"Haah, haah, haah~"
Chu Mo clutched the streetlamp and panted hard. One hundred and twenty laps—he'd nearly run himself into the ground. He had no idea what kind of person would come up with such a punishing test.
Even if Gangzi was the one making them run, he still prepared a medicinal bath for the Shrek Seven Devils afterward. And you, Zhou Yi, were just going to give them a quick treatment with an auxiliary Soul Stone? Weren't you afraid they'd suffer lasting injuries?
He looked at the others. Everyone who had finished was either an agility-type Soul Master or had a Martial Soul with some connection to speed. Even so, they were all gasping for breath.
Next came the Power Attack System Soul Masters, then the defense-type Soul Masters, and finally the support-type Soul Masters.
If he counted as a support-type Soul Master, he was the only one who had finished. Not one of the others had managed it, and quite a few had even fallen down.
Nearly half an hour passed while they recovered. The support-type Soul Masters finally completed the route, too.
Zhou Yi walked over from the side. Her expression hadn't changed in the slightest; she wore a sour look, as if someone owed her billions.
"Everyone, get up and line up!"
Everyone dragged themselves over with exhausted expressions. They couldn't even be bothered to complain about her in their heads anymore; they were too tired to think.
The line was scattered and uneven, but at last they managed to form one.
Zhou Yi's gaze swept over them before she pointed at several students.
"You can pack your things and get out!"
The students she'd singled out immediately raised their chins and protested.
"Why are you expelling us? We finished the run!"
"Did you really finish it?"
Watching from the side, Chu Mo realized that the students she'd singled out must have been the ones who'd taken shortcuts.
They argued back and forth. The others were relieved; the longer the argument lasted, the more time they had to rest. They just hoped Zhou Yi wouldn't pull any tricks.
By now, at the very least, their muscles were sore, and quite a few had stitches in their sides. They really couldn't manage anything else.
Zhou Yi argued with those students for over ten minutes before expelling them.
The expelled students all snorted and turned to leave.
Zhou Yi ignored them. She pushed her glasses up and ordered the rest, "All right, the rest of you go back to your dorms and change. Then get to the classroom within ten minutes. If you're late, heh heh!"
After saying that, she turned and left without looking back.
A teacher came over from nearby. Green light shone in his eyes as his Spirit Rings lit up. This Soul Saint, who specialized in healing, gave their aching legs a simple treatment before leaving.
It didn't do much. The exercise had been far too intense to fix with a little healing. Tomorrow, only those rich kids who were well-fed and in good shape would probably be able to get out of bed.
Chu Mo took a healing pill from his pocket and put it in his mouth. Then he opened the Chat Group as he walked.
["Chu Mo sent a red packet to Grilled Fish Girl."]
["Chu Mo sent a red packet to Dong'er is Not a Girl."]
[Chu Mo: Find a chance to take the healing pill. If you keep putting it off, you probably won't be able to get out of bed tomorrow, and you could even suffer lasting injuries.]
[Grilled Fish Girl: Thanks.]
[Dong'er is Not a Girl: At least you have a conscience.]
Wang Dong'er, walking ahead, claimed the red packet. Seeing the pill appear in her inventory, the corners of her mouth lifted unconsciously. She turned and glanced at Chu Mo behind her.
[Dong'er is Not a Girl: By the way, we got so caught up arguing that I forgot. Sister Yaya, your reward for first place must be amazing, right? What does it look like? Can you show us?]
A lot of people perked up at that, eager to see what the first-place reward was. After all, it was connected to a Titled Douluo.
Chu Mo was no exception. He hadn't expected his cheat to make someone else stronger instead of making him stronger.
The term "Demon Puppet" sounded like something from a cultivation world, an unconscious puppet made by demonic cultivators using methods that offended the natural order.
Before he could keep speculating, Tang Ya sent over a picture.
[Ya: Demon Puppet picture.]
