Beneath the waterfall, the children had all settled into their training.
Yin Fang was still stuck on the first step, but at least he could stand now.
Tang Chi was on the fifth step, sitting cross-legged in meditation.
Pikachu had stopped on the sixth step. It had even learned Yi Jin Jing and was trying hard to enter a meditative state, the electric sacs on its cheeks crackling nonstop.
Under the crushing weight of the waterfall on the seventh step, Zhu Zhuqing had miraculously entered a state of selflessness, her Soul Power intertwining with the water. At times it flowed gently; at others, it surged fiercely.
At the very front, Su Yan stood on the ninth step, his gaze fixed ahead. He was here to challenge the tenth step.
The tenth step was the first major divide. Its intensity equaled that of the first nine steps combined.
"Teacher, can Brother Su Yan make it onto the tenth step?" Xue Ke asked nervously, clutching her hands so tightly that her fingertips had turned red. Her palms were slick with sweat.
Standing in the sunlight, Bibi Dong's armored skirt gleamed white. She folded her arms. "Given his current condition, it'll be difficult."
Her beautiful eyes stayed fixed on him. "Su Yan's physical fitness is among the best I've seen in anyone his age. The fact that he can hold his position on the ninth step has already exceeded my expectations."
Xue Ke nodded, watching Su Yan gather his focus and leap toward the next step.
"Come on, Brother Su Yan!" Xue Ke strained every muscle in her young face, her features more concentrated than ever.
Bibi Dong's expression remained unchanged, but the hand gripping her armored skirt had gone pale.
Su Yan landed on the rock of the tenth step and immediately felt as if a mountain had been dropped onto his back. The weight, far beyond what his body could bear, slammed down on him and sent him straight into the river.
His challenge had failed again.
Bibi Dong deftly pulled her drenched disciple from the water and tossed him by the fire to dry off.
"Su Yan, you were too impatient." Bibi Dong tapped his head. "You couldn't even stand firm on the ninth step, and you were already thinking about the tenth."
"Master, I know I was wrong," Su Yan replied. He warmed himself by the fire and rested for a while before returning to the starting point.
This time, he went to the ninth step, sat cross-legged, and gradually relaxed beneath the waterfall's pounding force.
Several days passed.
At dusk, everyone gathered around the table to enjoy the Little Magic Table's delicious food.
"Su Yan, can you reach the tenth step yet?" Tang Chi asked, a whole roast suckling pig in his mouth. He polished it off in three bites.
"Not yet," Su Yan said, shaking his head.
Yin Fang paused mid-bite and exclaimed, "Even the God of Words can't get past the tenth step? It's way too hard!"
"It is hard, considering you're still on the first step." Zhu Zhuqing picked up some fish and placed it in her bowl, then turned to Su Yan. "Brother Yan, what level are you now?"
"Still level 17, but I feel like I'm close to level 18." Su Yan grabbed a lamb chop and bit into it.
"Heh, I'm level 19!" Tang Chi leaned back in his chair and let out a satisfied breath.
Xue Ke had been focused on the food on her plate. When she heard "level 19," she looked up in amazement. "Brother Tang Chi, you leveled up again!"
She'd watched their daily training with her own eyes. It was so grueling that she wasn't even a little envious.
"I have an announcement." Bibi Dong looked over everyone's faces. "Starting tomorrow, you may use the Little Magic Table only when you level up or break through the tenth step. The rest of the time, you'll eat rations."
"Ah—"
Groans rang out all around.
"Master, you're so cruel!" Su Yan sped up his chopsticks.
Zhu Zhuqing sped up too, nearly claiming all the fish on the table.
Pikachu even used its lightning tail to sweep some sweet, fresh fruit over to itself.
"Eat up. It's our last supper." Yin Fang hurriedly grabbed two portions of fried chicken and set them in front of himself.
Tang Chi put on a mournful face and fixed his blazing gaze on Yin Fang. "Yin Fang, you've got the most room to improve. Whether we get extra meals is all up to you!"
Nearly everyone turned to stare at Yin Fang, making his cheeks flush faintly.
