After leaving the blacksmith shop, Yang Long walked toward the outskirts of Nuoding City, cursing Tang San and the people of the Spirit Hall for colluding with each other.
"Those Spirit Hall guys are really stupid. How dare they believe Tang San? In the future, the Spirit Hall will be overthrown by him, and you civilians will never have a chance to rise again!"
While cursing, Yang Long arrived at Nuoding Academy. He saw Xiao Wu coming out with a little girl, and he didn't think much of it. He simply followed them quietly.
After staying in Nuoding City for a few days, Yang Long had already figured out the situation here. He felt that he could make a move, capture Xiao Wu, and use her to threaten Tang San into handing over the Mysterious Heaven Skill.
Even if Tang Hao found out in the end, Yang Long didn't care. After all, he was born into the Breaking Clan, so he would most likely be able to talk his way out of it.
Xiao Wu was about to take Guang Ling shopping. She didn't go far before noticing someone tailing her, so she let Guang Ling go to the Spirit Hall first while she headed alone toward the outskirts of Nuoding City.
Yang Long followed Xiao Wu through the streets and alleys of Nuoding City several times.
Eventually, he realized she was leading him toward the outskirts. He immediately understood that he had been discovered, so he revealed himself after Xiao Wu walked into a small forest.
"Little girl, do you remember me?"
Yang Long jumped in front of Xiao Wu, revealing a wretched smile like a pervert trying to trick a child. He put his hands on his hips and asked with a grin.
"I don't remember. Who are you?" Xiao Wu took a step back and sized him up. Naturally, she hadn't forgotten this guy that Tang San had specially mentioned to her.
He was definitely not a good person!
"My name is Yang Long," he introduced. "You'd better listen to me. You'll suffer less. If we really fight, you're no match for me."
"How do you know who'll win if we haven't fought yet?" Xiao Wu wore a vigilant expression, though in reality, she was already prepared to release her Martial Soul at any time.
"Your Martial Soul is the Soft Boned Rabbit. Your first Spirit Ability is the Waist Bow, and your second Spirit Ability is Teleportation, right?" Yang Long smiled confidently. "Of course, this is just your superficial information. In fact, I know your deeper secret. You're a transformed 100,000-year-old Spirit Beast, aren't you?"
Xiao Wu's eyes narrowed, and she asked tentatively, "Are you a Titled Douluo?"
"Of course not, but I have my own way of seeing through your identity." Yang Long was extremely proud of his "information advantage."
"Let me tell you, Tang San is not a good thing. He looks gentle and elegant, but in fact, he's very hypocritical. Do you want to follow me?"
'Really? How come I don't know that Tang San is gentle and elegant?'
Xiao Wu had spent a long time with Tang San, so she knew him very well. He liked studying Martial Soul theory. He could come up with all sorts of reasons for even ordinary things and would often tease her—he couldn't be considered gentle at all. But she knew that this was Tang San's way of caring for her.
After calming down and thinking it through, Xiao Wu came to a conclusion: the person in front of her didn't understand Tang San—or herself—at all.
Her second Spirit Ability wasn't Teleportation at all.
"Also, you're the second person to say that San Ge is hypocritical."
Second?
Before Yang Long could react, Xiao Wu possessed her Martial Soul.
Two Spirit Rings, one yellow and one purple, emerged, and she instantly dashed forward, kicking Yang Long.
"So fast!"
Yang Long saw her Spirit Rings and his pupils constricted.
He hurriedly released the Dragon Pattern Spear and raised it to block.
Xiao Wu's kick landed on the spear shaft, but her head swung, and the scorpion-tail braid behind her shot toward Yang Long's eyes.
Unexpectedly, the wooden short knife tied to the braid pierced Yang Long's right eye.
"Ah!"
In pain, Yang Long suddenly exerted force and swung the Dragon Pattern Spear.
Xiao Wu used that force to leap backward, putting distance between them. She landed beside a tree as thick as a person and stared at him.
Yang Long's right eye wasn't completely blinded—Xiao Wu hadn't practiced her scorpion braid attack to perfection, so her aim wasn't precise.
Moreover, the wooden knife hadn't been sharpened, so it was still relatively blunt.
Even so, the blow struck his right eye, causing it to swell and bleed slightly.Without timely treatment, he might really go blind.
"Fucking bitch, you dare to blind my eye!" Yang Long held the Dragon Pattern Spear in one hand and covered his injured eye with the other, glaring at Xiao Wu with his remaining eye and gritting his teeth.
"Hehe." Xiao Wu sneered.
"I don't know how you found out about my identity, but you dared to come without knowing everything about me. You wanted to control me—and even use me to threaten San Ge?"
"How did you become so smart?" Yang Long snarled and thrust the Dragon Pattern Spear directly at her head.
Xiao Wu seemed to anticipate it and dodged. Her figure darted through the underbrush, making it hard for the one-eyed Yang Long to see clearly.
In this forest, his Dragon Pattern Spear Martial Soul was difficult to wield. He could slash, thrust, and sweep, but his range was limited by the dense trees.
What surprised him even more was that every time he attacked, Xiao Wu seemed able to predict his movements in advance and evade.
Her speed and agility were beyond what he could handle.
"First Spirit Ability! Spear Out Like a Dragon!"
Yang Long shouted and gripped the spear with both hands.
Spirit Power condensed at the tip, forming a dragon shape that extended from the weapon.
He predicted Xiao Wu's next movement and thrust preemptively.
Whoosh!
The dragon-shaped energy pierced through a thick tree and shot toward Xiao Wu's next landing spot.
If she stepped forward, she would be hit.
However, Xiao Wu anticipated Yang Long's thoughts. She abruptly halted her step, narrowly dodging the attack—then charged straight toward him while he was still in mid-thrust.
It all happened in an instant.
Xiao Wu closed the distance, planted her hands on the ground, and activated her Waist Bow. Her first Spirit Ring lit up.
With a powerful bend of her waist, she kicked Yang Long squarely in the chest and sent him flying into a tree.
"Puff!"
Blood spurted from Yang Long's mouth. His chest caved in with two visible footprints—his ribs broken, internal organs pierced.
The Waist Bow wasn't limited to clamping the enemy's neck with both legs and flinging them. At full extension, the body could also deliver a powerful kick to launch the enemy.
"You..."
Yang Long's eyes widened. He couldn't understand how he had been defeated by Xiao Wu.
He was a Spirit Master. She was only a Great Spirit Master.
But Yang Long had forgotten that Xiao Wu, able to withstand a thousand-year Spirit Ring, possessed physical strength equal to—if not greater than—that of a Spirit Master.
Moreover, Xiao Wu often sparred with Tang San and Spirit Hall disciples. She was well-versed in many Martial Souls, especially long spear types. Even if their Martial Souls weren't spears, the Spirit Hall disciples commonly used them. Spears were standard issue.
The battlefield was also in Xiao Wu's favor.
The trees here were thick and numerous—even a Spirit Master couldn't fight freely. Yang
Long might be able to break one, two, or even three trees, but not the entire forest. His Spirit Power wasn't enough.
In contrast, Xiao Wu's Soft Boned Rabbit Martial Soul could fully shine in this environment.
Of course, the most important factor was that Yang Long had underestimated his opponent.
He was injured early by the wooden knife at the end of Xiao Wu's braid, impairing his vision.
His rage further clouded his judgment.