A Running Routine You Can't Afford to Skip

"Nothing."

Xiao Wu patted the warmed-up bedding. "Let's go to sleep."

She hadn't expected to spend so long thinking about something. The time had just slipped away.

Jiang Jiu didn't think much of it either. He lay down and fell asleep at once. He was pretty tired today, too.

Xiao Wu turned her head. Her eyes were still bright in the darkness.

Early the next morning, before the sky had even begun to lighten, Jiang Jiu opened his eyes.

An unfamiliar ceiling—and his body felt like it was wrapped up by an octopus.

Right. He was in Dorm Seven.

Jiang Jiu slowly peeled Xiao Wu's arms and legs off him. The way she slept really was something else.

"Mom..."

Jiang Jiu paused, fished a clean set of clothes out of his bundle, and slowly tucked them into Xiao Wu's arms so she'd have something to cuddle while she slept.

He got out of bed. Dorm Seven was still deathly quiet. A dorm where nobody snored really wasn't bad.

In the dim light, he made his way to the academy's sports field. There wasn't a soul around, so Jiang Jiu slowly started warming up.

He was still young and wasn't quite suited to strength training yet, but he could work on his cardio endurance.

People all laughed at Shrek's running drills, but at his current stage, Jiang Jiu really didn't have any better training methods.

Blacksmithing was one option, but it was best done with Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer.

Starting from the calves and combining it with the support of Soul Power, it could train the whole body. Ordinary hammering movements were nowhere near as effective.

Still, even if it was just running, as a modern person and a virtual fitness enthusiast, he could apply a little progressive overload to his running and cardio training.

Maybe that would be a bit more scientific?

Without long-term practice, Jiang Jiu couldn't guarantee that this would definitely be useful.

All he could say was that he had to believe in it first, then keep believing. Running was better than not running.

While Jiang Jiu was out for his morning run, Tang San woke up, too. As usual, he practiced Purple Demon Eye, then headed to the academy gate to meet Grandmaster and set off for Soul Hunting Forest.

"Your roommate is quite diligent."

Tang San was stunned for a moment, then realized who his teacher meant.

"He does seem a little different from everyone else."

Especially after learning that Jiang Jiu was a boy, Tang San had been a little surprised.

Of course, what really astonished him was that Jiang Jiu got up even earlier than someone like him, who practiced Purple Demon Eye.

Yu Xiaogang nodded in understanding. "Someone like that is worth getting to know."

"I understand, teacher."

The tall man and the short one walked out of the academy gate.

In the bathhouse, Jiang Jiu realized he'd made a bit of a miscalculation.

On the first day of his training plan, he mainly wanted to see how much he could manage.

His physical condition was surprisingly decent. He'd jogged six kilometers.

He'd never even dreamed of running that far in his previous life. Three kilometers had been enough to nearly kill him.

But there were problems, too.

For one, he couldn't accurately calculate how long he'd spent running. At first, he could use distance as the variable for adjusting his progressive overload, but later he'd still need to shorten his time.

And then there was the problem right now.

Jiang Jiu was drenched in sweat. He hadn't gone back to the dorm first, wanting only to take a shower, but he hadn't brought a change of clothes. He was still getting used to living in this kind of dorm and to exercising.

He had no choice but to hold his nose and put on his filthy clothes, soaked through with sweat.

At first, he thought it wouldn't be a big deal, but cold sweat was a whole different thing from warm sweat.

"Knock, knock!"

Jiang Jiu was just about to rinse his dirty clothes, wring them out, and put them back on when he froze.

He'd expected someone might come to bathe around this time, and he'd figured he could get used to it.

But that was obviously a girl's voice!

"Xiao Wu, why did you come into the boys' bathhouse?!"

"What does it matter? I checked beforehand. You're the only one here, Xiao Jiu."

"And it's not just the bathhouse. I didn't see anyone else on the way here."

Xiao Wu, her hair tied into a scorpion braid, stood prettily in the boys' bathhouse.

She looked around inside, then lost interest. Her bright, lively eyes fixed straight on Jiang Jiu.

"Okay, that's enough! Put the clothes down and get out!"

Jiang Jiu wouldn't have minded if they'd both been naked, but Xiao Wu was fully dressed while he wasn't. That was something he couldn't accept.

Still, he saw the clothes in Xiao Wu's hands and understood why she was here.

She was pretty thoughtful. She just needed to be a little less reckless.

"I've already grabbed you. Taking a look won't make you lose a piece of flesh."

The brazen little rabbit never said anything without causing a stir, but she still found somewhere to put the clothes before leaving.

After changing, Jiang Jiu came out of the bathhouse and went with Xiao Wu to the cafeteria for breakfast.

He really had nothing to say about Xiao Wu.

Sure, she was a rascal, but she'd come to bring him clothes. He couldn't exactly blame her, so it was better to drop the subject.

In the cafeteria, aside from the staff, there still wasn't a single student around.

Someone like Xiao Wu had become one of the earliest risers today, too.

But when he thought about how old the others were, they were all just a bunch of elementary school kids. There was no point being too hard on them.

"Xiao Jiu, I'll be going away for a few days." Xiao Wu poked at the noodles in her bowl with her chopsticks.

"Are you going to get your First Soul Ring?"

"You know about that, too?"

"Good luck."

In some ways, Xiao Wu had a surprising lack of common sense.

"Why are you so calm..." Xiao Wu was a little dissatisfied. She thought Jiang Jiu should be more reluctant to see her go, completely unaware that she and Jiang Jiu had known each other for less than twenty-four hours.

"It's not like we won't see each other again. We'll be together again in a few days."

"Hmph. I was even planning to temporarily grant you my privilege as the boss."

"I humbly decline."

"What?" Xiao Wu suspiciously touched her ear.

"I said I'll miss you so much. Big sis Xiao Wu, could you please stay?" Jiang Jiu recited flatly.

"Stop, stop, stop. Why does that sound weirder and weirder the more I listen?" Suspicion deepened on Xiao Wu's face. Was he making fun of her? She just had no proof!

"Forget it. I'm magnanimous, so I'll forgive you. Let's head back to Dorm Seven."

"My authority will have to be passed down to you eventually."

"Why not give me a second lesson, then?"

"That's true. I'll teach you a few moves first. Practice them, and when I come back with my First Soul Ring, I'll give you a proper lesson!"

Xiao Wu's attention shifted quickly.

As they walked, she bounced along, demonstrating a few moves and showing off her flexibility. Her body really was as supple as boneless willow.

"Those pants are really good quality."

Xiao Wu pouted and punched Jiang Jiu. "That's what you noticed?"

She hadn't demonstrated those variations of standing splits just to get Jiang Jiu to notice her pants.

"Do I have to practice these, too?"

"Of course! When we get back to the dorm, there are a few more you can do sitting, bent over, and lying down. You have to practice all of them properly."

"Flexibility and pliability are the keys to Soft Technique!"

"Ugh."