Chapter 113 - Rabbit Warrior

Rabbit Kicks the Hawk.

Simply put, this move follows the same principle as the saying "a cornered rabbit will bite." When facing a predator and about to be caught, the rabbit suddenly stops or twists its body, arches its back, and uses its powerful hind legs to kick the pursuer in a sudden burst.

Xiao Wu's description of this Soft Bone Rabbit technique was much more detailed. She explained that it relies on the flexible thoracic spine for support—

In that instant, Zhou Qing could imagine how much pressure the lumbar spine would endure from the sudden deceleration.

But the Soft Bone Rabbit's flexible bones act like a loaded spring in this process. They don't collapse in fact, when Xiao Wu described this move, she accidentally let slip that a warm current would flow through her back at the moment of impact, enhancing the power.

That little detail couldn't have been guessed just by studying the Soft Bone Rabbit…

The mention of a "warm current" could only mean one thing: Xiao Wu is a Soft Bone Rabbit.

Though Tang San didn't seem to pick up on that...

Zhou Qing, on the other hand, began thinking about whether this move could also serve as a trigger to awaken the Soft Bone Rabbit's dormant bloodline.

Although he previously assumed that Xiao Wu's bloodline couldn't be stimulated after her transformation into a human, what if he was wrong?

After all, in the original work, before Xiao Wu reached full maturity, she sacrificed herself for Tang San and returned to her original form—a palm-sized Soft Bone Rabbit.

So maybe, just maybe, the Soft Bone Rabbit's bloodline still existed within her.

Moreover, in terms of practicality, this "Rabbit Kicks the Hawk" technique was far more useful than Charm. Rather than relying on mental interference to gain a brief advantage, it would be better to enhance her physical capabilities and reflexes.

Besides, didn't Xiao Wu say she wanted to become a warrior?

"Rabbit Kicks the Hawk? You mean Chest Bow?"

Her first soul skill, Waist Bow, essentially enhanced her lumbar spine strength and flexibility.

This Rabbit Kicks the Hawk skill mainly relied on the thoracic spine to absorb and reverse the inertia of an abrupt stop while running.

So although the lumbar region is still involved, the core force comes from the chest.

Thus, to match Waist Bow, this move had been dubbed Chest Bow by Xiao Wu.

"Chest Bow?"

Zhou Qing smiled and said, "That means your first soul skill relies mostly on your lumbar spine. Though the motion resembles a bow, in structure, it's more like a bowstring, so it should be called 'Waist String.'"

"A bow's frame is resilient but rigid. The string is what bends, stretches, and controls the force—it's far more flexible."

"So, if you want to maximize the power of your first soul skill, then your second should serve as the 'bow frame' to support that 'string.'"

"Chest Bow and Waist String—only together do they make a complete bow."

Thinking along this development path, Zhou Qing also considered the three key points along the spine: Tailbone Gate, Spinal Gate, and Jade Pillow Gate.

Given Xiao Wu's rapid cultivation as a transformed human, her body was likely fully connected through all meridians, and these three gates were likely unblocked.

If the Tailbone Gate and Spinal Gate could be integrated into her soul skills—Waist String and Chest Bow—the resulting power would be extraordinary.

The Tailbone Gate sits at the bottom of the sacral spine. Xiao Wu's Waist Bow enhanced strength and flexibility, and she primarily fought with her legs.

If she could master that gate, her legs would essentially become arrows launched from her Chest Bow and Waist String!

The Spinal Gate, of course, was already known as the core of soul power circulation—destined to become the power source for Xiao Wu's human bow.

And the final gate, the Jade Pillow Gate, was most important of all—it boosted mental energy.

No matter how strong her Chest Bow and Waist String were, she still needed to control them. So, her third soul skill would need to enhance her perception and combat awareness.

And coincidentally—

The Soft Bone Rabbit had just such a skill, named Focused Mind by Xiao Wu.

This skill was actually a prerequisite to performing Charm, but Zhou Qing found it far more practical than Charm itself!

"I only asked you to help me figure out my second soul skill, and now you're already planning my third?" Xiao Wu asked, shocked.

She didn't understand much about this "Tailbone Gate, Spinal Gate, Jade Pillow Gate" stuff, but after hearing Zhou Qing's analysis, she realized—

He was literally building her into a bow using her entire spine, with the sacrum and lumbar spine as the string, the thoracic spine as the bow's frame, and the cervical spine (the brain) as the control center.

He wanted her to become one with the bow.

And although this human bow wouldn't launch actual arrows, it would be built purely for close-quarters combat.

Xiao Wu was quite happy with that route.

She loved the feel of hand-to-hand battle.

"What about Soft Bone Lock and Explosive Eight-Stage Throw?" she asked, slightly worried.

If this path was followed, her Soft Bone Rabbit's space-type skills Teleportation and Void Phase could only be selected when she reached the sixth spirit ring (since a 100,000-year ring gives two skills).

But what about Invincible Golden Body?

That had been her favorite skill when she was still a soul beast—reliable and extremely useful.

But she didn't want to give up Void Phase or Teleportation, either.

Sigh… having too many good skills is also a kind of headache.

Zhou Qing saw Xiao Wu's Versailles-style sigh and guessed what was troubling her.

He simply said, "You can choose Eight-Stage Throw as your fourth skill. As for Soft Bone Lock—forget it. That one requires you to physically restrain enemies with body techniques. You'll never get a boyfriend if you use that."

Xiao Wu's face instantly turned red. She huffed, "With my charm, the line of people chasing me will stretch from the south of Douluo to the north! A guy like you is the one who'll never get a girlfriend!"

"I told you—I've got a crazy one chasing me right now. If it comes to it, I'll settle for her. Reproducing isn't that big a deal," Zhou Qing replied calmly, like reciting an old proverb.

"Hmph, then Tang San will be the one who never gets a girlfriend!" Xiao Wu snapped back, shifting the target.

Tang San: "???"

What did I do?!

And just like that, the three of them bickered all the way back to Dorm Seven.

That night.

After everyone in Dorm Seven had fallen asleep including Xiao Wu—Tang San, who slept right beside Zhou Qing, quietly asked:

"Can soul ring skills be chosen?"

Soul ring skills are always derived from the soul beast's innate abilities.

If the soul beast's traits match the martial soul very closely, the chance of obtaining its core ability is highest.

Otherwise, if the attributes or form differ too much, you'd only get some minor or side skill—and absorbing it would hurt more.

Xiao Wu insisted all six of her early soul rings come from Soft Bone Rabbits. She was so stubborn that even Tang San couldn't change her mind…

Sure, her martial soul was indeed the Soft Bone Rabbit, but—How could she guarantee that she wouldn't just end up with repeated skills from each rabbit soul ring?