Special Training!

Reaching the third level meant she could simultaneously grant buffs to three Soul Masters.

Jiang Chen looked Ning Rongrong over with a faintly amused smile. "Only the third level? No wonder you couldn't even last three breaths."

"You!"

Ning Rongrong glared at him indignantly, but remembering the dizzy feeling from earlier, she lacked confidence. "Then... then how am I supposed to train?"

Her father had indeed required her to cultivate the Mind-Splitting Secret Art over the years, striving to reach Seven Orifices Harmony as soon as possible.

After all, asking Ning Rongrong to train diligently was no different from killing her outright.

"Training isn't actually difficult. It just depends on whether you have the determination."

Jiang Chen knew that if he wanted this young lady to settle down and cultivate, he had to make her realize the importance of it—or provoke her competitive spirit.

Ning Rongrong's cheeks reddened at his words, but she refused to admit defeat.

"Who says I don't have determination? It's just... just staring at you!"

"Fine, then continue."

A golden glint flashed in Jiang Chen's eyes, and the phantom of the Green Lotus appeared again, only this time its movements were much slower.

"Watch the pattern of the light and shadow carefully. Don't force yourself. If you feel dizzy, blink and rest for a moment."

Ning Rongrong bit her lip and concentrated with all her might.

At first, she could barely keep up for three breaths. But by the fourth, the points of light suddenly scattered. Her vision blurred again, and her body swayed.

"Rest for thirty seconds, then try again."

Jiang Chen's voice was calm, betraying no emotion.

After repeating it five or six times, Ning Rongrong finally managed to hold on for four and a half breaths. A fine sheen of sweat had formed on her forehead.

"Not bad. You've improved. We'll stop here for now."

Jiang Chen suddenly withdrew the golden light from his eyes and pulled a small cloth pouch from his robes. "Hold out your hand."

"What for?" Ning Rongrong looked at him warily.

"Training equipment."

Jiang Chen poured out three smooth little stones and placed them in her palm. "Use your Mind-Splitting Secret Art and Soul Power to control all three stones in the air at once. They don't need to be high—half a meter above your palm is enough."

Ning Rongrong tried to activate her Soul Power, but the moment one stone wobbled into the air, the other two fell back into her palm with a patter.

"Splitting your mind isn't splitting your soul. You need to spread your awareness out like a spiderweb and hold onto every point at the same time."

Jiang Chen casually picked up a branch and drew several intersecting circles on the ground. "Imagine your spiritual power as several threads, with each thread stuck to one stone."

Ning Rongrong nodded as if she understood, then held her breath and tried again.

This time, all three stones rose shakily at once. But before they even reached ten centimeters, they collided with each other like drunkards and fell with a clatter.

"Idiot."

Jiang Chen tossed out the remark and continued instructing her. "The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda can buff several people at once. The principle is similar. Just imagine you're applying buffs to three stones at the same time."

"I'm not an idiot!"

Ning Rongrong instinctively snapped back, but she did not argue further. Instead, she focused her attention on the three stones.

Jiang Chen's words had enlightened her, giving her a few ideas.

Then, Ning Rongrong narrowed her eyes and imagined the stones in her hand as Soul Masters.

A moment later, the three stones rose tremblingly. Though they still quivered slightly, they finally remained steadily suspended in the air.

"Oh, you finally got it." Jiang Chen gave a casual evaluation.

"Of course. Who do you think I am?"

The corners of Ning Rongrong's lips curled up, her pretty face brimming with pride.

"Don't celebrate too soon."

Jiang Chen continued pouring cold water on her. "Keeping them suspended and still is only the most basic part. In actual combat, your teammates aren't stones, and your opponents won't stand around waiting for you to buff them."

Ning Rongrong's smile froze. "Then what else do I have to do?"

Jiang Chen pointed at the muddy ground ahead. "Very simple. Keep these three stones suspended and jog three laps. Every time a stone touches the ground, you run one extra lap."

"How is that possible?!"

Never mind attempting it—just hearing the training regimen made Ning Rongrong want to back out.

This simply wasn't something a person could do, was it?

Jiang Chen sneered. "What, the dignified young lady of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect retreats at the first sign of difficulty?"

"Your training plan is the problem. Besides, why should I listen to you?"

Ning Rongrong planted her hands on her hips, looking determined to give up entirely.

Under the double strain of physical and mental exhaustion, she had already reached her limit.

And Jiang Chen's final training task happened to be the last straw that broke Ning Rongrong's back, gradually bringing out her little devil nature.

One had to know that in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, even Soul Saints treated her with utmost respect.

No matter how capable Jiang Chen was, he was only a level-thirty Soul Grandmaster. Why should she listen to everything he said?

"Indeed, you can give up right now and continue living like a little princess."

Jiang Chen looked at her and said calmly, "You have a father who spoils you, elders who love you, and wealth that ordinary Soul Masters could never attain in their entire lives."

"Hmph!" Ning Rongrong lifted her head like a proud swan. "Good that you know. Then why are you forcing me to train?"

"But even so, you're still the weakest and most useless person in the team!" Jiang Chen said coldly.

Ning Rongrong's little face instantly flushed red, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "Who are you calling useless?"

"Am I wrong?"

Jiang Chen sneered. "Who in the team can you compare to?"

"Not only are Tang San and Xiao Wu's Soul Power Levels higher than yours, they also have far more combat experience. Zhu Zhuqing's Soul Power is about the same as yours, but her determination to become stronger is much firmer."

"Believe it or not, even if I made her run a hundred laps carrying weights today, she would crawl to the finish line if she had to."

"Even that hooligan Dai Mubai you look down on was far stronger than you at your age."

With every sentence Jiang Chen spoke, Ning Rongrong's face turned a shade paler.

"So, other than the innate advantage of your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, what else do you have?"

His tone was calm, but every word pierced her heart.

"I'm a Support-type Soul Master. Why should I compare myself to them? On the battlefield, the role I play is far greater than theirs!"

Ning Rongrong's eyes were red as she stubbornly tilted up her little face, though an almost imperceptible tremble had entered her voice.

Jiang Chen raised his brows. Rather than refuting her, he nodded. "You're right. As the heir of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, your support abilities are unmatched."

Ning Rongrong had not expected him to suddenly yield. She froze for a moment, just about to snort smugly and take the opening.

"But that's only if," Jiang Chen abruptly changed tack, "you're alive to stand on the battlefield—and if your teammates survive long enough for you to play that 'greater role.'"

"Tell me, when Teacher Zhao lunged at you yesterday, if I hadn't been standing in front of you, wouldn't you have been the first one eliminated?"

Ning Rongrong's breathing caught. The image of that burly figure charging at her with a fierce gust of wind flashed through her mind, sending a chill down her back.

"I-I could dodge..."

"Dodge?"

Jiang Chen scoffed. "With what? Your stamina, which nearly gave out after just ten laps? Or your spiritual power, which makes you dizzy after staring into my eyes for five breaths?"