Dai Mubai Runs Away (Part 4)

"The coward... his brother is acting strange?"

Dai Mubai suddenly wondered if his brain and mouth had been out of sync when he spoke earlier, leading him to reveal so much about his brother: "Why would you think that?"

"Because you said that brother puts all kinds of pressure on the coward, even going to great lengths to try and kill him, right?"

Le Bai tried to analyze it from another perspective: "But Boss Dai, would you go out of your way to stomp an ant to death just because you were worried about being bitten by one that happened to crawl past your foot?"

"???"

Dai Mubai had no idea what Le Bai was trying to say: "Well, although I've never paid attention to whether ants crawl past my feet, I probably wouldn't."

"That's the point."

Le Bai said very seriously: "According to your account, Boss Dai, the coward simply doesn't have enough time to grow strong enough to surpass his brother, so he should pose no threat to him at all. In that case, instead of suppressing the coward and forcing him to fight for his life and grow stronger, wouldn't it be more beneficial for the brother to secure the position of family head by being nice to him, spoiling him rotten, and leaving him with no pressure and no desire to cultivate, only knowing how to play?"

"It seems... that... might be the case..."

Dai Mubai had never considered such a possibility, but with Le Bai's reminder: "Are you saying that the reason the coward I... the coward I spoke of was treated that way by his brother is because his brother believes the coward can actually threaten him?"

"Who knows? I was just talking off the top of my head."

Le Bai's serious expression suddenly collapsed: "Maybe the coward's brother never even thought of the 'spoiling' tactic, or perhaps their family forbids it. I'm not them, so I don't understand their thinking. I'm just expressing my own viewpoint. As for whether the coward's actions were right or wrong, that's not for me to decide; it has to be the coward's own opinion that counts."

"That's true, it has to be his own opinion for it to count."

Dai Mubai seemed to have realized something: "Thank you, Le Bai. After chatting with you for a while, I feel like I've figured some things out."

"Don't, don't, what's there to thank me for? I didn't do anything!"

Le Bai waved his hands repeatedly: "And if you really want my opinion, running away might be shameful, but it's effective. At the very least, the coward who ran away bought himself the time and space to grow in peace. If things go even smoother, his brother might let his guard down because he can't see him, and his progress might slow down. As long as he works hard enough from here on out, it's not impossible for that coward to catch up to and surpass his brother."

If his previous words only made Dai Mubai try to think about the problem from another angle, then what Le Bai said now was an affirmation of the things Dai Mubai had been struggling with, even inspiring the direction of his future efforts.

Many great figures only need to find the right direction to achieve success. As it happens, Dai Mubai is exactly that kind of person.

Having been fed a dose of irresponsible, Zen-like chicken soup by Le Bai, Dai Mubai's fighting spirit soared to unprecedented heights: "Hahaha! You're absolutely right! Running away is shameful, but it's useful! No time like the present, Le Bai, let's start cultivating too!"

"I mean, we can, but are you really okay, Boss Dai?"

Le Bai was a bit worried: "I just feel like your mental state has been a bit off since just now."

"Hahahaha! Being 'off' is exactly how it should be!"

Dai Mubai laughed heartily: "I am a Monster of Shrek, after all!"

"You really did say something quite subtle with such a hearty expression and tone!"

Le Bai felt some ominous memory bubbling up in his heart: "Enough talk, let's go cultivate. Once you start, I'm sure you won't be thinking about all this messy stuff anymore, Boss Dai."

Dai Mubai: "Oh! Let's go!"

Le Bai led the (in his opinion) mentally unstable Dai Mubai to the place where he, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun usually cultivated their soul power—the side of the only creek within the grounds of Shrek Academy.

"We're still young, so if we spend the whole day exercising our bodies, we'll be a bit overwhelmed."

Le Bai briefly introduced the daily cultivation routine he, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun followed: "So for now, I've divided the daily training into three parts. In the morning, we do simple warm-ups to refresh ourselves, then start practicing soul power control; in the afternoon, we do high-intensity physical training; and at night, we use soul power cultivation to replace sleep."

"Is, is it really that intense..."

Dai Mubai was startled.

He had always thought his own training intensity was considered diligent among his peers, but now, comparing it to the training content of Le Bai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun, Dai Mubai instantly felt that his past training intensity was barely higher than resting.

