Dual realms stacked, targeted; soul skill restrictions, clever countermeasures.

When the pre-dawn whistle blew, carrying a chill, Tang San had just managed to stabilize his Soul Power. He opened his eyes to the sound of metal stands clashing on the training grounds. Pushing open the window, he saw Zhao Wuji directing the students to set up a semi-enclosed "Dual Realm Test Array." Half of the array was a cement pond, the other half covered in gravel, with three Soul Power Suppressors standing in the center. "Today's morning training is 'Dual Realm Combined Limit.' Under the combined conditions of standing water, gravel, and Soul Power suppression, you must use your Martial Soul to consecutively shatter ten stone targets. Tang San, you're up first. Set the suppressors to the highest setting, and the stone targets will be twenty percent harder than everyone else's!"

Tang San slowly folded the meditation cushion he used. He deliberately took extra time wrapping the straps on his waterproof boots, using the excuse of "securing his boots to prevent slipping" to delay and conserve energy. By the time he reached the array, Dai Mubai had already finished his test. Under low to medium suppression, his White Tiger Claws had shattered ten ordinary stone targets in just three punches. "What are you dawdling for? The standing water in the array is almost freezing!" Zhao Wuji tossed a stone target etched with the character "Hard" at Tang San's feet. It landed with a dull thud, clearly much heavier than the ordinary targets.

[Using "securing boots to prevent slipping in dual realms" as an excuse to delay the test, avoiding premature high-intensity combined consumption, Slacking Value +1, current total 77 points]

Tang San summoned his Blue Silver Grass, deliberately slowing the rhythm of his Soul Skill output. Under the highest suppression, as soon as the Blue Silver Grass wrapped around a stone target, it trembled slightly. His first "Blue Silver Thrust" only left a shallow mark on the target, failing to shatter it. "Tang San! You can't even break the hard stone targets? Is your Blue Silver Grass made of noodles?" Zhao Wuji's whip cracked against a metal frame at the edge of the array, sending ripples across the standing water.

"Teacher, Soul Power circulation is already slow in the dual realms. With the stone targets being twenty percent harder, the thrust needs to find a gap in the stone to exert force, otherwise, the grass blades can easily break. Besides, the boots are heavy from soaking in the water, and the gravel hurts my feet. If I move too fast, I'll lose balance, so I can only slowly find the right point to apply force." As Tang San spoke, he had his Blue Silver Grass slowly probe the stone target. After half an hour, he finally found a thin crack. A thrust infused with thirty percent Soul Power finally shattered the target. "See, I just found the crack. If I rush even a little, I'll miss. I need to go even slower."

[Using "dual realm imbalance + finding stone gaps to prevent Martial Soul breakage" as an excuse to reduce output intensity, slow down shattering speed, avoid excessive consumption, Slacking Value +1, current total 78 points]

An hour passed, and Tang San had only shattered four hard stone targets, six short of the required ten. "Add another hour of training. If you still haven't hit six by then, you're not eating tonight!" Zhao Wuji stood with his arms crossed at the edge of the array, his gaze fixed on Tang San's boots on the gravel. Tang San, however, breathed a sigh of relief. The extra training would earn him more Slacking Value, and the excuse of "adapting to the dual realms" could be used indefinitely.

The morning training was "Team Combat Soul Skill Restriction." Zhao Wuji divided the six students into two teams, announcing the rules: "Tang San's team can only use their first Soul Skill, no other Soul Skills are allowed. Dai Mubai's team can use their first two Soul Skills, and they'll have four more dummies than Tang San's team!"

"Teacher Zhao, that's unfair! If we only use our first Soul Skill, we won't be able to move the dummies at all!" Xiao Wu clenched her fists, the phantom image of her rabbit Martial Soul faintly appearing.

"Fair? It's common for Soul Skills to be restricted in real combat. If you can't move them, find a way!" Zhao Wuji blew his whistle, and the dummies immediately swarmed towards both teams.

