Before dawn had broken, the torrential rain outside was already drumming against the wooden roof. Tang San had just reached for the leg weights beside his pillow when Zhao Wuji's roar came from the training ground. "Get out here, all of you! You think rain means no training? Twenty laps this morning, and we're moving to the muddy ground behind the mountain!"
Xiao Wu came running over in her coat and knocked on the door. "Tang San, it's raining so hard. You can't even run on that muddy ground!" Tang San slowly opened the door, still holding a cloth and wiping the dust from his leg weights. "What's the rush? Tighten your leg weights first. Your shoes can come off easily in the mud, so wrap them a couple more times." He deliberately slowed down as he tied them, wrapping each layer half an inch farther than usual. Only after Xiao Wu had already run out did he pick up his shoes and stroll toward the back mountain—visibility was poor in a downpour, the perfect excuse to slow down because he "couldn't see the road clearly."
Using "securing leg weights to prevent shoes from falling off" as a reason to delay departure, avoiding premature high-intensity expenditure in the rain. Slacking Value +1. Current total: 53.
The muddy ground behind the mountain was already covered in deep footprints. Dai Mubai and the others were running unevenly through the muck, their pant legs completely caked with mud. Zhao Wuji rode back and forth beside them on horseback, occasionally lashing his whip against the ground. "Tang San! Last again? Are you trying to slack off?"
Tang San deliberately stepped through a puddle, and the moment his shoe entered the mud, it sank half an inch. "Teacher Zhao, the rain's too heavy and I can't see the road clearly. I was afraid of falling into a pit, so I could only walk slowly." As he joined the group, he deliberately put his weight on his back leg, moving half a beat slower than everyone else with every step. He did not wipe the mud splashing onto his pants either—he looked like he was being hindered by the environment, while actually using only forty percent of his Soul Power against the resistance.
By the fifth lap, Zhao Wuji suddenly urged his horse faster and pointed his whip at the dirt slope ahead. "Charge up there! Whoever gets there last doesn't eat lunch!" Dai Mubai immediately exerted himself, the phantom of the White Tiger Martial Soul faintly appearing behind him. Ma Hongjun also activated his Soul Power, pale flames drifting behind him. Tang San, however, deliberately slowed down. The mud on the slope was even slicker, and he "accidentally" fell, bracing himself in the mud and looking thoroughly bedraggled.
"Tang San! Did you do that on purpose? You can't even climb a dirt slope?" Zhao Wuji reined in his horse, anger in his voice.
"Teacher, the slope is too slippery. I just braced myself in the mud, and my hand has no strength left. I need a moment." Tang San slowly got up and deliberately rubbed his wrist. Only after everyone else had charged to the top did he slowly edge his way upward, slipping with every step. "See? You can't stand steady on this slope at all. Going faster would just make it easier to fall."
Using "slippery mud + weak hands" as a reason to slow his climb, avoiding forced acceleration and expenditure. Slacking Value +1. Current total: 54.
After the morning run, everyone had turned into mudmen. When Oscar handed over a sausage, even his fingers were trembling. "Morning training is definitely going to be worse. Teacher Zhao's looking at you strangely." Tang San took the sausage, bit off only a small piece, and put it away—he was saving it for the high-intensity drain at noon. Eating too much now would only make him sleepy.
Sure enough, the morning training was "Martial Soul obstacle clearing while carrying weights." Zhao Wuji brought them to an open patch covered in gravel and tossed over a pile of twenty-pound iron balls. "Each of you carries an iron ball and uses your Martial Soul to clear the stones. Tang San, you take the innermost area. Your stones are twice as large as everyone else's!"
Dai Mubai hoisted an iron ball, and his White Tiger Claw shattered the gravel in just a few strikes. Ning Rongrong gave Ma Hongjun a boost, and Phoenix Flame crackled as it burned through the stones. Tang San picked up an iron ball and deliberately weakened the binding force of his Blue Silver Grass. Every time he wrapped a stone, he "just happened" to bind only half of it, causing it to fall and forcing him to wrap it again—the stones were too large. Wrapping them too tightly could wear through the Blue Silver Grass, while wrapping them too loosely made them fall. It was the perfect way to slow down.
