Who Should Be Captain

His words rang out with conviction.

Oscar and Ma Hongjun had originally been intimidated by Ye Liuyun's strength, but after hearing what Grandmaster said, they suddenly saw the light.

Right!

This guy might have won, and he was indeed strong, but his personality was too solitary, and his fighting style was far too individualistic!

If we teamed up with him, how could we possibly feel safe?

"Now, look at Tang San."

Yu Xiaogang changed the subject, his gaze softening as he looked at his prized disciple.

"If it were Little San, he would never let a battle become this ugly. He would achieve the greatest victory at the smallest cost. He would consider the overall situation and protect his teammates, rather than, like you, caring only about showing off."

After saying that, Yu Xiaogang waved his hand and delivered his conclusion.

"Ye Liuyun, your individual strength is indeed passable. But your temperament makes you completely unsuitable to be the core of a team."

"You are a double-edged sword. You wound the enemy for a thousand, but harm yourself for eight hundred."

"So."

Yu Xiaogang turned around to face all the students and announced in a booming voice.

"After careful consideration, I have decided—"

"During the upcoming special training, Tang San will serve as the temporary captain of the Shrek Team!"

The moment those words were spoken, the entire place erupted.

Even if Dai Mubai was unconscious, the position should have passed to Ye Liuyun, the strongest one.

Yet Grandmaster had skipped over Ye Liuyun and given the captaincy directly to Tang San.

"Tang San, your task now is to immediately organize everyone and carry Dai Mubai away for treatment."

Yu Xiaogang looked at Tang San, his eyes filled with expectation and suggestion.

He understood that his disciple would certainly understand him. Being captain would also be a form of tempering and growth.

"Let him rest properly. Once he wakes up, analyze the mistakes he made in this battle for him. As captain, you must take care of every team member's condition."

"Yes, Teacher!"

Tang San immediately understood. He knew his teacher was placing more responsibility on him.

He quickly walked over to Dai Mubai, checked his injuries first, then began issuing orders in an orderly manner.

"Fatty, you're strong. Help me carry Boss Dai back to the dormitory. Zhuqing, please go get some hot water."

"Rongrong, you..."

Tang San had intended to give Ning Rongrong an order, but he saw her standing beside Ye Liuyun with an unhappy expression.

Knowing that he had only just become captain and that it would be unwise to start a conflict and undermine his authority, he wisely changed his words.

"Everyone, get moving. We are a team, and we cannot abandon anyone."

The whole sequence flowed smoothly and methodically.

In an instant, he established the image of a good captain who was "steady, reliable, and caring toward his teammates."

It formed a stark contrast with Ye Liuyun, who stood alone nearby with a cold expression.

Oscar and Ma Hongjun immediately responded, eagerly bustling around Tang San.

Even Zhu Zhuqing, though her expression remained cool, silently went to carry out her task.

Very soon, only Ye Liuyun, Ning Rongrong, and Xiao Wu remained on the training ground.

"What kind of person is he?!"

Ning Rongrong angrily kicked a pebble on the ground.

"You clearly won! Why should Tang San be captain? Is that Grandmaster blind?"

"And that Tang San, treating a feather like an imperial decree. Does he really think he's something special?"

Xiao Wu puffed out her cheeks as well, her face full of indignation.

"Exactly! Cousin is obviously the strongest! That stupid theory is nothing but forced nonsense!"

Faced with the two girls' outrage, Ye Liuyun remained unusually calm.

He truly did not care about such an empty title. What difference was there between this and being a class monitor in elementary school?

Besides, according to his plans, he would be leaving Shrek Academy soon.

Being the core of the team or anything like that did not matter.

"Enough."

Ye Liuyun stretched and loosened up his body.

"Since someone is willing to be the babysitter, let him do it."

"Perfect. I can't be bothered managing you all anyway."

Watching Ye Liuyun's utterly indifferent back, Yu Xiaogang stood in the distance, his eyes narrowing slightly behind his lenses.

Hmph, still pretending.

Stripped of honor and isolated by the team, I refuse to believe he did not feel bad inside.

Just wait.

As long as Tang San displayed absolute control and a sense of the bigger picture in the coming training, he would make you understand what a true "soul of the team" was.

