That was an utterly blunt dismissal of Beast Martial Souls, denigrating them as worthless.
How could Xiao Wu, whose true form was a Tower Bone Rabbit, possibly put up with that?
"What's wrong with us Beast Martial Soul Soul Masters...?"
Sure enough.
Xiao Wu's blood surged, and the heat brought a faint flush to her fair cheeks. She was instantly set off.
Her back stiffened, and she looked ready to unleash her hissing skill on Tang Wu.
However, the next second...
Xiao Wu was stunned to find vines stuffing her mouth. All she could do was make muffled "mmph, mmph" sounds.
Tang Wu had manually muted her, decisively stopping her from hissing.
The Manhattan Project!
Having dealt with her, Tang Wu couldn't be bothered to look at the silly, adorable rabbit again.
"That's just how it is. A Stand is the soul made manifest outside the body, while Beast Martial Souls like yours are generally used through possession."
"If you really wanted to fight outside your body, you'd have to sever your connection to your Martial Soul. But would you dare?"
The vines around Xiao Wu's mouth came loose, and she gasped for air.
After hearing Tang Wu's explanation, she scratched her head.
She really wouldn't dare...
A Martial Soul was part of a person's soul. Severing the connection meant cutting off a piece of her own soul.
Especially since Xiao Wu's origin was still lodged within her soul. She'd be even less likely to risk it.
Being insulted without being able to argue back, with all that frustration stuck inside her, neither rising nor settling, was incredibly miserable.
This was... so infuriating!
Tang Wu didn't know the grumbling in Xiao Wu's heart. Even if he had, he wouldn't have cared.
He pulled out a manuscript from who knew where and began scribbling all over it.
Before long, a panel detailing the Stand's attributes appeared in his hands:
Blue Silver Seed: Power E, Speed C, Range C, Precision A, Persistence A, Potential A,
Blue Silver Grass: Power E, Speed D, Range B, Precision D, Persistence A, Potential A
Precision, persistence, and potential were all A.
That was more than enough to show that Tang Wu possessed an unparalleled talent for manipulating his Martial Soul.
"What's that?"
Tang San looked at the Stand Panel in Tang Wu's hands, puzzled.
Tang Wu turned the manuscript around and held it out for the two of them to see, smiling as he explained:
"This is a Stand Panel. It records all the details about our Stands."
"With this panel, we can clearly see where we stand in each area."
"A is the highest. It represents the upper limit of an ability, followed by B, C, D, and E."
"Looking at it this way, your Martial Souls aren't all that impressive, either. You've only got a few measly As."
Perhaps because she was upset that she didn't have a Stand, Xiao Wu began mocking the two brothers' stats.
As far as she was concerned, if the panel wasn't all As, then it couldn't be that powerful.
The thought brought her a strange sense of balance, and she immediately felt a lot better.
How could Tang Wu not understand what the silly rabbit was getting at? He shot back at once:
"You're stupid, and you won't even admit it. See this part here?"
"Potential A means that as our strength increases, the other stats will rise along with it."
Tang Wu pointed to the Stand Panel, ready to give the silly rabbit a proper lesson in theory instead of letting her blithely muddle along all day.
She'd been in the human world for so long, yet all she'd learned was how to eat, drink, and have fun. She was practically illiterate.
"As long as potential is A, you can just glance at the other stats and move on. This information will be revised sooner or later."
After hearing Tang Wu's explanation, Xiao Wu envied Stands even more.
"This Stand Panel is so interesting. I want one too."
Tang Wu heard Xiao Wu's complaint and couldn't resist teasing her.
"You don't even have a Stand. Why would you want a panel to improve one?"
"Oh, Tang San, look at him..."
Unable to win an argument with Tang Wu, Xiao Wu turned to Tang San, her eyes pleading for help.
She stamped her foot, her voice full of indignation.
Faced with Xiao Wu's pleading look, Tang San's heart softened at once, and he could only play peacemaker.
He immediately tried to smooth things over, careful not to offend either of them.
"All right, Xiao Wu. Whatever else, she's a girl. Stop picking on her all the time."
Xiao Wu smiled smugly.
"Exactly, exactly. Your brother said not to pick on me all the time."
"You're spoiling her..."
Tang Wu rolled his eyes, completely unmoved by Tang San's argument.
Honestly, he'd gotten a wife and forgotten his brother.
Xiao Wu had only needed to act cute once, and Tang San was already helpless. At this rate, she'd have him wrapped around her finger in no time.
Tang San's future nature as a henpecked husband was already showing.
In the end.
Tang Wu couldn't take Xiao Wu pestering him any longer, so he drew her a Stand Panel:
Soft Bone Rabbit: Power C, Speed A, Range E, Precision B, Persistence C, Potential C.
The moment she saw the painfully average stats, Xiao Wu was dissatisfied.
She challenged Tang Wu.
"Why are my stats so bad? They're even worse than your Blue Silver Grass! I refuse to accept this!"
"Soft Bone Rabbits are obviously strong! Blue Silver Grass has been eaten as food by Soft Bone Rabbits for years. If you don't know what you're talking about, don't make things up."
Blue Silver Grass had always been food for Soft Bone Rabbits.
And this time.
Tang Wu had ranked Blue Silver Grass above Soft Bone Rabbit. How could Xiao Wu, whose true form was a Soft Bone Rabbit, possibly accept that?
"I know you're in a hurry, but just calm down for a moment..."
Tang Wu raised one finger, cutting Xiao Wu off before she could get started.
"Generally speaking, ordinary Blue Silver Grass is absolutely no match for a Soft Bone Rabbit. But that's assuming it's ordinary Blue Silver Grass."
"As far as potential goes, our brothers' Blue Silver Grass doesn't fall into that category."
"What do you mean?"
Xiao Wu was completely baffled by Tang Wu's technical jargon.
She tilted her head, her mind a blank, and somehow looked all the more "wise" for it.
"It's simple..." Tang San picked up where Tang Wu had left off.
"Our Blue Silver Grass mutated, which is why we were born with Innate Full Soul Power. But your Soft Bone Rabbit Martial Soul clearly shows no sign of mutation."
"Unless the Soft Bone Rabbit mutates later, its stats can only stay as they are."
This time, Xiao Wu finally understood.
She opened her mouth, several times trying to say something, but in the end nothing came out.
After all.
How could Xiao Wu possibly say that she was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast who had taken human form, and was no longer an ordinary Soft Bone Rabbit?
Being unable to voice a rebuttal to Tang Wu when she had one ready made her feel unbearably miserable.
"Can't be helped. That's just how Soft Bone Rabbits are. They've already reached their limit."
Right then, Tang Wu twisted the knife.
Xiao Wu ground her teeth in anger, but there was nothing she could do.
Tang Wu watched Xiao Wu's face as if she'd swallowed a fly, and the disgusted expression made the corner of his mouth curl.
Did he really not know that Xiao Wu's Soft Bone Rabbit wasn't an ordinary Soft Bone Rabbit?
Of course he did.
As for why he'd done this, that was obviously because... it was fun.
The sheer pleasure of crushing her with superior brains, and the frustrated look on Xiao Wu's face, were enough to lift anyone's spirits.