A Familiar Scene

"That's enough!"

Yuan Luo set down the subdued Zhu Zhuqing, and Grandmaster gave the two of them another scolding.

"I'm deeply disappointed today. I don't believe you deserve the title of monsters at all. You're no different from the people outside."

Grandmaster lectured them with a stern face.

"Look at Yuan Luo. He didn't release his Soul Rings, yet his control over his Soul Power is excellent. Those attacks just now could all be considered Self-Created Soul Skills. Though they may be somewhat weaker than Soul Skills, against a powerful enemy, even briefly confusing them could turn the tide of battle."

"Now, all of you, go run. From the entrance to Suotuo City and back, ten round trips. No food until you finish. Tang San, as the control-type Soul Master, your mistake was the most serious. You'll do twelve round trips."

Tang San was the first to dash off. Once Grandmaster had spoken, there was no stopping him.

The others promptly ran out as well.

Yuan Luo hesitated over whether he should go too, but in the end, he did not move. I'm exhausted enough already.

"Why aren't you going?"

Seeing Yuan Luo standing still, Grandmaster asked with a stiff expression.

Yuan Luo grinned. "Grandmaster, is this still useful for me? I'd rather take a nap!"

"Do you know the purpose behind this?"

"Isn't it just to make them unite? There happen to be seven of them, and there'll be seven of them when they compete in that tournament too. No need to split them up. I'm too lazy to fight anyway. It's enough if I occasionally lend a hand."

Grandmaster nodded. Training of this intensity truly was useless to Yuan Luo. He had once seen Yuan Luo alone beneath a waterfall, and the sight had shocked him for quite some time.

"Fine. As long as you have your own ideas. Come on, let's go to the village entrance. Tell me about your third Soul Ring."

With that, Grandmaster headed toward the village entrance. Yuan Luo walked beside him, and they discussed that Bodybuilder Frog.

Grandmaster's theories truly were formidable. Sometimes, Yuan Luo could benefit greatly from their discussions. The threads of the Metal Element, for instance, had come from a previous conversation between Grandmaster and Yuan Luo.

At the time, Grandmaster had believed that the Metal Element possessed the trait of sharpness. If it could become even sharper, perhaps that trait could be doubled. That was how Yuan Luo had thought of threads.

"Grandmaster, do you know about gods?"

Yuan Luo abruptly asked, stunning Grandmaster.

"Xiao Luo... how do you know about them?"

"Grandmaster, the ancestor of the creature you had me obtain for my third Soul Ring was a failed god. That's why its ice attribute is so powerful!"

Grandmaster suddenly stopped walking, his eyes burning as he stared at Yuan Luo, making Yuan Luo's scalp tingle.

"You're saying this ice carries the aura of a god?"

"Yeah!"

Grandmaster clapped his hands, suddenly enlightened.

"So that's it. This ice is the strongest attribute I've ever studied. Even Titled Douluo don't possess anything this powerful. So it's all because of a god."

Then Grandmaster grew puzzled again.

"No, wait. How did you know?"

Yuan Luo pointed at his head. "Of course, it's the memories preserved in the soul bone."

He was not worried about Grandmaster. The man only cared about research. Even if a complete set of soul bones were placed before him, he probably would not absorb them, only study them.

"I see. You're quite lucky!"

Grandmaster nodded and did not ask any further questions.

The two soon arrived at the village entrance. Tang San and the others had already run out of sight.

Yuan Luo took out a recliner, glanced at Grandmaster, then took out another chair and handed it to him.

He lay back in the recliner and basked in the sun.

This was what he liked most. Sunbathing not only synthesized vitamin D and increased calcium absorption, but also boosted Yuan Luo's Soul Power.

Maybe if ordinary people basked in the sun long enough, others would feel that they had changed—they would turn black!

Grandmaster was mixing salt water according to the proper ratio. It seemed the group would return from their first lap soon.

Sure enough, before long, they completed one round trip.

