Special Training for the Two Beauties, Xiao Wu's Night Visit

The morning mist had yet to disperse when the abandoned Training Ground on the back mountain of Nuoding Academy, which Yang Yu had designated a forbidden zone, welcomed its new occupants.

Ning Rongrong rubbed her sleepy eyes and yawned, her little face full of reluctance. Over her expensive silk pajamas, she had carelessly thrown on a dull gray academy uniform. Her chestnut hair was tied into a messy ponytail, with several playful strands sticking out. Last night's fright and the restless tossing that followed left her looking like a little peacock wilted by frost.

Zhu Zhuqing was entirely different. She was already neatly dressed in fitted black training clothes that outlined a slender yet explosively powerful figure. Her long black hair was meticulously tied behind her head, revealing a smooth forehead and cold profile. She stood quietly to one side like a black cat blending into the morning light, her gaze sharp and focused, as though last night's thrilling assassination attempt and severe injuries had never happened. Only her slightly pale complexion and occasional furrowed brow revealed that her internal injuries had not fully healed.

Yang Yu stood before them in the same simple black outfit, his calm eyes sweeping over the two girls.

"Starting today, report here at dawn every day for special training." Yang Yu's voice was utterly flat, as if stating an established rule. "Late arrivals train an extra two hours. Slacking off doubles it."

Ning Rongrong's little face immediately fell as she muttered softly, "At dawn... it's not even light out yet... and extra training too..."

"Rongrong." Yang Yu's gaze swept over her lightly.

Ning Rongrong jolted and immediately straightened her back, forcing out an obedient smile. "Got it, Brother Yu! I'll work hard!" She had no desire to experience what Dai Mubai and Tang San had gone through.

Zhu Zhuqing said nothing, merely nodding slightly. A trace of determination flashed through her cold eyes.

"Your foundations are a complete mess." Yang Yu's assessment was merciless. "Ning Rongrong, your Soul Power is unstable, your control crude, and your mental strength scattered. In your hands, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda is a pearl buried in dust."

Ning Rongrong blushed, wanting to retort, but when she recalled Yang Yu's almost miraculous methods from yesterday, she wilted again.

"Zhu Zhuqing, you rely too heavily on speed and instinct. You lack deep exploration of your Martial Soul Origin. Of the Hell Spirit Cat's potential, you have not even brought out thirty percent. And those hidden injuries throughout your body are nothing less than self-destruction."

Zhu Zhuqing's delicate body trembled almost imperceptibly, surprise flashing through her icy eyes. Her hidden injuries were extremely well concealed; even the family elders had never fully seen through them.

"For today's first lesson," Yang Yu said, flipping his wrist to reveal two palm-sized, jet-black metal blocks covered in countless tiny holes, "control."

He tossed the metal blocks to them. Ning Rongrong caught hers in a fluster, only for her hand to sink sharply. She nearly dropped it! It was so heavy! This tiny thing probably weighed over a hundred pounds! Zhu Zhuqing caught hers steadily, but her arm also lowered slightly, and a grave look appeared in her eyes.

"This is called Qian Jun. It contains a chaotic Soul Power magnetic field," Yang Yu explained. "Inject a thread of your Soul Power into it, then try to control that thread, avoid the magnetic interference within every hole, and circulate it once along the most complex Soul Power circuit inside."

"Remember, only a single thread of Soul Power! Too much Soul Power will detonate the internal magnetic field, and you will bear the consequences yourselves. During the process, your Soul Power cannot touch any of the hole walls, cannot break off, and cannot deviate from the circuit. Once you can finish within the time it takes an incense stick to burn, you may move on to the next task."

Ning Rongrong stared at the heavy black lump in her hand, her little face wrinkling like a bitter melon. How was this possible? A single thread of Soul Power? And she had to avoid all interference while completing such a complicated circuit? She felt that the moment her Soul Power entered, it would dart around like a headless fly!

