I'm Mighty Impressive, So Give Me a Good Plan!

Flender walked with his hands behind his back, following the three from a distance.

He hadn't planned to follow them the whole way. He figured he would wait until Ning Rongrong gave up running and went shopping in Suotuo City, then trail her there.

He could stroll around Suotuo City himself and relax.

Then, come evening,

he could give Ning Rongrong a proper scolding and fulfill the task Ning Fengzhi had entrusted to him.

But he had followed them around the village for ten laps, and that girl Ning Rongrong was still running.

She showed no sign of giving up.

Flender pushed his gold-rimmed glasses up his nose, his brows slowly drawing together.

"Something's not right."

"Didn't Tang San say Ning Rongrong would give up after half a lap and go shopping in Suotuo City? Why is she still running? It's been half a day and ten laps, and she hasn't stopped!"

He cursed Tang San up and down in his head.

For fuck's sake, Tang San.

I'm mighty impressive, so if you're going to give me a plan, make it a good one!

What was that about Ning Rongrong quitting after two laps to go shopping? She's still running!

Ten laps! She's run ten laps!

Are you screwing with me?

Making a fool of me, are you?

You were supposed to come up with the plan, and I was supposed to do the scolding. Your plan was useless, and I spent the whole morning following her for nothing!

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He added another thought.

This is all your fault! You haven't got a brain in your head!

It's just running laps. Who couldn't keep going?

She's already a Soul Master. How could she not manage it?

What would make her any different from an ordinary person?

Did I really come up with this idea in my previous life?

No way. This must all be bullshit from that bastard Tang San.

Before evening, people had already begun gathering on the Training Ground.

Ye Lin, Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ma Hongjun waited at its edge, some standing and some sitting.

Ning Rongrong and Oscar appeared at the entrance to the Training Ground.

Though the two had run all day and still had traces of sweat on their faces, their steps were steady and their backs straight.

A little dust clung to the hem of Ning Rongrong's skirt, and damp strands of hair stuck to her cheeks, but her eyes shone.

Whenever she thought about how she had actually finished twenty laps, she felt proud of herself.

Oscar walked beside her, breathing a little hard but still looking lively.

Xiao Wu was the first to greet them, holding out a cup of water.

"Thanks for the effort! Twenty laps—you two were amazing!"

Ye Lin came over too and nodded at Ning Rongrong.

"Nicely done. It takes real grit to keep going until the end."

"Especially when you're just a girl."

Ning Rongrong nodded.

"Thank you."

She took the water Xiao Wu offered and drank a mouthful, silently telling herself,

That bastard Tang San said I was stupid, that I couldn't stick with anything, that I was destined to be a useless spoiled young lady.

I'll prove him wrong.

I'm not the person Tang San says I am. I'll keep this up, and I'll become better and better.

She glanced at Ye Lin and added quietly to herself,

Ye Lin is so much better.

Unlike Tang San and Oscar, those two creeps. I can't stand either of them.

Flender approached with his hands behind his back. He looked around, then fixed his gaze on Oscar.

"Where's Tang San? Wasn't he running with you?"

Oscar rinsed his mouth with water from his flask, then looked up and answered, "Tang San's still running. He has three laps left."

"He was going a little slowly. He still had three laps to go when I came back."

At that, Flender's little eyes narrowed behind his lenses.

Tang San?

The Tang San who gave me that rotten plan?

The Tang San who made me follow them all morning for nothing?

Flender drew a deep breath. The anger he had bottled up all day finally found an outlet.

"He's dragging his feet like a snail. On a battlefield, the enemy would have caught him and cut him down a hundred times over."

He tipped his chin toward Dai Mubai. "Go tell Tang San to come back. He can owe me those three laps for now, but add another ten. He'll keep running tomorrow."

"He needs to work on that speed!"

Dai Mubai was about to leave

when Oscar's eyes lit up.

"No need, Boss Dai!"

"I'll go tell him!"

He turned and raced back the way they had come, running remarkably fast.

Oscar could barely keep from laughing at the thought of the ugly look Tang San would have on his face.

Before long, Oscar strutted in through the Training Ground entrance with Tang San in tow, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.

Tang San kept his head down and shuffled along. His legs felt like lead, every step heavy.

Sweat had soaked through the back of his clothes, and strands of hair clung to his forehead.

When he reached the edge of the Training Ground, his legs buckled and he nearly lost his balance.

Everyone watching wore a different expression.

Dai Mubai's mouth twitched. He turned his head and pretended to look at the trees in the distance.

Ma Hongjun couldn't hold it in. He lowered his head and covered his mouth, his shoulders shaking.

Flender shot Tang San a sidelong glance and thought,

Look at Ning Rongrong, then look at yourself.

You came up with the plan, but you can't even finish the run yourself. And you had the nerve to talk about someone else?

After a dozen or so laps, you look half-dead.

When you came up with this plan, did you ever stop to think whether you could finish it yourself?

Ye Lin stepped forward and took Tang San by the arm.

"You all right? You really pushed yourself."

Tang San panted a few times, took the flask Ye Lin offered, and gulped down some water. "I'm fine... just a little tired," he rasped.

Ye Lin patted his shoulder. "Get some rest. You've got another ten laps tomorrow."

At the words "another ten laps,"

Tang San's already exhausted face went even paler, and his mouth twitched.

The others looked away, each lost in thought.

Their thoughts were remarkably alike.

Ye Lin is too softhearted. He even went over to help Tang San.

Everyone knows what kind of person Tang San is, but Ye Lin is still in the dark.

We'll have to find a way to show Ye Lin that brat's true colors before his respectable act fools him.

Tang San says he's fine, but he's probably cursing Ye Lin for butting in.

Ye Lin has everything going for him except good judgment.

Flender approached with his hands behind his back. He looked over the group and cleared his throat.

"All right, everyone's here. Don't just stand around."

"Your first combat lesson is tonight. Follow me to Suotuo City."

"That's where your first combat lesson will take place."

"Actual combat is the only real test of your strength. No matter how well you train at the academy, nothing beats getting in there and fighting."

The group quickly made its way toward the Suotuo Great Soul Arena.

Soon, they stopped outside the gates of the Suotuo Soul Arena.

Tang San looked ahead, and memories of his previous life surfaced.

A familiar place. I'm back.

In my previous life, I was a control-type Soul Master. My first match was against Zhu Zhuqing, and I bound her tight with Blue Silver Grass.

That felt so good!