"Heh heh heh heh heh~ Young master, you really are someone who loves training and works incredibly hard!"
"Compared to how hard you work, young master, I spend all day loafing around. It makes me feel like I've wasted my whole life! I really am the worst!..."
Ning Rongrong cupped her cheeks in both hands. Her big eyes brimmed with almost frenzied admiration and envy as she gazed at Xiao Yexuan, sparkling-eyed.
"Young master, you work so hard. No wonder you could defeat a veteran level-29 Soul Grandmaster when you've only got one ring!"
"Young master's perseverance is a model for all of us. From now on, I'll learn from you and train hard every day!"
Zhu Zhuqing clenched her fists, looking as though she'd been deeply enlightened and inspired. She nodded solemnly.
Xiao Wu also looked terribly ashamed. She drooped her head and spoke in deep regret:
"If only I hadn't been so playful when I was little. Otherwise, I'd be at least Soul Power level 40 by now, wouldn't I?"
As she spoke, Xiao Wu suddenly raised her head. A glimmer of hope flashed in her eyes, and she gazed eagerly at Xiao Yexuan.
"Young master, next time you train, could you bring me along too?"
"I feel like training with you is the only way I can finally change my habit of slacking off and cutting corners!"
Xiao Yexuan looked at the three girls before him, then thought of his strict teacher, Liu Erlong.
He wondered to himself whether Liu Erlong would end up taking up most of his training time at the school.
But then he changed his mind. He had plenty of ways to get out of it.
After all, with his exceptional charm, even if he occasionally acted willfully, Liu Erlong would never truly blame him.
With that in mind, Xiao Yexuan smiled warmly at the three of them and nodded solemnly.
"Of course. From now on, we'll form a little team and train together."
"Let's finish eating first today. Afterward, we can talk about our plans for training."
At Xiao Yexuan's promise, the three girls were overjoyed, each so excited she nearly jumped on the spot.
After that, they stopped insisting that Xiao Yexuan take off his mask and obediently went with him to the cafeteria for a meal.
Xiao Yexuan had planned to discuss the details of training together with the three girls while they ate.
But the girls really didn't like seeing him wear a mask, and all agreed that he should hurry up and finish his meal.
They could find somewhere quiet and secluded afterward and have a proper discussion. Then Xiao Yexuan could take off his mask, which would be much easier on the eyes.
Xiao Yexuan could only laugh helplessly and go along with them.
Soon, they had finished eating and made their way together to the colorful flower garden they'd visited earlier.
Xiao Yexuan sat cross-legged on the soft grass, chatting and laughing with the three girls. The mood was especially warm.
"I've always felt that Shrek Academy's teaching methods are all wrong."
"All they have us do is run, run, run around with rocks on our backs."
"Other than running, they send us to the Soul Fighting Arena for real combat. I don't know, this kind of training..."
Whenever Ning Rongrong thought about her training days at Shrek Academy, she puffed up her cheeks in anger, looking thoroughly displeased.
Beside her, Zhu Zhuqing furrowed her pretty brows and picked up where she'd left off, calmly analyzing the situation.
"Even without you saying it, we all know roughly why. Shrek Academy is just too short on money."
"The school doesn't have a proper simulated training ground, and there aren't many students who can spar with us."
"There are only a handful of teachers, and they can barely spare any time for us."
"They don't have many resources to buy us other training equipment, either."
"So they make us do the cheapest kind of training there is: running."
Zhu Zhuqing had hit the nail on the head. Xiao Wu put a hand on her hip and added indignantly:
"Even when they send us to the Soul Fighting Arena to fight people, it's not safe at all!"
"Sure, there are plenty of referees there to protect us, but people still die in the Soul Fighting Arena every year!"
"That old miser Flender sends us to fight people in such a dangerous place, and the school still takes a cut of the money we earn!"
"They're squeezing every last coin out of our hard-earned money! They already charge us a hundred Gold Soul Coins a year. He's a complete swindler!"
After leaving Shrek Academy, the three girls had apparently opened the floodgates. They poured out every complaint about the unfair treatment they'd received at the school.
Xiao Yexuan patiently listened for quite a while. When it became clear they had no intention of stopping, he realized that if they kept complaining, they might not get around to discussing their training plans at all today.
So Xiao Yexuan hurriedly raised a hand and stopped their endless grumbling.
"Making you run every day really is a lazy, half-hearted way to train you."
"When I used to train by myself, running was only part of my warm-up each day."
"Young master, you... what kind of training did you do before?"
As soon as Xiao Yexuan mentioned his training experience, the three girls perked up. They stared at him with sparkling eyes, their faces full of anticipation.
Xiao Yexuan groaned inwardly. He'd only just crossed over into this world. How could he have any real training experience?
Still, he'd read countless web novels, so he could easily rattle off a few ideas about training.
Of course, there weren't many training methods in the original Douluo Continent, so Xiao Yexuan could only borrow ideas from other systems.
Xiao Yexuan cleared his throat and spoke with an air of profound wisdom.
"After my daily run, I do basic physical exercises like horse stance and pull-ups."
"Sometimes I also practice archery to improve my concentration."
"Of course, I need some external pressure to train my body, too."
"For example, I train near the mouth of a blazing-hot volcano to build my heat tolerance; I run bare-chested through ice and snow to toughen myself against the cold; and I hold a horse stance beneath a waterfall, letting the rushing water pound my body and forge my physique."
The various training methods Xiao Yexuan made up on the spot left the three girls gaping. They were curious, but also found them terrifying.
After all, some of those methods sounded dangerous just to hear about.
Xiao Yexuan even mentioned finding Soul Beasts with lightning attributes and having them shock his body to toughen it.
Wouldn't he be electrocuted to death if something went wrong?
Fortunately, Xiao Yexuan was standing there safe and sound, which finally allowed them to breathe a quiet sigh of relief.
"Young master, now that you're training with Dean Liu Erlong, how does she teach you?"
The three girls glanced at one another, then looked at Xiao Yexuan expectantly again. They clearly wanted to know what his training with Liu Erlong was like.
They also had their own little plan. If Liu Erlong treated their young master badly, they would take Xiao Yexuan away no matter what and give him a better place to train.
Xiao Yexuan saw right through them and couldn't help laughing. He gave them a reassuring smile, then spoke slowly.
"My teacher treats me very well."
"Every day, besides physical training, she teaches me some techniques for using Soul Power."
"She's also planning to get me a lot of precious medicinal herbs tonight, so I can take a medicinal bath and strengthen my body."
"That'll make my path of cultivation smoother from here on out."
The three girls wore satisfied smiles after hearing Xiao Yexuan's answer, though deep in their eyes, a trace of disappointment flickered.
They really had hoped Liu Erlong would treat Xiao Yexuan badly. Then they could have taken him away with a clear conscience.
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