In the previous battle, Zhou Shuang had displayed astonishing speed.
He could have easily escaped Hu Liena's charm and used his agility to stay outside her range of control.
But he didn't.
Because he had something else in mind.
As a Spirit King whose spirit power far exceeded Hu Liena's, Zhou Shuang was genuinely intrigued by her charm ability.
He wanted to experience its power firsthand — to see whether it could truly pose any threat to him.
Thus, he deliberately kept himself at a distance that was both safe and close enough for her to activate her skill, moving unpredictably to guard against any surprise attacks.
To his surprise, the stalemate didn't last long before Hu Liena voluntarily lifted her invisibility and reappeared.
Her stealth technique was indeed formidable, but in truth, it was the result of combining her second and fourth spirit skills — a combination that placed a heavy burden on both her mental strength and spirit power.
With her current level of cultivation, it was simply impossible to maintain such a state for long.
When Zhou Shuang offered her sincere praise after the fight, Hu Liena, who had been tightly wound with tension throughout the battle, finally felt a touch of comfort and relief.
That day marked the first day of their special training.
After three consecutive sparring matches, all of the duels came to an end.
Lin Zhendong gathered the three Spirit Kings together, said a few brief words, and then allowed them to leave first.
Afterward, he approached Yan, Xie Yue, and Hu Liena. His expression was stern, yet his tone remained gentle.
"That will be all for today's training. The three of you performed quite well."
Xie Yue suddenly asked,
"Teacher Lin, don't you have any special guidance for us?"
Lin Zhendong smiled faintly and shook his head.
"Today was meant to let you act freely. You should already know in your hearts how you were defeated. When you return, reflect carefully and learn from it.
This cross-level special training won't end anytime soon — it could last several months. So be prepared for a long and difficult journey."
The three exchanged glances — all of them knew exactly what that meant.
They would likely face many more defeats in the trials to come.
Yet deep down, they also understood that by enduring the cruelty of cross-level battles, they could improve their strength in the shortest possible time.
Lin Zhendong escorted them to the academy gates before leaving on his own.
That day, each of the three had challenged a Spirit King-level opponent. Their spirit power was nearly exhausted, and they only managed to recover slightly after meditating in the carriage on the way back.
They walked shoulder to shoulder toward the dormitories, none of them speaking — each lost in thoughts about their own defeat.
As they walked, four teammates suddenly came running up.
"Boss!"
"Brother Yan!"
"Sister Nana!"
Seeing how worn out they looked, Li Kai asked curiously,
"Boss, what kind of training did you guys go through today? You look exhausted!"
"Yeah," Yan replied, "it's not just physical fatigue — it's also a mental blow."
"What happened exactly?"
"Teacher Lin had each of us challenge a Spirit King. In the end, we all lost."
Hearing this, the four of them stared in shock.
The "Three Stars of Spirit Hall" had never once been defeated by peers of the same rank — this was a first.
But this time, their opponents were different. And so, each of them had tasted defeat.
Sun Chuantao frowned in confusion.
"Isn't this supposed to be a cross-level challenge? But the gap's too big, isn't it? You guys just broke through level forty — that's a full ten levels below a Spirit King!"
Hu Liena spoke up,
"It wasn't just that. Each of our opponents was exceptional — every one of them had the optimal two-yellow, two-purple, one-black spirit ring configuration.
And their abilities seemed deliberately chosen to counter us.
I suspect Teacher Lin arranged that on purpose."
Yan nodded slightly and added,
"There's nothing wrong with losing. Failure teaches us experience and exposes our weaknesses. Only through that can we become stronger."
"Brother Yan's right," Xie Yue agreed.
He firmly believed that it wouldn't be long before he could defeat that Diamond Mammoth Spirit Master.
"Alright," Yan said, "you guys should focus on your cultivation too. Try to break through as soon as possible."
"Got it!"
After the others left, the three continued toward their dorms.
After a while, Xie Yue turned to Yan and asked,
"Yan, we'll probably face the same opponents again tomorrow. Are you really not planning to use your Flame Wings?"
Yan shook his head lightly.
"Not for now. I want to see what my limits are without relying on the external spirit bone."
Xie Yue looked at him with a faint smile.
"You've really changed — you're no longer that arrogant boy you used to be."
Yan responded with a calm smile but said nothing.
Hu Liena glanced at him secretly, sensing the firm confidence radiating from him.
A wave of complex emotions stirred in her heart.
"Yes… Yan really has changed. Looks like I'll have to work even harder."
When they returned to their quarters, Yan didn't lie down to rest.
Instead, he cultivated for a while, adjusting his condition to its best state.
Then he took out the Record of Rare Flora and Strange Herbs and began reading it carefully.
Though cultivation was crucial, learning about herbs was equally important.
Time was running out for him — he had to reach the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well before Tang San did.
Otherwise, he would lose his chance to obtain the most suitable immortal herbs.
The next day, the trio was brought back to the same training grounds for another round of combat practice.
Their opponents were once again the same three Spirit Kings — but this time, Lin Zhendong deliberately changed their matchups.
Xie Yue now faced the Wind Sword Spirit Master,
Yan faced the Spirit Monkey Spirit Master,
and Hu Liena faced the Diamond Mammoth Spirit Master.
The sudden change caught them off guard.
Even though they were already familiar with their opponents' attack methods, all three were once again defeated.
Just as Lin Zhendong had said the day before —
"Defeating an opponent ten levels above you is not something that can be done in a day or two."
In this round of battles, Yan still chose not to use his external spirit bone.
The cross-level special training continued.
Time flew by swiftly.
After five months, both Xie Yue and Hu Liena broke through to rank forty-three.
By the sixth month, Yan had reached level forty-four.
Throughout that half year, Lin Zhendong had changed their opponents several times — all of them Spirit Kings.
Sometimes they won; sometimes they lost.
That day, after their training ended, Lin Zhendong escorted the three back to the academy and said:
"Today, all three of you have defeated your respective opponents.
This phase of the special training is now complete.
You've done well — even though you faced many defeats, you never lost heart.
I'm proud of you."
"It's… over already?"
"Yes, it's over.
If there's a new round of training, I'll inform you when the time comes."
The news came so suddenly that the three of them could hardly believe it.
After six months of training, they had all grown immensely — not only in spirit power, but also in combat technique and mental resilience.
Now, when facing Spirit King-level opponents, they could remain calm and composed.
Just as Yan was about to leave, Lin Zhendong suddenly called out to him.
"Yan — come with me for a moment."
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