Chapter 376 You're the One with the Fancy but Ineffective Moves!_1
"Sister, stop causing trouble," Huo Wushuang said helplessly. The person standing before them was evidently no ordinary individual, with an extraordinary presence. Surely, he was not someone his sister should provoke. Wasn't she deliberately courting disaster?
The other members of the Blazing Fire Team were, however, used to this scene. Huo Wu had always been incredibly proud and competitive, preferring to spar with others even before this encounter.
"Bro, just leave it alone. I'm doing this for the good of Tianshui College. Otherwise, if someone pretending to be a teacher can come and go as they please, who knows what might happen?" Huo Wu waved her hand dismissively, staring at Xu Ran.
"You release your Martial Soul and attack first," said Huo Wu grandly.
"Are you sure? I think you should go first. I'm afraid you'll be done for as soon as I make a move," Xu Ran said with a slight chuckle. Huo Wu's talent was indeed not bad. In the original story, aside from those from Shrek Academy and Martial Soul Academy, the other college geniuses were at best evenly matched with her.
However, it seemed she had a pursuer named Feng Xiaotian, with innate full soul power, who was also quite a figurehead.
"How arrogant."
Huo Wu huffed, stamping her foot. She had never encountered anyone so dismissive of her before.
Even if her talent wasn't the very top in the continent, it was still among the stronger ones, wasn't it? Until now, no one had dared to disdain her like this. Of course, this was only among the younger generation; she wouldn't foolishly challenge the older predecessors.
And yet, here was this young man before her, making such audacious claims.
At that moment, Xu Ran's demeanor was nonchalant, which to the spirited Huo Wu, appeared to be an expression of scorn.
This made her feel extremely defiant.
"To look down on me like that, you're finished," Huo Wu snorted, Unleashing her Martial Soul.
As her Martial Soul merged, a translucent orange silhouette identical to Huo Wu's form began to emerge behind her, the vague impression of a fire shadow radiating an ethereal aura.
Huo Wu's Martial Soul was named Fire Shadow, a shadow based on Huo Wu's own form. It was extremely special, enabling her to maximize the use of fire elements.
"Fiery Flame College, Huo Wu, forty-second level Soul Ancestor, Martial Soul Fire Shadow," Huo Wu reported her name and basic information with utmost propriety and then charged directly at Xu Ran.
She had already suggested he make the first move and had given him time; since he seemed so unconcerned, then she would simply end the fight quickly.
Huo Wu's form darted forward, a fragrant breeze blowing by, accompanied by her delicate fist.
As a Soul Ancestor, although Huo Wu was not a direct-attack class Soul Master, her momentum was by no means weak.
"Hey, be careful," Huo Wu warned, seeing no response from Xu Ran, worried that she might actually hurt him. Her punches slowed a tad due to her concern.
However, at this moment, Xu Ran merely lazily extended a finger.
"You! You infuriate me. How dare you look down on me like that. I am a Soul Ancestor," Huo Wu raged, incensed by Xu Ran's actions. Her pride couldn't tolerate being underestimated by anyone. She was Huo Wu, the top talent of Fiery Flame College, and even Shui Bing'er had been defeated by her…
With all her Soul Power surging forth, Huo Wu threw a fierce punch towards Xu Ran.
"Hiss." Everyone from Fiery Flame College inhaled sharply, looking at Xu Ran as if he were too stubborn for his own good.
With just a punch and extending a single finger, even a Soul Emperor wouldn't be particularly strong without Unleashing a Martial Soul.
What they didn't know was that, right now, even based solely on physical strength, Xu Ran could blow up a Titled Douluo without any trouble.
A fleeting moment passed,
The scene everyone imagined did not happen.
Huo Wu extended her fist and stood mid-air, reaching Xu Ran's finger, but then it didn't move.
Did Huo Wu's heart soften at the last moment?
"Huo Wu, put some strength into it."
"What happened? Did Huo Wu go soft-hearted? That's also possible. With that punch, unless you are truly one of the strongest, otherwise, you'd have to lie in bed for several days, and your fingers might be ruined."
"But that's not Huo Wu's style at all. Huo Wu is known for her fiery temper; she wouldn't just stop midway."
The members of Blazing Fire Team started their discussion, looking puzzled at Huo Wu. Huo Wushuang, on the other hand, wasn't so confident, knowing for sure that Xu Ran had caught Huo Wu's punch, and because she couldn't advance her punch any further, it looked like Huo Wu was holding back.
However, after a little while, as Huo Wu's face grew redder and redder, the members of Blazing Fire Team also sensed that something was amiss.
Huo Wu's cheeks were burning red. Seeing her teammates so confident in her made her wish she could find a hole to crawl into. To think that her all-out punch was easily caught by just one of someone else's fingers.
A great humiliation, truly a great humiliation.
Never having encountered such a situation before, Huo Wu's face turned so red it was feverish.
She had just bragged, and not even a minute later, she was directly slapped in the face, which was a blow to her self-esteem.
"Not bad, fancy moves but no substance, pretty good indeed," said Xu Ran with a smile as he wrapped Huo Wu's fist in his hand.
"You are the one with fancy moves but no substance," Huo Wu retorted, her face flushing as she struggled to pull her fist back. No matter how hard she tried, to the point of feeling like she would dislocate her arm, she couldn't pull it out.
"He must be some kind of monster. Why do I feel like even our college's teachers are not as strong as him?" Huo Wu muttered to herself. The thought that he had described her moves as fancy but with no substance turned her face red again.
Was she really that bad? Described as having fancy moves but no substance, she would show him today just how powerful they could be.
With a smirk on her lips, Huo Wu's beautiful eyes glanced in a certain direction. With a forceful tug, she tried to distract Xu Ran's attention with one hand while her long leg swiftly kicked toward Xu Ran. The target of her attack was... somewhat unorthodox.
Onlookers like Huo Wushuang watched Huo Wu's move with twitching lips; this time, it was a major loss of face.
"Let go quickly, or else..." Huo Wu spoke, a flower-like smile on her face, but the next moment, the smile on her face froze.
Xu Ran simply let go, and due to the loss of resistance, her body fell backward because of inertia.
"Ah!" Huo Wu's face turned pale in an instant, not expecting Xu Ran to let go at that moment.
Damn it, this is outrageous!
Just when she was covering her face with her hands to protect her cheeks from getting hurt, Xu Ran reached out and caught her small foot, clad in a sports boot, preventing Huo Wu from falling.
"I already said it was all flash, no substance, and you still didn't believe me," Xu Ran commented, his gaze sweeping over Huo Wu's body. In the struggle, her figure was perfectly revealed, and even in her school uniform, it was evident that she had a well-developed physique.
"I... I am a control-class Soul Master, not a direct-attack class or agile-attack class Soul Master. Close combat is not my strength. You didn't win fairly," Huo Wu said, face flushed from Xu Ran's comment, but she still wouldn't admit defeat. With her pride, it was impossible for her to say that she lost voluntarily.
"Oh," Xu Ran nodded and let go again.
"Plop." Huo Wu fell to the ground, but she was prepared this time and wasn't hurt.