Zhu Zhuqing had already closed her eyes. An extremely fine thread of Soul Power cautiously entered Qian Jun. The instant it went in, she felt as though that thread of Soul Power were a small boat in a raging storm, instantly torn and disturbed by countless chaotic magnetic fields, nearly spinning out of control! She immediately focused all her mental strength, struggling to stabilize that thread as she tried to move along the circuit diagram Yang Yu had provided. Her speed was as slow as a snail's.

Seeing that Zhu Zhuqing had already begun, Ning Rongrong could only pull a miserable face and try to separate out a thread of Soul Power. The moment it entered, her head buzzed. That thread of Soul Power was instantly ripped apart and vanished without a trace! Qian Jun in her hand suddenly trembled, startling her!

"Focus. Sense every tiny change in your Soul Power. Guide it with your will, not brute force." Yang Yu's cold voice rang out.

Ning Rongrong gritted her teeth and tried again. Failure! Another attempt! Failure again!

Time passed little by little. The morning light gradually brightened.

Fine beads of sweat seeped from Zhu Zhuqing's forehead, and her face grew even paler. Yet her thread of Soul Power, though slow, moved with extraordinary stability through the complicated circuit. It had already covered one-tenth of the path. Her control over Soul Power had always far surpassed Ning Rongrong's, and coupled with her resolute temperament, she quickly found a bit of the trick.

Ning Rongrong, meanwhile, failed time and again. She was so anxious that her head was drenched in sweat, her little face flushed red from strain. Her Soul Power was either torn apart or accidentally crashed into a barrier, making Qian Jun hum. When had this pampered Little Princess ever suffered such torment? Aggrieved tears swirled in her eyes.

"Waaah... it's too hard... I can't do it..." Ning Rongrong whimpered, wanting to give up.

"Add another half an incense stick." Yang Yu's voice was like an icy blade.

Ning Rongrong's sob instantly caught in her throat! Looking at Yang Yu's expressionless face, she dared to be angry but not to speak. She could only sniffle, tears in her eyes, and continue wrestling with that damned lump of metal.

Yang Yu no longer paid them any attention and walked to an open space nearby. He took a deep breath, and a deep purple soul ring lit up beneath his feet.

"Void Nether!" His figure instantly appeared ten meters away. "Void Nether!" The air in a small area ahead instantly became viscous, and several falling leaves eerily froze in midair. "Mark of Time!" He flicked a finger at a bluestone on the ground. Dense black cracks silently spread across its surface, only for it to return to its original state as his Creation Lotus Soul Power circulated.

He broke down his First Spirit Ability, recombined it, and honed it repeatedly, pursuing the utmost control and the lowest possible Soul Power consumption. His figure flickered in and out across the Training Ground, while spatial fluctuations and ripples of time shifted and flowed with his thoughts like docile pets.

Ning Rongrong occasionally looked up. Seeing Yang Yu's ghostlike figure and incomprehensible abilities, her eyes filled with envy and shock. She gritted her teeth and lowered her head to continue training. Though Zhu Zhuqing devoted most of her attention to Qian Jun, a thread of her extended senses caught the terrifyingly precise Soul Power fluctuations when Yang Yu trained. Her heart chilled, and her understanding of Soul Power control deepened another layer without her realizing it.

For the entire morning, the abandoned Training Ground echoed with Ning Rongrong's occasional humming failures and aggrieved sniffles, along with Zhu Zhuqing's increasingly steady breathing.

The sun rose higher. Ning Rongrong was nearly collapsed from exhaustion. Her mental strength had been heavily drained, and her little face was pale, but she could finally keep that thread of Soul Power stable inside Qian Jun for over a dozen breaths. Zhu Zhuqing had completed one-fifth of the circuit. Though slow, she remained unwavering.

"That's enough for today." Yang Yu put away his Martial Soul, his aura steady as though the intense training just now had merely been a warm-up. He walked up to the two girls.

Ning Rongrong felt as if she had been pardoned. She dropped onto the ground and gasped for breath without the slightest concern for her image. Zhu Zhuqing slowly opened her eyes as well and let out a long breath of stale air. There was weariness in her cold gaze, but also a glimmer of satisfaction.

