Tang San wasn't surprised by Dai Mubai's shock. He had grown used to it by now. In fact, Tang San had become somewhat numb to Su Ming's talent—Su Ming was truly extraordinary. Back when his teacher said that with his own talent and strength, he would soon surpass Su Ming, Tang San had believed him. But after six years, he felt that Su Ming was only pulling further and further ahead.
Su Ming smiled and said, "Since you've finished attacking, it's my turn now!"
Then, Su Ming clasped his hands together and shouted, "Wood Style: Piercing Root Technique!"
Suddenly, the semi-circular wooden shield that Su Ming had created sprouted dozens of sharp wooden spikes.
"Fire!"
With that command, the spikes shot toward Dai Mubai with incredible speed.
Seeing Su Ming's technique, Tang San winced. He remembered all too well the beating he had taken from this move. The dense barrage of wooden spikes would be impossible for Dai Mubai to dodge—he'd have to take the full brunt of the attack.
Dai Mubai could sense the danger in those spikes, so he quickly crossed his arms in front of his chest. His first spirit ring lit up.
"First Spirit Ability: White Tiger Protective Barrier!"
This ability boosted Dai Mubai's defense by 50%, but even that wasn't enough to fully block Su Ming's relentless wooden spikes. After all, these spikes were enhanced by Su Ming's first spirit ability, doubling their toughness. There was no way Dai Mubai could withstand them completely.
Gradually, Dai Mubai's clothes were torn, and several gashes appeared on his body, causing blood to flow. It was only through sheer effort that he managed to survive Su Ming's attack.
Su Ming couldn't help but praise him, "Not bad. Your White Tiger spirit is both offensive and defensive. You actually managed to block that."
Dai Mubai, shocked, asked, "What kind of move was that? A control-type spirit master shouldn't have an attack like that! It's as strong as your defense ability! What kind of freak are you?"
Su Ming shook his head, "Are you already this surprised? This is just one of my self-created spirit techniques. You haven't even seen me use a real control ability yet."
Dai Mubai felt a chill run down his spine. Su Ming hadn't even used his control abilities yet, and he had only used his first spirit ability! Dai Mubai realized with growing dread that if Su Ming got serious, things could get much worse.
In the short time he had fought Su Ming, Dai Mubai realized that this guy was no ordinary control-type spirit master. He had techniques from multiple disciplines—something that would have ruined most spirit masters. Yet, Su Ming made it work, and each of his abilities was incredibly powerful.
Without wasting any more time, Su Ming stomped his right foot, and thick vines erupted from the ground, surging toward Dai Mubai. This move was an adaptation of Tang San's Blue Silver Grass technique, but instead of one vine at a time, Su Ming's version unleashed multiple.
"Wood Style: Multiple Binding!"
Dai Mubai, unable to dodge in time, was quickly wrapped in the thick vines. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't break free.
Finally, Dai Mubai experienced Su Ming's control abilities firsthand. But he wasn't about to admit defeat so easily.
"You think you can hold me with this? Not a chance!" Dai Mubai sneered.
His muscles swelled, and with a roar, he activated his third spirit ability.
"Third Spirit Ability: White Tiger Vajra Transformation!"
In an instant, the vines binding him exploded.
Dai Mubai, confident once again, said smugly, "My third spirit ability doubles my attack and defense for half an hour. Your little vines are no match for me!"
As Dai Mubai spoke, he glanced at Su Ming, expecting to see concern on his face. But Su Ming remained calm, completely unbothered.
Tang San, watching from the side, was deeply concerned. If his own Blue Silver Grass faced Dai Mubai's third spirit ability, it would definitely fail to restrain him. Dai Mubai's explosive strength was simply too overwhelming.
However, Su Ming wasn't surprised at all. He knew that his earlier control technique was the most basic of his wood-style moves. It was weak—just a simple binding spell. He wasn't relying on it.
Seeing Dai Mubai's renewed confidence, Su Ming said calmly, "Don't celebrate too soon. That was only my weakest control ability."
"What?!" Dai Mubai was stunned.
He had already struggled to break free of Su Ming's initial technique. If that was the weakest one, what would come next?
Before Dai Mubai could process it, Su Ming launched his second control ability. Su Ming extended his right hand toward Dai Mubai, and even larger and thicker vines erupted from his arm, far more powerful than before.
"Wood Style: Great Tree Binding!"
This technique was an upgraded version of his earlier binding move, far stronger and more difficult to escape from. The vines quickly wrapped around Dai Mubai again, and this time, no matter how much he struggled, he couldn't break free. The more he resisted, the tighter the vines squeezed, until he could barely breathe.
Finally, realizing he had no other options, Dai Mubai conceded.
"I surrender!"
Hearing this, Su Ming released his control, retracting the vines. He had made his point to Dai Mubai.
Xiao Wu, excited by Su Ming's victory, ran over to him, hugging his arm as she gleefully said, "I knew you'd win, brother! By the way, was that new technique one of your self-created ones? I've never seen it before!"
Su Ming patted Xiao Wu's head with his free hand and smiled, "Yeah, it's a new one I came up with. I hadn't had a chance to use it before, so today seemed like a good time to test it out. It's an upgraded version of my earlier control techniques."
Tang San, watching all this, felt utterly defeated. Once again, Su Ming had shocked him. His teacher had once told him that creating powerful self-made spirit techniques was incredibly difficult, even for geniuses like Su Ming. But here was Su Ming, inventing new techniques as easily as eating or drinking—it was simply unbelievable!
Tang San had spent the past six years focusing on his own cultivation, following his teacher's advice. He hadn't spent time developing new techniques. And yet, despite all his efforts, not only had he fallen behind Su Ming, but even Xiao Wu had surpassed him!
Meanwhile, Su Ming wasn't concerned with Tang San's thoughts. He turned to Dai Mubai and said, "You lost. A bet's a bet. You owe me 100 gold soul coins and will need to cover the damages to the hotel."