Douluo Dalu 1: The Tang Family Rebel

As Xiao Wu's body spun rapidly in midair, she abruptly flipped backward, forcibly dragging the armor giant along with her. Her hands pressed against the ground as she executed a scissor kick. If this were an ordinary person, their neck would have been snapped by Xiao Wu's legs, and the resulting slam would have landed them headfirst on the ground. Using the full force of her backward flip, she unleashed her all in this strike.

"Little bunny, who gave you the courage to compete with a Battle Soul Master in physical strength?" Yun Chuan's exasperated voice echoed from within the armor giant. Was this ten-thousand-year-old rabbit crazy? With her current fragile body, she dared to challenge a Soul Sage in raw strength?

Suddenly, Xiao Wu felt her spinning body freeze in place. Her legs could no longer move the opponent beneath her. A tremendous force surged upward, and her previously backward-leaning body was forcibly pulled forward.

With a loud bang, the vines binding the armor giant shattered and scattered everywhere. Its feet landed firmly back on the ground.

At this moment, the others' attacks arrived as well.

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding—

A series of crisp sounds rang out from behind the armor giant. Taking advantage of the distraction, Xiao Wu tapped her toes lightly on the giant's shoulders and flipped gracefully over its back. Her scorpion braid darted downward like a snake, coiling around the giant's left ankle as her entire body exerted force.

The sharp sounds came from Zhu Zhuqing's attack. From the moment she dashed out, her speed was fully displayed. As an Agility-Type Battle Soul Master, her swiftness was extraordinary, even leaving Dai Mubai watching in awe.

What was even more terrifying was that Zhu Zhuqing's movements were entirely silent. She attacked stealthily, without any energy fluctuations or the sound of breaking through the air.

After activating her martial soul possession, Zhu Zhuqing's cat claws turned into sharp spikes, unlike Dai Mubai's tiger claws, which were more blade-like. Her eyes also transformed—her left eye became dark green, and her right eye turned light blue. Her long hair lay naturally against her back, and her movements left behind faint afterimages, making it nearly impossible to pinpoint her exact position.

Her attacks were precise and well-timed. She struck just as the armor giant broke free from Tang San's Blue Silver Grass and pulled Xiao Wu back, during the brief moment of relaxation when its strength was at its weakest.

However, the difference in strength wasn't something that could be bridged easily.

Although the armor giant was a casual creation of Yun Chuan, its defensive and destructive capabilities were truly at the level of a Soul Sage. Zhu Zhuqing's attacks were far from enough to break through its defenses.

The armor giant, though it appeared to be made of plants, was far tougher than steel. Even with her full-strength strikes, Zhu Zhuqing's cat claws could only scratch the surface slightly.

This astonishing defensive power left Tang San deeply shocked. For the first time, he began to question the knowledge his teacher had imparted. Was Blue Silver Grass really so fragile? How had this teacher turned the fragile Blue Silver Grass into something harder than steel?

If he could learn from this teacher... perhaps his cultivation of Blue Silver Grass could advance to a whole new level!

Xiao Wu's grappling techniques were completely ineffective against the armor giant. No matter how much force she applied, she couldn't make it budge. Even when she flipped backward and struck the giant's knee joint with her hands, it had no effect.

Xiao Wu grew increasingly anxious but found herself powerless against her opponent. The problem wasn't that her grappling techniques weren't strong, but that they were perfectly countered by the armor giant.

The skill granted by Xiao Wu's first spirit ring required her to control her opponent's body with flexibility to unleash its full potential, effectively delivering a one-hit kill. But her strength was far inferior to that of the armor giant. Even with Tang San's assistance, it was impossible for her to control a Soul Sage-level opponent unless her own soul power reached the same level. Against a strength-type opponent like the giant, her grappling was the least effective—it was simply no contest.

At this moment, Tang San made his move without hesitation. He dashed forward, and thick vines reappeared, wrapping around the armor giant again. Although the vines were easily torn apart, they managed to hinder it momentarily.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhu Zhuqing continued to assist from the side, her cat claws slashing at various parts of the armor giant's body in an attempt to find the weak spot it had mentioned earlier, hoping to dismantle the seemingly indestructible giant.

Meanwhile, as the Blue Silver Grass entangled the armor giant and Zhu Zhuqing provided a distraction, Tang San closed in and suddenly punched toward the giant's chest.

"Hmm…"

A soft chuckle came from the area near the armor giant's mouth. It stopped trying to break free from the vines and puffed out its chest, clearly wanting to test Tang San's strength.

A glimmer of light flashed in Tang San's eyes. The armor giant soon realized, to its surprise, that Tang San's seemingly full-force punch landed on its chest as light as a feather. Because the giant had concentrated its soul power on its chest, it suddenly felt a sense of misplaced force.

