Tree Climbing and Water Walking, Once Again

Yu Xiaogang got up and walked over, rubbing Snowball's tiger head as he looked her over from head to toe. Once Tuanzi grew a little bigger, he could ride her. Just imagining it felt imposing.

"Ah, Tuanzi! You've gotten so big now that your master won't be able to hold you anymore! Still, you look so mighty and domineering now!"

He pressed his forehead against Snowball's and sighed, his left hand feeling the explosive muscles beneath her fur while his right hand lightly scratched beneath her chin.

Snowball narrowed her eyes in comfort. Hearing her master complain that she had become too big, she shot him a disdainful glance. Golden light flickered around her body as she gradually shrank, becoming even smaller than before.

Snowball leaped onto his shoulder, rubbed against him affectionately, let out a few soft whimpers, and stuck out her pink little tongue to lick her paw. Then she pointed at her mouth to indicate that she was hungry and wanted food.

"Alright, alright! Today brings double happiness! Eat whatever you want on the second floor of the cafeteria. There'll be more than enough soul beast meat!"

Yu Xiaogang spoke with a doting expression, gave Tuanzi a rub, and turned around. Only then did he notice that Ron was not in the office. Perhaps Ron had gone out and closed the door so as not to disturb him during his breakthrough. Who knew where he had run off to.

But filling Tuanzi's stomach was the most important thing now. He headed straight to the second floor of the Academy Cafeteria and generously ordered the most expensive and finest dishes, filling an entire table.

Snowball stared at the feast and inhaled its fragrance. Unable to bear it any longer, she jumped down from his shoulder. With a flash of golden light, she returned to her normal size and began wolfing down the meat, crunching the bones to bits and swallowing them along with it.

Yu Xiaogang felt as though he were watching a food stream, and it made him even hungrier. He joined in as well. It was just the noon break, and students and teachers gradually began arriving at the cafeteria to eat, only to witness an astonishing sight.

The man and tiger devoured food like Taotie. Empty plates piled beside them until they were nearly as tall as a person, leaving behind the legend of the cafeteria Taotie at the academy for years to come.

After eating his fill, Yu Xiaogang carried Tuanzi around until he arrived at a newly cleared patch of open ground in the Academy Small Woods. Like a foreman, he inspected the area once.

"Not bad. Now that we have a training ground, classes will begin tomorrow. Let me try Naruto's training methods first. Deep Blue, help me record everything."

After giving the order to Deep Blue in his mind, he set Tuanzi atop the Plum Blossom Poles. Taking a deep breath, he walked over to a newly transplanted tree thick enough for two people to wrap their arms around.

He began using his Mental Power to guide Soul Power to the soles of his feet, creating an adhesive force as he stepped onto the tree trunk.

Crack! Crack!

"Uh... I used too much Soul Power. Deep Blue, I need your help. Activate Thought Acceleration mode!"

His idea had been beautiful, but when he actually tried it, the adhesive force generated by the Soul Power under his foot instantly shattered the bark. He left a deep footprint on the poor innocent tree.

"Understood! Master is now activating the Third Soul Ring skill. Please prepare yourself! Don't keep it active for too long, Master, or your head will start throbbing painfully."

Deep Blue spoke worriedly in his mind, then waved her little hand. The Deep Purple Soul Ring on the Phone Martial Soul lit up.

Yu Xiaogang felt the Soul Power circulating through his body speed up, while his mind suddenly felt light and clear, like taking a huge gulp of iced cola in the middle of summer. It was his first time using Thought Acceleration, and he could not help closing his eyes to savor the sensation.

Once he closed his eyes, the world seemed to suddenly become quiet. He could feel the warmth of sunlight shining upon his body, hear the wind brushing through leaves in the distance, and catch the even more distant sounds of students playing around.

Yu Xiaogang opened his eyes and discovered that the entire world had slowed down. No—it was his thoughts that had sped up. He found that he could now easily control the direction in which every trace of Soul Power flowed, then stepped onto the tree trunk again.

