Early the next morning, when Yang Podi and Yang Ping'an got up to practice their spear techniques, Dugu Yan actually came too, leaving both of them speechless.
Seeing their astonished looks, Dugu looked a little smug. "What, only you two can do it? Can't I come train too?"
Yang Podi couldn't help shaking his head. He picked up his usual iron spear and began training.
Recently, Yang Podi had finished practicing the basic spear techniques and was now preparing to learn some relatively advanced ones. However, they were all techniques he had only scratched the surface of in his previous life, such as the Hegemon Spear Technique, Yue Family Spear Technique, and Yang Family Spear Technique.
As someone who had been an amateur at martial arts in his previous life, he only knew a few basic moves from these techniques handed down through the ages. He had even learned many of them online and understood none of their essence, but now he had plenty of time to study and research them slowly.
Dugu Yan watched the two of them practice their spear techniques, while she knew absolutely nothing about them. She had never even touched a spear and had no idea where to start.
Eventually, Dugu Yan couldn't help interrupting their practice. "You two, stop for a moment. Don't practice just yet."
Yang Podi was puzzled. "Sister Yanyan, is something wrong? Morning is a great time to train. We can't waste it."
"I said, could you two teach me how to practice spear techniques?"
"Sister Yanyan, you have a Beast Martial Soul. Why would you practice spear techniques? There's really no need."
"Then if you're both practicing spear techniques, what am I supposed to practice?"
Yang Podi thought it over carefully. There really didn't seem to be anything for Dugu Yan to train in. Then he suddenly remembered how, in the original story, Shrek Academy had its students run with rocks on their backs after enrolling. Although this sort of training wouldn't produce any miraculous results, it still had some benefits for Beast Martial Souls.
Dugu Yan had a Beast Martial Soul and belonged to the rare control system. Practicing running more and being able to run fast in the future would have its benefits. At least she wouldn't be so easy to target.
"Sister Yanyan, I'll teach you a training method. Take a weight from us and carry it on your back, then run around the entire training ground, or around the whole Breaking Clan compound. That's very effective too."
Hearing this, Dugu Yan was puzzled. "Running with weights on my back? Does that work? I've never even heard of this kind of training."
"Running with weights can build your body's resilience. Especially if you take a medicinal bath after exhausting yourself, both your training and meditation will be more effective. Everyone in our Breaking Clan climbs the mountain carrying weights in the afternoon. Why don't you come with us this afternoon?"
"All right, I'll try what you said. If it doesn't work, I'll be coming after you. Your big sister's poison is terrifying."
Hearing this, Yang Podi and Yang Ping'an were both a little speechless. How could someone they had defeated be so arrogant? Even when it came to poison, she wasn't necessarily better than the Breaking Clan.
And so, for two hours that morning, Dugu Yan ran off to the side with weights on her back. Although the load was relatively light, she still ended up gasping for breath.
When Yang Podi and Yang Ping'an finished their morning spear practice, Dugu Yan also stopped running and walked over to them. "You two only practiced spear techniques. Is that really enough training intensity?"
Yang Podi and Yang Ping'an only smiled at her words. Then Yang Ping'an said, "Sister Yanyan, try picking up the spear Big Brother was just practicing with. Then you'll understand."
Puzzled, Dugu Yan walked over to the weapon rack and grabbed the spear Yang Podi had used that morning. An immense weight immediately bore down through the shaft, and she could barely hold it steady with both hands.
"Why is this spear so heavy? It must weigh two hundred jin! You were practicing with this spear the entire morning?"
"Sister Yanyan, this spear does weigh exactly two hundred jin, but Big Brother also has fifty kilograms of weights on him. Mine aren't as heavy, but my weights and spear together weigh almost a hundred jin."
At that point, Dugu Yan couldn't help asking, "How exactly did you manage that? You're only eight years old."
Yang Podi thought for a moment. "Training, nonstop training, and absorbing Soul Rings from strength-type Soul Beasts."
After hearing that, Dugu Yan couldn't help inwardly grumbling, Eight years old? Is this fucking eight years old? Is this something an eight-year-old can do?
Yang Podi paid Dugu Yan no further attention. Instead, he went back to his room alone, took a bath, changed into clean clothes, and got ready for breakfast.
After the family had breakfast, Yang Podi, Yang Ping'an, and Dugu Yan went to the clan's little schoolhouse to begin their morning lessons.
Throughout the morning, however, Yang Podi either read on his own or meditated alone, barely listening to the lessons at all.
Dugu Yan's arrival, on the other hand, drew the attention of a crowd of children nearby. Although these children were young, they were already eight or nine and understood a few things. Every one of them clustered around Dugu Yan, leaving her speechless.
After studying medicine refining that afternoon, Yang Podi and the other two began their afternoon training. When he had first arrived here, afternoon training had mainly consisted of climbing the mountain with weights.
But following Yang Podi's plan, many activities had been added to the afternoon sessions, making them less monotonous than before.
Specifically, these included weighted running, weighted mountain climbing, weighted swimming, weighted frog jumps, and so on. After going through the whole routine, everyone would be utterly exhausted, feeling worse than dead.
This was Dugu Yan's first time joining the training. First of all, she firmly refused to take part in weighted swimming. She was a land duck who couldn't swim in the first place, and as a girl, she wasn't particularly fond of getting into the water to swim either.
Secondly, as a ten-year-old girl, Dugu Yan believed she was no worse than the boys and chose the same weights as the others her age. That turned out to be quite a trap. Only halfway through the session, she was already so exhausted she could barely stay on her feet.
In the end, someone had to help her to the rest area.
Only toward evening did Niu Jinfeng bring the three of them home. All three were already close to collapsing from exhaustion, especially Dugu Yan, whose limbs were utterly weak. She didn't have a scrap of strength left anywhere in her body, and Niu Jinfeng had carried her home on her back.
After returning home, all three took medicinal baths in their respective rooms. Everything needed for the baths had already been prepared.
As a Soul Master clan, the family had quite a few servants. Several of them mainly handled chores such as cooking, heating water, and washing clothes, while Niu Jinfeng personally prepared the medicinal baths.
The entire medicinal bath lasted half an hour. After that half hour, all three had regained some spirit, and the whole family got ready to have dinner together.
Dinner was a lavish spread, with Soul Beast meat, vegetables, staple foods, and stewed soup all provided.
After her medicinal bath, Dugu Yan seemed to have recovered considerably. She had become lively again, and her body felt particularly free and unimpeded.
After dinner, they each returned to their own rooms and began the day's meditation.
Dugu Yan now noticed something strange about today. She had taken medicinal baths every day before too, but after training that afternoon, the medicinal bath had clearly been far more effective than usual. Her meditation that evening also seemed to go much more smoothly than normal. What exactly was the reason?
Dugu Yan didn't quite seem to understand, but she suppressed her curiosity and worked hard at meditating.