“You…” Zong Shichang was about to summon lightning to strike, but in an instant, he lost his target.
It wasn't that Zhao Xing ran too fast, but rather that many straw figures suddenly rose from the ground around him.
The yellow straw figures were almost the same color as the earth, and with Zhao Xing covering them with some sand, they were impossible to spot!
This guy actually buried straw figures underground like a lurking demon!
“What’s the use of weaving so many straw figures? Hmph, straw figure Spells are but minor tricks!”
“I can easily destroy them!”
Zong Shichang summoned lightning to attack.
“Boom, crack!”
A bolt of lightning descended from the clouds, striking a straw figure with pinpoint accuracy.
But the effect greatly surprised Zong Shichang!
He found that only a charred spot appeared on the chest of the golden straw figure; it didn't smoke or burn as he had imagined.
“What’s going on? Can straw figures also withstand heavenly lightning?”
Zong Shichang felt it was somewhat absurd.
He wasn't skilled in straw figure Spells, and he had always looked down on such Spells, finding the weaving process troublesome and complicated. Young Master Zong couldn't be bothered with such delicate work, usually done by women.
Who would have thought that the straw figures Zhao Xing wove were completely different from any he had seen before!
“Boom, crack! Boom, crack!”
Several more bolts of lightning struck, and Zong Shichang expended a great deal of effort before finally destroying one of them.
“How much heavenly lightning can you summon?” Zhao Xing stayed hidden behind the straw figures, watching Zong Shichang with a half-smile.
These were merely the rough, hastily made straw figures he had placed at the edge of his territory for early warning, not even reaching first-tier strength.
The twenty Great Vajra that emerged from the bamboo forest were his true guards.
“Let’s give Young Master Zong a taste of real strength.”
Twenty Great Vajra surged forward.
“What? There are so many more?!”
Zong Shichang was instantly startled.
These twenty straw figures that appeared later were clearly not of the same caliber as the previous ones.
Each was golden and robust, not withered yellow, and possessed a certain divine aura.
Zong Shichang observed that a single leap by a Great Vajra covered three or four meters. What the hell kind of mobility was this for a straw figure?!
“Wind, come!”
Zong Shichang no longer cared about attacking; he first needed to block these Great Vajra.
Although he was at the fourth stage of Origin Qi condensation, with robust Qi and considerable strength, he dared not let these straw figures surround him.
A farmer's close-combat ability was relatively weak. Besides, who among Spellcasters would engage in hand-to-hand combat like a Martial Artist?
“Whoosh~”
A strong westerly wind blew towards the Great Vajra.
Zong Shichang's wind control technique was decent; he stirred up sand and stones from the ground without letting the wind force go too far down and be wasted.
“Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!”
The sand and stones striking the straw figures' bodies produced a sound like clashing metal.
It did indeed obstruct them for a moment, but the effect was far from what Zong Shichang had expected.
Instead, the dust obscured his vision, and he didn't notice two straw figures quietly sneaking up behind him.
“Rustle, rustle, rustle, rustle…”
A different sound emerged from the wind.
“What the hell is that?!” Zong Shichang turned his head and saw two vines slithering on the ground, like spiritual snakes!
All vegetation became soldiers, entangling straw figures!
The Entangling Straw Figures, made of green vines, could extend their tendrils to trap enemies.
“Whap!” A vine lashed Zong Shichang’s right arm. Although he dodged it, a red mark appeared on his right hand.
“What kind of straw figure is this now?!” Zong Shichang leaped away. Before he could even think, a second, then a third vine whipped towards him.
He dodged once, twice, but ultimately couldn't evade the increasing number of vines.
Zong Shichang's hands were bound, one left, one right, pulled taut.
He couldn't cast Spells, so the wind dissipated and the lightning vanished.
He tried to break free but found it useless; the green vines were incredibly tough, reinforced by triple toughness! The Entangling Straw Figures were very difficult to escape.
