The Golden Generation had always been steady and rarely did anything so far outside the lines. But all of them happened to have hit bottlenecks in their training. When miserable people met equally miserable companions, a table of drinking buddies came together easily enough.
Four young boys and girls sat in the deserted training grounds, each looking more miserable than the last.
"Qin Chao, what suddenly made you want to drink?" Hu Liena spoke first, breaking the silence.
At the mention of it, Qin Chao was instantly overcome with melancholy...
"Ah..." The little fellow let out a long sigh, his brows knitted tightly enough to crush a fly.
"What else but training? Look at my swollen pig's head. Sure, Teacher's healing medicine keeps me going, but it still hurts! I've been getting beaten up for a whole month, and my Taijutsu hasn't improved at all. My physical condition and reflexes are clearly much better than before, but I still can't dodge Teacher's attacks. It's practically driving me into depression..."
"Ah... tell me about it!"
Yan sighed, took a strip of beef jerky from the paper bag of food, and chewed it viciously.
"Everyone says my Martial Soul excels at both offense and defense. But I've spent an entire month observing things in the lava, and while I've gained a thorough understanding of its offensive skills, I just can't figure out the defensive side..."
"My second Soul Skill is Granite Rock. When I chose its Soul Ring, I deliberately picked a Soul Beast with defensive attributes. But right now, this Soul Skill's power falls far short of its seven-hundred-plus-year age. It's supposed to be the hardest granite, yet its defense is still lacking. Do you think there's something wrong with my comprehension?"
Yan's voice was full of dejection. More than a month of setbacks had dragged him into a whirlpool of self-doubt.
"Ah..." Another long sigh rang out. Hu Liena hugged her knees, her gaze somewhat unfocused. "Same here. My charm training seems to have hit a bottleneck. I've practically worn Fox Charm out from using it so much, but its control effect still lasts too briefly. It's nowhere near what I want!"
"And there's my newly acquired Soul Skill, Demon Fox Transformation. In theory, activating it should add a charm attribute, but no matter how I channel it, all I can trigger is the spike at the tip of my tail. It doesn't produce the slightest charm effect. At this rate, I might as well stop being a control-type Soul Master and switch to the Power Attack System..."
Listening to the three complain, Xie Yue gave a wry smile.
He was mature by nature and rarely let his emotions show. If he hadn't truly been bottling up too much frustration, he would never have joined Qin Chao and the others in this nonsense.
"So I'm not the only one who's hit a bottleneck..."
"No way, Brother Yue. You too?" Yan looked at Xie Yue, disbelief filling his eyes.
Xie Yue nodded helplessly and let out the same weary sigh.
"Ah, I thought my lack of progress in Taijutsu training was because I'd been growing taller too quickly. But after days of grueling practice, I realized that was only one of the reasons..."
"Although my understanding of Soul Skills is a little better than yours, lately I've been feeling the same way. I can clearly sense that my Taijutsu should be more powerful, but whenever I execute it, I always feel like my strength can't keep up with my intent..."
Gloom hung over the four like dark clouds. They exchanged looks and, in perfect unison, let out another long sigh...
In the darkness, Bibi Dong and Chrysanthemum Ghost were listening closely to the three's conversation.
Ever since the training plan had been put into practice, the three adults had witnessed every bit of the four youngsters' hard work.
They were all good children, yet their cultivation simply hadn't produced the results it should have.
"Could there be something wrong with Qin Chao's training plan..." Chrysanthemum Douluo asked softly, tentatively seeking the other two's opinions.
"That shouldn't be the case..." Bibi Dong immediately countered. "There shouldn't be anything wrong with Qin Chao's training methods. After a month of training, their weaknesses have clearly been corrected considerably. Their progress may simply be slower than they expected..."
Ghost Douluo said nothing, merely nodding in silence.
"Then should we go comfort them? They look so miserable they're about to fall to pieces..." Seeing them drown their sorrows in drink, Chrysanthemum Douluo felt a pang of sympathy.
Bibi Dong had always been a strict teacher when it came to training, but even she felt conflicted in this situation.