"How interesting... Is this the so-called Controlling Crane Catching Dragon technique?" Yun Chuan thought, astonished. The concept of using minimal force to guide greater strength was intriguing, but that was all it was.

While Tang San and Xiao Wu's strength alone wasn't enough to move the giant, it was a different story if the giant's own strength was redirected.

Tang San's right fist suddenly turned into an open palm, pulling back as he activated the Controlling Crane Catching Dragon technique. He used the instant when the armor giant's force was misapplied to guide its massive body into a forward stumble. At the same time, Tang San's right foot extended to strike the tip of the giant's foot.

No matter how sturdy the armor giant's physique was, it lost its balance in this situation.

Tang San's precise timing was no less impressive than Zhu Zhuqing's. Using the ingenuity of Controlling Crane Catching Dragon, he effectively combined his own strength with the giant's to shift its massive body.

"Rise!"

Tang San shouted loudly, his arms exerting great strength as he suddenly lifted the armor giant's massive body.

"Xiao Wu."

For the first time, the armor giant was completely off the ground, and Xiao Wu's skills finally had a chance to take effect. Her long legs instantly wrapped around the giant's waist, and her hands grabbed its ankle. The light from her first spirit ring burst forth, and she spun the giant's body violently in the air for three full rotations, causing its head to face downward before slamming heavily into the ground.

Although Zhu Zhuqing's previous attacks had failed to cause any real damage, they had nonetheless disrupted the armor giant's ability to respond. With the combined efforts of the three, they finally managed to land a decisive strike.

Just before the armor giant's body crashed to the ground, a thick Blue Silver Grass vine coiled around Xiao Wu's waist, pulling her upward. The armor giant, with its head facing down, crashed into the ground while Xiao Wu was lifted by Tang San's Blue Silver Grass and gently spun in the air, landing gracefully.

Boom!!!

The enormous body of the armor giant, crafted by Yun Chuan, slammed into the ground with tremendous force. Its entire head sank deep into the earth.

Xiao Wu floated down and landed perfectly on Tang San's shoulder. She balanced herself on one foot on his right shoulder, her arms stretched out to keep her body steady, breathing heavily. She had just used all of her strength in that attack, and without Tang San's clever use of Controlling Crane Catching Dragon, she wouldn't have been able to complete the killing move that combined two of her spirit ring skills.

"Little San, do you think we went a bit too hard?" Xiao Wu asked nervously.

Tang San shook his head and glanced at the incense burning on the ground. At that moment, the incense had only burned down by a third. Despite this, the trio—Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing—had given their all, using every trick they knew.

Tang San quickly retracted the Blue Silver Grass that had been parasitizing the armor giant. He didn't want his Blue Silver Grass to be destroyed again by the opponent. Although the soul power consumed by the Blue Silver Grass wasn't much, repeated destruction still drained a considerable amount of his soul power.

Yun Chuan controlled the armor giant's arms to press against the ground, pulling its head out of the dirt. He vigorously shook its head, scattering the dirt.

The armor giant stood up again, appearing completely unharmed. Clearly, despite the impressive display by Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing, their efforts had been completely ineffective. The difference in strength between the two sides was simply too vast.

The defense of a Soul Sage was not something that could be easily broken.

"Interesting. Come on, let's continue," Yun Chuan said, controlling the armor giant as it took large steps toward Tang San and Xiao Wu. Their previous coordinated effort had left a deep impression on him.

"Xiao Wu, Meteor Hammer," Tang San called out sharply.

Xiao Wu tapped her toes on Tang San's shoulder and flew out once more. This time, she didn't lead with her hands but with her feet, aiming straight for the armor giant's head.

At the same time, dozens of Blue Silver Grass vines shot out from around Tang San's body, rushing from different directions to wrap around the armor giant.

The armor giant didn't even try to dodge; it simply raised its hand to slap at Xiao Wu. However, before Xiao Wu reached it, her body suddenly changed direction, and the slap missed.

She passed by the giant's side, delivering a powerful kick to its shoulder. The Meteor Hammer technique was a variation of the hidden weapon Meteor Hammer. With the assistance of Blue Silver Grass, Tang San controlled Xiao Wu's movements in the air, allowing her to execute her attack. Unfortunately, the armor giant's defense was just too strong. Although it wasn't particularly agile, moving its massive body was no easy feat.

Common hidden weapons are classified into four categories: hand-thrown, mechanical launch, cord-based, and drug-spraying. Weapons like the Meteor Hammer, Red Rope Lasso, and Flying Claws belong to the cord-based category. While they lack the subtlety of other types of hidden weapons, their attacking power and special effects are unmatched.

Yun Chuan, controlling the armor giant from within, was stunned by the kick. This Tang San truly lived up to his reputation as the protagonist of the original story. His strange and unexpected techniques were indeed numerous. However, they were all useless. In the face of absolute strength, all tricks and clever moves were futile.

(The End of the Chapter)