Chapter 177: Chapter 176: Tempest Kick? Bibi Dong's Speculations
This time, Xiao Wu didn't bother to argue with Ning Rongrong. Fine, laugh all you want. One day, it'll be my turn to laugh at you. Fortune always changes sides!
Still, Xiao Wu's shyness got the better of her. She covered her flushed face with her hands, leaving a tiny gap between her fingers to peek through.
[Oh, right! There's one more thing. Xiao Wu didn't just see through Tang San's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track—that alone shocked me. Her leg strength is now powerful enough to unleash an air blade-like attack. That's insane! In the original story, Xiao Wu wasn't even this strong when she was at rank 40!]
[If I ever make her mad, will she hit me with one of those kicks?]
Xiao Wu: Of course not!
[Speaking of those air blade attacks, they remind me of a certain technique. Xiao Wu's move seems like a prototype of the "Tempest Kick" from the Marine's Six Styles!]
[If she practices a bit or grows stronger, wouldn't she be able to fully master the Tempest Kick? A powerful vacuum slash like that is no joke. This might count as Xiao Wu creating her own soul skill! Even if it's low in technical complexity, raw power is all that matters!]
Xiao Wu, no longer focused on her embarrassment, was intrigued. She muttered curiously, "What is this Marine Six Styles that Su Ming mentioned? Is it strong?"
Ning Rongrong chimed in from the side, "Xiao Wu, that Tempest Kick Su Ming mentioned sounds pretty cool! It suits you since you're all about leg attacks."
Xiao Wu nodded with a smile. "Yeah, the air blade I unleashed during my fight with Tang San was something I came up with on the spot."
She paused for a moment, her face turning slightly red. "That night, after everything ended, I not only received a card that could evolve my bloodline but also gained mastery over my strength. I felt power coursing through me."
"So today, when Tang San trapped me with his Blue Silver Grass, I didn't use teleportation to escape. Instead, I wanted to test whether my leg strength could slice through it from a distance—and it worked!"
Thanks to Su Ming's diary entry, Xiao Wu was inspired. She decided to practice this move and see if she could refine it into a proper self-created soul skill.
[Finally, after seeing through Tang San's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Xiao Wu treated him to a full version of her Exploding Eight-Stage Throw! After all these years, Tang San finally got what was coming—a proper beating, and for a legitimate reason!]
[Xiao Wu had been in a one-vs-three battle, clearly frustrated. Add to that the soul power expenditure and the mental strain of staying focused, it was only natural for her to accidentally injure Tang San. Sounds reasonable to me!]
[When Yu Xiaogang saw Tang San about to collapse under Xiao Wu's relentless Exploding Eight-Stage Throw, he immediately called for Flender to intervene. After all, Xiao Wu completely ignored his attempts to stop her!]
[Flender hesitated at first, but considering Tang San was Tang Hao's son, he ultimately decided to help. But how could I let that happen? Tang San needed to experience the full brunt of the Exploding Eight-Stage Throw!]
[Not surprisingly, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing also stepped in to block Flender's rescue attempt. That felt so satisfying!]
[In the end, Flender weighed his options and chose not to intervene. Yu Xiaogang's carefully laid plans were ruined. Serves him right!]
Bibi Dong and Liu Erlong read through the diary with peculiar expressions. This time, it seemed Xiaogang had miscalculated. He intended to use these battles and teamwork to elevate Tang San's status, but instead, Su Ming's influence seemed to overshadow everything.
Or rather, Su Ming's standing among the girls was particularly high. From the diary's anecdotes, Bibi Dong could see that the Shrek Academy students were subtly dividing into two factions.
One faction was led by Su Ming and included Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing. The other was led by Dai Mubai and Tang San, with Oscar and Ma Hongjun.
Currently, this split wasn't too pronounced, as Su Ming's strength commanded respect, even fear, among Dai Mubai's group.
For now, Shrek Academy still revolved around Su Ming. But when Yu Xiaogang arrived, he didn't bother understanding the dynamics. Instead, he forcibly grouped Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing with Tang San. His intentions might have been good, but the girls simply weren't willing!
After all these years of reading Su Ming's diary, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing had a clear understanding of Tang San's character—as well as that of Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun. How could they possibly develop the same camaraderie as in the original story?
Zhu Zhuqing might tolerate it slightly better, but Ning Rongrong's opinion of Tang San was outright terrible. As Su Ming mentioned in the diary, in the original story, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan supported Tang San wholeheartedly.
And what was the result?
Though the clan avoided total annihilation thanks to Tang San's hidden weapons, they suffered massive casualties. In the end, Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo sacrificed themselves to save Tang San, leaving no remains. The clan gave everything to support Tang San but reaped little benefit and paid a heavy price!
Of course, Bibi Dong didn't feel any guilt over killing Bone Douluo and Sword Douluo in the original timeline. After all, war inevitably brings casualties, and they had been enemies.
But this time, thanks to Su Ming's influence, Ning Rongrong wouldn't let the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan support Tang San. If they didn't back Tang San, Ning Fengzhi's wisdom would surely lead him to ally with the Spirit Hall—unless he recklessly chose to endanger the entire clan by opposing them.
As for whether Su Ming would help the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, Bibi Dong wasn't worried. He might offer some assistance for Ning Rongrong's sake, but he certainly wouldn't aid Ning Fengzhi in opposing the Spirit Hall!
Bibi Dong had concluded that Su Ming's heart leaned towards the common people. Perhaps this stemmed from his civilian background or the memories of his past life. Su Ming's previous world might have been one where commoners lived without fear or struggle, unlike this one, where they worried about mere survival.