Special training

Tang Xuan had finished his own cultivation. It was time to begin Tang San and Xiao Wu's special training.

Today was the day Tang Xuan had promised to train Tang San and Xiao Wu, and the two were already waiting for him on the training field.

Under their eager gazes, Tang Xuan finally appeared. Tang San was immensely excited about the special training Tang Xuan had planned for them, while Xiao Wu had come brimming with curiosity.

The two were quite punctual. When Tang Xuan spotted them, he walked over and stopped in front of them. He took two items out of his Soul Tool and dropped them to the ground with a thud, right at Tang San and Xiao Wu's feet.

"These are two weighted vests, weighing fifty jin and thirty jin respectively. Put them on."

"San, wear the fifty-jin one. Xiao Wu, wear the thirty-jin one. Once you have them on, run twenty laps around the field. No using soul power."

"Brother Xuan, why can't we use soul power?" Before Tang Xuan had finished speaking, Xiao Wu interrupted him.

"Xiao Wu, Brother Xuan isn't letting us use soul power so we can strengthen our bodies more effectively," Tang San explained.

Tang Xuan glanced at them and said, "San is right. But remember, during training, you aren't allowed to ask questions without my permission. As punishment, you now have five extra laps. Get started." His words were extremely stern.

"Yes!" Tang San and Xiao Wu answered loudly. They quickly put on their weighted vests and immediately started running. Tang Xuan took another weighted vest out of his Soul Tool and put it on. He might be training Tang San and Xiao Wu, but that didn't mean he could sit idle. Once he had his vest on, he began running around the field just like them. He gradually caught up with their pace, then overtook them completely and pulled ahead.

Nuoding Academy's training field was enormous. One lap around it was five hundred meters, so Tang San and Xiao Wu's twenty-five laps amounted to roughly twelve kilometers. Tang Xuan had made the weighted vests according to each person's circumstances, ensuring they could still move freely while putting enough strain on their bodies to strengthen them during training. His own vest weighed a full hundred and fifty jin. He had forged it through countless rounds of hammering and refinement, and though it was heavy, it didn't feel cumbersome to wear.

The three ran lap after lap. Although Tang San's weighted vest was heavier than Tang San's and Xiao Wu's, he had already left Tang San and Xiao Wu far behind. In the same span of time, Tang Xuan had completed twenty-eight laps, while Tang San and Xiao Wu had only run fifteen. They weren't allowed to bolster themselves with soul power as they ran, and as their stamina dwindled, all three began to slow down.

The sun climbed higher, its rays growing ever more intense. Another two hours passed before Tang San and Xiao Wu finally finished their twenty-five laps of weighted running. Tang Xuan had completed forty. But compared with Xiao Wu and Tang San, who lay panting on the grass, Tang Xuan looked relaxed, with only a little sweat on him.

Tang Xuan looked at them and said, "Rest for ten minutes, then we'll start the next exercise." Ignoring their exhaustion, he walked off to one side.

Tang Xuan demonstrated push-ups, burpees, squats, and frog jumps in front of Tang San and Xiao Wu. "Do three sets of each exercise I just showed you, two hundred repetitions per set. For the frog jumps, do two laps around the field. Xiao Wu, halve those numbers. Remember, you aren't allowed to take off your weighted vests." Having learned their lesson earlier, Tang San and Xiao Wu immediately answered with a loud yes. After all, who would want to be punished, right?

Tang Xuan joined the two in doing the exercises. The sun climbed higher and higher, and noon had already passed. Tang San and Xiao Wu were almost finished. After completing five hundred push-ups, five hundred squats, five hundred burpees, and ten laps of frog jumps, Tang Xuan stood up and wiped away his sweat.

He said to Tang San and Xiao Wu, "Come on, let's eat. We'll continue this afternoon."

"Ah! It's finally over! I thought this would be fun! I'm dead tired," Xiao Wu said weakly as she lay on the grass.

Tang San looked fondly at Xiao Wu and said, "Xiao Wu, let's go. My brother's already left, and lunch is on him today!" At that, Xiao Wu weakly lifted her head again. "But I really can't walk anymore, Brother San." She slumped onto the ground as she spoke. Tang San looked at her helplessly. In truth, he was tired too. An entire morning of intense training had left him drained.

"I'd better take you both." Seeing how utterly exhausted they were, Tang Xuan released his external soul bone, picked them up, and flew off into the distance.

That afternoon, Tang Xuan had them repeat the morning's exercises, then brought over a heavy log. He made Tang San and Xiao Wu do three hundred sit-ups while holding it, then run five laps carrying it on their shoulders. Finally, he forced the two to fight him.

"Brother, surely there's no need for this," Tang San said with a bitter expression.

"Exactly! Brother Xuan... let's just forget it," Xiao Wu added.

The two were completely exhausted. Forget fighting-even getting back to their dormitory would be difficult.

Tang Xuan flashed a wicked smile. "That isn't up to you."

Soon, Tang San and Xiao Wu's screams rang out across the field. "Ah... ow! Brother, stop hitting me!... Ah!" "Brother Xuan, go easy on me! Ow, ow!" ...

By the end of the beating, Tang San and Xiao Wu couldn't even be bothered to scream anymore. In the end, Tang Xuan dragged them away. Yes, dragged! With one in each hand, he tossed them into the medicinal baths he had prepared for them in his secluded cultivation room. He didn't even take their clothes off before throwing them in. Both had already passed out.

"Whew! That was pretty tiring." Tang Xuan let out a sigh after finishing everything.

"I should get some rest too." Tang Xuan stretched and walked outside.

Of course, Tang Xuan had a house outside. As for Tang San and Xiao Wu, he wasn't going to bother with them! They could soak on their own and leave whenever they woke up. During their fight earlier, Tang Xuan had already cleared their acupoints so their bodies could better absorb the cleansing effects of the medicinal baths.

Tang Xuan turned to glance at the two. Sleep well. There's a long road ahead. We'll continue tomorrow, you two.

Over the next week, Tang Xuan found all sorts of new ways to torment them. Watching the two grow utterly exhausted under his training, he thought, I finally know how the instructors felt back when they trained new recruits. In one word: fantastic! Everyone else pants like an ox while I stay cool and composed.

This was Tang Xuan's joy, but Tang San and Xiao Wu's agony!

Author's note