai Mu advised earnestly,
"Tang San, you have hidden weapons and a whole set of self-created abilities. Your Blue Silver Grass should take the path of ultimate poison."
"Trust me. You were born for this."
"This…!"
Tang San felt as if lightning had struck him.
He possessed the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record and mastered countless hidden weapon techniques.
In terms of poison alone, he believed few on the continent could rival him.
If he had invincible poison, paired with invincible hidden weapons and the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record, who in the world could oppose him?
And if that wasn't enough—he still had a second spirit.
"Alright. I'll discuss it with Grandmaster later."
Tang San's gaze turned inward. He had made his decision.
Compared to controlling Blue Silver Grass, he trusted his hidden weapons and the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record more.
"Mm. I look forward to you becoming the supreme master of the Poison Dao."
Bai Mu smiled sincerely as he congratulated him.
In theory, there was nothing wrong with Tang San walking this path. His overall combat power would certainly surpass the original trajectory, and it truly suited him.
But that was only if Blue Silver Grass never evolved into the Blue Silver Emperor.
And—
Tang San's enemy was not Bai Mu, who possessed Jungle Healing and Safeguard.
He didn't care whether Tang San was hard for others to deal with.
As long as Tang San was easy for him to deal with, that was enough.
He intended to reduce the threat Tang San posed to him—bit by bit—to the absolute minimum.
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