Yang Yu extended his hand. Two extremely fine yet incomparably pure strands of emerald-green radiance—the Power of Creation of the Chaos Creation Lotus—curled around his fingertips. He touched Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing's brows respectively.

Ning Rongrong only felt a cool, comfortable energy brimming with vitality flow into her mind. The stabbing pain and dizziness caused by her excessive mental exhaustion instantly vanished, leaving her incomparably clear-headed! She even felt that her mental strength had increased slightly! She narrowed her eyes in comfort like a kitten being stroked.

Zhu Zhuqing's feelings were even more profound! That emerald energy not only soothed her mental fatigue, but a portion seeped into her limbs and bones, nourishing the internal organs and meridians injured last night! Wherever that warm current passed, the faint pain caused by her hidden injuries eased considerably! She stared at Yang Yu in shock. Such pure life energy... she had never even heard of it!

"Go back and meditate. Consolidate what you gained today." Yang Yu withdrew his hand, his tone still calm. "Don't skip afternoon classes."

With that, he turned and left without the slightest hesitation.

Ning Rongrong watched Yang Yu's departing back, touched her head that no longer hurt, and pouted. "Hmph... even though he's awful... he seems... kind of amazing..." She struggled to her feet, feeling that while her body was exhausted, her mind was in excellent condition.

Zhu Zhuqing silently sensed the lingering warm vitality within her body. Looking in the direction Yang Yu had disappeared, a complicated expression filled her icy eyes. What kind of person is he... really? A cold-blooded ruler? Or...

She shook her head and cast aside the stray thoughts. No matter what kind of person he was, he was now her only hope.

The following days were orderly and fulfilling, even dull. Special training at dawn, academic classes in the afternoon, meditation at night. Yang Yu's training methods were simple and brutal, but exceptionally effective.

Every day, Ning Rongrong battled Qian Jun, failed, cried, was threatened by Yang Yu's cold words of "extra training," and then continued through her tears. Her progress was visible to the naked eye. From having her Soul Power collapse the moment it entered, to being able to keep it stable, then slowly move it... her perception and control of Soul Power improved at an unbelievable rate. Her spoiled and willful temperament was also smoothed down considerably through repeated failures and Yang Yu's harshness. Though she still complained, she no longer dared slack off in action.

Zhu Zhuqing became even quieter and worked even harder. Not only did she complete Qian Jun's training far ahead of Ning Rongrong, she also added movement techniques and claw strikes to her regimen, challenging her limits again and again. Yang Yu occasionally gave her a few pointers, each one cutting straight to the point and exposing subtle errors in her exertion techniques and Soul Power circulation, enlightening her at once. Her hidden injuries gradually improved under the nourishment of the Creation Lotus's energy, and her strength steadily increased.

The relationship between the two girls was somewhat subtle. Ning Rongrong had initially been a little afraid of this cold black-clad older sister, but after several training sessions left her collapsed, Zhu Zhuqing had silently helped her up. When she complained about Yang Yu's cruelty, Zhu Zhuqing did not respond, but her eyes seemed to hold a trace of agreement... Gradually, Ning Rongrong occasionally gathered the courage to say a few words to Zhu Zhuqing, though the response was usually silence or a simple "Mm."

That night, Ning Rongrong had tried to forcibly increase the speed at which her Soul Power moved through Qian Jun during the day, resulting in mental backlash and a splitting headache. She drank the Spirit Calming Potion Yang Yu had given her and went to sleep early. Zhu Zhuqing was meditating in her room, consolidating her cultivation.

Yang Yu sat by the window, turning a silver Soul Tool Rune between his fingertips as if studying something.

Knock, knock, knock... An extremely soft, hesitant knock sounded at the door.

Yang Yu raised a brow slightly. At this hour... it was not Ning Rongrong—she was already asleep—nor was it Zhu Zhuqing—she would not knock like that.

"Come in."

The door was gently pushed open a crack. A pink-haired head cautiously peeked inside, ruby-like eyes filled with nervousness, fear, and a trace of determination. It was Xiao Wu.

