Xiao Wu looked at Tang Wu with blazing eyes. "Well? Do you dare accept the challenge?"
"Sounds pretty good."
The corners of Xiao Wu's mouth lifted slightly, but the very next second, Tang Wu changed his tune:
"But I refuse!"
He wasn't stupid.
There was nothing to gain by winning, and if he lost, the bet left everything as it was. Tang Wu would never agree to that.
Not to mention, it would be a waste of time. He'd be better off using that time to get a nice nap.
He wasn't really a little kid, after all, and he had no interest whatsoever in playing pretend.
Xiao Wu asked in confusion, "Why not?"
Being so fiercely competitive, she thought this was like the Star Dou Forest, where everything had to be settled with fists.
She had no idea how these things worked.
Not everyone was as accommodating toward Xiao Wu as Tang San was.
"How about this, then?"
Seeing that Tang Wu truly wasn't budging, Xiao Wu could only offer what she considered the most valuable prize:
"If you win, Sister Xiao Wu will become your underling. How's that?"
"Just imagine having a beautiful girl at your beck and call, doing whatever you ask. Isn't that exciting?"
At my beck and call?!
That's not a bad deal.
I still have so many ideas I haven't put into practice. This silly rabbit is tough as nails, so she'd make a suitable punching bag.
Tang Wu looked at Xiao Wu with ill intent, his grin stretching wider and wider.
"You said it. Don't you dare go back on your word later."
"Heh heh heh..."
Under his gaze, Xiao Wu shivered and drew her shoulders in.
Had she... just sold herself?
As he passed Tang San's bed, Tang Wu pulled him along.
"Brother, stop watching. Come be our referee."
"Sure." Tang San had no objections.
Outside the dormitory, in an open space,
Tang Wu and Xiao Wu stood facing each other, ten meters apart.
"Don't say Sister Xiao Wu is picking on you. I'll let you make the first move."
"Since you've put it that way, I won't hold back."
Martial Soul Transformation · Mode · Blue Silver Grass.
Blue Silver Overlord Spear!
As Tang Wu spoke, the Blue Silver Grass in his hand condensed and transformed into a spear.
The entire spear was blue, its tip dotted with flecks of gold that gave it a touch of nobility.
After absorbing the Explosive Burning Chili Soul Ring, Tang Wu could produce Explosive Burning Chili seeds on his own, in addition to his innate Blue Silver Grass seeds.
He could freely choose between two forms of his Martial Soul,
allowing him to achieve different effects in actual combat.
"It may be a little brittle—it shatters at the slightest touch—and it's nowhere near the real Blue Silver Overlord Spear, but it'll do."
After weighing the budget version of the Blue Silver Overlord Spear in his hand, Tang Wu looked toward Xiao Wu.
He spun the spear in his hand.
The spearhead cut through the air, thrusting straight toward Xiao Wu's chest.
However,
Xiao Wu was delighted rather than alarmed. Facing the spearhead charging straight at her, she didn't retreat. Instead, she leaped up and kicked it.
Her nimble figure moved like a hare, her foot landing deftly on the spearhead.
From above, she used her weight and gravity to pin it firmly against the floor tiles.
The budget version of the Blue Silver Overlord Spear had its own advantages, and one of them revealed itself at that moment.
The shaft snapped abruptly, splitting into three pieces.
Tang Wu leaped and spun, twisting at the waist and turning his hips as the shaft revolved counterclockwise in a full circle.
The instant the Blue Silver Grass replenished itself, the Overlord Spear was whole again.
"What? You can do that?!"
Xiao Wu exclaimed in disbelief.
But before she could finish marveling, Tang Wu changed his thrust into a sweeping strike, bringing all his weight to bear as he swung toward her soft waist.
If that hit squarely, she might not lose the ability to fight on the spot, but it certainly wouldn't feel good.
Thinking quickly, Xiao Wu decisively revealed her Soul Ring and used her first Soul Skill.
With the first Soul Skill's boost, her body became 200% more flexible.
She bent backward with an unbelievable suppleness, arching herself into a perfect semicircle.
She narrowly avoided the shaft as it swept past her.
As she moved, her clothes stretched taut, displaying her graceful figure to the fullest.
A rush of heat surged through Tang San's nostrils as he watched from nearby.
While Tang Wu was occupied with his attack, Xiao Wu quickly adjusted her posture. All she needed was to close the distance between them.
Then she could use her Soft Technique to defeat him.
"Don't even think about it!"
Seeing Xiao Wu's move, Tang Wu immediately guessed what she had in mind.
Martial Soul Transformation · Mode · Explosive Burning Chili.
The blue-and-gold Overlord Spear was replaced by a bright red one, with an explosive chili now hanging from its tip.
The spearhead ignited. Charge!
Boom!
The Explosive Burning Chili detonated, and red flames burst forth in an instant, its tail flame flaring wide.
Tang Wu grabbed the Overlord Spear in reverse. The flames that gushed out kept Xiao Wu from approaching.
He stamped down and used the force to propel himself five meters away in an instant.
As he widened the gap between them, Tang Wu casually tossed the Overlord Spear aside.
Although he could restore it, the Explosive Burning Chili form consumed twice as much Soul Power.
So, just like the Big Orange Pill, he could simply toss it aside whenever he wasn't using it.
Overlord Spear: So?
Next, Tang Wu attached Explosive Burning Chilies to his elbows and lower legs.
Boom—
Boom—
Boom—
The explosive force sounded like a roaring engine, hard-pressed to double Tang Wu's speed.
Flames erupted in powerful columns.
The scene behind him was a picture of sheer force.
Tang Wu became a human cannonball, charging straight at Xiao Wu.
And that wasn't all.
As his mobility soared, his strength multiplied as well.
Every attack smashed through whatever stood in its path. Even a sturdy stone pillar was left with a fist-sized crater.
What explosive power!
"That's amazing!"
"He developed a derivative ability suited to close-quarters combat using nothing but his Soul Skill!"
Tang San watched Tang Wu dominate the field, his mouth hanging open.
He had known for a long time that Tang Wu's control over his own Martial Soul was terrifyingly precise.
This much
Tang San had witnessed on the very first day his brother awakened his Martial Soul.
At the time, he could only change the size of the Blue Silver Grass and make it perform a few simple movements.
To detonate an Explosive Burning Chili on his body without hurting himself in the slightest, as Tang Wu did, required incredible precision.
Tang San was still nowhere near his younger brother's level.
"Finally, I've got you!"
Xiao Wu said excitedly.
Being chased by Tang Wu without the power to fight back was unbearable for someone as competitive as Sister Xiao Wu.
Taking advantage of the moment when his flames had burned out and he had no time to replenish them, Xiao Wu quickly closed in.
Using her Soft Technique, she restrained Tang Wu's limbs.
"On the contrary, I'm the one who's got you under control." Tang Wu was completely unruffled, his voice full of confidence.
"Why don't you take a look behind you?"
"What?!"
Xiao Wu turned around in horror, her pupils contracting sharply.
Somehow, they had returned to where they started, to the exact spot where they had stood facing each other.
Beside the discarded Blue Silver Overlord Spear, a seedling had pushed through the hard floor and swayed in the breeze.
And the path along which it had grown was aimed straight at Xiao Wu!