After paying for the crystal, the three of them left the shop together.
Seeing how excited Tang San was, Su Ming teased, "Tang San, you seem really excited about this crystal. I bet it can be used to make some powerful hidden weapon, huh? Don't tell me you're planning to use it against me?"
Tang San's heart skipped a beat. He scratched his head and said, "No way, Su Ming. You're overthinking it. But yeah, this crystal can be turned into a pretty strong hidden weapon. You'll see soon enough."
Internally, Tang San thought, How is Su Ming's intuition always so spot on? I did plan to test the Dragon Beard Needle on him. Compared to my other hidden weapons, this one is much stronger. It was a high-level weapon in the Tang Sect of my previous life.
Although the Dragon Beard Needle's main purpose was to break through energy shields, its power wasn't weak. I wonder if it can penetrate Su Ming's first soul skill defense, he mused.
Su Ming: Keep dreaming.
After a while of wandering around, they returned to the hotel and gathered in Tang San's room.
The three stood around a table as Tang San pulled out a small hammer. Soul power flowed through his hands, and with a solid strike, he smashed the crystal.
Bam!
The crystal shattered, and countless tiny golden particles scattered in all directions.
"Quick, gather them! Don't miss a single one!" Tang San exclaimed.
The three of them hurriedly collected the particles. Su Ming and Xiao Wu were intrigued by this material, as it was something they had never seen before.
Once all the pieces were gathered, Tang San let out a sigh of relief and explained to them, "These are called Dragon Beard Needles. They can break through most soul power-based defenses."
With that, Tang San picked up a small golden speck, no bigger than a grain of rice. He infused it with his Mysterious Heaven Skill, causing it to transform into a thin, long golden thread.
"Watch this!" he said.
Tang San raised his right hand and flicked his middle finger, launching the golden thread toward a quilt. The moment it hit, the quilt twisted and was torn to shreds.
Xiao Wu gasped, "Wow! This Dragon Beard Needle is so powerful!"
Seeing their amazement, Tang San smiled proudly. "Of course! This hidden weapon ranks in the top ten of all the hidden weapons I know. Even Dai Mubai's third soul skill might not be able to withstand it."
Su Ming, now curious, wondered if the Dragon Beard Needle could break through his own defense.
"Since you say it's so powerful," Su Ming said, "why don't you try it on me? Let's see if I can block it."
Tang San nodded, already wanting to test it.
Su Ming casually created a small version of his Wood Shield as a target.
Without hesitation, Tang San fired the Dragon Beard Needle at the shield. Bang! The needle pierced the shield, and it shattered instantly.
Xiao Wu was surprised. It was the first time she had seen Su Ming's defense broken!
Su Ming wasn't surprised, though. He hadn't boosted this shield with his first soul skill. He suspected that even if he had, the needle might still penetrate.
After all, in the original story, the Dragon Beard Needle broke through Zhao Wuji's defense. Although Zhao Wuji wasn't using his full strength at the time, it still showed how formidable the Dragon Beard Needle was.
As expected of one of the Tang Sect's top ten hidden weapons, Su Ming thought. However, he knew that the Dragon Beard Needle was specifically designed to break energy-based shields, like those formed by soul power. Its effectiveness against his Wood Release—which was a physical structure—might be reduced.
Nevertheless, Su Ming realized that his Wood Shield was no longer suitable for him at his current level. It was time to develop a stronger wood-based defense.
Noticing Tang San's smug expression, Su Ming decided to take him down a peg. I can't let him get too cocky, he thought.
"Don't get too excited, Tang San," Su Ming said. "This defense skill is something I've been using for six years. It's not really suited for me anymore."
Tang San frowned. "Not suited for you? But isn't it your first soul skill?"
Su Ming shrugged nonchalantly. "What are you talking about? It's been six years. Of course, I've improved it. Didn't you notice I didn't even summon my soul ring just now?"
Tang San froze. Now that Su Ming mentioned it, it was true—he hadn't seen Su Ming's soul ring appear during the attack.
Internally, Tang San felt bitter. Is the gap between people really this wide? His first soul skill was still the same old Binding, but Su Ming had been refining his skills continuously.
Xiao Wu, suppressing a giggle, knew that Su Ming's first soul skill wasn't even a defense skill. It was a pure enhancement skill! Su Ming was just bluffing to mess with Tang San.
Su Ming noticed Xiao Wu stifling her laughter and gave her a subtle glare, to which she playfully stuck out her tongue.
Suddenly, Su Ming's first soul ring appeared. He clasped his hands together and shouted, "First soul skill, Wood Release: Tree Shield!"
Immediately, a shield made of intertwined wooden vines sprouted from the floor. It was a smaller version, as a full-size one wouldn't fit in the room.
However, even this small shield was impressive. After this experiment, Tang San would likely need a new room because the current one was getting wrecked.
Looking at Su Ming's new defense, Tang San could tell right away that it was much stronger than before. Its thickness, structure, and overall durability were far beyond the previous version.
With determination, Tang San shot another Dragon Beard Needle at it, hoping for the same result as before. Unfortunately, things didn't go as he expected.
The Dragon Beard Needle lodged itself halfway into the shield, twisted, and shattered. The shield, though damaged, remained mostly intact.
And just like that, within seconds, the shield repaired itself, leaving Tang San in shock.
What kind of defense is this? he thought. Even the Dragon Beard Needle, one of the top hidden weapons of the Tang Sect, couldn't break through it!
Su Ming was more than satisfied with the result. The Tree Shield was only a mid-level wood-based defense, not even on par with the higher-tier techniques like those used by the legendary Hashirama Senju.
Yet, with the enhancement from his first soul skill—doubling its toughness and increasing its life energy by 50%—it had successfully withstood the Dragon Beard Needle. Su Ming couldn't have asked for more.