Duoxu had said she wouldn't eat too much bitter melon. Yet after just one bite, she finished the whole thing.
At Luo Yan's reminder, Duoxu unexpectedly ran herself ragged. Though she secretly cursed Flender in her heart, she still managed to complete the entire run.
She wanted to see what would happen next. She had already run twenty laps around the course Flender had told her to, so how was he going to find fault with her now?
After the evening gathering, Flender's gaze lingered on Duoxu. He looked rather surprised.
"Don't you think this is strange? Duoxu actually ran all twenty laps. With her lazy temperament, she shouldn't have been able to do it without someone pushing her."
"Though I'm only a Soul Venerable, I'm still a dean. How can I be so easily ignored by seven great sects? And yet she really followed my instructions and ran twenty laps?"
Flender was beginning to doubt his own judgment. Had he misjudged someone for once?
He had intended to wait until Duoxu failed to finish her run, or stopped halfway to eat lunch. Then he could have used that as an excuse to publicly give her a harsh dressing-down, making an example of her to warn the others.
So after talking things over with Han San, Flender quietly followed Duoxu. He watched her finish all twenty laps, then head off to eat.
She stumbled a little during the run, her steps unsteady, but at least she'd held on and finished.
How was that the lazy young lady Duoxu, who usually couldn't even be bothered to move?
Feeling Flender's suspicious gaze, Duoxu laughed. She proudly puffed out her chest, looking small but adorable.
Since Duoxu had finished the whole course, Flender naturally had a reasonable excuse to find fault with her. If he really had no reason to pick on Duoxu, then he'd be an old fool who'd wasted his life.
Duoxu's background was even more complicated than Han San's. It was practically impossible to count all the people connected to her.
Thinking of this, Flender couldn't help muttering to himself.
"Dai Mubai and Duoxu seem to get along pretty well. If she follows my orders and finishes twenty laps around the academy, she can stay here and train. But if she can't follow my instructions, then she can leave the academy. My word is law!"
"Next, you'll begin your first lesson. Let me warn you in advance: if you don't perform well, you'll be punished. A severe punishment could even put your life in danger."
"All right, come with me."
The group followed Flender toward Soto City. Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help muttering to herself.
Just as Luo Yan had said, Taolangke Academy didn't seem like an academy at all. Flender looked even less like a dean.
He was always talking about making her obey his orders. Was he trying to train her into some kind of punching bag?
A dean should be more imposing than that. His attitude was completely unreasonable.
As she grumbled to herself, the daily diary in her mind began to update again.
``` Hahaha, Flender's an idiot, isn't he? My reminder worked. Duoxu isn't lazily dawdling like she did in the original story anymore. She actually ran the whole course, so his plan fell through. He didn't get to scold Duoxu in public the way he wanted.
With the heavy sword in my hand, I want to break up the rivalry between Flender and Han San and the others. That should be a good way to earn rewards.
Even if I get a little reward, I shouldn't get carried away. Since I don't want to watch the original story's tragic ending play out again, I can't let my guard down.
Come to think of it, Flender is actually pretty smart to bring me to the Ghost Hall with him. He wants me to take part in the Soul Master competition, and he's still trying to bring me over to his side.
The other academies are all full of dedicated teachers and students. They're nothing like the history academy that throws its students into the Ghost Hall and then washes its hands of them.
It's not that they don't care. They're just putting all the pressure on me, expecting me to carry the team for them. In the end, though, they're using the competition as an excuse to take advantage of the students' abilities.
The students are in the Ghost Hall every day. So what use is it for that academy's dean to bring Taolangke's old geezer along? Which academy on the whole continent is as ridiculous as the one he runs?
Apart from the Ghost Hall, they only run laps. That's Taolangke's way of teaching. It's truly one of a kind.
As for the students from the history academy who successfully graduate, they either die trying to absorb soul power or die in the Ghost Hall. That's what happens to them.
Tsk, if I weren't here to help Zhu Zhuqing and the others, I really wouldn't want to stay in this ridiculous place for another second.
If you're going to compete in the Ghost Hall, there'll be team battles as well as solo battles. I'm already a Soul Venerable, so I can't compete with the Great Soul Masters. Otherwise, I could use this chance to become friends with Duoxu and the others, and get closer to them.
It wouldn't be hard to get Zhu Zhuqing and her group together with mine. If Zhu Zhuqing joined my group, and my group joined Duoxu's, then it'd just be a matter of time before I got close to her.
Once they get closer, Duoxu will surely end up joining my team. I just hope Xiao Wu doesn't make things difficult.
Xiao Wu really wanted to tell Luo Yan that she already wanted to join his group and leave the history academy. She couldn't bear to say it, though.
Today, she'd been so impatient to show off her strength that she'd let Luo Yan get a bit of a lead. She'd need to be more careful from now on and not rush into things again.
Besides, she'd already reached an agreement with Zhu Zhuqing. In the future, she'd use Zhu Zhuqing's name to get closer to Luo Yan, and as long as it was reasonable, she'd use every opportunity she could to draw closer to him.
As for Duoxu, she seemed quite agreeable to the idea.
However, unlike Xiao Wu, Duoxu wasn't on such close terms with the history academy. She could get close to Luo Yan openly, without worrying that anyone would look down on her.
After all, everyone on the continent knew that because of the restrictions on Soul Masters, people from the seven great sects liked to recruit geniuses.
Someone like Luo Yan, who was so young yet already a Soul Venerable, would attract their attention even if he were a nobody. Some might even take the initiative to approach Duoxu and Luo Yan together.
Duoxu couldn't help sighing. She really had confirmed that the history academy and Flender were completely untrustworthy.
She couldn't help worrying that if he performed poorly, he'd be punished. A severe punishment could even cost him his life.
In the Ghost Hall, the number of Soul Masters who died could hardly be counted. Once they entered the Ghost Hall, their lives were left to fate.
After all, in the Ghost Hall, the Soul Masters often couldn't control how much force they used. One careless mistake could kill someone—or get them killed.
It was truly a stroke of luck that Flender had thought of bringing the new students to the Ghost Hall.
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