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Yu Xiaogang shook his head and said, "Fine, I'll allow you to use your teacher's method. But since you're using soul power, you'll have to run twenty laps."
"Twenty laps? You're underestimating me," Ning Rongrong said indifferently. Her soul power efficiency had improved greatly compared to the average soul master, and she didn't mind running at all.
On the other side, Dai Mubai overheard Ning Rongrong and Yu Xiaogang's conversation and instantly picked up on a lot.
So now Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong are following that Azure Emperor's training? Did Zhu Zhuqing meet the Azure Emperor through Ning Rongrong? No... Zhu Zhuqing's speed had already seemed abnormal when she first came to Shrek. So what exactly happened to her after I left the Star Luo Empire? Why is she so cold to me—and yet still came to Shrek Academy to find me?
Dai Mubai shook his wild hairstyle, his expression growing darker.
As the weighted endurance training began, the Shrek Seven Devils split into two groups: one was Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing; the other was the remaining five.
Ma Hongjun was extremely envious that the two girls could use soul power to run. He felt like this soul-powerless weighted training was about to squeeze every bit of fat out of his belly.
He muttered to Dai Mubai, "Boss Dai, Zhu Zhuqing is using Martial Soul Possession to run. Is that even useful training?"
Though Dai Mubai's mind had been elsewhere, Ma Hongjun's words made his eyes light up. He too had noticed that since coming to Shrek, Zhu Zhuqing always trained alone under Martial Soul Possession. There must be some secret behind it.
Dai Mubai wasn't concerned about Yu Xiaogang's so-called punishment. If Zhu Zhuqing can run using soul power, why can't I? What a joke!
Without hesitation, Dai Mubai activated White Tiger Martial Soul Possession, instantly boosting his speed to a new level.
"Boss Dai, wait for me!!" Ma Hongjun cried as he watched Dai Mubai's figure get smaller in the distance.
Before long, Dai Mubai even overtook Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing.
With a glance from his evil eyes, Dai Mubai gave Zhu Zhuqing a look that seemed to say: This is your speed? My White Tiger Possession is clearly superior.
Zhu Zhuqing noticed the look and rolled her eyes. So now he's copying my training? Just blindly imitating me without a clue.
She hadn't expected Dai Mubai to be this foolish. Does he really think that just using Martial Soul Possession will give him the same training benefits?
She had been intentionally limiting her soul power input into the Martial Soul Possession, constantly striving to improve its efficiency with minimal energy consumption. Additionally, she was constantly adjusting the distribution of her soul power to reinforce her speed-oriented combat form.
The White Tiger is an assault-type martial soul. If her teacher were training someone with the White Tiger, they would have them smash trees and boulders to ultimately achieve the 'White Tiger - Strength Form'.
This training session highlighted Yu Xiaogang's limitations—weighted running only trained a soul master's endurance and, at best, slightly improved physical fitness. But soul masters fight with soul power. Making White Tiger or Phoenix types train endurance was pointless. They're not support-types who need to enhance mobility to survive on the battlefield. Assault-types should focus on breakthrough and attack power.
If it were her teacher, he would have designed customized training programs based on each person's martial soul. Initially, Zhu Zhuqing had hoped to see more diverse training from Yu Xiaogang, but she later realized that all he had was running. Turns out I gave him too much credit.
By midday, Ning Rongrong collapsed onto the grass, panting heavily. She didn't even know how many laps she had run—definitely more than twenty. Her soul power was completely drained, not a drop left.
While she rested, Oscar, with his peach blossom eyes, approached with concern. "Ning Rongrong, I didn't expect you to run this many laps. You must be exhausted. Want some water?"
He handed her a water bottle. Ning Rongrong only glanced at it—she didn't even have the strength to refuse. Instead, she silently pulled out a piece of Ye Lan's Blue Silver Grass from her storage bracelet and put it in her mouth. The green life energy began rapidly healing her fatigued cells.
Oscar's hand froze mid-air, still holding the bottle. He didn't know whether to pull it back or leave it there.
"Ning Rongrong, what are you eating? Grass? I've prepared medicinal baths for everyone—don't go eating random herbs," Yu Xiaogang said, noticing her actions.
His question broke the awkward silence. Oscar quickly pulled back the bottle and pretended he had never offered it.
Since returning from the Star Dou Forest, Oscar had found that Ning Rongrong's smile haunted his mind—he just couldn't forget her. The colder she treated him, the more obsessed he became. Like a flower on a distant peak, unattainable and desirable, Oscar was tormented by regret: Why didn't I help her that day? Why did I isolate her and make things worse for myself?
"You don't need to worry about it. This was provided by my clan. Save the bath for the others—I already have what I need," Ning Rongrong replied to Yu Xiaogang. She didn't believe any bath could recover her strength better than Ye Lan's Blue Silver Grass.
After rejecting Yu Xiaogang, she didn't look at Oscar but turned to Zhu Zhuqing, who was still speeding up in the distance. Zhu Zhuqing's efficiency with soul power has improved far more quickly than mine. Even after training until noon, she still hasn't exhausted her energy.
"Ning Rongrong, give this letter to your father—it contains the theory I plan to publish," Ye Lan said, handing her a thick envelope.
After several days of hard work, Ye Lan had finally completed his comprehensive theory on Martial Soul Core Competitiveness. What he had written that night was just a rough framework. These past few days, Ye Lan had filled in that framework with logical arguments, data, and references. It was thanks to his time studying in Nuoding City and Hanhai City that he had gained such deep theoretical knowledge. With his understanding of Douluo Continent and ample evidence, the theory now had real credibility.
Although Ye Lan couldn't guarantee his theory was 100% correct, he was confident that it wouldn't lead anyone astray—and would vastly improve how most civilian teams understood their martial souls.
"Ye Lan, can I take a look? I seriously don't know what your brain is made of. How could you write such a massive theory?" Ning Rongrong exclaimed in shock.
Zhu Zhuqing also nodded. She too was curious about her teacher's theory. Ever since she started training under Yu Xiaogang at Shrek, she'd come to truly understand Ye Lan's strength.
In terms of theory alone, Zhu Zhuqing felt: If Yu Xiaogang is a Soul Scholar of theory, then my teacher is the Title Douluo of theory!
"Go ahead, take a look. It's going to be published anyway," Ye Lan said. "There are two versions of this theory—one simplified for easier dissemination, and the other a full version with all the argumentation and references. You can read the simplified one. Both versions will be released eventually."
Excited, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing opened the envelope and began reading carefully.
(End of Chapter)