Everyone's Desperate Cultivation, Qin Qi's Leisure!

The first day of preparations for the Academy Soul Master Tournament.

Godwind Academy, Hurricane Gorge—the top-tier wind-attribute simulated cultivation grounds.

"What are you doing? Are you tired already?!"

"Are you trying to quit? Do you want to sleep? Do you want to lie down and get a good rest?!"

Godwind Academy's principal looked at Feng Xiaotian and the others, who had already collapsed to the ground, and spoke with a dark expression.

"Huff, huff, gasp, huff!"

Feng Xiaotian and the others lay on the ground. As the wind swept past them, it felt as though their entire bodies were being carved apart by countless blades.

The wind passed through their skin and pores, blowing directly into their bodies. It felt like death by a thousand cuts!

At the same time, the air in Hurricane Gorge was thin, and they had to use every ounce of strength just to breathe.

Even so, they still felt suffocated, dizzy, and unable to see clearly.

"I know this is painful, but at your age, how can you lie around? How can you sleep?!"

"Think about it! While you're lying on the ground, students from other academies might be training like mad!"

"While you're sleeping, students from other academies might have already raised their soul power by a rank!"

"Think carefully about your previous defeat! Think about the humiliation you'll suffer in future battles!"

"Can you still sleep after thinking about that? Can you still lie there?!"

"If you still can't stand up after thinking about all that, then fine! Stay here and be useless trash, be salted fish!"

Godwind Academy's principal roared loudly.

"W-We're not salted fish! We're Godwind!"

Following the principal's words, Feng Xiaotian thought of Qin Qi and the humiliation of being ganged up on.

He thought of the pain when Qin Qi had sent him flying with a single kick. He thought of how Qin Qi was surely training desperately right now as well.

The moment he thought of that, Feng Xiaotian could no longer bring himself to slack off. Enduring the pain, he forced himself to his feet!

He would never lose to Qin Qi. He would defeat Qin Qi with his own strength and restore his image in Huo Wu's heart!

"Good boy! I knew I hadn't misjudged you!"

"Keep training! This time, we'll trample everyone from the other academies beneath our feet!"

Godwind Academy's principal watched everyone rise and nodded in satisfaction. As expected of the geniuses of their academy.

He approved of this fighting spirit!

Meanwhile, in the cafeteria of Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

"Auntie, you know our academy will be having soul battles against other academies soon, right?"

Qin Qi looked at the cafeteria lady serving food and spoke with a completely 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 again.

"And this is what you're feeding one of the main fighters? Forget soul beast meat—at the very least, you could give me some beef."

"What's the meaning of giving me such a huge basin of braised pork? Aren't you holding me back?!"

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 vile and shameless scheme!

"Then... are you still eating it?"

The cafeteria lady froze for a moment after hearing Qin Qi's words, then asked.

"Yes. For cultivation, I can endure a little hardship. Later, I'll buy soul beast meat myself and make grilled skewers!"

Qin Qi directly carried away the entire basin of braised pork, along with the basin of steamed buns beside it.

Strength cultivation consumed far too many resources. He had to save up his resources to buy meat.

"You said all that just so you could take everything for yourself? You brat are nothing but a damn glutton!"

The cafeteria lady stared blankly for a moment as the huge basin of braised pork was carried away, then spoke in annoyance.

"Um, Auntie, is there any food left?"

The students behind him stepped forward and asked.

"Nope. That glutton in front took it all. If you have a problem, go talk to that glutton."

The cafeteria aunt replied irritably.

"Th-then forget it. I'll just go out to eat by myself later."

The man glanced at Qin Qi, who was eating beside him. Thinking of Qin Qi's recent fearsome reputation, he shrank his neck and chose to follow his heart.

It wasn't that he was cowardly. He just felt there was no need to fight over a bite to eat. He was a noble, after all—he could afford a meal.

"Qin Qi, has your appetite increased again?"

Watching Qin Qi shovel down food, Dugu Yan felt like he had eaten three more steamed buns than yesterday.

"My strength has improved, so my appetite has improved too."

"Besides, I'm preparing for the upcoming battles. How am I supposed to have the strength to fight if I don't eat my fill?"

Qin Qi spoke as he ate. Once he finished, he could not help sighing again at how the strength path was declining.

To cultivate the strength path, he had to eat like crazy, while soul masters only needed to sit and meditate.

To maintain his strength, his body needed to consume vast amounts of energy, causing his appetite to increase drastically.

Soul masters, meanwhile, only needed to eat as much as ordinary people. Sigh, the strength path was declining. The strength path was still too firmly established.

At Skywater Academy, several beautiful girls trained their martial soul fusion skill day and night amid freezing ice. Their fair skin had been chilled blue and purple.

Meanwhile, when Qin Qi got hungry that afternoon, he took the Strength-Eating Immortal Gu outside to buy some ten-year soul beast meat. After eating it, his physical fitness improved, and his golden light increased as well.

At Blazing Fire Academy, Huo Wu and the others trained desperately. Their entire bodies were scorched by flames, their skin turning charred black as they hovered between life and death several times.

In the end, after great difficulty, they finally raised their soul power by one level. Everyone was overjoyed, sighing that their efforts would never betray them!

Meanwhile, Qin Qi got hungry that evening. He stewed some soul beast meat with medicinal herbs and ate it together with the Strength-Eating Immortal Gu, then his soul power broke through.

Looking at the moon in the sky, he could not help sighing once more at the declining strength path. It consumed far too many resources.

Cultivation was truly too difficult. Techniques were useless, there were no ranged attacks, and close combat required practice.

How great would it be if he had obtained refinement-path Gu insects instead? He could just grab someone else's martial soul and refine it in an instant!

That would be freaking awesome.

Under their teacher's relentless lightning whippings day and night, the people of Thunderclap Academy trembled uncontrollably all over.

They could not even stand anymore, each of them sprawled on the ground like maggots.

But they had no regrets. Since they had chosen the path of a soul master, they believed they had to pour their heart and blood into it!

They would not casually complain of hardship or exhaustion. If they could not hold on, they would only blame themselves for being useless, never their teammates or the world.

Qin Qi, on the other hand, felt no pressure at all. Not only did he refuse to put pressure on himself, he even turned around and started pressuring his teammates.

"Old Yu, do you know how hard it is to carry you?"

"In the last battle, you were completely useless. You got instantly taken out the moment you went up."

"Other than dragging us down the whole match, you didn't do anything."

"I feel like even bringing Xue Beng would be more useful than bringing you. How about you quit the team? We can find another support."

"If that doesn't work, we can just let Xue Beng replace you."

Qin Qi drank tea as he spoke to Yu Tianheng, who was training his body with a stone lock nearby.

"That will never happen again! This time, I will definitely win!"

Yu Tianheng felt the pressure. Veins bulged on his forehead, and he clenched his teeth tightly. He swore that this time, he would definitely wash away his humiliation!

Even if he cultivated himself to death, he would reach level thirty before Qin Qi. He would grind everyone else into the ground!