Training and Growth

On the spacious plaza in front of the Worship Hall, a boy dressed in purple robes stood with his head held high; this person was Su Zhen.

Having finished his medicinal bath, Su Zhen had arrived here early. Starting today, he would begin training under the grandfather-level figures, and he could only hope they would show some mercy.

"Xiao Zhen, you've arrived quite early. It seems you are prepared."

"Second Grandfather, are you the one guiding me today?"

Golden Crocodile walked up to Su Zhen and patted his shoulder, the force behind the gesture nearly causing him to collapse to the ground.

"Your physical constitution is decent, but it is not enough. From today on, I will train your physique and combat ability every morning. Prepare yourself to face your grandfather's 'devastation'."

Golden Crocodile walked to the center of the plaza and removed his golden robe, revealing a robust physique covered in scars.

"Xiao Zhen, as a possessor of a top-tier Beast Martial Soul, your physique and close-quarters combat are the core of your combat power. I will suppress my soul power to the Soul Elder level. Once you can force me to use a soul skill other than my first, your training here will be considered complete. Come, please me to your heart's content."

Golden Crocodile completed his Martial Soul Possession in an instant, his sturdy frame radiating a sense of oppression as he charged toward Su Zhen with majestic momentum.

Su Zhen dared not be careless; he hurriedly activated his Martial Soul Possession and stomped hard on the ground, attempting to dodge Golden Crocodile's charge.

"Too slow."

Golden Crocodile appeared beside Su Zhen as if teleporting, reaching out to grab the boy's body just as he was about to escape, while simultaneously slamming a fist into Su Zhen's abdomen.

The intense pain from his stomach forced Su Zhen out of his Martial Soul Possession state, leaving him curled up on the ground like a shrimp waiting to be slaughtered.

"Xiao Zhen, your combat ability is too poor—one could say it is practically non-existent. A powerful Martial Soul is certainly the most important thing, but if you do not know how to use it, even a god-level Martial Soul would be a waste. Rest for ten minutes, then continue. I hope you can last ten moves under my hand today."

After speaking, Golden Crocodile signaled the healing soul master waiting nearby to treat Su Zhen's injuries.

Su Zhen spent the entire morning being ravaged by Golden Crocodile. Lacking any combat experience, he was treated like a punching bag and tossed into every corner of the plaza. Although he did not meet the standard of ten moves, he did manage to improve by five.

"The morning session ends here. We continue tomorrow; I want to see your progress."

Golden Crocodile left after dropping that sentence. He needed to go and calm the disappointment Su Zhen had caused him. The physical enhancement provided by a top-tier Beast Martial Soul was significant, yet Su Zhen's combat ability was only slightly better than a child who had just awakened their soul. Even when Su Zhen used his first soul skill, he hadn't managed to touch Golden Crocodile at all.

Su Zhen lay spread-eagled on the plaza, gasping for air. The pain from Golden Crocodile's strikes, which had landed squarely on his flesh, made every cell in his body tremble. The healing soul master beside him was operating their healing soul skill at high power to ensure Su Zhen could continue his afternoon training.

It seems I have disappointed Second Grandfather. I must work even harder.

Su Zhen spent his noon under the guidance of the theory master who had taught him previously. This master, named Jin Wuque, was an 87th-rank Soul Douluo who served as the vice-dean of the Martial Soul Hall's advanced soul master academy. He also taught advanced theory courses, making him more than qualified to instruct Su Zhen.

Under Jin Wuque's tutelage, Su Zhen quickly familiarized himself with knowledge regarding various soul beasts. From time to time, Jin Wuque would quiz him on previous lessons. Su Zhen answered most fluently, but for the few he couldn't answer, Jin Wuque would strike him with a teaching rod made of Diamond Vine. Although it was painful, being struck by the Diamond Vine slowly improved his physique. Su Zhen felt delighted with every milligram of strength gained, even intentionally failing to answer so Jin Wuque would strike him more. Jin Wuque, however, looked at Su Zhen's expectant little eyes with utter disdain.

