Tang Wu exited his Blue Silver Grass stance. Miraculously, even the Stand behind him changed appearance.
Armor appeared on the Stand's hands and feet, as well as in subtle places across its body.
It looked a little more menacing.
"Brother Wu, why does your Martial Soul keep changing from time to time?!"
Xiao Wu was utterly puzzled when she saw this.
She'd been curious about it ever since their earlier battle.
Everyone else's Martial Souls were nice and ordinary, so how had an oddball like him appeared—with such a flashy one, at that?
It was enough to make anyone green with envy!
"That's because my Martial Soul mutated. After I hunt a Soul Beast for a Soul Ring, I can obtain a corresponding seed."
Tang Wu had no intention of hiding the truth from Xiao Wu.
After all,
the longer they spent together, the more obvious it would become to anyone with eyes.
"I switch seeds, and that's why the changes happen."
"Oh, so that's how it works!"
Xiao Wu suddenly understood, blurting out:
"You can even produce seeds yourself. Doesn't that mean you've already crossed the boundary of humanity and are, at your core, a plant person?!"
Tang Wu: "..."
Well, yes, but...
Xiao Wu wasn't actually wrong. If a human and a plant Soul Beast had a child, wouldn't that make them a plant person?
Nearby,
Tang San, who'd been caught in the crossfire for no reason, could no longer maintain the gentle smile on his face.
He stared at Xiao Wu with a dark look:
"How is it that exaggerated? It's just an ability of his Martial Soul. Please don't take it as an insult to his character."
"Thanks..."
At this point, Tang San was still a staunch human supremacist.
In his eyes, humans were humans, and Soul Beasts were Soul Beasts. How could they be lumped together?
"I was only joking. Xiao San, do you really have to take it so seriously?"
Seeing Tang San's earnest expression, Xiao Wu shrank her neck like a startled rabbit and muttered under her breath.
But the feeling came quickly and went even faster.
When the academy bell rang, Xiao Wu's eyes lit up. Her stomach took control of her brain, and thoughts of food replaced everything else.
"The dining hall's open!"
"Xiao San, Brother Wu, let's hurry! It's Wednesday, the day they serve the widest variety of food."
At her repeated urging, Tang San decided that he'd better fill his stomach first. He'd need his strength to keep cultivating.
However,
Tang Wu showed no intention of leaving. He lowered his head, seemingly lost in thought.
"You two go ahead. I'm thinking about something. I might not have time."
"No way. You're still growing. You can't skip breakfast."
"Then I'll pack some up for you."
"Sure. Thanks, bro..."
Tang Wu didn't refuse and agreed.
And so Tang San and Xiao Wu left the Back Mountain side by side, chatting and laughing as they went.
"Explosive burning, burning, explosion... That's it! Explosion!"
Tang Wu suddenly saw the light.
His First Soul Skill had always produced the process of flames burning, but never the beginning of it.
If he didn't ignite the Explosive Burning Chili, but instead concentrated all its energy in one spot and released it at once, could he create an explosion?
Without hesitation, Tang Wu immediately got to work.
The First Soul Skill beneath his feet lit up, and a bright red chili pepper appeared in front of him.
This time,
he didn't ignite it right away. Instead, he forcibly suppressed his urge and tried to concentrate all his Soul Power in a single spot.
Once the energy had been concentrated, Tang Wu finally tossed it out and activated it. In an instant—
Boom!
The grass had been level, but after the explosion, a hole the size of a fist appeared in it.
Looking at the small hole at his feet, Tang Wu was thrilled.
"I can't believe my first experiment worked! Could it be that I really am a once-in-ten-thousand-years genius?"
"Of course. If I'm not a genius, who is? Gahaha..."
After a brief bout of self-admiration, he continued experimenting.
Next, Tang Wu shaped the Explosive Burning Chili into all kinds of forms, disguising it so he could catch opponents off guard in battle.
What's more,
during his research, he combined it with the First Soul Skill's one-hundred-percent hit rate and came up with a tracking bomb.
At the end of the experiments, Tang Wu suddenly came to his senses.
"Good grief, I've really become Killer Queen!"
That afternoon,
the two-on-one Soul Fighting match began with Xiao Wu's astonished cry:
"What?!"
"You're going to challenge both of us by yourself, Brother Wu? Are you sure?"
"Come at me. In a one-on-two, the advantage is mine!"
"You're pretty cocky. You said it, so don't go back on your word later."
Hearing that,
Xiao Wu smiled, though there was more than a little mischief in it.
She'd been beaten so badly last time that she had to get even this time, no matter what.
"Xiao San, cover me."
"Got it!"
Hearing Xiao Wu's request, Tang San nodded.
Several thick Blue Silver Grass vines appeared at his side. As Xiao Wu advanced, they spread toward Tang Wu along with her.
"Got you. First Soul Skill, Waist Bow!"
Looking at Tang Wu, now within arm's reach, Xiao Wu smiled with a look of certainty.
Her Yellow Soul Ring flashed, and just as her Soul Skill was about to activate—
"No, I'm the one who caught you, Xiao Wu."
Tang Wu advanced instead of retreating. As he moved closer to Xiao Wu, coils of vines wrapped around him.
However,
he wasn't targeting Xiao Wu, his enemy. He was protecting himself.
If the bomb went off too close, he might get hurt.
But if he had an Explosion-Proof Shield protecting him, that would be a different story.
Tang Wu raised his hand slightly, clenched his left hand into a fist, and stuck up his thumb, making an explosive gesture.
"First Bomb—explode!"
"Not good! Xiao Wu, get away from there—"
The instant he saw Tang Wu's subtle expression, Tang San realized something was wrong.
He reacted incredibly quickly.
But, unfortunately,
the bomb detonated too fast for Xiao Wu to retreat in time.
Boom!
The bomb exploded with a roar. Billowing black dust blotted out their vision, stinging their throats.
The next second,
Xiao Wu's delicate body went flying back even faster than it had come.
After rolling several times across the grass, she was covered in grass clippings, and her clothes were slightly torn in a few places. She looked utterly disheveled.
But despite her wretched appearance,
Tang Wu had deliberately controlled the explosion's strength, making sure it was just right: enough to leave her dazed, but not hurt her.
In just one round,
Tang Wu had used his advantage in information to knock Xiao Wu out of the ring.
Xiao Wu got up from the ground and stared at Tang Wu in a daze.
Who am I?
Where am I?
What am I doing?
She'd been a little slow to begin with. After an explosion like that, her head was even less use to her.
She shook her heavy head and belatedly exclaimed:
"Wow, that explosion just now was so dangerous! You came up with a move like that without making a sound. You're so devious, Brother Wu!"
"What else did you expect..."
Tang Wu merely shrugged, utterly unbothered by Xiao Wu's accusation.
"If I had nothing up my sleeve, would I dare take on both of you alone?"
"I've got another move, a Tracking Bomb. Bro, it's your turn now."
"..."
Tang San: Am I getting blown up too?
The answer was obvious.
It was:
Yes!