Su Ming remembered vividly how he'd called Xiao Wu and Ah Yin his "wives" in the diary right after he got the system, convinced that only he could see it. If the truth came out, wouldn't it be a social catastrophe?
After all, before his death in his previous life, he'd made sure to use his last strength to format his phone, just to prevent his private collection of "films" from leaking. Now, the more he thought about it, the less things made sense: Xiao Wu's initial dislike of Tang San, her reluctance toward Shrek Academy, Zhuqing not ending up with Dai Mubai, Dugu Yan's unexpected evolution to the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor, and the changes in her spirit skills…
A flurry of doubts erupted in Su Ming's mind, like a volcano finally breaking its silence.
As his spirit companion, Ah Yin could feel Su Ming's inner turmoil. She sighed inwardly. It looked like he'd caught on; maybe the system had finally run out of room to maneuver.
System: …
The system felt helpless, realizing it may have gone too far, especially after rewarding Qian Renxue with such potent abilities and gifting Hu Liena a spirit bone. Bibi Dong's unchanged championship rewards from the original story hadn't helped matters either. Now it seemed like it was all unraveling.
The system stopped struggling, deciding there was no use in hiding.
"System," Su Ming's calm tone rang through his mind, "we're having a talk once I have a moment. And I want you to answer me directly. I'd rather not question my own people; understood?"
The system replied hesitantly, [Ding, er, host, what are you talking about? This system doesn't quite follow…]
"System, I know you're looking out for me, and believe me, I'm grateful. I don't mind my people growing stronger; I'm thrilled about it. But I need answers now. That's all I'm asking for."
[Sigh… Fine.]
In just a few moments, Su Ming had hashed out his thoughts with the system. Taking a deep breath, he turned to Qian Renxue, a fierce spark of battle in his eyes.
"Let's see just how far the system's help has brought you, Qian Renxue," he muttered to himself.
He activated all six of his spirit rings, maxing out his boosts. With his potent life force amplifying his power, his presence edged out over Qian Renxue's. Although her strength was formidable due to her spirit true form and domain, Su Ming's spirit skills granted pure self-boosts, which gave him an edge.
Seeing her domain's suppression countered, Qian Renxue was surprised, though she had expected a challenging fight. Meanwhile, intense discussion buzzed around the spectators.
"Wow, a domain!"
"This thing's huge—it's covering all of us! My power feels halved!"
"Same here… Honestly, Su Ming might lose this one."
"Oh, you're saying that just because Qian Renxue's pretty, like you did with Tianshui Academy! You're hopeless!"
"Listen, last time was an exception. But if you're honest, Qian Renxue's got a great chance. Her spirit quality alone outshines Su Ming's."
Witnessing Qian Renxue's power in full swing, Bibi Dong and her two elders, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, were astonished.
Bibi Dong thought, Who would have guessed that little Xue had grown this powerful already?
The elders shared a glance of mixed pride and unease, especially Ghost Douluo, who now doubted he could match her strength. Meanwhile, in the Pope's Hall, the consecrators, Demon Conqueror and Thousand Juns, admired how far "their little Xue" had come. They even speculated she might be ready to begin the Angelic God trials. Given her strength, she could potentially complete the inheritance within three years, cementing Spirit Hall's dominance over the continent.
"First Spirit Skill, Angelic Strike!"
Golden light surged into Qian Renxue's fist as she lunged forward, fists blazing. This was a probing move, her first attempt to gauge Su Ming's strength.
Unfazed, Su Ming commanded his Wood Golem to meet her blow with a punch of its own.
Boom!
Qian Renxue staggered back several steps, while the Wood Golem remained steady. She quickly understood the futility of a head-on clash and shifted tactics.
"Fifth Spirit Skill, Holy Angel Sword!"
A long sword, forged from divine flame, appeared in her hand. All of her "Sun Breathing" techniques were rooted in this spirit skill, as she didn't possess the actual Angelic Sword yet. This spirit skill amplified her attack power significantly, making sword combat her true strength.
She quickly gained distance, hovering midair, and unleashed waves of sword energy infused with holy flames.
Su Ming raised his hand to block but noticed that unlike his encounter with Huo Wu's fire technique, these sword waves left a charred mark on the Wood Golem's hand, though it soon regenerated. He frowned, realizing the fire resistance granted by his "Wood Style" wasn't strong enough against Qian Renxue's holy flames. His life force regeneration was far more reliable.
"Hey, look!" shouted someone in the audience. "Su Ming's Wood Golem got scorched for the first time—Qian Renxue really is powerful! She's no doubt worthy of being the Pope's daughter!"
Xiao Wu and the others, who were watching anxiously, felt their hearts race. Su Ming had never faced such a tough opponent—someone capable of actually charring his Wood Golem. Previous foes could only chip off bits of bark!
Qian Renxue thought to herself, Wait, is that praise or insult?
