The first day of preparations for the academy Soul Master Tournament.
Inside Hurricane Gorge, the top-tier wind-element simulated training ground of Godwind Academy.
"What are you doing? Are you tired already?!"
"Are you planning to cultivate? Planning to sleep? Planning to lie down and get some proper rest?!"
Godwind Academy's headmaster looked at Feng Xiaotian and the others, who had already collapsed to the ground, and spoke with a grim expression.
"Pant... pant... gasp... pant!"
Feng Xiaotian and the others lay on the ground. As the wind swept over them, it felt as though their entire bodies were being sliced apart by countless blades.
The wind passed through their skin and pores, blowing directly into their bodies. The sensation was like being slowly carved to pieces!
At the same time, the air within Hurricane Gorge was thin, and every breath demanded all their strength.
Yet even so, they still felt suffocated. Their heads spun, and their vision darkened.
"I know this is painful, but at your age, how can you lie still? How can you sleep?!"
"Think carefully. While you're lying on the ground, students from other academies may be training like mad!"
"While you're sleeping, students from other academies may have already raised their Soul Power by an entire level!"
"Think carefully about your previous defeat. Think about the humiliation you'll face in the battles to come!"
"Can you still sleep after thinking of that? Can you still lie there?!"
"If even that can't make you stand up, then fine. Stay here and be trash. Be salted fish!"
Godwind Academy's headmaster roared furiously.
"W-We're not salted fish! We're Godwind!"
Following the headmaster's train of thought, Feng Xiaotian remembered Qin Qi and the humiliation of being beaten up by a group.
He remembered the pain of Qin Qi kicking him away with a single kick, and imagined that Qin Qi was desperately training right now as well.
The moment he thought of that, Feng Xiaotian could no longer slack off. Enduring the pain, he forced himself to his feet!
He absolutely would not lose to Qin Qi. He would defeat Qin Qi with his own strength and restore his image in Huo Wu's heart!
"Good kid, I knew I wasn't wrong about you!"
"Keep training! This time, we'll trample everyone from the other academies beneath our feet!"
Godwind Academy's headmaster looked at the people who had stood up and nodded in satisfaction. As expected of the geniuses of their academy.
He approved of that fighting spirit!
Meanwhile, in the cafeteria of Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
"Auntie, you know our academy will be fighting Soul Masters from other academies soon, right?"
Qin Qi looked at the cafeteria lady serving food and spoke with a serious expression.
"Mm-hm."
The cafeteria lady nodded.
"You know I'm one of our academy's main fighters, right?"
Qin Qi asked again.
"Mm-hm."
The cafeteria lady nodded once more.
"Then this is what you're feeding a main fighter? Forget Soul Beast meat, the least you could do is give me some beef."
"What's with this whole basin of pork? Aren't you dragging me down?!"
Qin Qi looked at the basin of braised pork before him and felt that there was a traitor in the academy. They were actually trying to defeat him with delicious braised pork.
What a despicable and shameless tactic!
"Then... are you still eating it?"
The cafeteria lady was stunned for a moment after hearing him, then asked.
"I'll eat it. For cultivation, I can endure a little hardship. Later, I'll buy Soul Beast meat myself and make some grilled skewers!"
Qin Qi directly carried away the entire basin of braised pork, along with the basin of steamed buns beside it.
Strength Path cultivation consumed far too many resources. He had to save his resources to buy meat.
"You said all that just so you could take all of it for yourself? You brat, you're nothing but a bottomless pit!"
The cafeteria lady stared blankly as such a huge basin of braised pork was carried away, then spoke irritably.
"Um, Auntie, are there any dishes left?"
The student behind him stepped forward and asked.
"No. That bottomless pit in front took it all. If you have a problem, go talk to him."
The cafeteria lady replied crossly.
"Th-Then forget it. I'll just go eat outside later."
The student looked at Qin Qi, who was eating nearby, and recalled Qin Qi's fierce reputation lately. He shrank his neck and chose discretion.
It wasn't that he was scared. He just felt there was no need to fight over a mouthful of food. He was a noble, after all. He could afford a meal.
"Qin Qi, has your appetite increased again?"
Dugu Yan watched Qin Qi eat and felt that he seemed to have eaten three more steamed buns than yesterday.
"My strength has improved, so my appetite has increased too."
"Besides, I'm preparing for the battles ahead. How can I have the strength to fight if I don't eat my fill?"
Qin Qi spoke while eating. Once he finished, he could not help sighing again over the decline of the Strength Path.
To cultivate the Strength Path, he had to eat like crazy, while Soul Masters only needed to sit down and meditate.
To maintain his strength, his body needed to consume massive amounts of energy, greatly increasing his appetite.
Meanwhile, Soul Masters only needed to eat as much as ordinary people. Sigh, the Strength Path was declining. The Strength Path was just too difficult.
At Skywater Academy, several beautiful girls trained their Martial Soul Fusion Skill within ice day and night without rest, their snow-white skin frozen blue and purple.
Meanwhile, Qin Qi got hungry in the afternoon and took the Strength-Eating Immortal Gu outside to buy some ten-year Soul Beast meat. After eating it, his physical fitness improved, and the golden light increased as well.
At Blazing Fire Academy, Huo Wu and the others trained desperately. Flames scorched their entire bodies, turning their skin charred black as they hovered between life and death several times.
In the end, they finally managed to raise their Soul Power by one level. Everyone was overjoyed, sighing that their hard work would not betray them!
Meanwhile, Qin Qi got hungry at night, stewed some Soul Beast meat with medicinal herbs, and ate it together with the Strength-Eating Immortal Gu. Then his Soul Power broke through.
He looked at the moon in the sky and could not help sighing once more about the decline of the Strength Path. It consumed far too many resources.
Cultivation was truly too bitter. Techniques were useless, there were no long-range attacks, and close combat required practice.
How wonderful would it be if he had obtained Refinement Path Gu insects? He could directly grab someone else's Martial Soul and refine it in an instant!
That would feel incredible.
Under their teacher's relentless day-and-night Thunder whippings, everyone from Thunderclap Academy trembled uncontrollably.
They could not even stand anymore, each of them sprawled on the ground like a maggot.
Yet they had no regrets. Since they had embarked on the path of a Soul Master, they believed they had to pour in their blood and sweat!
They would not casually complain of hardship or exhaustion. If they could not endure it, they would only blame themselves for being useless. They would never resent their teammates or the world.
Meanwhile, Qin Qi felt no pressure at all. Not only did he refuse to pressure himself, he even turned around and started putting pressure on his teammates.
"Old Yu, do you know how hard it is for me to carry you?"
"In the last battle, you were completely useless. You got instantly defeated the moment you went up."
"Other than holding us back the entire match, you did nothing at all."
"I feel like even bringing Xue Beng would be more useful than bringing you. Why don't you leave the team? We can find another support."
"If that doesn't work, we can just let Xue Beng take your place."
Qin Qi looked at Yu Tianheng, who was exercising with a stone lock nearby, and spoke while drinking tea.
"That kind of thing will never happen again! This time, I will definitely win!"
Yu Tianheng felt the pressure. Veins bulged on his forehead, and he gritted his teeth as he swore that this time, he would wash away his humiliation!
Even if he trained himself to death, he would reach level thirty before Qin Qi. He would outwork everyone!
Before you continue