While Bibi Dong hesitated, the youngsters, drinking for the first time, had already become a little tipsy.
"Aaargh!" Qin Chao suddenly sprang up from the ground and roared.
"Of all martial arts under heaven, only speed cannot be overcome! The ancients truly didn't lie to me. I can clearly see Teacher Ghost's movement path, but I just can't dodge him. When will these days of helplessly getting beaten ever end?!"
Recalling the beatings he had taken over the past month, Qin Chao's eyes grew damp. His emotions had clearly reached a boiling point.
But Xie Yue was even more stirred up than he was.
As though something had occurred to him, his eyes suddenly lit up.
"Qin Chao, what did you say? Can you say it again?!"
Qin Chao looked baffled. "These days of helplessly getting beaten..."
"Not that part. The sentence before it!" Xie Yue was unusually urgent.
"The ancients..."
"Before that!"
"Of all martial arts under heaven, only speed cannot be overcome?" Qin Chao ventured.
"Hahahaha!" Xie Yue threw back his head and laughed. "Of all martial arts under heaven, only speed cannot be overcome! What a phrase! I understand now! I was wrong. Control over the body is only the foundation. To keep improving my Taijutsu, I need to work on speed!"
"Among Tool Martial Souls, the Moon Blade's power ranks among the very best. What if I added top-tier speed to it?"
"A crescent moon is an incomplete moon. But if its speed reaches the ultimate limit, even a crescent can become a full moon!"
Xie Yue excitedly hugged Qin Chao. "One sentence woke the dreamer! Thanks, brother. If my idea works, you'll deserve the biggest share of the credit!"
The moment he finished speaking, Xie Yue shot away like lightning. His eagerness left the other three staring, dumbfounded.
"Holy shit, what's gotten into Brother Yue?!" Yan asked hesitantly. "He hasn't gone mad from cultivating, has he..."
"Full Moon... Full Moon?!" Qin Chao suddenly made a connection. Wasn't Xie Yue's Self-Created Soul Skill called Full Moon...?
"Don't worry. He's probably found the key to his cultivation..." Qin Chao explained to the worried pair.
"Ah, it's great to find the trick. Full Moon is ridiculously powerful. Not only is its offensive power overwhelming, it's excellent for defense too. After all, offense is the best defense..."
"Holy shit!" Yan suddenly cried out, making Qin Chao and Hu Liena flinch.
"Come on, man... don't tell me you've figured it out too..." Qin Chao asked weakly.
"You really know what you're talking about, little brother!" Yan stamped his foot in excitement. "Granite is only rock, after all. Its defensive power has limits. But what if I coated it in lava? With the temperature of my flames, anyone who hits me will get cooked!"
"Keep drinking. I'm going down to the underground lava to work this out!"
Yan turned and left, waving his sleeve without taking a single cloud with him...
Hu Liena had caught on by then too, and looked at Qin Chao with a face full of hope.
"Little brother, I know you have a way with words. If you've got more to say, keep talking. Don't hold back..."
"But... I really don't know how to improve your charm effects..." Qin Chao spread his hands helplessly. "You know how it is, sis. With me, you don't need to use any skills at all. Whatever you say, I'll obey unconditionally!"
"Whatever I say, you'll obey unconditionally?" Hu Liena repeated softly.
"Sis, don't tell me you're also..." A bad feeling suddenly welled up in Qin Chao's heart.
Just as Qin Chao had feared, Hu Liena clapped excitedly. "That's right! Charm doesn't have to work through the eyes. There's the voice too!"
The girl eagerly looked Qin Chao up and down, as though she had discovered some treasure.
"Qin Chao, from now on, you're my very own little brother!"
Leaving those words behind, Hu Liena likewise swept her sleeve and departed without the slightest lingering attachment.
Qin Chao was left alone in the empty training grounds.
He slumped weakly to the ground, looking so fragile he might shatter.
You feared your bros would suffer, yet feared they'd drive Range Rovers. But the most tragic part was that you'd bought those Range Rovers for them yourself...
Qin Chao helplessly raised his head and roared, "Fine, fine, fine! You've all figured it out, but who's going to give me some pointers?!"
Before you continue