Legion Training Methods

The moment he took his first step, the discomfort from the added weight made his muscles tense instinctively. But he quickly adjusted his breathing, letting the rhythm of the Fist of the North Star circulate within him.

The volcanic rock granules on the track glittered beneath the sunlight.

When Situ Xuan began to run, the gravel beneath his feet gave off a soft crunching sound.

The first lap was still easy enough, but by the third, sweat had begun to drip from his brow, leaving dark round spots on the track.

The students conducting combat training at the side of the field occasionally cast astonished looks his way. They saw the tall freshman advancing at a steady pace like a tireless machine, the weight on his back leaving clear footprints in the ground with every step.

By the eighth lap, Situ Xuan's breathing had grown heavy.

Sweat soaked through his black tank top, the fabric clinging tightly to the muscles of his back. Yet a faint smile appeared on his lips—this feeling of nearing his limit was the training rhythm he knew best.

By the fifteenth lap, the edges of his vision had begun to darken.

His heart pounded violently in his chest, and the roaring rush of blood filled his ears. But just as his body was about to sound the alarm, a warm current suddenly rose from his dantian and flowed along his meridians into every corner of his body.

This was the effect of the Fist of the North Star Body Tempering Secret Technique—the closer he came to his limits, the more it could awaken his potential.

Situ Xuan's eyes cleared once more. He adjusted his pace and completed the remaining laps at a steady speed. By the time he finished the final lap, the setting sun had already stretched his shadow long behind him.

On the way back to the equipment room, heat steamed from Situ Xuan's entire body like a ferocious beast freshly released from its cage. He pushed open the half-closed door and found Long Xiuyuan maintaining a strangely shaped short blade. Its edge was serrated, gleaming with a ghostly blue sheen beneath the lights.

"Finished running?" Long Xiuyuan asked without looking up, continuing to wipe the blade with an oilcloth.

"Yeah."

Situ Xuan undid the weighted belt around his waist. The metal struck the floor with a dull thud. His legs were still trembling slightly, but his gaze remained sharp as a blade.

Long Xiuyuan finally looked up. His gray-blue eyes appeared especially bright in the dim room. "C7 Training Room. Eight tonight."

With a flick of his wrist, the short blade vanished. "Don't be late."

After saying that, the young man—more instructor than homeroom teacher—turned and headed for the office in the inner room, his military boots striking the floor with crisp, decisive steps. But before pushing open the door, he paused slightly. "Remember to bring a change of clothes."

"Running alone won't be enough to turn your potential into real strength!"

The instant the door closed, Situ Xuan's pupils contracted slightly. He had heard the implication behind those words—tonight's training would likely be more than a simple spar.

Ever since the Sun Moon Empire had completely conquered the Douluo Continent ten thousand years ago and driven the Star Luo Empire and the Dou Ling Empire from the continent, the establishment of the Sun Moon Federation had also brought about reforms within its military.

The military was reorganized according to geographic divisions.

Over the course of those ten thousand years of history, Soul Masters and Soul Tools had become more closely integrated, and armies no longer casually required soldiers to charge forward for close-quarters slaughter as they had in the past.

The reduction in casualties depended on mastery of Soul Tools and training in compatibility between martial souls and Soul Tools.

This had also led to a gradual decline in the individual combat skills of soldiers themselves.

Only Soul Masters whose awakened martial souls were suited for high-intensity combat received unified military training, and the military was required to maintain a force that could still play an immense role even without Soul Tools.

"Over ten thousand years of evolution, training methods have long since changed from blind practice to scientific methods."

Long Xiuyuan stood to one side of the C7 Training Room. There was only one student before him, Situ Xuan, yet no matter how one looked at them, they resembled a rookie soldier and a veteran more than a teacher and student.

"Weight training, reaction training, and impact-resistance training are currently the three mainstream training methods in the East Sea Legion."

"They correspond respectively to specialized training for Power Attack System Soul Masters, Agility Attack System Soul Masters, and the Defense System Soul Masters newly incorporated into the legion."

"Usually, one type of training is chosen as the main focus, while the other two serve as supplementary training."

Long Xiuyuan's fingers lightly tapped against the metal table, the rhythm resembling an ancient war drum.

The lights of the C7 Training Room cast a cold blue-white glow from overhead, stretching the shadows of the two facing each other into long, sharp shapes.

"But your situation is special."

He removed a dark-red belt from his waist, its metal buckle clinking crisply. "Your martial soul is your body itself. That means you must be an all-rounder."

"You have abandoned the use of every kind of element, abandoned every variation of Soul Power, and even abandoned traditional soul skills..."

"In that case, all you need is a physique that overwhelms your opponents, combat techniques beyond anything they can withstand, and the ability to defeat them in an instant, before they have any opening to strike."

Long Xiuyuan's voice echoed through the empty C7 Training Room. With his back to Situ Xuan and his arms folded, his gaze swept across the various training tools hanging on the walls—iron chains, blunt blades, specially made wooden dummies. Every one of them was an instrument meant to temper the flesh to its utmost limits.

"Your martial soul is your body."

Long Xiuyuan turned around and rapped his knuckles against the table. "Put simply, your body is your martial soul. Soul rings are merely catalysts that enhance your physical functions."

Situ Xuan nodded silently, his gaze sweeping over the row of metal dummies along the left side of the training room. The joints of those dummies had all been polished to a bright shine, clearly having endured countless strikes.

"But—"

Long Xiuyuan suddenly raised his voice, which exploded like muffled thunder. "Do you think you can reach the top through nothing but hand-to-hand combat?"

Situ Xuan lowered his eyes slightly, but soon raised them again. A trace of fighting spirit ignited within his dark pupils.

"Yes."

It was a single, simple word, yet it sounded like a blade being drawn from its sheath.

Long Xiuyuan sneered. At last, no longer concealing his true nature, he took three swift steps forward. With each step, the training room floor trembled faintly. The instant his third step landed, his five fingers curled into a claw and shot straight for Situ Xuan's throat!

Situ Xuan retreated half a step and raised his right arm to block. The muscles in his arm tensed like iron, forcefully stopping the claw strike.

But how could Long Xiuyuan's move possibly be that simple?

With a flick of his knuckles, agonizing pain like an electric shock shot through Situ Xuan's arm, forcing him back two steps.

"Look at your reaction."

Long Xiuyuan withdrew his hand, his expression cold. "Your speed and strength do indeed far surpass those of your peers, but in real combat, the strength of one's muscles is far inferior to the wisdom of battle."

Situ Xuan shook his badly numb arm, but a cold smile curved across his lips.

"Again."

"Hmph."

Long Xiuyuan did not continue his attack. Instead, he walked to the center of the training room and pressed his hand against a mechanism on the wall.

With a soft click, the floor suddenly split apart, and a strange metal device slowly rose from below.

It was a set of Unarmed Combat Training Armor. It resembled a humanoid mecha, but its entire body was pitch-black, with a dim red glow emanating from its joints. A Soul Guidance Core was embedded in its chest, radiating oppressive Soul Power fluctuations.