In Xiao Wu's disbelieving gaze, the Explosive Burning Chili seedling rapidly grew and spread, moving with such blinding speed—
It slammed right into her!
"Gwaaah~~~"
The thick, hefty vines, burning hot, crashed hard into her stomach.
Xiao Wu's mind went blank, and her eyes rolled back.
The vines sent her flying.
She'd been grassed.
In the most literal, physical sense.
Xiao Wu came plummeting down from the sky and crashed through the floor tiles, leaving a person-shaped hole.
When she crawled back out, she staggered on her feet like she was drunk:
"Why are there so many stars..."
"Xiao Wu, Xiao Wu, how are you? Are you all right?"
Tang San hurried over and quickly checked on Xiao Wu.
Fortunately.
She had only passed out. It wasn't serious; she just needed to rest for a while.
"Bro, you're so worried about her. Don't tell me you've fallen for her?"
Seeing Tang San's anxious expression, Tang Wu raised his eyebrows and gave him a knowing look.
Under Tang Wu's gaze, Tang San waved his hands frantically and hurriedly denied it:
"No! Xiao Wu, don't say things like that..."
"Tch, look at you, all chicken-hearted."
"I haven't known you for long, but your eyes are practically glued to her, and you're still trying to deny it."
Tang Wu didn't believe a single word Tang San said.
After all these years together, he could read most of what his brother was thinking from a single glance.
Besides...
In his previous life, Tang San had been a shut-in who'd spent most of his life studying Hidden Weapons. He couldn't have been easier to read.
Tang Wu didn't keep dwelling on the subject. Instead, he changed tack:
"By the way, I had another idea while sparring with Xiao Wu just now."
"Bro, how about we have a sparring match too?"
At Tang Wu's words, Tang San shook his head so fast it became a blur:
"No, thanks!"
His voice even changed pitch as he said it, showing just how terrified he was of the "idea" Tang Wu had mentioned.
Tang San could still vividly remember what had happened before.
Honestly.
Tang Wu's ideas were far too brutal.
He was even more of a Tang Sect disciple than Tang San himself.
Far too devious!
Xiao Wu accepted her loss and, the next day, acknowledged Tang Wu as the boss, taking second place for herself.
Tang San's standing dropped by one. Though he was the oldest of the three, he ended up in third place.
Things had been turned upside down.
That was the long and short of it!
"Xiao San, Brother Xiao Wu, what are you doing way out here at Back Mountain?"
Xiao Wu tilted her head, looking at the two brothers in confusion.
Early that morning, Tang Wu and Tang San had come to Notting Academy's Back Mountain. She had no idea what they were up to.
As for why Xiao Wu called Tang San Xiao San, but called Tang Wu Brother Xiao Wu—
It was because, according to their bet, she had to call him "brother."
Still, every time she said it, Xiao Wu felt a little awkward.
"Sister Xiao Wu" was usually how she referred to herself.
The more she called him that, the more it felt as though she'd changed genders. It was so strange.
Tang San finished cultivating the Purple Demon Eye. A gleam flashed in his eyes, and he looked radiant.
When he saw Xiao Wu, his wariness vanished at once, replaced by a smile:
"Xiao Wu, we're cultivating a technique, so we came to Back Mountain."
"Tch, so you're just cultivating. You made it sound all mysterious."
Xiao Wu pouted, her curiosity vanishing in an instant.
She wasn't interested in Tang San's Tang Sect techniques at all.
With her lazy nature, she couldn't be bothered to work hard at cultivation.
Besides...
When the time came, her essence as a Hundred-Thousand-Year Transformed Soul Beast would naturally push her level higher.
"Bro, I've thought of a way to improve our control over our own Martial Souls."
Tang Wu suddenly spoke up.
"What way?"
Tang San immediately turned to look at him.
He was eager to find out.
His little brother was full of clever schemes and sometimes ruthless enough to leave people no way out, but his ideas always worked remarkably well.
And...
Tang San had long admired Tang Wu's almost instinctive mastery of his Martial Soul. He'd envied it for ages.
"Just watch."
As Tang San and Xiao Wu stared in disbelief, several Blue Silver Grass vines appeared in Tang Wu's hands.
These vines were much thinner and longer than usual.
They interwove and twisted around one another, gradually forming a human-shaped silhouette.
First came the limbs, then the torso, and finally the head.
It was a substitute made entirely of Blue Silver Grass, its whole body radiating a refreshing vitality.
"This... this process of forming the substitute takes even more concentration than I expected."
Tang Wu panted, large beads of sweat sliding down from his temples and dripping onto the grass beneath his feet.
Clearly, he'd used up quite a bit of Soul Power.
Looking at the fully formed substitute before him, Tang San's mouth fell open. He gaped at it in astonishment:
"Xiao, Xiao Wu, what is that?!"
"It's a humanoid close-combat form made of Blue Silver Grass. It can change shape at will, switching freely between a human form and a line-shaped one."
"I call it... a substitute!"
Tang Wu was very pleased with Tang San's expression.
After all, his brother rarely looked this shocked.
Next...
Under Tang Wu's control, the substitute performed all sorts of movements.
Including, but not limited to: rapid-fire punches, fists that detached, and attacks that passed through gaps...
The flashy moves left Tang San and Xiao Wu, who had never been exposed to modern knowledge, feeling their blood race and their minds reel with shock.
"Bro, now I'll teach you how to form a substitute."
"Okay, let's do it!"
Tang San answered impatiently.
"When you control Blue Silver Grass, don't think of it as something external. Think of it as your own hands and feet."
"Because it really is another you. Don't resist it. You have to accept it."
The first thing Tang Wu needed to do wasn't teach Tang San any techniques.
He needed to make him feel the resonance that came from the depths of his soul.
Only by becoming one with his Martial Soul could he get twice the result with half the effort when forming a substitute.
Tang San was a martial arts prodigy. That much was clear from how he'd reached such a high level in the Tang Sect techniques without anyone teaching him.
It took only a short while for him to enter a state of unity between heaven and man.
After a few tries, he really did succeed.
Unlike Tang Wu's substitute, Tang San's was more defined by Blue Silver Grass's resilience.
It lacked Tang Wu's vitality...
After forming his substitute, Tang San was like a child who'd gotten a new toy, eager to try it out.
He tried throwing punches, then made it walk.
His movements were still clumsy, but managing that much on his first try was impressive.
As for Tang Wu...
He was a monster. There was no comparing anyone to him.
"Brother Xiao Wu, look at me! Look! I want a substitute too."
Seeing the brothers' substitutes, Xiao Wu couldn't help feeling envious.
They both had one, and she was the only one without one. How could she possibly accept that?
"Ha~~~" Tang Wu immediately let out a scornful laugh.
"You country bumpkin with a Beast Martial Soul, trying to pass yourself off as one of our noble Tool Martial Souls? Stop dreaming."