Dai Mubai's team quickly launched their attack. Ma Hongjun's second Soul Skill, "Phoenix of Burning Fire," forced the dummies to retreat repeatedly. Tang San's team could only rely on Tang San's "Blue Silver Bind" and Xiao Wu's "Waist Bow." Oscar's sausages could only restore stamina. Tang San deliberately slowed down his binding speed, only wrapping one arm or one leg of a dummy at a time, preventing it from completely losing its mobility. "Binding only half of them can distract the dummies. If I bind them completely, the other dummies will seize the opportunity to attack, making it even harder to deal with." This way, he didn't consume too much Soul Power and could also stall for time.

"Tang San! Why aren't you binding them tighter? The dummies are almost touching Xiao Wu!" Zhao Wuji shouted from the side, his whip pointing at a dummy approaching Xiao Wu.

"Teacher, binding them completely consumes too much Soul Power. Besides, there are many dummies. If I bind one, I have to release another, otherwise, I won't have enough Soul Power to bind the next one. Leaving one leg slightly mobile can actually make the dummies block each other." As Tang San spoke, he deliberately released the arm of one dummy, causing it to collide with a nearby one. "See, this way the dummies get disordered, which is easier than binding them completely."

[Using "distracting dummies + saving Soul Power to prevent being surrounded" as an excuse to reduce binding intensity, slow down the pace of combat, avoid excessive consumption, Slacking Value +1, current total 79 points]

During the lunch break, Xiao Wu gave Tang San half of her steamed bun. "Teacher Zhao's restrictions today are too ridiculous. We can't win if we only use our first Soul Skill." Tang San took the bun and took only a small bite before putting it away. He was saving it for the afternoon's exertion; eating too much now would lead to a faster decline in stamina.

The afternoon training was "Extreme Stamina Shuttle Run." Zhao Wuji led everyone to the steep slope behind the mountain. "Run back and forth twenty times on this steep slope, carrying a ten-pound stone each time. Tang San, you'll carry fifteen pounds, and for the last five laps, you have to run in the standing water!"

The slope was already difficult to climb, and with the added weight of the stones, Dai Mubai started panting after only five laps. Tang San, carrying the fifteen-pound stone, deliberately set a very slow pace. Each time he went uphill, he walked in a zigzag pattern. "A zigzag pattern reduces resistance on the steep slope. If I run too fast in the standing water, I'll slip easily. Going slower will keep me stable." This conserved his energy and allowed him to meet the extra weight requirement.

"Tang San! Why are you running so slowly? Is the stone too heavy to carry?" Zhao Wuji's voice came from the top of the slope, and he was holding an even larger stone.

"Teacher, the fifteen-pound stone is even heavier in the standing water. If I run too fast, I'll lose my balance and fall. Also, although the zigzag pattern on the steep slope is slow, it conserves more energy. Otherwise, I won't be able to finish twenty laps." As Tang San spoke, he deliberately stumbled in the standing water, regained his balance, and continued his slow pace. "See, I almost fell just now. Going slower is safer."

[Using "preventing falls in standing water + conserving energy on the steep slope" as an excuse to slow down the shuttle run speed, avoid extreme physical exertion, Slacking Value +1, current total 80 points]

By the time the evening training ended, Tang San had just completed his twenty laps, taking an extra hour compared to everyone else. "Evening training will be Soul Power meditation, in the Dual Realm Test Array. If your meditation speed is slower than others, you'll carry five more pounds tomorrow!" Zhao Wuji's voice echoed in the twilight.

Everyone groaned, but Tang San quietly opened his system panel. 80 Slacking Value. He was only 20 points away from the next Soul Power Increase. He slowly walked back to the dormitory, calculating in his mind: meditating in the array was a perfect opportunity to deliberately slow down using the excuse of "dual realm interference." Teacher Zhao's challenges were all good opportunities to accumulate points.

As night fell, Tang San entered the Dual Realm Test Array and began to meditate. He deliberately suppressed his Soul Power circulation speed to sixty percent of its normal state. "Meditating in the dual realms can easily cause Soul Power to become chaotic. Slow circulation allows the Soul Power to adapt to the environment; going too fast will create hidden dangers." This fit his slacking pace and allowed him to accumulate points. He thought to himself: as long as he found the right excuses, even if Teacher Zhao was ruthless, he could continue on the "peak slacking path."