Lin Xuan Was Still the Center of the Team, and Yu Xiaogang Lost His Patience

Early the next morning.

Lin Xuan emerged from meditation.

On the wooden bed beside him, Tang San opened his eyes right on time, rolled out of bed, and put on his shoes.

"Morning, Lin Xuan."

"Morning."

After a quick wash, the two pushed open the dormitory door and stepped into the courtyard.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs. Xiao Wu came bouncing down first, with Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing behind her.

After a night spent under the soothing effects of the Clear Mind Talismans, all three girls looked rosy-cheeked and refreshed.

"Morning, Lin Xuan!"

Ning Rongrong hurried over to Lin Xuan, took an elegant box of candied fruit from her storage bracelet, and offered it to him.

"Try some. I brought these Hundred-Fruit Preserves from home. They're really sweet."

Xiao Wu was quicker. She grabbed two pieces and tossed them into her mouth, chewing with puffed-out cheeks.

"Rongrong, let me have some too. I'm hungry anyway."

Walking beside them, Zhu Zhuqing gave Lin Xuan a slight nod. "Morning."

The five gathered together and chatted as they walked toward the village dining hall.

Without anyone noticing when it happened, they had become a remarkably close-knit group.

Dai Mubai and Oscar, meanwhile, had only just emerged from another wooden building, yawning as they trailed far behind.

When they entered the dining hall, breakfast looked noticeably different.

Gone were the hard, coarse-flour buns and watery soup of the past two days. In their place were white-flour buns stuffed with meat, steaming meat congee, and neatly arranged plates of fried eggs.

"Well, look at that. Did the sun rise in the west?"

Xiao Wu grabbed a large meat bun, took a huge bite, and spoke through a mouthful of food.

Ning Rongrong ladled herself a bowl of meat congee.

"Dean Flender finally decided to spend some money on our meals."

Tang San filled two bowls with congee and handed one to Lin Xuan.

Lin Xuan accepted it and took a sip. Yu Xiaogang's famous training plan suddenly came to mind.

They would carry bamboo baskets full of rocks and run back and forth between Suotuo City and the village, without using Soul Power along the way.

Lin Xuan shook his head inwardly.

Shrek Academy had Zhao Wuji, a level seventy-six Soul Sage, right there. His third soul skill, "Gravity Enhancement," and fifth soul skill, "Gravity Compression," were both ready-made area-control techniques.

If the goal was to toughen their bodies and build resistance to pressure, Zhao Wuji could simply create a controllable Gravity Field. Everyone could spar and train their bodies inside it. That would be several times more effective than hauling rocks along muddy roads.

They would grow accustomed to the area-wide pressure of a higher-level Soul Master, strengthen their core muscles with precision, and avoid wasting time running back and forth along the main road.

Carrying rocks for dozens of kilometers on foot would do little beyond wearing down their joints and draining their stamina. It would hardly develop the combat instincts needed against higher-level Soul Masters.

But Lin Xuan said nothing.

Yu Xiaogang was Tang San's teacher, after all. Lin Xuan got along well with Tang San and had no reason to embarrass his teacher on purpose.

Of course, if Yu Xiaogang picked a fight himself, that would be another matter.

After breakfast, everyone headed to the large training ground at the center of the village.

Yu Xiaogang stood before the steps in the middle of the grounds, hands clasped behind his back. Flender stood beside him.

Dai Mubai and Oscar hurried over as well and took their places at one end of the line.

With Lin Xuan, Xiao Wu, Tang San, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong, seven people stood on the grounds in total.

Yu Xiaogang looked at the seven youths before him and made a quick assessment.

Four of them had already reached the Soul Elder realm.

Dai Mubai was level thirty-seven, Lin Xuan level thirty-five, Xiao Wu level thirty-three, and Tang San level thirty-one.

Of the remaining three, Oscar was a level twenty-nine food-type prodigy, Zhu Zhuqing a level twenty-seven agility-type Soul Master, and Ning Rongrong a level twenty-six wielder of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.

At any advanced Soul Master Academy on the continent, a lineup like this would be considered exceptional.

The only one who posed a problem for him was Lin Xuan, standing in the middle of the group.

Lin Xuan had challenged his theories several times at Notting Academy. Last night, he had displayed strength at the Great Soul Arena that defied common sense.

He was a real problem!

If Yu Xiaogang wanted to establish his authority over the whole team, he would have to start with this troublemaker and knock some of the arrogance out of him.

Yu Xiaogang cleared his throat and stepped forward.

"Flender has told me everything about last night's matches."

"Your individual abilities are impressive, but you lack the most fundamental team discipline and the physical endurance to back them up."

"Improving your Soul Power matters, of course, but your body is the only vessel that can contain it."

"Today's lesson is simple. Everyone will run thirty laps around the dirt road outside the village."

"During the run, no one may use their Martial Soul or draw on the Soul Power in their meridians. You will finish using nothing but your own physical strength."

"Anyone who fails to finish gets no lunch. Understood?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ning Rongrong frowned and muttered, "Running again."

Dai Mubai flexed his wrists and answered quietly.

"Understood."

Tang San nodded too, with no objection to his teacher's arrangement.

Lin Xuan remained calm. He neither questioned the order nor said anything more. He simply turned with Xiao Wu.

"Let's go."

The seven filed out of the training ground and onto the loop of dirt road outside the village.

For the first five laps, Dai Mubai relied on his level thirty-seven physique to race ahead of the group. He ran fast enough that he seemed intent on leaving the others behind.

After ten laps, however, the formation had changed completely.

Lin Xuan ran at the front at an even pace, his breathing deep and steady. Every stride was almost exactly the same length.