The other five were doing alright. Ning Rongrong was sweating a little, and Oscar was the same.

"Come, have some water!"

Grandmaster said with a stiff face. One probably could not see a second expression on that face of his.

Everyone immediately gathered around, glaring at Yuan Luo as though flames burned in their eyes.

"Don't look at me. Look at the bowls in your hands."

"Luo-ge, how can you be enjoying yourself like this?"

"Luo-ge, we're a group too. Run with us!"

"Exactly, Luo-ge. We love you so much, so why won't you keep us company?"

That last line had obviously come from Oscar. What a queer guy.

"Go, go, go! Talk to me after you can defeat me!"

After saying that, Yuan Luo stretched lazily, clasping his hands behind his head in complete comfort.

That only drew more complaints from them, but they still had to keep running.

One lap, two laps... eight laps!

They were already completely exhausted, supporting one another as they walked.

Everyone's clothes were soaked through with sweat. Zhu Zhuqing was undoubtedly the most eye-catching one.

That figure of hers nearly made Yuan Luo drool.

Ding! The system's slacking period has ended. Achievement rewards are being issued retroactively.

Ding! Congratulations, host, for achieving the accomplishment: Making Qian Renxue feel a tiny flutter of affection. Reward: one Teleportation Charm. Freely teleport within ten kilometers.

Ding! Congratulations, host, on your first battle against a Titled Douluo. Reward: one Substitute Card. Substitute Card: replaces fatal damage. Passive activation.

"System, why the hell didn't you issue these earlier? If you had, would I have been afraid of that old bastard Dugu Bo? I'd have cleaned out all his herbs."

Ding! Please do not doubt the system. The system has undergone professional slacking training.

"Professional my ass!"

Still, these two items really were quite good. This meant Yuan Luo now had two lives, so he could go court death.

Finally, on the tenth lap, all seven collapsed to the ground at once, gasping for breath.

"Xiao Luo, help me carry them all back."

After saying that, Grandmaster went back to prepare the medicinal liquid.

Yuan Luo shook his head and complained, "I've become a tool now."

He raised his right hand, and a slab of ice appeared beneath each of them.

As he poured Soul Power into them, the ice floated into the air and carried everyone along.

That's right!

A thought flashed through Yuan Luo's mind. He could use ice to make himself fly!

Though it consumed quite a bit of Soul Power, it was useful!

He subconsciously smacked his forehead. I'm so stupid!

Night!

Yuan Luo sat in the cafeteria, eating.

Before long, Dai Mubai, Tang San, and the others arrived one after another. They did not even glance at Yuan Luo, immediately wolfing down the food before them.

"Hey, hey, hey, at least look at me! I'm still here, you know?"

Tang San merely glanced at him and swallowed the bun in his mouth.

"Luo-ge, we're starving to death. Wait until we finish eating first!"

Dai Mubai nodded, nearly choking. Only after taking a sip of soup did he recover.

"Luo-ge, you're simply not human!"

Oscar complained as soon as he finished eating. His whole body felt limp now, and he did not even want to move.

"Xiao Ao, you're not cute anymore. My fists are still a little loose."

By now, Yuan Luo had become everyone's Luo-ge—the Luo-ge who tormented them.

Xiao Ao did not dare say another word. The atmosphere simply turned awkwardly quiet.

"Luo-ge, why are you so strong?"

Ning Rongrong pouted, her face full of envy.

They were about the same age, and he did not even seem to train that hard, yet his level and strength were still higher than hers.

Yuan Luo rolled his eyes at her. Do you think Soul Rings obtained beyond one's level and soul bones are just for show?

"Work hard. You haven't seen all the effort I put in behind the scenes!"

With that, Yuan Luo clasped his hands behind his back, tilted his head up at a forty-five-degree angle, and left the cafeteria. If he stayed any longer, he would probably end up washing dishes.

Tang San's mouth twitched when he saw that pose. Why did it seem so familiar?