Tang San initially didn't want to reveal the existence of his hidden weapons to Su Ming. After all, the more people who knew about his hidden weapons, the greater the risk. However, seeing Xiao Wu's attitude, Tang San knew that without Su Ming present, he wouldn't have a chance.
Upon further thought, Tang San realized that telling Su Ming wouldn't be a big deal. He trusted Su Ming's character. After all, Su Ming knew he had twin martial spirits and had kept the secret without spilling a word, which showed his reliability. And even if Su Ming did reveal it later, Tang San felt it would be fine, as he only had his Sleeve Dart as a hidden weapon for now.
But if Su Ming ever betrayed him, Tang San would make him pay!
If Su Ming knew what Tang San was thinking, he would probably just laugh it off. Keeping the twin martial spirits secret was just something he didn't bother to mention. As for the hidden weapons, they weren't a big deal either.
Su Ming had confidence in his abilities—his Susanoo and Great Buddha were definitely no weaker than Tang San's hidden weapons!
In truth, Tang San hadn't initially planned any of this, but after returning to Holy Spirit Village and seeing that his father was absent, the bond between Xiao Wu and Su Ming stirred a strong desire within him—a desire that grew stronger by the day. In his heart, Xiao Wu should have been his sister.
In fact, from the very first moment he saw Xiao Wu, Tang San felt a strange connection to her that he couldn't explain. That feeling led to this situation now.
Tang San knew his actions would upset Su Ming, but he wanted to try anyway. What if it worked?
Moreover, he had great confidence in his hidden weapons!
Tang San reminded Su Ming, "You better be careful when we fight, or don't blame me if you get hurt. As for what I'll use, you'll find out soon enough during our battle."
Su Ming smiled inwardly. If Tang San's Sleeve Dart could break through his defense, he might as well change his last name to Tang! To penetrate his defenses, Tang San would need something like the Zhuge Crossbow!
As they prepared to battle, Su Ming warned, "Come at me. Let's see how strong you really are. But I'll say this: I'm going all out too. You've crossed a line, and I won't go easy on you."
Tang San sensed the seriousness in Su Ming's tone, but he still believed the outcome was uncertain.
"Blue Silver Bind!" Tang San shouted, summoning his Blue Silver Grass to entangle Su Ming.
Su Ming easily dodged using his Ling Bo Weibu, a graceful footwork technique, and said, "That won't work on me. Show me your true power, or you won't get another chance."
Tang San agreed and escalated the fight, summoning small weapons—steel needles, knives, and other hidden tools from his Soul Guidance device, firing them rapidly at Su Ming.
Su Ming chuckled. "Is this your real strength? You've been busy forging these, huh? You've got quite the stockpile."
Tang San replied confidently, "These are just small items. The real deal hasn't shown up yet. I hope your strange footwork can dodge all my weapons!"
"Who said I was going to dodge? Did you forget? I haven't even used my first soul skill yet," Su Ming teased.
Tang San remained confident, "Even if you use your first soul skill, we're both control-type soul masters. Let's see if you can dodge these attacks!"
"Heh, don't be so sure!"
Su Ming's expression turned serious as he stomped his foot on the ground, and a yellow soul ring rose around him.
"First Soul Skill: Wooden Shield!"
Instantly, a half-spherical wooden barrier formed in front of Su Ming, blocking all of Tang San's incoming weapons. Each weapon was lodged into the wooden shield but failed to penetrate it.
Su Ming even winked playfully at Xiao Wu, who understood immediately. She knew this wasn't Su Ming's real first soul skill. Her brother was mischievous!
Su Ming's actual first soul skill was "Wood's Resilience," which increased the toughness of wood by 70%. There was no way Tang San's simple hidden weapons could break through it! Plus, Su Ming had cleverly disguised his original thousand-year purple soul ring to appear as a hundred-year yellow one.
Tang San was shocked. "Su Ming, aren't you a control-type soul master? What's with this first soul skill?"
Unfazed, Su Ming casually replied, "Just because my first skill is defensive doesn't mean I'm not a control-type. My two self-created control skills are even stronger than this defense. As long as I focus more on control, there's no problem calling myself a control-type soul master."
Su Ming smirked. "If I ever decide to specialize in defense, I'll call myself a defense-type soul master. I've got plenty of ideas, and there'll be more self-created skills in the future!"
Tang San's eye twitched. He hadn't expected Su Ming's first soul skill to be so strong. His knowledge from studying with Grandmaster for the past year hadn't prepared him for this. Su Ming was truly an anomaly, unafraid of 'ruining' his martial spirit's development.
Su Ming: I'm an all-rounder! And you think I'm ruining my martial spirit? Look at your Blue Silver Grass—it's the one getting off track!
Su Ming laughed and teased, "So, do you want to keep going? If this is your full strength, you're way too weak. You can't even break through my defense!"
Tang San's face darkened. What could he do now? His Sleeve Dart wasn't strong enough, and his Zhuge Crossbow wasn't even ready. There was only one option left: give it a shot!
Tang San revealed his Sleeve Dart and fired it at Su Ming.
"Watch closely, Su Ming. This is a Sleeve Dart, and it's powerful enough to pierce your defense!"
But to Tang San's disappointment, the dart only managed to penetrate halfway into Su Ming's wooden shield—just a little deeper than his earlier weapons.
"Heh, not bad! Your Sleeve Dart has some power. It deserves a bit of applause," Su Ming teased, dragging out his words as if mocking Tang San's "impressive" weapon.
Tang San's face flushed with embarrassment. He had clearly underestimated Su Ming's strength. Su Ming's defenses were practically impenetrable, and that realization weighed heavily on him.