Xiao Wu stayed half a step beside him, looking entirely at ease.

Tang San ran on Lin Xuan's other side, using breathing techniques to regulate his exertion.

Sweat had appeared on Zhu Zhuqing's forehead, but she gritted her teeth and kept close behind Tang San, her steps never losing their rhythm.

Ning Rongrong, who had the least stamina, gradually began to fall behind. Lin Xuan slowed half a step, reached out to give her a hand, and quietly told her how to regulate her breathing.

"Breathe in for two steps, out for two. Don't gulp air through your mouth. Match your steps to mine."

Ning Rongrong wiped the sweat from her face and followed his instructions. Her faltering stride soon steadied again.

Dai Mubai, on the other hand, had pushed too hard at the start. By the fifteenth lap, he was slowing down.

Oscar was even worse. Gasping for breath with his tongue hanging out, he trudged along at the very back.

Before long, Lin Xuan had become the pace-setter for the entire group.

Tang San, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong all matched Lin Xuan's steps. Moving together in a tight formation, the five steadily passed the exhausted Dai Mubai.

Dai Mubai's face darkened as he watched them run past at an even pace. He tried to speed up and follow, but his legs felt heavy as lead. All he could do was watch them pull away.

Thirty laps later.

Lin Xuan and the other four were the first to return to the training ground. They slowed to a walk to loosen their muscles.

Xiao Wu took the water flask Lin Xuan offered and drank deeply. Even she was worn out after thirty laps.

Ning Rongrong leaned against a wooden railing and caught her breath. She was drenched in sweat, but she was doing far better than yesterday, when she had collapsed on the ground.

Zhu Zhuqing stood in the shade of a tree, wiping away sweat as she waited for her heartbeat to settle.

Quite some time passed before Dai Mubai and Oscar staggered onto the training ground. Both bent over with their hands on their knees, gasping for air.

Yu Xiaogang had watched the entire run from the steps.

He did not look pleased.

He had expected Dai Mubai, as the highest-level student, to lead the team, with Tang San coordinating from the center and demonstrating his ability to manage the group.

Instead, Lin Xuan had set the pace for everyone.

Not only did Tang San and Xiao Wu follow Lin Xuan's lead, but Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, who had only just joined the academy, had thrown their support behind him as well.

Dai Mubai and Oscar looked like outsiders, completely cut off from the group and unable to fit in.

The authority Lin Xuan had gained among the students on his own left Yu Xiaogang at a disadvantage.

If Lin Xuan held sway over the team, Yu Xiaogang's instructions and tactical plans could be ignored at any time.

Yu Xiaogang put the thought aside and came down the steps, his face stern.

"Your performance was passable."

"That's all for this morning's physical training. Return to your dormitories and meditate to recover."

"This afternoon, we'll review theory. Tonight, we'll go back to the Suotuo Great Soul Arena for practical combat."

"Tang San, Lin Xuan, lead the others back."

With that, Yu Xiaogang turned and strode toward the wooden buildings deeper inside the academy.

Lin Xuan watched him leave without a flicker of emotion.

"Come on. Let's go wash up."

Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong cheered and followed at once. The five headed toward the dormitory, talking and laughing.

At the edge of the training ground, Dai Mubai clenched his jaw and punched a nearby wooden post. Then he walked off in the opposite direction without looking back.

In the dean's office behind the academy.

Flender sat behind a battered wooden desk, leafing through his accounts to see how long his Gold Soul Coins would last now that he had improved the meals.

Just then, the door swung open.

Yu Xiaogang strode in, his expression grim.

Flender looked up, puzzled.

"Xiao Gang? What's wrong? Why the long face?"

Yu Xiaogang pulled out a chair and sat down. His voice was grave.

"Flender, there's a serious problem within this team."

"What do you mean?" Flender raised an eyebrow.

"They're too divided."

"Lin Xuan has too much influence. Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and even Tang San have all begun following his lead without realizing it."

"Dai Mubai is a level thirty-seven assault-type Soul Master. He should have been the team's main attacker and the obvious choice for captain. Instead, he's been pushed to the margins, and Oscar can't break into that little circle either."

"If this continues, the team will never carry out tactics as one. Lin Xuan's personal wishes will take precedence over the team."

Flender put his glasses back on and sighed.

"Xiao Gang, that kid Lin Xuan really is extraordinary. Level thirty-five at twelve years old, with support techniques that even Zhao Wuji struggled against. The students admire strength. Of course they're willing to follow him."

"That's no excuse."

Yu Xiaogang cut him off.

"A truly invincible team needs clear roles and strict adherence to tactics, not a group held together by one person's charisma."

"Besides, we still don't have a reliable full roster."

Yu Xiaogang leaned back in his chair and continued.

"Including the badly injured Ma Hongjun, Shrek has only eight students."

"Seven-person team battles will be the focus of our upcoming training. Ma Hongjun has burns all over his body and broken ribs. Who knows how long he'll take to recover with nothing but Oscar's sausages?"

"You need to find a high-level Healing Soul Master as soon as possible and get Ma Hongjun fully healed."

"Only when everyone is back can we reshuffle the lineup, break up the existing groups, and introduce some competition. That's how we'll get the team back under proper direction."

Flender was silent for a moment after hearing him out, then nodded.

"All right. I know a Soul King-level Healing Soul Master in Suotuo City. I'll go into town myself this afternoon and ask them to come treat Hongjun."

Yu Xiaogang stood and tugged at the hem of his worn coat.

"Do it quickly. Once Ma Hongjun is back, I'll set Lin Xuan straight myself!"