[Ya: It really is strong. It actually has the strength of a Level 98, but my Soul Power is far too weak to support it. I controlled it to lift its hand and hop twice just now, and it threw me right out.]
[Ya: My spiritual power is too weak, so I can't control its whole body. At most, I can control five fingers.]
[Ice Frog is Stronger than Poison Frog: Use a Milk Bottle.]
[Dong'er is Not a Girl: ?]
[Ya: What's that?]
[Ice Frog is Stronger than Poison Frog: Don't tell me you don't know what a Milk Bottle is.]
[Ya: I don't know!]
Seeing that, Chu Mo remembered.
The Milk Bottle she meant was probably a Soul Power storage device. You could charge it in advance, then use it to replenish your Soul Power at a critical moment.
The hard part was the storage technology. At first, the power didn't stay stored for very long; it was only after the sealing technology improved that they could be put to use.
Still, the current models were already pretty good, and they could completely solve the problem Tang Ya had mentioned.
If she didn't have enough Soul Power, she could just load up on more Soul Tools. He remembered that Milk Bottles came in different grades, too. To control a Level 98 Demon Puppet, she'd probably need a Level 9 Milk Bottle, charged by a Titled Douluo. If a little Soul Elder like her tried to charge it alone, it would probably take a year to fill.
[Ya: Can I buy one?]
Tang Ya had also read Meng Hongchen's explanation, and she was tempted. If she could get a Milk Bottle, she could control the Demon Puppet and take her revenge.
But the idea was wonderful, while reality was cruel.
[Ice Frog is Stronger than Poison Frog: If it were a Level 9 Soul Tool, I might be able to persuade my grandfather to sell you one if you paid extra. But this Level 9 Milk Bottle is a strategic reserve. There's no way it could be sold.]
[Ya: Ah~]
Reality seemed to be playing a cruel joke on Tang Ya. Her revenge had gone from seeming impossibly distant to looking within reach, then difficult, and finally impossible to achieve quickly.
It hurt. She could wait until she grew stronger or had more money, then buy several lower-grade Milk Bottles. But as long as her enemies were alive, they were trampling on and insulting her parents. Tang Ya wanted to rush over and kill them the very next second!
Ding~
Another message popped up. Tang Ya glanced at it casually, then her pupils contracted in shock!
[Chu Mo: @Ice Frog is Stronger than Poison Frog, let's make a deal. I'll trade the pill formula I gave you the other day for five Level 9 Milk Bottles filled with Soul Power. How about it?]
Thump, thump~
As she stared at the words, warmth welled up inside her. The text no longer seemed cold; through it, she could feel Chu Mo's kindness and how much he cared about her.
Any Alchemist—or organization, for that matter—would treasure a pill formula, especially one with such a powerful effect. It was practically a tool for cultivating geniuses.
Meanwhile, Chu Mo had changed and returned to the classroom. He hadn't seen Tang Ya in the dorm, so she'd probably gone to test the Demon Puppet. That made sense.
Back in his usual seat, Chu Mo stared at the screen and waited quietly for the result.
He couldn't deny that he had his own motives. But in a way, he didn't. He'd already decided in his heart that Tang Ya was his woman, and he wasn't going to let her go. Naturally, he wanted to treat her well.
Now that she had a Level 98 Demon Puppet, if she still didn't take revenge and let her enemies keep hopping around, enjoying her parents' inheritance, wouldn't that just create a Heart Demon for her?
As he waited and thought, he failed to notice Xiao Xiao staring at him from beside him, looking him up and down. Her little mouth opened and closed as if she were shocked.
[Ice Frog is Stronger than Poison Frog: I can't decide this on my own. I'll go ask.]
Meng Hongchen sprang out of bed. After changing, she hurried outside.
She was quite tempted by the pill's effects. Besides, if they really managed to develop it, they could sell it and make a tidy profit. Compared with five Level 9 Milk Bottles, it didn't seem like much—but she couldn't decide on her own.
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