Working Together

Master's calm words immediately dispelled Fu Hua's desire to investigate further. Wearing the bracelet, she moved her feet slowly, yet she truly began walking.

Behind her, Master was shocked, though his eyes held a trace of gratification.

Just as I thought. If anyone in this world can use this thing, it must be Fu Hua.

This ordinary white bracelet was the Gravity Bracelet Fu Hua had always wanted but never obtained. Due to a momentary oversight by its creator, the bracelet's initial gravity was not something an ordinary Soul Master could withstand.

Only someone with the strength of a Soul Emperor could barely endure it at first. In the original creator's words—

"If that person were in this world, she would definitely be the only one who could wear it."

Ever since she had disappeared, Master had kept this bracelet as a collectible. He had thought it would gather dust forever, but Fu Hua's appearance allowed Master to see hope once more.

If it was her, she would surely be able to save you!

Master had always believed that without a doubt.

His eyes solemn, Master watched Fu Hua's back as she slowly began to run. His hands clenched tightly into fists.

"Just wait a little longer. Once she grows stronger, she definitely will be able to..."

A bird swept across the horizon, with fiery red plumes and scarlet eyes. Watching the figure gradually recede into the distance, it let out a clear, ringing cry—a joyous reunion.

The round trip from Shrek to Suotuo City was over ten kilometers, and Master had already prepared weights for everyone. Each basket contained stones of different sizes, their weight precisely at each person's limit.

Even Fu Hua, who had been ordered to wear the Gravity Ring, was no exception. The stones in the basket on her back were even larger than those carried by Dai Mubai and the other boys.

The Gravity Ring's initial gravity was roughly equivalent to ten tons. Normally, only Soul Masters at the Soul Emperor level, and those specializing in strength and defense, could barely move under it. Yet after Fu Hua adapted to the initial gravity, her speed returned to normal.

Looking at her now, no one would have imagined that she was carrying ten times the gravity, with a basket even heavier than Dai Mubai's and the others'. Fu Hua's steps grew heavy once more.

She paced forward gradually to adapt, following behind the group.

Dai Mubai and Tang San ran at the front, followed by Xiao Wu, Ma Hongjun, Oscar, and the others. Fu Hua was at the very back, actually running even slower than Ning Rongrong.

However, judging by her completely unchanged expression, she was clearly very relaxed.

Dai Mubai and Tang San, who had run ahead, already had a thin sheen of sweat on their foreheads. Fu Hua's forehead, meanwhile, remained perfectly smooth. When it came to stamina, she was the best among the eight.

"What's wrong, Tang San? Ten round trips isn't short. That's more than ten kilometers," Dai Mubai asked doubtfully as he watched Tang San stop.

"Mubai, do you remember? Before we set off, Teacher said that we were a whole. He required us to complete this punishment together. Look, Zhuqing and Rongrong are being punished alongside us too. Aside from Fu Hua and me having to run twenty round trips, all of you must complete it as well.

"Based on my understanding of Teacher, this isn't just punishment. He also wants us to train our bodies. Just yesterday, Teacher told me that the body is the foundation of a Soul Master. The reason I could absorb the Man Faced Demon Spider Soul Ring above my level was related to my physical condition.

"More importantly, this punishment is probably also a test from Teacher. What he wants to test is our unity as a group. We are one whole. In terms of stamina, Fu Hua is the strongest. Even twenty round trips with weights would be no problem for her. But look—why is she running alongside Ning Rongrong right now? On one hand, it conserves her strength. On the other, she sees us as one whole, so she follows Ning Rongrong, the slowest among us, to ensure that the entire team can complete the punishment."

As Master's only disciple, Tang San naturally understood Master best. After hearing him out, Dai Mubai slowly nodded.

"That's probably it. Then once they catch up, let's discuss a plan first."

Soon, the others caught up. Tang San explained his thoughts about today's punishment again.

Oscar frowned slightly.

"I think Tang San is right. Master is probably testing us. Our weights are different, so Master must have deliberately calculated the limits of what each of us can endure. People like Fu Hua, Tang San, and Boss Dai should be able to finish while staying within their limits. They might even have some strength left over. Fatty should be right at his limit. Naturally, some of us exceed our limits. Only by working together can we possibly finish. As for those weights beyond our limits, I'm probably one of them, and Rongrong is another."