But Dai Mubai didn't quite understand what Le Bai was saying: "I understand physical training and using soul power cultivation to replace sleep, but how do you train soul power control? And is there any point in training it?"

"Hmm?"

Le Bai's first reaction was to wonder why Dai Mubai would ask such a stupid question, but a second later he remembered that this guy had just arrived at Shrek today, so he explained: "To me, improving soul power control is second only to increasing one's soul power level. As for the reason, how did you find the ability I displayed when we sparred earlier, Boss Dai?"

"How else could I find it? Defeating me head-on with a mere Level 13 soul power and without any Martial Soul enhancement is simply trampling all over the common sense of a Soul Master!"

Dai Mubai still felt it was unbelievable when he recalled it, but he immediately realized the significance of Le Bai's question: "Wait a minute, could it be that your combat ability is related to your soul power control!"

"Be confident, Boss Dai, drop the 'could it be'."

Le Bai made a sweeping motion in the air with his finger, as if wiping something away: "My combat ability is directly linked to my soul power control. The specifics would take a long time to explain, so let's talk about it another day. Today, I'll give you a practical example to illustrate the immense significance of soul power control for a Soul Master."

Dai Mubai nodded, silently waiting for Le Bai to continue.

Le Bai: "Let's take your second soul skill, Boss Dai. It's called White Tiger Intense Light Wave, right?"

"That's right, White Tiger Intense Light Wave. You could say it's one of the research results of my family's ancestors."

Dai Mubai subconsciously added a bit more: "It's a roaring shockwave formed by concentrating soul power. Because the White Tiger Martial Soul itself has an enhancement effect on roaring skills, its attack power is not inferior even when compared to a thousand-year soul ring."

"But the shockwave you fired earlier was still scattered by my punch."

Le Bai stated the cruel truth.

Dai Mubai's mental state withered at a visible speed.

"However—"

Le Bai changed his tone: "If your soul power control had been better, the outcome might have been different."

"Are you saying that as long as my soul power control is stronger, it's possible for me to defeat you?"

Dai Mubai looked at Le Bai, bewildered: "But why? No matter how much the control improves, the intensity of the soul power shouldn't change."

"No, control ability can actually influence the intensity of Soul Power."

Le Bai released a small cluster of Soul Power from his palm: "Can you feel this Soul Power?"

"Of course. Although it's very little, the fluctuation of the Soul Power is very distinct."

Dai Mubai nodded, expressing his amazement at Le Bai's ability: "Your control over Soul Power is truly formidable. I have seen many experts at the Soul Emperor or even Soul Saint level who cannot achieve what you do—maintaining and controlling Soul Power after releasing it outside the body."

"Whether or not one specifically trains for it makes a huge difference."

Le Bai extended his other hand, sandwiching the released cluster of Soul Power between his palms: "Watch closely!"

Compressing the Soul Power, the loose cluster transformed under Le Bai's control into a mung bean-sized sphere of Soul Power that emitted a faint glow: "Do you feel the change?"

"This sensation, the Soul Power fluctuation has become weaker... No! It has become less obvious, so it feels weaker, but in reality, the fluctuation of the Soul Power has become stronger!"

Dai Mubai widened his eyes, staring at the Soul Power sphere between Le Bai's hands: "It is actually possible to enhance Soul Power through the control of it!"

"This is just a simple demonstration."

Le Bai dispersed the Soul Power in his hands: "The reason I could shatter your Soul Skill with a single punch was due to the high concentration of Soul Power focused in my fist. To use an inappropriate analogy, my palm, condensed with Soul Power, is like a stone, while the Soul Skill you released is a stream of water. As long as my strength is greater than the impact the stone receives, I can push the stone to withstand the current and move forward."

"So that's how it is..."

Dai Mubai felt a bit dejected: "But what you're saying, what does it have to do with my Second Soul Skill? Unlike the Soul Skills you created yourself, the effects of a Soul Ring skill are fixed once determined. Even if I pour in more Soul Power, it only continues to increase the attack power of the impact."

"I am well aware that the effects of a Soul Skill cannot be changed."

Le Bai held up his palms and pushed forward slightly, signaling Dai Mubai not to be impatient: "However, the form and the way a Soul Skill is used can be changed!"