Running Laps? Ning Rongrong Refused to Lose

From yesterday until now, he had shot up ten levels.

Nothing like it had ever been seen in the history of the Soul Master World.

Yet today, Flender had seen it with his own eyes.

Absorbing one Soul Ring had raised Lin Xiao five levels; two had raised him ten.

Since when had cultivation become so easy for Soul Masters?

Of course, Lin Xiao's talent was monstrous.

More importantly, he had Heaven-Bestowed Soul Rings.

He could absorb Soul Rings of a high age directly, without any aftereffects.

The leap in cultivation brought by an older Soul Ring was terrifying.

The effect was especially pronounced at lower levels.

For example, someone with level-ten Soul Power who absorbed a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring could probably reach level twenty outright.

Even if someone at level twenty absorbed a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, a sudden leap to level thirty would hardly be surprising.

Lin Xiao shook his head. "No. I don't know when a Heaven-Bestowed Soul Ring will appear. It's random, with no warning."

Heaven-Bestowed Soul Rings, my foot. Those were all system rewards.

Even if I told them, they probably wouldn't believe me.

After all, such things were too mysterious for just anyone to accept.

Flender breathed a sigh of relief. He had been afraid Lin Xiao would obtain his third Soul Ring on the spot.

His poor heart couldn't have taken that.

"Ahem. Since you can't absorb your third Soul Ring right away, let's begin today's training."

"Mubai may be receiving treatment for his injuries, but the rest of you can't fall behind."

"Here's your task: run twenty laps around the village."

Flender had set the day's training task just like that.

He followed it with a lecture.

A powerful Soul Master wasn't defined by Soul Power Level alone; a strong body was just as important.

Without one, they might not even be able to outrun danger when their lives depended on it.

There was truth in his words, born of experience.

Flender and the others had spent years in the Soul Master World.

They knew its dangers well.

They had survived countless brushes with death, and strong bodies had been indispensable.

At the mention of twenty laps, everyone stared in disbelief.

Oscar and Ning Rongrong especially.

They were support-type Soul Masters.

In battle, they usually stayed in the rear.

Support-type Soul Masters therefore tended to be physically frailer.

Being told to run twenty laps all at once was practically a death sentence.

Oscar looked ready to cry, but he glanced at Ning Rongrong and said, "Classmate Ning, let's give it our best."

Ning Rongrong frowned and couldn't be bothered to give him another glance.

Oscar had shaved his beard and looked handsome now.

But compared with Lin Xiao, he still fell short.

Besides, Oscar had left a poor impression on her yesterday.

The look he had given her when they first met was all too familiar.

It was the same look she got from the lechers she usually encountered.

How could someone like that ever catch her eye?

She was the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. How could she fall for a lecher?

Oscar was embarrassed.

But he said nothing more.

He didn't dare pester her, either.

The main reason was that Ning Rongrong had grown close to Lin Xiao.

He had seen Dai Mubai defeated in a single move.

Offending Lin Xiao would do him no good.

It might even earn him a beating.

After all, the academy encouraged students to fight, claiming it built combat experience.

As long as nobody was killed!

In other words, if Lin Xiao wanted to, he could find countless chances to beat Oscar black and blue.

Oscar wouldn't die, but it would hurt.

"Twenty laps will be tough for you. Can you keep going?"

Lin Xiao wasn't worried about Xiao Wu or Zhu Zhuqing. Both were in far better shape than Ning Rongrong and could make it through.

But Ning Rongrong was different.

She had been pampered since childhood, and support-type Soul Masters seldom trained their bodies.

On top of that, she had gotten up in the middle of the night to buy breakfast in Suotuo City and had barely rested.

Today's training would be difficult for her.

Xiao Wu knew her situation too. "Rongrong, want me to carry you for part of it later?"

"I can too," Zhu Zhuqing offered.

There were so few girls at the academy that it made sense to look after one another.

"I can do it. I definitely can!"

Their words fired up Ning Rongrong's fighting spirit. She was full of confidence.

"Get moving, you little brats."

"Lin Xiao, your situation is unusual. Keep an eye on them."

Flender already knew what had happened during the entrance exam.

Lin Xiao had the makings of a team leader and commander.

Putting him in charge of watching the group was the best choice.

Lin Xiao nodded, and the group started running laps.

The seven of them ran on. At first, Ning Rongrong managed to keep up.

But less than ten minutes later, a gap had opened.

Lin Xiao was running at the front. When he looked back, Ning Rongrong was already over twenty meters behind him.

After a moment's thought, he slowed down.

It took a while for Ning Rongrong to catch up, fine beads of sweat already dotting her forehead.

"Lin... Lin Xiao, why aren't you running ahead?"

Ning Rongrong was panting.

Support types really were fragile.

She had only run for a short while, yet she felt awful.

"It's fine. It's only training. I'll run with you."

"Full Attribute Amplification!"

He activated his Soul Skill, and light fell over her.

Ning Rongrong instantly felt strength flood her body. Even her steps grew lighter.

"This... what a powerful support ability."

The sheer scale of the boost left her stunned.

Even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda couldn't do this much, could it?

Full Attribute Amplification initially boosted every attribute by one hundred percent.

Every ten-level increase in Soul Power raised that boost by another fifty percent.

That meant the boost he was providing now was one hundred and fifty percent.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda truly couldn't produce such an exaggerated effect.

More importantly, this amplification couldn't be interrupted, and its duration was astonishing.

At present, it could last for two hours.

He only needed to use it again when those two hours were up.

In theory, he could keep everyone amplified at all times.

"Running's much easier now."

With Lin Xiao supporting her, Ning Rongrong was full of energy and began to pick up speed.

Lin Xiao chuckled and ran alongside her. Before long, they caught up with the main group.

"Rongrong caught up too?"

Xiao Wu looked back and saw Ning Rongrong right beside her.

It had to be Lin Xiao's Soul Skill boosting her.

Its effect was overwhelming.

Xiao Wu had worried that Ning Rongrong wouldn't last, but now it looked like she would be fine.

Oscar was now at the very back.

He was fifty meters behind most of the group.

Seeing even Ning Rongrong run ahead left him bitter.

Lin Xiao hadn't given him a boost?

They were classmates, after all. Couldn't he treat them equally?

"With the boost, today's laps shouldn't be a problem."

"But training your body means pushing yourself to the limit and forcing out all your potential."

"Rongrong, next time we run laps, you should exhaust yourself completely. I'll watch over you. You'll be fine."

Ning Rongrong nodded again and again.

As long as Lin Xiao stayed by her side, she was happy.

It might even give them chances to be alone together. That sounded like a good deal.

Still, she had to give it her all.

At the very least, she couldn't fall behind the others—and she certainly couldn't disappoint Lin Xiao.