The Clay Bomb technique Jiang Qingyue had developed packed a serious punch.
It reminded Qi Wu of an old acquaintance.
The clay explosive was impressively powerful.
Jiang Qingyue was delighted by it, too.
The girl bounded over to Qi Wu, planted her little hands on her hips, and said with a hint of pride:
"Mr. Wu, pretty good move, right?"
Qi Wu chuckled.
"Sure is."
"I'll teach you a slogan. Shout it when you use this move, and you'll really make an impression!"
Jiang Qingyue's eyes sparkled.
"Please teach me, Mr. Wu!"
"It's simple."
Qi Wu spoke with a mischievous grin.
"When you use this Clay Bomb technique, put your palms together and shout, 'Art is an explosion!' It'll definitely look awesome."
As he spoke, he pressed his palms together to demonstrate for Jiang Qingyue.
So Jiang Qingyue gave it a try.
Jiang Qingyue blinked her clear, wide eyes and obediently copied Qi Wu, solemnly pressing her little hands together in front of her chest.
Then she took a deep breath and, sounding tentative and embarrassed, called out the slogan in her bright, clear voice, stumbling over the words:
"A... art... is an explosion?"
Qi Wu raised a finger and wagged it.
"You have to say it louder for it to work."
So Jiang Qingyue shouted it again.
It still lacked that over-the-top flair.
Her voice came out in fits and starts.
It was a little awkward.
Sitting on the ground, Gale still tried hard to maintain her icy expression, but her shoulders gave an almost imperceptible shake. She was clearly struggling not to laugh.
Even the ever-serious Iron Buddha couldn't stop the corners of his mouth beneath his sunglasses from twitching upward.
The moment Jiang Qingyue finished shouting, her little face flushed red, all the way down to the base of her neck.
Even she felt that those words sounded...
A little silly?
Especially paired with Qi Wu's mischievous, everything-went-according-to-plan grin.
"Mr. Wu?"
The girl stamped her foot, embarrassed and flustered.
"That slogan... feels so weird!"
[Annoyance points +100 (Jiang Qingyue suspects you may be messing with her)]
"What's weird about it?"
Qi Wu spouted nonsense with a perfectly straight face, doing his best not to laugh.
"You're not shouting with enough passion. You need to put your feelings into it! Next time, give it more passion. Ideally, add a little of that mad artist vibe!"
As he spoke, Qi Wu demonstrated for Jiang Qingyue again, opening his throat and shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Hah! Art is an explosion!!!"
"That's how you make it work!"
Qi Wu's shout was stirring and full of emotion, even carrying a fanatical tremor, as though he really were a mad artist who had devoted his life to the art of explosions.
His voice echoed across the silent battlefield where a fierce battle had just ended, sounding especially clear... and especially out of place.
Back at the defensive position, almost everyone who heard that over-the-top shout froze for a moment, their faces full of bewilderment.
Jiang Qingyue felt as if she were about to die of embarrassment. She covered her face with both hands, the tips of her ears scarlet, and her muffled voice emerged between her fingers, laden with despair:
"Mr. Wu... it's over... my image is completely ruined... I'll never be able to face anyone again..."
[Annoyance points +250 (Jiang Qingyue is in despair over the public humiliation you caused her)]
Qi Wu seemed completely oblivious to what he had done. In fact, he was quite pleased with the result. He planted his hands on his hips, looking smug:
"See? That's presence! That's exactly the kind of powerful impact we want! Qingyue, have you learned it?"
Jiang Qingyue peered through her fingers with one eye, filled with embarrassment and indignation:
"I'm not learning that!"
"Aw, don't say that."
Qi Wu leaned closer. "Come on, try it again. I'll shout with you this time. I guarantee-"
His words cut off abruptly.
Because Jiang Qingyue suddenly lowered her hands.
Her face, still crimson with embarrassment, suddenly went blank. Her eyes seemed to lose focus for a moment, as though she had made some momentous decision-or simply decided she had nothing left to lose.
Then a fearless, do-or-die resolve burst from her petite frame.
She drew a sharp, deep breath, copied Qi Wu's earlier pose, and pressed her hands together again. Squeezing her eyes shut, she mustered every ounce of strength and shouted with practically everything she had:
"Art is an explosion-!!!"
This shout was even louder than Qi Wu's! Her voice cracked even harder!
Her sweet, ringing voice echoed across the entire battlefield.
As the words left her mouth, Jiang Qingyue molded a Clay Bomb and launched it into the distance.
The Clay Bomb, now imbued with "soul," trailed an unstable glow as it hurtled crookedly but swiftly toward a distant heap of collapsed rubble!
BOOOOM-!!!
The explosion was louder than the previous one!
Dust rose in a small mushroom cloud, rubble flew in all directions, and even the ground trembled slightly!
Its power had clearly gone up by more than one level!
The blast's shock wave stirred the hair over Jiang Qingyue's forehead.
Breathing lightly, she stared at her handiwork.
Her clear, wide eyes were filled with disbelief and a kind of... unfamiliar excitement.
Instinctively, she looked down at her hands, then back up at the rising dust, murmuring:
"It really... worked..."
To a certain extent, a Psychic's spiritual power output was influenced by their emotions.
Jiang Qingyue had unleashed her Clay Bomb with a reckless, all-or-nothing resolve.
It wasn't just her presence that had grown stronger. The attack had become stronger, too.
Though the process had been unbearably embarrassing, the result...
It actually seemed to help?
She whipped her head around to look at Qi Wu beside her, her eyes sparkling with the excitement of discovering a whole new world, seeking confirmation:
"Mr. Wu, it really works!"
Qi Wu nodded with a smile, looking like a teacher admiring his star pupil.
[Popularity points +100] [Popularity points +150 (from Jiang Qingyue)]
For a moment, both of them were thoroughly excited.
Watching the pair of goofballs from her seat on the ground, Gale covered her pretty face in resignation.
She didn't dare imagine it.
Given enough time, what would Qi Wu turn an innocent girl like Jiang Qingyue into?
After the two had enjoyed their excitement for a while, Qi Wu turned to look at Gale.
Seeing that Gale was still covering her face,
Qi Wu cleared his throat twice.
"Ahem."
Gale helplessly lowered her hands, her strikingly pretty face wearing an expression of utter despair.
"Need something, Captain?"
Qi Wu rested a hand against his forehead, looking curious.
"Actually, I've been wondering about something for a while."
"Well, you're such a pretty girl. Why do you wear a hood every day?"
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