Upon seeing Yang Yu in the room, her body visibly trembled, but she still gritted her teeth, slipped inside, and quickly shut the door. Leaning against it like a frightened deer, her chest rose and fell faintly.

"Mas... Master..." Xiao Wu's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, trembling as she spoke. That form of address filled her with humiliation, yet the contractual brand deep in her soul made resistance impossible.

Yang Yu set down the rune in his hand and looked at her calmly. "What is it?"

Xiao Wu took a deep breath as if making an enormous decision. She raised her head, tears shimmering in her eyes. "Master... I... I heard that you... that you have a way to resolve the dangers of a soul beast taking human form... and conceal its aura... is... is that true?"

Her voice carried a sob and intense longing. Over the past few days, she had watched Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing rapidly grow stronger under Yang Yu's guidance. In particular, she could feel Zhu Zhuqing's increasingly condensed aura—she assumed it was Yang Yu's doing. Coupled with her own constant fear that her identity might be exposed at any moment, the overwhelming unease and longing had nearly consumed her. She desperately needed that sense of security!

Yang Yu looked at her without speaking. Those calm eyes seemed capable of seeing through every one of her thoughts.

Xiao Wu's scalp tingled beneath his gaze. She quickly lowered her head and said urgently, "As long as... as long as Master helps me... I'm willing... willing to do anything! Really! I can... I can keep an eye on Tang San for you! He... he has been acting very strangely lately! He's secretly making some very dangerous Hidden Weapons! And... and he often conspires with that master, Yu Xiaogang! It seems... it seems they mean to harm you!"

As though she had seized a lifeline, she eagerly offered up the information she knew in an attempt to obtain Yang Yu's promise.

A nearly imperceptible curve appeared at the corner of Yang Yu's lips. Tang San and Yu Xiaogang conspiring? That was within his expectations. But...

"Aromatic Silk Beauty can solve your problem," Yang Yu said slowly. "But it is in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

Xiao Wu's eyes instantly lit up! Like someone seeing dawn in the darkness! There really was hope!

"But," Yang Yu's tone shifted, turning cold, "why should I give it to you?"

The light in Xiao Wu's eyes instantly dimmed, and her face turned pale. That was right... why should he? Aside from passing along information, she seemed... to have no value at all...

"If you want an Immortal Herb," Yang Yu's voice carried a trace of temptation, "then show your value. On Ning Rongrong's side, you need to be more 'attentive.'"

Xiao Wu abruptly raised her head. Confusion flashed through her eyes before turning into understanding! Master wanted her... to watch Ning Rongrong more closely? Gain her deeper trust? Lay the groundwork for obtaining the Immortal Herb in the future?

"I... I understand!" Xiao Wu nodded hard as though grasping her final hope. "I'll make Rongrong trust me completely! I'll become her best friend!"

"Very good." Yang Yu waved a hand. "Go. Remember, you do not have much time. If Ning Rongrong obtains the Immortal Herb herself first, then your value..."

He did not finish, but the cold implication made Xiao Wu shudder violently.

"Yes! Master! I'll do it properly!" As though she had received an imperial decree, Xiao Wu hurriedly bowed and carefully backed out, gently closing the door behind her. Leaning against the cold corridor wall, she clutched her pounding heart. Her ruby-like eyes were filled with determination and a trace of madness! For the Immortal Herb! To survive! She had to pay any price!

Inside the room, Yang Yu watched the closed door with deep eyes.

The chess pieces were all in place. Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu... Tang San, Dai Mubai, Yu Xiaogang... The game in Nuoding City was becoming more and more interesting.

He picked up the silver Soul Tool Rune again, letting a thread of Soul Power emerge from his fingertips. The rune lit up, and a faint spatial ripple spread outward. At its center, the phantom of a budding flower appeared, its entire body resembling seven-colored glazed glass and radiating a dreamlike sheen.

It was the Aromatic Silk Beauty!

Only, the image was extremely illusory, as though it might shatter at any moment.

"Immortal Herb..." Yang Yu murmured, a curve of complete control rising on his lips.

"The bait has been cast. Now we shall see... when the fish takes it."