"I'll do my best!" Yin Fang had barely finished speaking when a wave of energy suddenly surged around him.
In his excitement, he'd actually gone from level 13 to level 14!
He stared blankly at Bibi Dong. "Instructor, does that count as getting another meal?"
Bibi Dong smiled. "It counts."
"Yeah!"
Watching the children's excitement, Bibi Dong shook her head helplessly.
The Little Magic Table couldn't be used whenever they felt like it. It needed to be charged, too.
And Soul Power was what powered it.
She'd have to put in the effort and charge the Little Magic Table one more time.
Someone else was having a hard time, too: a little girl walking along a mountain path.
Though she might not have seen it that way herself.
"The forest really is more relaxing!" The little girl breathed in the fresh air and skipped along the mountain path.
Many days had passed since she'd hit someone and run off. She'd kept away from crowds the whole way and somehow hadn't run into a single person. She'd even followed a big yellow dog through a dog hole to get out of the city.
Following the Red Ribbon in her sight, she made her way step by step up the mountain. "They sure ran far."
As evening fell, she spotted a towering blaze and ran toward it. The closer she got, the louder the hubbub in her ears became.
Hiding behind a tree, she saw a crowd gathered around a table, laughing and enjoying themselves. A hint of fear crept into her eyes, and she grimaced. "Why are there so many people?"
The Red Ribbon guiding her could only lead her this far. She looked over each person's face. "Which one is the target?"
But the delicious aroma wafting from the table soon ensnared her. She stared at the food with wide eyes. "It smells so good!"
She took a deep breath. Fear still filled her eyes, but she was already holding an Octagonal Stone with a green snake drawn on it.
"Hey, who took my fried chicken?" Yin Fang suddenly called out, turning to look at the crumbs at the corner of Tang Chi's mouth. "Tang Chi, was it you?"
"Who has time to eat your food?" Tang Chi had a lamb chop in one hand and a steak in the other. He glanced down. "Where are my fried shrimp?"
He whipped around and glared at Su Yan. "Su Yan, don't underestimate how much I resent people stealing my food!"
"Who ate your food?" Su Yan retorted, gnawing on a huge roasted beef leg. Then he glanced at his empty plate. "Where are my fried cream buns?"
He looked to his left at Tang Chi, who was glaring right back at him.
Then he looked to his right, where Zhu Zhuqing was busy wrestling with a fish. He silently shook his head.
The next moment, Zhu Zhuqing's cool eyes widened. "The fried yellow croaker is gone."
Xue Ke had a big mouthful of boiled cabbage in her mouth and shook her head frantically. "It wasn't me."
Even Bibi Dong noticed that the fried sesame balls in her bowl had disappeared. Her beautiful eyes swept across the table, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
Only Pikachu was munching on fruit, perfectly content.
A few more days passed.
The Little Magic Table's delicious food had only made the children more enthusiastic about training.
As long as their bodies could take it, they all kept throwing themselves beneath the waterfall.
Fortunately, Bibi Dong had planned ahead. Their rations contained plenty of nutrients, enough to sustain them through such strenuous training without leaving them malnourished.
Su Yan returned to the starting point and took a deep breath, his gaze firm as he looked ahead.
"Come on, Brother Yan!" Zhu Zhuqing said, pressing her lips together.
Tang Chi clasped Su Yan's hand and said solemnly, "Su Yan, getting us extra meals is all up to you!"
Yin Fang punched the air. "God of Words, go for it!"
Xue Ke clasped her hands before her chest and kept murmuring under her breath.
"Pika!" Pikachu ran up to Su Yan, rubbed against his leg, then quickly jumped back and buried its head in Zhu Zhuqing's arms.
Su Yan froze for a moment, then smiled.
"Su Yan." Bibi Dong came over and tapped his forehead. "Relax your body. Don't fight the water. Try to understand it."
"Understand the water?" Su Yan murmured.
His gaze returned to the path ahead, determination shining in his eyes. With a loud shout, he charged forward.
Before you continue