"Alright, Xiao Wu, stop fooling around. In a real battle, you don't get to negotiate with the enemy," Yu Xiaogang said, walking over to Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu playfully stuck out her tongue, and when the others saw the Grandmaster coming over, they all gathered around.
"What are your thoughts on the battle just now?" Yu Xiaogang asked.
"Oh dear, what other ideas could we possibly have? Boss Qi is just too strong; there's no way we can win!" Ma Hongjun said with a bitter face.
"Wrong! Utterly wrong!" Yu Xiaogang shouted, "You actually had a chance to win, a very good chance! You just didn't cherish it!"
" Tang San, why didn't you consider the location when you made the plan!" Yu Xiaogang said to Tang San, "Since you could calculate where Blue Silver Grass is suitable to grow, you should know that the soil will buffer the impact and greatly reduce Xiao Wu's attack power!"
" Dai Mubai, knowing you're no match, why do you keep fighting Qi Ling head-on! Power Attack System Soul Master isn't about recklessly being aggressive. Those who don't know when to advance and retreat are destined for mediocrity!"
" Ning Rongrong, do you know why you were the first to be eliminated? As Support System Soul Master, your primary task is to protect yourself, but you were completely unprepared and far too careless!"
"And Oscar, Ma Hongjun, Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, you all have your problems!" Yu Xiaogang said after listing everyone's issues, "And your biggest problem is that you didn't treat this competition as a real battle!"
"If you had taken this battle seriously, you wouldn't have given Qi Ling a chance to breathe, and you would have seized opportunities much more accurately! But not only was your coordination riddled with flaws, but you also didn't take it seriously from the very beginning."
"Is this the Shrek Academy's proud Little Monster? You've really disappointed me. You don't even deserve the word 'monster'!"
Hearing Yu Xiaogang's merciless criticism, everyone felt ashamed. Indeed, although they said they were serious, they inevitably became lax in actual combat.
The main reason, of course, is that real combat is still too far removed from them. Without the baptism of fists and blood, it is unrealistic to expect them to grow up quickly.
"Of course, the one with the biggest problem among you is still you!" Yu Xiaogang changed the subject and turned to Qi Ling.
"Me?" Qi Ling pointed to himself. He was the final victor, so why was he being talked about like this?
"That's right, it's you, Qi Ling!" Yu Xiaogang continued, "You fell for such a simple trap, what does that mean? It means you didn't take this battle seriously at all!"
"Even a lion must exert its full strength to hunt a rabbit, let alone your opponent, who is no weakling! It was your arrogance that almost led to your defeat; otherwise, Xiao Wu would never have had the chance to unleash her Eight-Stage Throw!"
" Grandmaster, I admit it was my mistake, but if I had taken it too seriously, Xiao San and the others wouldn't have lasted this long! How would you have known their true strength then?" Qi Ling said helplessly.
"This..." Yu Xiaogang thought about it and realized it made sense. "Then let it be a one-time thing!"
Upon hearing Qi Ling's explanation, Tang San and the others felt like crying. So, after risking their lives for so long, you're just making fun of us?
But they couldn't disagree with this reason, because as Qi Ling said, once he got serious, the battle ended quickly, without the slightest surprise.
"In short, I am extremely dissatisfied with today's match! None of you performed to your best! Therefore, everyone will undergo punishment training tomorrow!" Yu Xiaogang said.
"Everyone, gather here tomorrow morning! Okay, dismissed!"
Back in their rooms, everyone began to reflect on what the Grandmaster had said that day. Through their competition with Qi Ling, they gained a deeper understanding of their own shortcomings and felt the gap between themselves and Qi Ling.
As midnight approached, Qi Ling was resting in her room when she heard a soft knock on the door.
"She's here!" Qi Ling thought to herself, then got up and opened the door. Sure enough, the person outside was Zhu Zhuqing.
"I've come as promised, to teach me how to become stronger!" Zhu Zhuqing said directly to Qi Ling.
"Are you really so eager to become stronger that you're willing to give up everything?" Qi Ling asked, looking at Zhu Zhuqing. " Zhu Zhuqing, what have you been through to make you so determined?"
In Qi Ling's memory, although Zhu Zhuqing was determined to become stronger, she shouldn't have been this reckless. Could it be that her history has also changed?
"That's none of your concern. In short, I'm here to become stronger, there's no other reason," Zhu Zhuqing said Lingling, seemingly unappreciative of Qi Ling's concern.
"Alright, alright, I was being nosy," Qi Ling said, stepping aside the door. "In that case, let's come in and talk."
[Ding! We have detected that the host is facing Zhu Zhuqing's request. This mission is to unlock the " Character Development System ". Please make a choice on behalf of Zhu Zhuqing and complete the mission " The Path of Choice "]
[When the host completes the mission " The Path of Choice," the Zhu Zhuqing Development System will be officially activated, and the host will receive a reward: one Starry Sky Barrier Admission Ticket!]
The system also provided an explanation for the newly added reward, " Starry Sky Barrier," to Qi Ling.
This is a special barrier that can absorb the power of stars. If you cultivate within this barrier, you can gain ten times the cultivation speed, and time here flows at one-tenth of the normal rate.
This means that you can not only gain ten times the cultivation speed, but also ten times the cultivation time. The combination of the two is equivalent to gaining a hundred times the cultivation effect!
However, because of this kind of cultivation, the burden on the body is too great, so each cultivation session can only last for twelve hours, and cannot be repeated within a month.
Qi Ling's room was simply furnished, with nothing superfluous except for the necessary furniture.
Zhu Zhuqing and Qi Ling sat facing each other at the table, neither of them speaking first, waiting for the other to speak first.
Although the atmosphere was a bit awkward, Qi Ling wasn't in a hurry, because Zhu Zhuqing had come to her for a favor, so she wasn't worried that Zhu Zhuqing wouldn't ask.
"Make me stronger." Finally, Zhu Zhuqing couldn't hold back any longer and said to Qi Ling, "I'm willing to pay any price, as long as it makes me stronger."
Qi Ling sighed helplessly; it seemed Zhu Zhuqing only knew these two phrases. So he reached out and took out a bottle of emerald green liquid, placed it on the table, and said, "Alright, since you want to become stronger, then drink it first."