Grandmaster adjusted his collar. Tang San had become captain just as he had envisioned, and the plan was gradually returning to the right track.

After settling the unconscious Dai Mubai, Yu Xiaogang did not give everyone much time to catch their breath.

He stood in the center of the training ground, pointing at eight large bamboo baskets that had long been prepared nearby, each filled with heavy stones.

"Now, your first stage of special training begins."

Yu Xiaogang spoke without expression.

"Carry these bamboo baskets and run twenty laps around the village. During the run, you are not allowed to use Soul Power. You may rely only on pure physical strength."

"This is to temper your physical fitness. Only a strong physique can bear more powerful Spirit Rings."

Everyone looked at one another.

This training method... wasn't it a little too primitive?

They were Spirit Masters, not laborers.

Seeing their hesitation, Flender immediately pulled a stern face and brought out the authority of the academy headmaster.

"What are you all standing around for? Listen to Grandmaster!"

"The body is the foundation of a Spirit Master. Without a good body, even if I gave you a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Ring, you still couldn't absorb it! Xiaogang is a master of theory!"

Tang San was the first to step forward without hesitation and hoist a bamboo basket onto his back.

This kind of stone-carrying training existed in the Tang Sect of Mount Shu. It had to be right.

"I believe in Teacher."

With Flender's endorsement, the others gradually stepped forward as well.

They could only sigh helplessly, each lifting a painfully heavy bamboo basket onto their backs before starting down the uneven dirt road.

Only when Ye Liuyun lifted his basket did the corner of his mouth twitch.

This was... stupid enough to give anyone a headache.

He followed at the back of the group, jogging leisurely while listening to Yu Xiaogang's endless "speech" from the center of the training ground.

"Do not complain! Every drop of sweat is a step on your path to becoming stronger!"

"When you feel that you have reached your limit, that is when you break through!"

"Remember, use your willpower to overcome your body's exhaustion! This is training for your spiritual power!"

Yu Xiaogang stood with his hands behind his back in the center of the training ground, watching the group of children panting as they ran laps. A satisfied smile spread across his face.

This feeling of directing everything intoxicated him.

Yet as Ye Liuyun listened to this motivational drivel, he felt calluses forming in his ears.

Wasn't this just pyramid-scheme brainwashing?

He shifted the bamboo basket on his back, feeling the hard stones pressing unevenly against his spine, and became even more speechless.

If this were a low-level martial arts world without Soul Power, using weighted runs to train the body would be understandable.

But this was Douluo Continent!

This was a fantasy world with Spirit Skills, Soul Power, and all sorts of miraculous methods!

Ye Liuyun glanced at Zhao Wuji, who was sunbathing in the distance.

If he remembered correctly, that stupid bear's Third Spirit Skill was Gravity Enhancement, while his Fifth Spirit Skill was Gravity Squeeze.

What was gravity?

It was uniform pressure that acted on every cell, every inch of bone, and even the internal organs.

Training in that gravity environment would perfectly temper every part of the body, without causing uneven distribution of force.

Wasn't that a natural gravity training chamber?

And yet they were running laps with stones on their backs...

Ye Liuyun looked at Oscar and Ning Rongrong running crookedly ahead of him.

The entire weight of the bamboo baskets rested on their shoulders and lumbar spines. The stones were also different sizes, leaving their centers of gravity unstable.

Over time, not only would this fail to train all the muscles in their bodies, it could also lead to scoliosis, uneven shoulders, or even the uncoordinated condition where some muscles became overly developed while others atrophied.

They had a ready-made "gravity training chamber" but refused to use it, insisting on this primitive stone-hauling exercise.

This was the so-called "Grandmaster"?

No wonder he said there were no useless Martial Spirits, only useless Spirit Masters.

He had turned the Golden Sacred Dragon Bloodline into this. He really was useless.

Still, Ye Liuyun did not speak up to remind them.

Although it was less effective than gravity training, weighted exercise was not inherently a problem.

They just needed proper massage and care afterward.

"Ye Liuyun! What are you doing?!"

Just then, Yu Xiaogang's stern voice suddenly rang out.

He noticed Ye Liuyun jogging with a careless air, and anger immediately flared within him.

"Run faster! Look at Ning Rongrong ahead of you. Even a girl is working harder than you!"

"Your lazy attitude is an insult to training!"