Qin Ming: Do You Believe You Can't Outrun Me?!

"If you can't answer my question properly, then get out!"

"The academy is not short on Auxiliary Soul Masters. There are even Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Soul Masters studying here. Do you think you're so special?"

Ye Lingling had not expected that a casual remark from her would provoke Qin Ming into this series of pointed questions, like killing a chicken to warn the monkeys.

Though that was indeed what she had thought.

As one of the only two Nine Heart Begonia Soul Masters on the entire continent, the sole function of her Martial Soul was healing.

Her father was an honored guest among all major powers, so despite not joining any faction, his status was still extraordinary.

After all, the Nine Heart Begonia was a rare top-tier healing Martial Soul.

Most importantly, because the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul was so difficult to inherit, Nine Heart Begonia Soul Masters throughout history had never participated in major events on the Douluo Continent.

That naturally included wars and conflicts between major powers.

At most, they would only appear afterward to treat the wounded.

"Teacher Qin."

A voice came from nearby, and Qin Ming looked toward its source.

"Xia Yuan, what? Do you want to oppose me too?"

"No." Xia Yuan shook his head. "I just want to ask Teacher Qin a few questions."

Qin Ming relaxed and said casually, "If you have doubts, then speak. Let me hear them."

Ye Lingling also looked toward Xia Yuan, biting her lip.

Because of her personality, she rarely spoke. Even when she did, she never argued with others.

Facing an "authority figure" like Qin Ming, she had wanted to explain her special circumstances, but she did not dare offend this teacher again.

Xia Yuan said, "Teacher Qin just used the battlefield as an example, so I'll use the battlefield as an example too."

"On the battlefield, soul skills have no eyes. Teacher Qin first brought up running, then asked how Auxiliary Soul Masters could protect themselves. Are you trying to say..."

"That Auxiliary Soul Masters need to rely on running to survive on the battlefield?"

Qin Ming said proudly, "Naturally."

"My teacher once said that an Auxiliary Soul Master who doesn't know how to run away is not a good Soul Master."

"What does running away require? Stamina."

"Perhaps Ye Lingling has the support of her own Soul Power, and her physical condition is stronger than an ordinary person's, but what will she face on the battlefield?"

"Most likely, enemy Battle Soul Masters."

"So if she can run one more step at a critical moment, perhaps she can survive the battlefield."

"Furthermore, this applies not only to Auxiliary Soul Masters, but also to assault, agility, control, and the rest of you."

"That is the importance of running. I should not have needed to tell you this; you should have realized it yourselves."

"My original plan was to have you run fifty laps around the square today. It doesn't matter if you use your Martial Souls to assist yourselves."

"As long as you finish before noon, you can eat lunch. Otherwise, forget about eating!"

"You students sheltered in ivory towers are used to privileged lives. How could you understand such valuable experience?"

Yu Tianheng nodded thoughtfully.

Qin Ming had always been the most capable teacher Yu Tianheng had ever met, and this theory of running left him feeling thoroughly enlightened.

Yeah!

Wasn't reality exactly as Qin Ming had said?

On the battlefield, the faster he ran, the more efficiently he could escape with his life.

The others all looked toward Xia Yuan, wanting to see how he would refute Qin Ming.

Xia Yuan looked at Qin Ming and asked in return:

"Teacher Qin, can you tell me, under normal circumstances, who is faster: an Auxiliary Soul Master or a Battle Soul Master of the same rank?"

"Of course it's the Battle Soul Master!" Qin Ming answered without hesitation. "What's the point of asking that?"

Xia Yuan said, "So you make Auxiliary Soul Masters train running."

"Just so that on the battlefield, with no one protecting them and no ability to defend themselves—"

"After everyone else has been slaughtered by the enemy, they can choose to run, until their Soul Power is exhausted and their legs go weak."

"Then watch helplessly as enemy Soul Masters catch up to them as if taking a stroll and slaughter them?"

Qin Ming's face instantly flushed red. "That's simply sophistry!"

"Every extra step you run is another chance to live!"

"You call that another chance to live?" Xia Yuan cut him off. "I call it delaying death."

"Or do you think struggling for two more breaths before dying counts as winning?"

A few quiet laughs sounded nearby. Dugu Yan covered her mouth, while Ye Lingling's eyelashes trembled slightly.

Qin Ming flew into a rage from embarrassment and shouted, "You're utterly unreasonable! What do you know about real combat? What do you know about the battlefield?"

"I think you're the one who doesn't understand." Xia Yuan's voice turned cold as well.

"Have you ever considered what Auxiliary Soul Masters are meant to do on the battlefield?"

"They stand in the rear and support their teammates in achieving victory, not go out alone to fight for survival."

"Teaching Auxiliary Soul Masters to run away—do you want them to lose their nerve before the battle even begins, or abandon their teammates?"

Qin Ming's expression darkened. "So you think Auxiliary Soul Masters shouldn't train their stamina?"

"If Ye Lingling were assassinated by a Battle Soul Master, what would she use to block him?"

"Then would she use running to evade an assassination?" Xia Yuan immediately asked back.

Dugu Yan could not hold back a snort.

She covered her mouth, but the trembling of her shoulders could not be hidden.

Xia Yuan continued, "Besides, why wait until she is being assassinated?"

"Your starting point is wrong from the very beginning."

"The moment an Auxiliary Soul Master is approached at close range, they have already lost."

"What they should truly practice for such situations is not competing with the enemy in a long-distance race, but their ability to react on the spot, judge the situation, and even their sense of positioning."

Ye Lingling nodded unconsciously. "...That's right."

Qin Ming's face went from red to white. His lips moved several times, but he could not force out a complete sentence.

However, Xia Yuan did not stop and continued:

"An outstanding support should always remain within the protection range of allied Soul Masters, or use the characteristics of their Martial Soul and other abilities to maneuver, creating a situation where they do not need to run away."

"Even if they truly need to flee, do you think the leg strength an Auxiliary Soul Master trains can compare to the soul skills of an agility-type Soul Master?"

"Besides, your so-called stamina training is just using up precious cultivation time on endless running?"

"Do you know the dangers of overtaxing the body? Do you know what sudden increases in cardiac strain can cause after excessive training?"

"Do you know that forcibly training the body and bones while exhausted can cause irreversible damage?"

"Or do you only know how to train stamina by running, and know nothing else?"

"You... you..." Qin Ming's chest heaved violently, his face turning the color of pig liver.

His emotions finally erupted completely. Pointing at Xia Yuan's nose, he roared, "Do you believe you can't outrun me?!"

His roar echoed across the square.

Everyone froze. After roaring, even Qin Ming himself froze.