"Tang San! You're slower than a snail! If you can't carry the iron ball, just say so!" Zhao Wuji walked over and kicked aside a large stone near his feet.
"Teacher, the stones are too large. If the Blue Silver Grass binds them too tightly, the edges will grind it apart. If it binds them too loosely, they fall. I can only slowly find the balance." As Tang San spoke, he deliberately let a stone fall to the ground. "See? It fell again, so I have to start over. Going faster would just waste more time."
Using "preventing Martial Soul wear from sharp stone edges" as a reason to reduce binding strength and slow the clearing speed, avoiding excessive expenditure. Slacking Value +1. Current total: 55.
Zhao Wuji said nothing more, but he stood beside Tang San and watched him. By the time everyone finished at noon, Tang San had only cleared half his area. At lunch, Xiao Wu secretly gave him half of her steamed bun. "Teacher Zhao went too far. He deliberately gave you the bigger stones."
"It's fine. Team training this afternoon matters more, so I need to save my strength first." Tang San slowly nibbled on the bun, deliberately taking half an hour to finish his meal—dragging things out to catch his breath. Otherwise, he would have no energy left to deal with the afternoon.
The afternoon team training was indeed "resource-biased harassment." Zhao Wuji split the six of them into two groups. Tang San's group had only one rain tarp and three torches, while Dai Mubai's group had two tarps and five torches. They were ordered to build temporary shelters in the downpour, with the first group to finish declared the winner.
"Teacher Zhao, that's unfair! Our group has too few supplies!" Xiao Wu could not help shouting.
"Fair? Where is there fairness in real combat? If you don't have enough resources, find a way yourselves!" Zhao Wuji stood nearby with his arms crossed, his tone icy.
Tang San quickly pulled Xiao Wu back and deliberately frowned at the rain tarp. "It's fine. We'll cut the tarp apart and share it. Use the torches sparingly." He deliberately slowed his cutting, and the scissors "accidentally" cut crooked, forcing him to cut again. When building the frame, he deliberately inserted the wooden stakes too shallowly, letting the frame wobble before securing it—the ground was wet in the downpour. Driving them too deep took too much strength, but leaving them too shallow made them unstable. It was another perfect way to stall.
Dai Mubai's group quickly finished their shelter, while Tang San's group was only halfway done. One corner of their tarp was even being lifted by the wind. Zhao Wuji shouted from the side, "Tang San! You're the group leader, and you can't even build a shelter properly?"
"Teacher, the rain is too heavy, and the tarp keeps shaking in the wind. Driving the stakes deep takes too much strength, but leaving them shallow makes them unstable. We can only adjust slowly." Tang San spoke as he deliberately pulled out a stake and inserted it again. "See? I just got it steady, and the wind made it wobble again. Going faster won't work."
Using "storm wind protection and the effort needed to drive stakes deep" as a reason to adjust the building pace and slow down, avoiding excessive expenditure. Slacking Value +1. Current total: 56.
When evening training ended, Zhao Wuji made another announcement. "Extra training tonight. Everyone runs ten laps around the training ground. Tang San, you run five more laps and add another five pounds of weight!"
Everyone groaned miserably, but Tang San secretly breathed a sigh of relief—extra training was a perfect chance to earn more Slacking Value. He slowly walked back to the dormitory, wiped the mud from his body, and calculated in his mind: Tonight, I'll use 'poor visibility on a rainy night to avoid falling' as my reason to slow down. Teacher Zhao's attempts to make things difficult are all great chances to build up points.
Night fell, but the torrential rain had not stopped. Tang San carried his heavier leg weights and slowly jogged toward the training ground, thinking to himself: My Soul Power is already at level 16. If I save up 4 more points, I can exchange them for the next upgrade. Life at Shrek may be hard, but as long as I find the right excuses, the road to the "peak of slacking" can keep going.
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