By the end, a bitter expression appeared on his face. They had only run two kilometers, yet he already felt the basket on his back becoming heavier and heavier. Sweat had appeared on his forehead, and there was still such a long way ahead. He knew he definitely would not be able to hold on.

Ma Hongjun said carelessly, "How about we cheat? We can secretly eat some of Little Ao's Recovery Sausages. Why worry about running out of stamina?"

"Cheat?"

Oscar shot Fatty an irritated glare. He was a smart man; he would never do something so foolish.

"Fatty, let me ask you one thing. Can you be sure Master didn't have other teachers watching us? If we get caught cheating, the punishment probably won't be this simple anymore. Besides, Master must have some deeper purpose for punishing us like this. It'll only benefit us. Right now, we need to find a way to conserve as much stamina as possible."

"Teacher told us to run with weights and not use Soul Power, but the total weight carried by the eight of us hasn't changed. As long as we bring these weights along and complete the punishment, that should be enough. Oscar, give me your stones," Tang San suddenly said.

Oscar froze for a moment, then grinned.

"Good brother, but there's no need yet. How about this? From now on, the eight of us run at the speed of whoever is slowest. That way, everyone can stay together, and maintaining a steady pace uses the least stamina. Once someone can't hold on anymore, we can help each other adjust the weights. That way, we can conserve as much strength as possible. What do you think?"

Ning Rongrong smiled from the side. "Little Ao, I didn't realize you were so clever."

"Didn't you know I was called the Clever Little Prince when I was young? This is nothing!"

Who would go digging into your childhood?

Tang San looked toward Fu Hua as if seeking her opinion.

Fu Hua pondered briefly, then nodded. "I agree with Little Ao's method."

"Good. Then we'll follow Little Ao's plan. We'll run at a steady pace matching the slowest person, and if anyone runs out of strength later, we'll adjust the weights," the impatient Dai Mubai declared, making the final decision.

With that, they resumed their long run.

Without question, among them, Oscar and Ning Rongrong, as Support System Soul Masters, had the weakest stamina. Everyone followed their pace, running steadily toward Suotuo City.

They completed the first round trip at this steady pace.

Ning Rongrong and Oscar, the two with the weakest stamina, were already drenched in sweat. Though Soul Power's strengthening of their bodies had helped to some extent, the two support Soul Masters still felt utterly exhausted under such intense weighted running.

The others were doing somewhat better, though their faces showed slight fatigue as sweat streamed down their temples.

Fu Hua's breathing remained long and steady. Even one round trip like this was only a little more than twice her usual training. Though the weight she carried was heavier than everyone else's, it still could not overcome her own recovery ability.

Running at a steady pace gave her plenty of time to recover, so if anyone was the most relaxed right now, it could only be Fu Hua.

Still not enough. This kind of training isn't even half as intense as at St. Freya Academy, Fu Hua thought to herself.

Quietly, she doubled the gravity setting on her wristband again. It was now at eleven times gravity, while the stones in the frame on her back still weighed thirty kilograms.

Her steps sank once more, and her speed dropped sharply, but she adapted and continued following behind Ning Rongrong.

The group soon caught sight of the academy gates. Master was waiting there, with a large wooden barrel beside him filled to the brim with salt water.

After intense exercise, excessive dehydration could easily cause shock. At a time like this, salt water was the best replenishment.

"Each of you, drink some water, then keep going."

Under Master's supervision, each of them was only allowed a cup of warm water before he immediately urged them back onto the road of punishment.

As time passed, the sun overhead gradually drew closer to its peak, and the temperature rose accordingly. After drinking the salt water, everyone recovered some of their strength. Other than Fu Hua, who felt nothing at all, the rest all sensed their stamina returning to varying degrees.

Watching the students' receding backs, Master stood there expressionlessly. Yet when he saw that they had returned together, a trace of satisfaction could not help but surface in the depths of his eyes.

He lifted the large barrel and headed back into the academy.

At this moment, he was not merely an instructor teaching students, but also an elder concerned for them. What he wanted was not to abuse his students, but to give them genuine training.