The next moment, his feet were also entangled, pulled apart left and right.
“Ah, oh…”
Young Master Zong was instantly forced into a split, doing an aerial straddle, then heavily dropped to the ground.
“Hiss~”
A man's pain, those who know, know. Zong Shichang was in too much pain to speak.
At this moment, the Great Vajra charged over.
Without a word, it punched Zong Shichang.
“I surr…”
Before he could say 'surrender,' he was directly knocked down.
“I surrender!”
Zong Shichang quickly shouted loudly, afraid Zhao Xing hadn't heard him. He knew that straw figures followed the Spellcaster's commands and wouldn't stop until their objective was completed.
Fortunately, after he lay down, the Great Vajra also stopped moving.
As the dust settled, the straw figures parted, revealing Zhao Xing's leisurely figure.
“Brother Zong, how was it?”
“You don't play by the rules; you ambushed me.” Zong Shichang maintained a calm demeanor: “I still have many secret Spells I haven't used. I just accidentally fell into your Dao. Besides, what kind of skill is it to use straw figures? How can a farmer fight with close combat?”
Even lying prostrate, his mouth was still stubborn. Lying on the ground in a posture like being torn apart by five horses, Zong Shichang was still not convinced. Zhao Xing immediately retorted, “You were the one who said no restrictions. How can it be called an ambush? Moreover, aren't straw figure Spells considered a farmer's Spell?”
“I…” Zong Shichang was speechless. No matter how much he looked down on straw figure Spells, he couldn't deny it; that would be too low-class.
Clap! Zhao Xing snapped his fingers, instructing the straw figures to release Zong Shichang, then turned and walked towards his own territory: “If Brother Zong hasn't had enough, we can fight again another day. I'll wait for you to break my straw figure Spells.”
Zong Shichang watched Zhao Xing turn, and his composure instantly broke. He grimaced, looking down at his crotch and reaching in.
“Phew, luckily it's just a little skin broken, no problem, no problem…”
Zong Shichang and Zhao Xing's Spell-casting spar came and went quickly.
Coupled with the flying sand and stones and rising dust during the process, only a few people clearly saw what happened.
“His straw figures are that fierce?” Wen Nanxing watched from inside the well, “Zong Shichang didn't even last two rounds, only using lightning summoning and strong winds before losing. It seems I also need to re-evaluate straw figure Spells.”
Wen Nanxing had also overlooked straw figure Spells. Over the years, the number of straw figure Spell methods passed down by the imperial court had dwindled. Initially, there were dozens of straw figure Spells, but later only a few remained.
But seeing Zhao Xing use straw figures, Wen Nanxing's perception of them greatly changed.
“Interesting, he actually also excels at using straw figures.” A flicker of surprise crossed Xiao Ze's eyes, and he grew more curious about Zhao Xing. “Great Vajra, mentioned in Liu's Eighty-One Methods, I didn't expect him to know how to use it… Should I ask him for guidance?”
Xiao Ze was itching with curiosity. He also liked to use straw figure Spells, but his teacher didn't know many, just a few types. Xiao Ze had studied for a long time and only learned three, so now seeing this, he couldn't help but want Zhao Xing to teach him.
“Forget it, I'll wait until the assessment is over.” Xiao Ze restrained himself. Not everyone was as impulsive as Zong Shichang. The most important thing now was to get a good ranking in the Autumn Assessment.
On the invigilator's platform, Gao Linong watched Zong Shichang hobble, and he felt terrible. The second before, he was gloating, thinking Wen Nanxing and Xiao Ze had their Origin Qi stolen by Zhao Xing, but the next second it was his Disciple's turn to suffer a setback.
And it was in plain sight; his star Disciple couldn't even defeat a straw figure. How embarrassing! Those two old fellows, Tang Wanchun and Pang Yuan, must be secretly overjoyed!
Gao Linong secretly glanced over and, sure enough, found that the corners of his two colleagues' mouths were harder to suppress than a waterwheel.