The torrential rain did not stop until deep into the night. Before the standing water on the training ground had even receded, Zhao Wuji's roar shattered the pre-dawn silence. "Everyone, get up! Anyone who did not run enough extra laps last night will make up for it today! Tang San, you have an additional night-sense training session. No running laps—go into the woods and find ten markers in the dark. If you have not found them all by dawn, you do not eat today!"
Tang San had just tied his leg wraps when Xiao Wu brought him some hot water. "Teacher Zhao is too harsh. It's pitch-black in the woods. How are you supposed to find marker signs?" Tang San took the cup and deliberately drank slowly, his fingers tracing the rim. "What's the rush? First, let your eyes adjust to the darkness. Going from somewhere bright into the dark, your eyes need time." Only after Xiao Wu had gone to run laps with the others did he take a flintstone—without lighting it—and stroll toward the woods. Night sensing consumed Soul Power; using "adjusting to the darkness" as an excuse to stall would save him some energy.
Using "adjusting to the darkness to rest his eyes" as a reason to delay entering the woods, avoiding excessive early consumption from high-intensity night sensing. Slacking Value +1, current total: 57.
The woods were so dark he could not see his hand before his face. Tang San summoned Blue Silver Grass and deliberately limited his sensing range to within three chi. Zhao Wuji was certainly watching from the shadows; a range that was too wide could expose his strength, and the excuse that "a smaller range is more precise" was perfectly reasonable. He had barely taken a few steps when he suddenly stepped on a rope. There was a rustling in the nearby bushes, and a scarecrow dropped down with a marker sign hanging from it.
"Tang San! You're this slow even at finding a marker sign? Are you slacking off?" Zhao Wuji's voice came from above in the trees, carrying obvious malice.
Tang San deliberately acted startled and hurriedly removed the marker sign. "Teacher, it's too dark at night. Blue Silver Grass's senses are easily blocked by branches, so I have to probe slowly. If I go too fast, I might miss something." As he spoke, he deliberately had Blue Silver Grass wind around several branches before continuing onward. He paused with every step, as though carefully distinguishing his direction. "Look, Teacher. There are branches blocking the space behind this tree. If I do not go slowly, I cannot spot anything at all."
Using "branches obstructing perception" as a reason to slow his search for marker signs, avoiding excessive consumption. Slacking Value +1, current total: 58.
By the time he found the third marker sign, the eastern sky had already begun to pale. Tang San deliberately sat down on a rock to rest, holding the marker signs in his hand. There would still be team training later, so he had to conserve his strength. Sure enough, the moment he left the woods, Zhao Wuji gathered everyone together. "This morning, you'll train in resource competition. There are twenty loaves of bread hidden around the field. Whoever finds one keeps it. Tang San, you'll enter last, and you may only search areas that others have already passed over!"
The instant Dai Mubai and the others heard that, they rushed into the field. Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Flame illuminated a huge area, and he quickly found three loaves of bread. Ning Rongrong used the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda to enhance her vision and found two as well. Tang San sauntered into the field and deliberately chose the most remote corner, using only twenty percent of his Soul Power for Blue Silver Grass sensing. No one will compete for a remote corner, so I can take my time looking. Besides, he would not have to compete with the others, saving him even more Soul Power.
"Tang San! What kind of place did you choose? You haven't found a single one after all this time. Do you not want to look?" Zhao Wuji walked over, holding a loaf of bread that had not been hidden, yet he did not offer it to Tang San.
"Teacher, the grass in remote corners grows thick, and the bread is hidden deep inside. I have to part the grass slowly. If I move too fast, I might crush the bread." As he spoke, Tang San deliberately used Blue Silver Grass to gently part the grass. After a long while, he found a loaf that had been squashed out of shape. "See? It really was crushed. If I had gone faster, this bread would not have been edible."
Using "avoiding crushing the bread" as a reason to slow his search, avoiding the consumption of resource competition. Slacking Value +1, current total: 59.
When the morning training ended, Tang San had found only two loaves, both of them crushed. Xiao Wu secretly gave him half of her own bread. "Teacher Zhao went too far. He deliberately made you enter last, then forced you to pick a remote corner."
"It's fine. I need to save my strength for team training this afternoon. This is enough to fill my stomach." Tang San slowly nibbled on the bread, deliberately stretching out his meal for half a shichen. Delaying a little gave him a chance to catch his breath; otherwise, he would not have the energy to deal with whatever new trouble came that afternoon.
That afternoon's training was, as expected, "team suppression combat." Zhao Wuji split the six of them into two groups. Tang San's group was not facing Dai Mubai's group, but Zhao Wuji himself. Moreover, Tang San's group could only attack with their basic martial spirits and could not use soul skills, while Zhao Wuji was allowed to use twenty percent of his Soul Power.
"Teacher Zhao, this isn't fair! You're a Soul Sage. Even if you only use twenty percent of your Soul Power, we still can't beat you!" Oscar could not help shouting.
"Fair? If you meet a Soul Sage in real combat, who is going to talk to you about fairness? If you can't win, then train—train until you can!" As Zhao Wuji spoke, he released two soul rings, their yellow glow especially conspicuous beneath the sunlight.
Tang San quickly grabbed Xiao Wu, who wanted to charge forward, and deliberately frowned as he analyzed the situation. "Don't confront him head-on. We'll run around the field and look for chances to ambush him. His Soul Power is high, but he's heavy, so he can't run fast." He deliberately had the team slow their movement. Whenever Zhao Wuji charged at them, they would "just happen" to circle behind a tree, using the trunk to block the attack. Using the terrain as a buffer meant they did not need to take hits head-on, while also dragging things out and preventing their Soul Power from being exhausted too quickly.
"Tang San! All you know how to do is hide? If you've got the nerve, fight me head-on!" Zhao Wuji smashed his fist into a tree trunk, instantly cracking it open.
"Teacher, our Soul Power is low. We'd definitely lose in a frontal fight. Using the terrain to dodge lets us hold out longer and practice our techniques more." As he spoke, Tang San deliberately had Blue Silver Grass lightly wrap around Zhao Wuji's ankle. It only coiled once before releasing him. "See? We just found a chance to ambush you. It had no effect, but at least we practiced the technique."
Using "the terrain to practice techniques" as a reason to slow the pace of the confrontation, avoiding the consumption of a head-on clash. Slacking Value +1, current total: 60.
When the evening training ended, Tang San's group had lost, but they had lasted half a shichen longer than expected. Zhao Wuji did not criticize them again. He merely said coldly, "Extra training tonight. Everyone will meditate for four hours. Tang San, you'll meditate for two more hours. If your Soul Power does not improve, there will be more extra training tomorrow!"
Everyone groaned miserably, but Tang San secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Extra meditation was perfect for accumulating Slacking Value, and the excuse that "slow meditation improves gradually" was perfectly reasonable too. He slowly walked back to the dormitory, calculating inwardly: My Soul Power is already level 16. If I save another 10 points, I can exchange them for the next improvement. Shrek's attempts to make things difficult are the perfect chance to earn points.
As night fell, Tang San sat on his bed and began meditating, deliberately circulating only thirty percent of his Soul Power. Slow Meditation makes Soul Power more stable. It matched his slacking rhythm while letting him accumulate points—a win-win. He thought to himself, As long as I find the right excuses, no matter how much Teacher Zhao makes things difficult, I can keep walking the path to the pinnacle of slacking.
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