You're One to Talk-Have You No Shame?

Three months passed,

and the bell rang over the academy.

Everyone emerged from their separate corners and lined up on the Training Ground.

Yu Xiaogang stood before them with his hands behind his back, his gaze slowly sweeping across every face.

"You've all improved considerably over the past three months."

"I won't go into the details."

"Until now, you've trained separately. From now on, you'll train together."

"Because you're a team. You aren't eight individual Soul Masters. You're a team."

"This training will teach you what that means."

"I've prepared a bamboo basket for each of you at the academy gate. They're filled with stones."

"Each of you must carry your load through Devil Road to Suotuo City without using Soul Power."

He paused, looking over all eight of them.

"I'll warn you now: Devil Road is an abandoned mountain path, four hundred kilometers long. The terrain is rough, and an ordinary person would need three days to cross it."

"But I expect you to make it through before dark."

"The other teachers and I will be waiting at the gates of Suotuo City."

The group fell silent for a moment.

Four hundred kilometers. Before dark. No Soul Power. And they had to carry a load.

Everyone followed Yu Xiaogang to the academy gate.

Eight bamboo baskets stood in a neat row outside, each labeled with a name.

The first seven were roughly the same size. Some held more stones than others, but the difference wasn't great.

Dai Mubai's was the fullest, weighing about fifteen kilograms.

Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ma Hongjun each had ten kilograms.

Ning Rongrong, Tang San, and Oscar each had five.

Then everyone's eyes fell on the last basket.

It was three sizes larger than the others, over a meter tall and almost as wide as a person's shoulders.

It stood to the left of the gate, labeled Ye Lin, and was packed with heavy stones, each larger than the ones in the other baskets.

Fifty kilograms.

Everyone came over for a look, then stepped back and shouldered their own baskets.

No one said a word, but they were all thinking the same thing:

Grandmaster is merciless to his own disciple.

Ye Lin silently lifted the basket onto his back. He rolled his shoulders, adjusted it until the weight rested as securely as possible, then set off toward Devil Road.

The eight of them filed onto the abandoned mountain path.

Devil Road was harder to traverse than they had imagined.

Loose stones of every size littered the path. Rainwater had carved half-meter-deep gullies in some places, while elsewhere the slope rose so steeply it seemed to press against their faces.

The stones shifted on their backs, forcing them to expend extra effort with every step just to keep their balance.

Without Soul Power to support them, the weight pressed directly on their muscles and bones. They tired far faster than usual.

Before they had gone two kilometers, Ma Hongjun was struggling.

"This is exhausting... Why don't we secretly use a little Soul Power? No one will see."

Tang San, walking in the middle of the group, faltered at Ma Hongjun's words.

"Knowing Grandmaster, he won't simply leave us to walk on our own. He's bound to be following us in secret. We just haven't spotted him."

"Grandmaster said he wanted us to understand that we're a team. That means we can redistribute the stones on our backs."

"We can share the weight. That's what being a team really means. We should work together."

After saying that, he glanced toward Xiao Wu, his tone softening.

"Xiao Wu, if your basket gets too heavy, I can take some of your stones."

Dai Mubai, at the front of the group, slowed at Tang San's words.

He looked back at Tang San, then at Xiao Wu. A grin spread across his face, and he patted Tang San on the shoulder, teasing him.

"Tang San, I hate to say it, but if Ye Lin said that, it would be one thing. You're a support-type Soul Master. Aren't you embarrassed?"

"I know you like Xiao Wu. I know you want to win her over. But this isn't how you do it."

"Ever heard of showing off what you're actually good at?"

"When we get back, Boss Dai will teach you a few tricks."

"The best way to show off is without looking like you're trying. That's how you catch a girl's eye."

The group burst out laughing.

Ma Hongjun laughed the loudest. Bent over, he slapped his thigh with one hand and pointed at Tang San with the other, unable to stop. Oscar laughed along with him.

Zhu Zhuqing, walking near the back, had been expressionless.

Now her brows drew together slightly, and she shot Dai Mubai's back a cold look.

She cursed him in her mind.

That shameless Dai Mubai. He's insufferable.

She couldn't even say when the sight of him acting like this had started to irritate her.

Tang San stood still, a smile lingering on his face, though his fingers had curled tighter.

The basket already made his shoulders ache. Dai Mubai's two pats had knocked him off balance for a moment, and it had taken some effort to steady himself.

He lowered his head, readjusted the basket straps, and continued walking without a word.

But his thoughts had already given him away.

That bastard Dai Mubai. What's it to you if I care about my wife? I'm a support-type Soul Master now, but that isn't all I am.

I've spent years forging metal. My stamina is better than most people's.

He snorted inwardly, then added,

If you weren't all useful to me, and I didn't need to build relationships with you, why would I bother with any of you?

Teamwork, my ass. You're nothing but tools.

In my last life, carrying stones was how I bonded with you. Looks like I'll have to do the same in this life.

Those thoughts reached the ears of several people around him.

Their gazes fell on Tang San almost in unison.

Their expressions darkened at once.

That shameless Tang San is a complete asshole. No matter what, all he thinks about is using us. And since when was Xiao Wu his wife? He has no shame.

Dai Mubai thought to himself,

Fine, fine. I offer to teach you how to win a girl over, and you're thinking about using me.

Grandmaster really is teaching us teamwork.

And we really are learning to work together.

But you aren't part of this team!

From now on, we'll do three things every day: eat, sleep, and beat up Tang San!

You'll only have two things to do: eat and sleep.

Oscar watched Tang San, the corners of his mouth lifting as he thought,

Little Scumbag, don't think no one can deal with you just because you're spewing crap inside your head.

I'll yank your tongue out and see how you spew crap then!

He suddenly quickened his pace and came up beside Tang San.

"Tang San, you said we're a team and should help each other, right?"

"I'm getting a little tired. Help me out first."

Oscar took the stones out of his basket and stuffed them into Tang San's.