A master's orders were hard to defy.
Reluctantly, Su Xun stripped down to his underwear.
He crossed his hands, trying to give Little Su Xun some sense of security.
Leng Yaozhu raised an eyebrow.
"Keep going."
"The men I've seen..."
At that point, Leng Yaozhu suddenly realized that she herself was still an old... lonely singleton, and her face reddened.
But she stiffened her neck and stuck to her story, urging him on:
"I've seen more men than you've eaten meals. Hurry up."
Su Xun exposed her in a low voice:
"But Teacher, you're obviously single..."
Leng Yaozhu froze and blurted out:
"How did you know?"
"Look at this entire floor of yours. Is there even the slightest sign that anyone else has ever been here...?"
"Why, you little brat!"
Annoyed, Leng Yaozhu flicked Su Xun on the forehead.
"Since when did you get a say in your teacher's affairs? Hurry up!"
Reluctantly, Su Xun pulled off his last shred of security.
Leng Yaozhu glanced over and calmly took a wooden tub out of her storage bracelet.
A faint, refreshing fragrance immediately filled the air.
Su Xun's eyes lit up.
I knew it. Teacher was definitely doing something respectable.
Leng Yaozhu gave Su Xun an exasperated glare and lifted her chin slightly.
"Sit inside and meditate quietly using the method I taught you on the mecha yesterday."
"As for a cultivation technique, my family's technique suits Soul Masters with phoenix-type martial souls. It isn't compatible with you."
"But there's no need to worry. I've already started looking."
"We should have results before long."
Su Xun was deeply moved. With a teacher like this, all his previous plans could go take a hike.
He was about to thank her when a look from Leng Yaozhu stopped him.
He gave a sheepish smile and climbed into the medicinal tub.
Leng Yaozhu reached out and stirred the surface of the medicinal bath.
"This bath was prepared using spirit treasures such as Ice Crystal Fruit and Red Flame Fruit. It greatly benefits the body."
"It can remedy the various problems caused by your congenital malnutrition as quickly as possible."
"From now on, you'll need to soak in a tub every day until it no longer improves your condition."
Hearing that, Su Xun dared not slack off.
Ice Crystal Fruit and Red Flame Fruit actually sounded quite familiar to him.
Tang Wulin seemed to have used spirit treasures like these to improve his physique so he could break the seals on the Golden Dragon King's Divine Core.
As for the formula, it didn't surprise him.
Human ingenuity shouldn't be underestimated.
Besides, Ice Crystal Fruit and Red Flame Fruit had straightforward properties. Balancing them with other medicines wasn't difficult.
The value of those two fruits and the other supporting spirit treasures might have been negligible to Leng Yaozhu.
But that was no reason to squander them.
Seeing Su Xun meditating earnestly, no longer paying her any attention, Leng Yaozhu smiled faintly and left him undisturbed.
She stretched, took off her clothes, and soaked in the bathing pool for a while before going off to attend to other matters.
Three hours later.
Su Xun opened his eyes.
The medicinal water in the wooden tub had turned pitch-black, and a foul stench filled the air.
Before Su Xun could deal with it, his body flew up and landed directly in the bathing pool beside him.
The next moment, the entire wooden tub vanished.
Leng Yaozhu had already disposed of it without leaving a trace.
"Wash yourself, get dressed, and come upstairs."
Resting her arms on the second-floor railing, Leng Yaozhu looked down at Su Xun in the bathing pool and gave her instructions softly.
Su Xun hurriedly ducked down and nodded.
A smile lingered at the corners of Leng Yaozhu's lips as she turned away.
A little later.
Dressed in a short-sleeved T-shirt and shorts, Su Xun was led to another area by Leng Yaozhu.
He had already visited it while familiarizing himself with the place.
Three hours ago, however, it had still been empty.
Now, a brand-new, complete set of physical testing equipment filled the space, all calibrated and ready.
Yet no one else's presence could be sensed anywhere on the floor.
Clearly, Leng Yaozhu had done everything herself.
At her cultivation level, she obviously had no use for this equipment, so she hadn't owned any before.
She had purchased it specifically for Su Xun.
After a round of tests.
Su Xun was drenched in sweat.
Leng Yaozhu nodded in satisfaction.
"The medicinal bath worked well. Compared to before you fused with your Soul Spirit, your capabilities have roughly doubled across the board."
"Of course, that includes the transformation you underwent upon becoming a One-Ring Soul Master."
"Another factor is how poor your physical condition was before your martial soul awakening."
Su Xun silently nodded in agreement and was just about to lie down for a short rest.
Leng Yaozhu flashed over, grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, and glared.
"What are you doing?!"
"You were born this frail, and you still want to slack off?"
"Next up, physical training."
Su Xun was dumbfounded.
But he had already been tossed onto a specially made soul-powered treadmill.
A barrier of soul power sealed him in, and pressure bore down on him from every direction.
Half an hour later, stair climbers, exercise bikes, rowing machines, and other equipment he had seen in his previous life followed one after another.
Leng Yaozhu supervised the entire process with her arms folded, seemingly without a shred of emotion.
Another three hours passed like that, and lunchtime finally arrived.
Two burly, muscular men delivered a cart laden with sumptuous dishes made from precious ingredients to the elevator entrance.
Soul Masters had a terrifying ability to digest and absorb nutrients.
There was no need for dietary requirements such as limiting fat. The more lavish the meal, the better.
It was also then that the gentle Leng Yaozhu, who liked teasing Su Xun every so often, returned.
Su Xun almost felt tears streaming down his face.
She's back! Everything's back!
An hour later, the morning's three-plus-three-plus-one schedule came to an end.
A full seven hours had passed, yet it was only one in the afternoon.
Just as Su Xun lay on the soft, faintly fragrant sofa, growing drowsy.
Leng Yaozhu's gentle persona vanished, and her cold demeanor returned.
"Since you've just eaten, I won't make things difficult. Let's do something easy."
Then, dressed in casual homewear and holding a short rod, Leng Yaozhu actually turned into a posture instructor.
Su Xun was dumbfounded.
"T-Teacher, do I have to practice this too?"
"I'm a man!"
As he spoke, Su Xun solemnly flexed his muscles.
Leng Yaozhu snorted.
"Right now, you're a scrawny little pup."
"You can call yourself a man when you're able to protect your teacher!"
Su Xun's eyes grew even wider.
Protect you?!
Are you saying I can only call myself a man once I'm strong enough to protect you, a peak level 98 Four-Word Battle Armor Master?!
A scrawny pup it is, then!
At least I'm still somewhat good-looking...
Smack!
Leng Yaozhu lightly swatted Su Xun and glared.
"Stop daydreaming. Focus."
"Okay!"
An hour later.
In the blink of an eye, Leng Yaozhu changed into sportswear.
"Next up, close-quarters combat."
Su Xun looked at Leng Yaozhu, who stood over 175 centimeters tall.
Then he looked at himself in the mirror nearby. Because of his malnutrition, even after his martial soul awakening and medicinal bath, he couldn't possibly grow noticeably taller in such a short time. He was still barely over a meter tall.
He asked uncertainly:
"Teacher, are you and I going to fight in close quarters?"
Leng Yaozhu raised an eyebrow.
"What? Is that a problem?"
"Do you dislike your teacher?"
Uh...
Don't use that tactic on me, Teacher...
"Enough nonsense. Hurry up!"
Leng Yaozhu urged him on.
Helpless, Su Xun could only accept his fate of "three, three, one, one, three..."
Fine, let's grind! I'll outwork all you peers I've never even met!
Before you continue