Battle Xiao Wu Again, First Experience with Soft Technique

"Do you want to spar with Sister Xiao Wu again? What, are you unconvinced?" Xiao Wu asked Chen Ming, hands on her hips.

"I just wanted to see your Soft Technique again. I'd never seen anything like it before. I just thought it was strange and really impressive..."

Chen Ming gave a perfectly reasonable explanation.

"I don't care, this is you challenging Sister Xiao Wu's autho—"

"Authority. Authority," Chen Ming couldn't help correcting her, only to be met with a glare from Xiao Wu.

"Right, right, right. You're challenging Sister Xiao Wu's authority. Sister Xiao Wu has to teach you a proper lesson."

Though Xiao Wu said that, she did not look particularly angry. For someone as lively and restless as her, sparring when she had nothing else to do was quite enjoyable.

On the small hill behind the dormitory, Chen Ming and Xiao Wu faced each other from afar. They counted down from three together, then released their Martial Souls.

Xiao Wu pushed off with both legs and charged at Chen Ming like an arrow loosed from a bow. After summoning his Martial Soul, Chen Ming adjusted his center of gravity and assumed a stance that would let him respond to any change without changing himself.

"Over the head, or around behind?"

Watching Xiao Wu's feint, Chen Ming activated AI Thinking with a certain amount of processing power and began analyzing. In the end, he determined Xiao Wu's true objective.

Seeing Chen Ming prepare to turn and sweep his tail, Xiao Wu smiled faintly. She suddenly lowered her body and rushed into his arms. She wrapped both arms around Chen Ming's neck, slipped her calves beneath his legs, and prepared to throw him directly.

Yet just as Xiao Wu exerted force, the seemingly slow-reacting Chen Ming grinned. He let Xiao Wu lift one of his feet, then twisted around and seized Xiao Wu, locking her in his embrace.

Xiao Wu tried to pull free, only to discover that Chen Ming had sharply tightened the bend of his leg, trapping her little foot between his legs.

Feeling Chen Ming's breath so close to her, Xiao Wu stiffened for a moment before raising her head in displeasure. "No, both your feet are off the ground. How are you still standing?"

"Yeah, my feet are off the ground, but I still have a tail." Chen Ming swayed his body up and down as he answered Xiao Wu.

If anyone had been watching nearby, they would have found Chen Ming's posture extremely strange. All four of his limbs had Xiao Wu locked down, while the thick, long tail behind him was planted in the ground like a stake, supporting his body.

When it came to strength, the strongest part of Chen Ming's body was not his hands or feet, but the huge tail behind him, made of muscle and rock.

Back in Holy Soul Village, Chen Ming had tested his tail and found that a single powerful tail sweep could shatter a small piece of rock and leave a distinct mark on a tree.

"Let go of me! Let go of Sister Xiao Wu! This one doesn't count. Let's do it again."

Xiao Wu flushed in embarrassment, then struggled in Chen Ming's arms as she spoke unwillingly. Her hair even brushed against Chen Ming's mouth.

Chen Ming lowered himself to the ground and released her. With crimson cheeks, Xiao Wu sprang away like a startled rabbit.

"I was careless just now. I'll show you my true strength." With a snort from Xiao Wu, a yellow Spirit Ring appeared beside her.

Whether Spirit Beasts that took human form could hide their Spirit Rings or not, in any case, such a Spirit Ring had appeared beside Xiao Wu.

Judging by its steady aura, it definitely had not been condensed in a fit of anger. It had clearly been formed for some time already.

"First Spirit Skill—Waist Bow!"

In an instant, Xiao Wu's waist strength increased by one hundred percent, while her flexibility increased by fifty percent. Though it did not directly enhance her strength or attack power, the boost it provided was still considerable, especially given Xiao Wu's fighting style.

Chen Ming prepared himself and began analyzing Xiao Wu's movements. Yet even though his brain had already processed enough to roughly obtain the information and his body had started to react, the difference in their physical attributes still allowed the suddenly explosive Xiao Wu to close in.

Xiao Wu lifted one leg and kicked toward Chen Ming's head, only for her foot to stop beside it in the end.

"See that? Sister Xiao Wu has a Spirit Skill. I just never used it before. I'm much stronger than you!"

Xiao Wu rested her calf against Chen Ming's neck and declared proudly.

"Oh, oh," Chen Ming said, somewhat awkwardly.

Honestly, with his processing power active, even though Xiao Wu was currently wearing a relatively loose school uniform, Chen Ming only needed to glance down at her pants to roughly construct a detailed model.

Combined with the bodily contact from yesterday and today, as well as the unconscious collection of Xiao Wu's physical data...

Although Xiao Wu was dressed rather conservatively, Chen Ming had already seen through it all. His multithreaded thinking also allowed him to calmly analyze things while displaying an awkward expression.

"Still want to fight?" Xiao Wu suddenly felt a chill run across her body. She quickly withdrew her leg and looked around. When she found that there was no wind, a trace of confusion flashed through her eyes.

"Yes. It's not that I'm unconvinced. I just want to broaden my horizons," Chen Ming added.

"You... fine. Sister Xiao Wu likes that attitude of yours." Seeing Chen Ming act like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, Xiao Wu gritted her teeth and answered.

During the sparring that followed, even with his analysis active, Chen Ming was still repeatedly flipped onto the ground by Xiao Wu using her superior attributes. Though his thick skin, sturdy flesh, and proper defense meant he suffered no real injuries, he ended up covered in dirt and looking utterly disheveled.

Finally, after once again struggling to knock Chen Ming down, the drenched Xiao Wu dropped onto the ground and waved a hand at him. "No more, no more. I'm exhausted, exhausted."

"You're like a rock—smelly and hard. Once I knock you down once, it's hard to knock you down a second time. My Martial Soul is a rabbit, not a cow. You still have strength left, but I don't have any strength left at all."

"If I hadn't seen that you didn't seem to have any bad intentions and really just wanted to spar, I'd have thrown you hard!" Xiao Wu said viciously.

Her ultimate move was the Explosive Kill Eight-Stage Throw. Once used, it would either kill or cripple its target. Given Chen Ming's weight and physique, taking the full technique would most likely leave him with multiple fractures. Even a broken spine or neck would not be impossible.

If Xiao Wu had not actually been enjoying the fight, if Chen Ming had not truly seemed free of malicious intent, and if people in the human world could kill so casually, she would have loved to give Chen Ming something serious.