After the relaxing theory lesson, Su Zhen returned to the plaza. At this moment, a white-haired youth who looked to be sixteen or seventeen was leaning against a pillar.

Spitting out the stem of Blue Silver Grass in his mouth, Guang Ling walked to a spot ten meters in front of Su Zhen and stood straight.

"Little one, good afternoon. Second Brother snatched you up this morning, so now the old man will accompany you for some practice. As long as you can reach me through my arrow attacks and snatch the token at my waist, you will have passed my test."

No sooner had Guang Ling finished speaking than he summoned a massive ice bow and fired an arrow before Su Zhen could react.

Seeing the arrow closing in, Su Zhen hurriedly condensed his soul power at the soles of his feet, quickly compressing and releasing it to flash to the side. This was a technique he had learned while fighting Golden Crocodile that morning—a crude, self-created soul skill. But the speed of Guang Ling's arrow was immense; even though Su Zhen dodged at the first possible moment, he was still struck in the arm.

The moment the arrow hit, Su Zhen's arm was frozen. The bone-chilling cold caused him to collapse to the ground instantly, and the nearby healing soul master hurried over to treat him.

"What I am training is your reaction time and speed. In battle, these elements are crucial; sometimes they can even help you complete a cross-rank challenge. Little one, you must practice hard."

Guang Ling's flippant voice reached Su Zhen's ears. Looking at the arrow wound on his arm, he felt a lingering fear. These old men were playing for real. If he didn't grow quickly, he would be played to death by these "lovely" elders.

Su Zhen adjusted his state and launched his first charge toward Guang Ling's position, using his first soul skill right from the start.

"Yo, the little one is going all out. Then Fifth Grandfather won't hold back either."

Guang Ling placed his fingers on the bowstring and pulled rapidly; in an instant, several arrows shot toward Su Zhen. Facing the dense rain of arrows, Su Zhen dared not be careless. Utilizing the techniques he learned from Golden Crocodile combined with the effects of his first soul skill, he dodged the arrows radiating cold intent one after another. However, he only managed to dodge the first few, and the rest were all taken by his robust physique.

Having endured the rain of Guang Ling's arrows all afternoon, Su Zhen lay panting on the cold marble floor.

"Little Zhen-Zhen, Fifth Grandfather had a lot of fun today. Go back and get some good rest; we continue tomorrow."

Guang Ling walked over to Su Zhen, squatted down, and looked down at him with a grin. He used his soul power to disperse the lingering cold air in Su Zhen's body before hopping away.

Su Zhen lay on the ground for a long while before rising and dragging his stiff body back to his room. The medicinal cauldron had already been prepared by the maids. Su Zhen removed his clothes and slowly sat into the cauldron to regulate his breathing.

At night, Qian Daoliu came to Su Zhen's room and brought him to sit on a prayer mat beneath the massive angel statue in the center of the Worship Hall.

"From tonight on, your sleep time must be controlled to within two hours per day. Use meditation for the rest of your rest time."

Qian Daoliu sat cross-legged and began to guide Su Zhen in deep meditation.

"You must completely transform meditation into a part of your body's instinct, making it as natural as breathing. Over time, your body will be in a state of meditation at all times."

"The circulation there is too fast, slow it down. Here, it is too rigid; circulate it a few more times."

Qian Daoliu stood by, constantly correcting the minor flaws in Su Zhen's meditation.

Just like that, Su Zhen's wonderful life became routine: medicinal bath, beaten by Golden Crocodile in the morning, eat, theory lessons and lashes from Jin Wuque at noon, shot by Guang Ling in the afternoon, medicinal bath, and guided deep meditation by Qian Daoliu at night.

Su Zhen spent every day under such high-intensity training, and his strength progressed by leaps and bounds.