This time, he adhered to the trunk with ease. The Soul Power between his feet and the bark remained extremely stable. He then lifted his other foot and stepped onto the trunk, standing directly on the vertical tree.

Yu Xiaogang found the sensation wonderfully strange and began walking toward the treetop one step at a time. When he was roughly five meters above the ground, he turned and looked down, seeing Snowball raising her head with her mismatched eyes wide as she stared blankly at her master.

He smiled knowingly and stamped his foot. Soul Power circulated through his legs, generating a repulsive force, and he drifted lightly to the ground. After landing on the tips of his toes and steadying himself, he recalled the different sensations from the flow of Soul Power just now.

"Deep Blue, record this in the files. After Soul Power combines with Mental Power, it becomes like an extension of the body, making it easier to control than Soul Power alone."

Yu Xiaogang narrowed his eyes slightly as he recalled the feeling and spoke to Deep Blue.

"Understood! Deep Blue has recorded it in the database and has begun Deduction on the optimal mixing ratio between Mental Power and Soul Power," Deep Blue answered truthfully as she began the deduction.

"Mm. Then let's try water walking next. Water is much harder than a tree trunk."

After speaking to Deep Blue, Yu Xiaogang headed toward the newly completed Swimming Pool. It was simply a large pit dug into the ground and lined with huge stones, while spring water channeled from somewhere unknown flowed in from not far away.

Yu Xiaogang cautiously placed one foot on the water's surface. Even through his shoe, his foot sank straight down, and only stopped when the water had covered the top of his foot.

He felt that the water's buoyancy was insufficient to support him on the surface, so he increased his Soul Power Output. His foot slowly rose until it was level with the water's surface, and once the Soul Power stabilized, he stepped down with his other foot.

Yu Xiaogang worked hard to maintain the circulation and output of Soul Power, standing steadily upon the water as he rose and fell with its movement. He slowly took a step forward and sank slightly.

Yu Xiaogang frowned and increased the output of Soul Power. He began walking step by step across the glittering water, but the moment his emotions surged, his entire body suddenly sank.

Startled, he stabilized his Soul Power Output and looked at his already wet pant legs. He could not help sighing that he could not get carried away. This was only the beginning. He then tested walking, running, and jumping on water here.

Seeing that her master could run across the water, Snowball could not help running over to try it herself. Without thinking, she leaped straight into the Swimming Pool.

With a splash, the entire tiger sank straight down. Yu Xiaogang burst into heartless laughter at the sight, while Tuanzi quickly swam back to the surface.

When Snowball saw her master laughing at her, she became annoyed. Returning to her normal size, she pounced toward him like a tiger. Yu Xiaogang's laughter immediately turned into a cry of alarm.

"Ah! Tuanzi, you're too heavy when you're this big! I can barely hold on now." Yu Xiaogang hugged the soaking-wet Tuanzi while desperately maintaining the balance between his Soul Power and the water's surface.

He still could not maintain it. His Soul Power began to scatter, and Tuanzi pressed him straight into the water. After he swam up and surfaced, he saw the amusement in Tuanzi's eyes and could not help feeling that smiles did not disappear; they merely transferred.

Yu Xiaogang and Snowball climbed ashore together, and Tuanzi immediately began wildly shaking her fur, spraying him in the face with water droplets again. He gave a wry smile. Who would have thought Tuanzi was so vengeful? He had only laughed at her for becoming a drenched tiger, and she had already played a little prank on her master.

Yu Xiaogang circulated the Life Nurturing Skill's Soul Power and instantly steamed his clothes dry. Carrying the shrunken Tuanzi, he planned to return to the dormitory for a hot bath, then sort through the data Deep Blue had just recorded and prepare to give the Douluo Natives a little shock tomorrow.

He hoped the Elite Class would be formed soon, so he could finally spread his wings.

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