The second time, the third time, the fourth time...

Every time they returned, they saw Master at the academy gates, along with that ever-present barrel of warm water.

That warm water seemed like some heavenly spring, miraculously allowing Oscar and Ning Rongrong to endure four round trips. But that was their limit.

By now, Fu Hua's load had reached fifteen times its original weight. Her breathing remained long and steady, and the tiny beads of sweat on her forehead were only due to the midday heat.

"Xiao Ao, give me your stones," Tang San said to Oscar.

At this point, Oscar did not resist in the slightest.

Fu Hua, who had been following behind Ning Rongrong all along, also extended a hand to her. She took the stones, whose weight was practically negligible to her, and continued following Ning Rongrong without any change in her pace.

Whether it was Dai Mubai or Tang San, both could not help but look shocked as they watched Fu Hua, who had silently remained at the rear the entire time.

After all, everyone else was drenched in sweat by now, while Fu Hua's clothes remained as clean as ever. The only sweat on her forehead was a few droplets brought on by the midday temperature.

Her breath was long and unbroken, like endlessly rolling waves.

This was already the fifth round trip! Yet she still seemed completely at ease.

Everyone had no choice but to admire her. Fu Hua's formidable strength was undoubtedly inseparable from the intensity of her own training. Master's training had already exhausted them to this degree, so just how monstrous must Fu Hua's personal training have been?

All they could say was that with an unbreakable body, there was no problem no matter how hard one trained!

The weight in Fu Hua's frame changed to thirty-five kilograms, with gravity at sixteen times normal.

Whenever Fu Hua adapted to the current gravity, she would unconsciously raise it by another level, and once gravity could no longer meet her needs, she would raise it yet again.

Through this repeated cycle, Fu Hua's body, already tempered like jade, continued to improve at a slow pace. The violet-white energy that had long settled within her stirred again, endlessly tempering her meridians, bones, and skin.

The more it was tempered, the purer the violet-white energy became, and the more astonishing its tempering effects grew.

Her meridians were as resilient as silk, her bones crystalline as jade, and her skin soft and tender as water.

Within Fu Hua's seemingly slender body lay tremendous strength that could make anyone tremble. She stayed silent until the moment she astonished the world.

The fifth, sixth, seventh...

Three more round trips ended under such circumstances. By the time the eighth round trip began, nearly four hours had passed. The sun had already moved beyond its peak, and noon was over.

Which meant they would not be getting lunch, Fu Hua mused wildly.

Well then! At this moment, Fu Hua was the only one still relaxed enough to let her thoughts wander.

The gravity had reached twenty times normal, and the weight in her frame had increased to fifty kilograms. During this time, she had not returned the stones to their original owners. Besides, with how relaxed Fu Hua looked, she truly did not seem as though she could not bear it.

In any case, even without loads, Ning Rongrong and Oscar were barely managing after seven round trips. Their stones had long since been moved into Fu Hua's frame, along with one of Zhu Zhuqing's.

Even so, they still looked incredibly bedraggled. Their faces were flushed red, sweat soaked large patches of their clothes, and each time they lifted their feet, clear wet footprints were left on the ground.

The first one unable to continue was Ma Hongjun. His fat body seemed to have shrunk by a full size after such a long run.

He stopped, panting heavily and bracing himself on his knees as sweat dripped from his chin.

"I can't do it anymore."

Helpless, the others had no choice but to stop as well.

They looked at one another in silence, deliberately ignoring a certain spotless girl. Other than Fu Hua, everyone's clothes had long been soaked through with sweat. Zhu Zhuqing was the most alluring of them all. Though she was the youngest, she was the most developed among the four girls. Her drenched clothes clung tightly to her body, outlining one startling curve after another.

The scene from that morning flashed through Fu Hua's mind again. She shifted her gaze and stared straight ahead, looking as proper as could be.

PS: I'm very proper. No author is more proper than me.

PS1: I created a new volume. Any announcements in the future will be posted there, so remember to check it!

PS2: Also, since I've never actually trained before, I'm unfamiliar with things like units of measurement. In short, Lord Fu Hua is very strong, and that's all that matters.