Su Bai looked at Xiao Wu and raised an eyebrow.
"Why all the questions? Are you fighting or not?"
Although Xiao Wu's true form, the Soft Bone Rabbit, was not a particularly powerful soul beast, her soul skills were each more outrageous than the last. Teleportation and Invincible Golden Body alone were already powerful enough.
That was why Su Bai had also selected Xiao Wu as one of his prospective Spirit Pagoda contract partners. This was the perfect opportunity to get closer to her.
After all, Xiao Wu was straightforward and lively by nature. In the original story, besides the great hand of fate intervening, there was also the fact that Tang San was one of the few people at Nuoding Academy who could beat her.
Through their repeated encounters, Xiao Wu and Tang San had gradually fallen in love.
At Su Bai's words, Xiao Wu gave an indignant little huff and charged straight at him.
"Then I'll teach you a lesson!"
As she spoke, she leaped high into the air, her pale calves almost gleaming in the sunlight as she went straight for Su Bai's neck.
The spectators around them immediately cried out in surprise.
"Damn, Sister Xiao Wu's getting involved too! Su Bai's probably going to lose."
"I wonder what Tang San and Xiao Wu's relationship is. Why is Sister Xiao Wu sticking up for that guy?"
"You know what Sister Xiao Wu's like. If there's a fight, she won't miss it. Poor Su Bai, though. He probably won't be getting out of bed for days."
Some of the spectators had experienced Xiao Wu's terrifying prowess firsthand. Seeing her leap, they could not help shivering.
Xiao Wu was incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, she was almost upon Su Bai, crossing her legs, ready to slam him to the ground the next instant.
A cold gleam flashed through Su Bai's eyes, and a sneer curled his lips.
Anyone else facing this move would probably have been caught off guard by Xiao Wu's astonishing speed.
But leaping into the air in front of Su Bai only exposed an opening.
With a thought, he sent blue silver grass growing at incredible speed. It shot up from the ground in the blink of an eye, rushing toward Xiao Wu.
At the sight, Xiao Wu's pupils contracted. Somehow, she changed her position in midair and narrowly dodged the strike.
"Let's see how you dodge this!"
A smile appeared on Xiao Wu's face, as though she could already see her victory.
Yet just as her legs clamped around Su Bai's neck, several strands of blue silver grass sprouted from his clothes and wound tightly around her calves. Then they slithered upward like venomous snakes until they had bound her entire body.
The second soul skill granted by his first soul spirit: Vitality!
The blue silver grass Su Bai controlled could now sprout from any spot on an enemy's body. Once he grew stronger, it would even be able to grow out of thin air.
Thud!
Bound and thrown off balance, Xiao Wu fell to the ground. Her legs slid down and caught around Su Bai's waist. She struggled a few times, but instead of freeing herself, she only made the blue silver grass bind her tighter, leaving her small frame completely restrained.
"Let me go!"
Xiao Wu blushed. The position was far too awkward and made her feel embarrassed. Resentfully, she hooked her toes against Su Bai's back.
After she brushed against him a few times, Su Bai withdrew the blue silver grass. Xiao Wu dropped flat onto the ground, then immediately flipped upright, her face red.
"This one doesn't count! I let my guard down. We'll fight again next time!"
With that, Xiao Wu fled the training grounds.
Everyone around them stared wide-eyed, utterly stunned by what they had just witnessed.
"That strength, that growth speed... Are we sure that's the blue silver grass martial soul I know?"
"How could his blue silver grass grow out of Xiao Wu's body? That's insane!"
"Damn, Little Fatty, isn't your martial soul blue silver grass too? Why is yours so useless?"
"No wonder Su Bai talked back to Yu Xiaogang earlier. Is this his martial soul's true development path?"
"Brother Bai, I want to follow you!"
Ignoring the shouts around him, Su Bai silently turned and left.
What he had shown so far was barely the beginning. Naturally, he would not get carried away.
At the same time, Su Bai reminded himself not to draw too much attention.
After all, he had only just obtained his first soul ring. His strength was still somewhat lacking.
Meanwhile, in a classroom elsewhere.
Tang San looked at the Grandmaster before him, his eyes slightly unfocused as he questioned everything he knew.
"Teacher, did I really lose just now because I haven't trained my body enough?"
That explanation might fool others, but it could not fool Tang San.
He had practiced the Mysterious Heaven Skill since childhood. In physical strength alone, he was far beyond others his age.
If even Tang San's body was not strong enough, then probably no one else's was either.
"Why do I feel like the main reason I lost to Su Bai was that the quality of my blue silver grass was inferior to his?"
Tang San muttered as he recalled the fight. Su Bai's blue silver grass practically seemed like a different species from his own. Their toughness was on completely different levels.
"Teacher, just what kind of soul ring did he absorb? If we both have blue silver grass, why is Su Bai's so powerful?"
His questions left Yu Xiaogang completely dumbfounded, frozen where he stood.
He did not know the answer either.
Yu Xiaogang had noticed earlier that the toughness of Su Bai's blue silver grass was different, but even now, he had not figured out why.
Still, since Tang San had asked, Yu Xiaogang could not simply admit that he did not know. Wouldn't that disgrace his reputation as the Grandmaster?
"Ahem." After coughing a few times, Yu Xiaogang stroked his chin. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Let me explain why."
"Su Bai's blue silver grass is powerful because he can't see beyond the end of his nose. He only cares about short-term benefits. He most likely absorbed a plant-type soul beast's soul ring, which is why his grass is so tough."
"But that leaves his blue silver grass lacking in flexibility. Unlike yours, it also can't gain a poison attribute. His will forever remain ordinary blue silver grass. Surely I don't need to tell you which of the two is stronger?"
"How much soul power do you two have right now? There's still a long road ahead. Don't be like that fool Su Bai, caring only about immediate benefits without considering future development. Do you understand?"
Whether Tang San believed that speech was unclear, but Yu Xiaogang certainly believed it himself.
That had to be the truth. Otherwise, how could that brat Su Bai possibly defeat my disciple?
Tang San was left somewhat bewildered by Yu Xiaogang's long barrage of words and stood there in a daze.
So that was the truth?
Yet Tang San still felt that something was wrong. During his fight with Su Bai, he had felt that Su Bai's blue silver grass actually seemed a little more flexible than his own.
Still, since the Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang had said so, Tang San would believe him for now. This was his teacher, the man who had deduced that he possessed twin martial souls. He surely could not be wrong!
In an instant, Tang San regained his confidence.
"Su Bai, was it... Just you wait!"
Before you continue