Su Ming casually remarked, "Impressive. You're the strongest opponent I've faced so far. Show me what else you've got; I'm itching for more!"
Though his words sounded confident, inside he pondered, The system must have given Qian Renxue more than just this. There's bound to be more, like advanced techniques and skill sets.
Why did Su Ming suspect this? Because Xiao Wu knew Rankyaku, Zhuqing's skill could break defenses, and Ning Rongrong had a talent for mental strength. All these made Su Ming believe that Qian Renxue had probably received some special talent, technique, or skill from the system too.
System: Oh, damn… you guessed right…
In the next moment, Su Ming aimed the Wood Golem's right hand at Qian Renxue, launching a barrage of wooden spikes.
"Wood Style: Cutting Technique!"
Su Ming fired the wood spikes from his right hand in rapid succession, using his left hand to steady his aim. It looked like he was wielding a Gatling gun, a visually spectacular attack! Qian Renxue, however, remained unfazed. Su Ming's attack was dense, and an ordinary evasion might have left her with some wounds. But she was different.
"Second Spirit Skill: Void Wings!"
Golden light surrounded Qian Renxue, enveloping her in a state of intangibility. In this form, she was completely immune to physical attacks and could nullify fifty percent of energy attacks, all while enjoying a twenty percent boost in speed. The skill's duration was determined by her spirit power.
Casting a quick glance at Xiao Wu, Qian Renxue's eyes held a hint of smugness. See? My second spirit skill works just like your Invincible Golden Body—just with an added boost!
Xiao Wu met Qian Renxue's gaze with a defiant scowl.
In an instant, the numerous wooden spikes passed straight through Qian Renxue's intangible form, failing to hit their target.
Su Ming: Wait… this is her second spirit skill?
He was stunned. Why didn't she use this incredible spirit skill back in the Heaven Dou Palace arc? It's such a wasted skill if she didn't use it against Tang San back then!
Su Ming smirked. Fine, two can play at this game.
Qian Renxue's skill, while formidable, likely had limitations. Typically, spirit skills like this are bound by time, frequency, or spirit power consumption constraints. And three seconds later, with her second skill still active, Su Ming deduced that it was indeed a spirit power-intensive technique.
Great. Let's see who can outlast whom.
Su Ming's second and third spirit skills allowed him to recover spirit power quickly, so he wasn't worried about an endurance match. Besides, while her skill was tricky, it had a glaring drawback: Qian Renxue couldn't attack in her intangible state.
Realizing this too, Qian Renxue mentally chastised herself. Su Ming's methods focused on endurance, especially with his Wood Style's regenerative abilities and spirit power reserves. If I keep this up, I'll lose.
She used the speed boost from her second spirit skill to dodge the wooden spikes while planning her counter.
"Angel Right Arm Spirit Bone Skill: Angel Clone!"
In a flash, three solid six-winged angels appeared, taking Su Ming's attacks head-on while positioning themselves to surround him in a triangle formation.
"Third Spirit Skill: Holy Angel's Light!"
This was her only healing skill, capable of restoring ninety percent of her injuries. Any damage she'd taken was now almost entirely healed.
Su Ming chuckled.
"Su Ming, you're surrounded now. Is that Wood Golem all you've got? Show me what else you can do!" Qian Renxue's confidence surged, feeling as though she had the upper hand.
But Su Ming, skilled in recognizing subtle details due to his powerful mental abilities, quickly identified which of the three clones were fakes.
"Let's test this out then… 'Life to Death—Transformation!'"
The two false angel clones were suddenly enveloped in a black aura, their forms starting to dissolve gradually. Though Qian Renxue was stronger than her previous opponents, Su Ming's destructive power wasn't something they could withstand indefinitely.
The drawn-out dissolution looked horrific to the onlookers.
Watching her clones disintegrate, Qian Renxue frowned. Her clones had nearly matched her strength, and the divine aura of the Six-Winged Angel was usually impervious to such effects. This technique is terrifying…
With a deep breath, Qian Renxue dismissed the dissolving clones. Her Angelic Sword gleamed, her aura intensifying. She was ready to unleash her Sun Breathing techniques. If Su Ming found her moves familiar, well, that wasn't her problem—it was the system's doing.
System: Ah…
Sensing the shift in Qian Renxue's energy and the radiant flames surrounding her Angelic Sword, Su Ming's eyes widened. Is she finally about to use it?
Her breathing technique felt strikingly familiar to him, yet he couldn't immediately place it.
"Sun Breathing—First Form: Circular Dance!"
With a sudden burst of speed, Qian Renxue closed in on Su Ming, slashing at him with a radiant flame-wreathed arc. The moment Su Ming recognized the attack, his pupils contracted. This move—Sun Breathing's Circular Dance—was something he knew all too well from his previous life, a signature technique of Tanjiro Kamado!
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