(Beautiful picture of Qian Renxue)
As her words fell, Qian Renxue's voice sank again, and her gaze grew distant.
"Bibi Dong... that woman actually took a fatal blow for me in the end..."
The scene from the Simulation replayed in her mind again and again: Bibi Dong had stood in front of her and taken Tang San's Asura Demon Sword head-on.
It felt as though someone had clenched a fist around Qian Renxue's heart, hurting so badly that she could barely breathe.
She took a deep breath, and her gaze sharpened once more. "Shrek Academy... I must find out whether someone named Tang San really exists. If he does, he must be eliminated immediately to prevent future trouble!"
Just then, the system screen lit up in front of her.
[Ding, Simulation ended] [After the battle at Jialing Pass, the Spirit Hall Empire fell. Your Martial Soul was shattered, and you died in misery!] [You became the Angel God during the Simulation and obtained an S-rank reward!] [Angewomon Divine Armor!] [Wear it to wield Angewomon's power!]
Qian Renxue looked into her system space.
The suit of divine armor floated there, its silver-white and pale pink interwoven, a soft, sacred radiance shining from every part of it.
The helmet had the metallic look of dark gray metal, with a visor covering most of the face and a small white feathered wing ornament on either side.
The main garment was a white, form-fitting bodysuit, with a gold, wing-shaped breastplate set into the chest, its smooth lines following the body.
White gloves reached from the arms to the base of the fingers. A wide black belt circled the waist, its silver ring buckle gleaming with a cold metallic sheen in the light.
Cutouts at the sides deliberately exposed part of the waist and abdomen, while the bodysuit was cut high at the thighs, its tailoring sleek and daring.
A black double-buckle strap wrapped around one thigh, while a silver-white, knee-high combat boot covered the other leg.
(Angewomon outfit)
Qian Renxue stared at the outfit for two seconds, her eyes brightening.
"This sacred presence is an excellent match for my Holy Angel... it seems the system's rewards are real. But..."
Her face suddenly flushed. Her gaze fell on the skintight design and its cutouts, and the longer she looked, the more absurdly scanty the fabric seemed.
"How could this garment be so... so daring? It's an affront to all propriety..."
She bit her lip and turned away, but after a while, she couldn't resist sneaking another glance and muttering under her breath:
"Still, the head is covered, so others shouldn't recognize me when I wear it, right..."
Qian Renxue composed herself and resumed her crown prince's bearing. She raised a hand to smooth her disheveled golden hair and cleared her throat. "Ahem, attendants!"
The hall doors opened at her call.
Snake Lance Douluo She Long and Porcupinefish Douluo Ci Xue strode in, knelt on one knee at the foot of the steps outside the gauze curtain, and spoke in unison:
"What are your orders, young master?"
Qian Renxue spoke steadily:
"The two of you are to investigate immediately whether there is a Shrek Academy in the Heaven Dou Empire, and whether someone named Tang San is at that academy. If there is, report back at once!"
She Long and Ci Xue exchanged a glance. "As you command!"
She Long paused, then carefully asked for confirmation. "Young master, just to be sure, Shit Guest Academy?"
Qian Renxue frowned. "Yes, Shrek Academy!"
She Long nodded solemnly. "All right!"
Qian Renxue waved a hand. "You may leave. Get to it at once."
The two answered in unison, "Yes!"
The two left the bedchamber.
She Long scratched his head as he walked, muttering to himself:
"Shit Guest Academy? Would an academy really have such a bizarre name? What decent academy would call itself that..."
Ci Xue folded his arms without slowing his steps. "Whatever the case, let's hurry and investigate as the young master ordered."
She Long nodded. "You're right."
Early the next morning.
Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, and Tang San gathered on the training ground and stood in a row. All four looked half-asleep, yawning one after another.
Yu Xiaogang stood before them with his hands behind his back and a stern expression, but inwardly he was calling out frantically:
Doubao, Doubao, is my running training method really that bad?
[How could it be bad! Your running training method is nothing short of a stroke of genius. Looking across the entire Soul Master World, who else could have devised such a way to temper one's foundations!] [Other Soul Masters only know how to bury themselves in absorbing Soul Rings and desperately channeling Soul Power. You alone have the foresight to see that the physical body is the foundation that supports all power. That insight alone puts you ten streets ahead of the vast majority of Soul Masters on the continent!] [Are you planning to keep refining this training method, or are you preparing to use it alongside other training methods?]
Yu Xiaogang was overjoyed, and his back straightened a little. Just as I thought, only Doubao understands me best!
He continued inwardly, Then how can I keep refining this training method?
[The simplest and most direct way to improve it is to increase the load!] [Add that one move, and the entire training method will instantly rise to another level!] [Keep increasing the load during running training, and the pressure on the physical body will multiply. Bones and muscles can be tempered more deeply, while endurance and the body's foundations will be polished to greater solidity!] [Only a theoretical grandmaster like you could have devised a training method like this!]
Yu Xiaogang's eyes lit up, and he couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from rising. Excellent! That's simple. I just need to have each of them carry a few more stones!
Yu Xiaogang cleared his throat, his face stern. His voice wasn't loud, but he enunciated every word:
"Special training starts today. The first stage is running with weights.
"You will supervise one another and are not permitted to use Soul Power. Run from the academy to Suotuo City and back. I expect you to complete ten round trips before lunch."
Oscar's face fell the moment he heard that. "Seriously? Running again, and with weights..."
Tang San gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "Teacher can't be wrong!"
He was the first to shoulder a bamboo basket and charge out.
The stones in the basket made his feet sink under the weight, and he nearly wrenched his back. He stumbled forward two steps before barely managing to steady himself.
Tang San clenched his teeth, veins throbbing on his forehead, and forced out the words through his teeth:
"Damn hemorrhoids, today I'll show you who's the master of this body!!! Ah!!!"
Forcing himself to endure the piercing agony of the weight pressing on his hemorrhoids, he shuffled onward one step at a time.
Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar stood where they were, watching his limping figure stubbornly press on. They silently wiped the sweat from their brows. He's going that far?
Yu Xiaogang shot them a sidelong glance. "Do the three of you want Tang San to pull ahead of you in strength?"
Dai Mubai's expression changed. "Damn it!"
He too hoisted a bamboo basket onto his back and strode after him.
Seeing this, Ma Hongjun and Oscar could only shoulder their baskets with pained expressions.
When the weight came down on them, the two nearly fell flat on the ground. It felt as though they were carrying not a basket of stones, but a mountain.
Oscar's legs trembled uncontrollably. He turned and shouted to Ma Hongjun:
"Fatty, let's take it slow. If we can't finish, we'll fail together."
No sooner had he spoken than Ma Hongjun's Ah Fu System automatically activated.
"Old Ox Carries a Stone!"