As everyone looked on, Ning Rongrong suddenly fainted. Zhu Zhuqing caught her in time, somewhat puzzled by how Rongrong passed out so suddenly—this must have been Su Ming's doing. Zhu Zhuqing nodded at Su Ming and placed Rongrong on the wooden dragon.
Tang San, too, was surprised. He had sensed a powerful mental energy wave just now and realized that Su Ming's spiritual power was quite advanced!
In fact, Ning Rongrong wasn't truly unconscious. She was just going along with the act. Su Ming had underestimated her mental strength, which had been enhanced by the system. Since Su Ming had controlled the strength of his mental attack to avoid causing her a headache later, she didn't actually faint.
Oscar had mixed feelings about Su Ming. When Su Ming first joined the academy, he had gifted Oscar a soul tool for storage and even renovated his dorm room. But over time, Oscar noticed a subtle shift in their relationship—was it when he told Su Ming about his intention to pursue Ning Rongrong? That seemed to be when Su Ming started treating him differently. Their relationship became strained after that.
To make matters worse, Su Ming had recently pointed out the shortcomings of his flying mushroom sausage in front of everyone. While Oscar knew that Su Ming was right, he couldn't help but feel resentful. He had wanted his spirit skill to impress everyone, especially Ning Rongrong, but now it was seen as less effective, leaving him feeling frustrated and dissatisfied.
As for Tang San, he felt a mixture of gratitude and relief. Su Ming had suppressed him for years, but now, with Su Ming facing the Titan Giant Ape, Tang San believed he would not survive. If Su Ming died, perhaps Xiao Wu could finally be his sister—or maybe even something more. Tang San's feelings for Xiao Wu had been growing, and he realized he could no longer suppress them.
Seeing that Xiao Wu hadn't retreated but was still standing beside Su Ming, Tang San urgently called out, "Xiao Wu, teleport here quickly! Don't let Su Ming's efforts go to waste!"
But Xiao Wu didn't respond to Tang San's cries. She was planning to return to Star Dou Forest with Su Ming anyway, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. She thought of it like bringing a boyfriend home to meet the family. If only her mother were still alive, she wished Su Ming could meet her too. Xiao Wu had faith that Su Ming would one day have the power to resurrect her mother, though she worried about the unknown side effects of such an endeavor.
Though a lot had just transpired, everything happened quickly as time was of the essence.
Er Ming, the Titan Giant Ape, seeing the situation unfold, didn't interfere. He glanced at Su Ming and Xiao Wu. His task was complete, and it was time to leave.
Er Ming reached out his massive hand toward Su Ming. Su Ming resisted slightly, pretending his spirit power was running low, and allowed himself to be captured, his face paling as he feigned exhaustion.
As he was grabbed, Su Ming shouted to the others, "Hurry, get out of here!"
The wooden dragon shot off at high speed, carrying the group away. Ning Rongrong, who was pretending to be unconscious, could clearly feel her soul power quickly recovering. She figured the wooden dragon must be transferring some of Su Ming's soul power to her—a feature Su Ming must have built into the skill. The wooden dragon could absorb and redistribute soul power, after all.
Being held in the Titan Giant Ape's massive hand, Su Ming couldn't help but feel the pressure of its grip. Despite his decent physical strength, it wasn't enough to endure Er Ming's raw power. He mentally cursed Er Ming for not being gentler.
What Su Ming didn't know was that Er Ming had already eased his grip significantly—otherwise, Su Ming would have been in much worse shape.
Xiao Wu, seeing Su Ming captured, pretended to panic and teleported to his side, repeatedly kicking Er Ming's hand to no avail. Er Ming, confused by Xiao Wu's actions, stared blankly at her.
Eventually, Er Ming grabbed Xiao Wu in his other hand. Tang San, seeing this, panicked and shouted, "Xiao Wu, teleport away! Quickly!"
But Xiao Wu didn't escape. Tang San, confused, wondered why Xiao Wu wasn't using her teleportation skill. Did the Titan Giant Ape's domain restrict her movement? Could it be that the domain was suppressing her powers?
Tang San's eyes reddened as he grew more desperate. Seeing Xiao Wu attacking the Titan Giant Ape up close, knowing her strength couldn't even scratch it, was unbearable. He realized that Xiao Wu's feelings for Su Ming went far beyond sibling affection. If he didn't act soon, it might be too late!
Tang San was half right—Xiao Wu's teleportation was indeed restricted under the overwhelming pressure of a powerful soul beast. However, the Titan Giant Ape wasn't exerting that pressure on her, and its grip on her was much gentler than on Su Ming.
Xiao Wu had been playing her part well, but over the years, her feelings for Su Ming had gradually grown beyond that of a brother and sister. Having experienced Su Ming's care and kindness, Xiao Wu felt emotions that were deeper, more akin to romantic love.
The Titan Giant Ape watched as Zhao Wuji and the others were carried away by Su Ming's wooden dragon but didn't interfere. Then, carrying Xiao Wu and Su Ming, it turned and left.
Tang San, watching Xiao Wu being taken away, finally let his emotions burst forth. He realized he didn't just want Xiao Wu as a sister—he wanted her as a lover. When had these feelings started? Maybe it was from the moment he first laid eyes on her. As for Su Ming, Tang San didn't care. Now that he understood his true feelings, Su Ming's death would only make things easier. Perhaps then, Xiao Wu would be his.