Chapter 130: Daily Training
Several days passed, and the daily instruction of Class One gradually settled into a new rhythm. Zhou Yi still presided over the lessons, but the content and format had been substantially overhauled, largely adopting the core framework Furina had proposed earlier:
Practical combat sparring served as the central axis, with heavy emphasis on honing the students' on-the-spot adaptability and combat techniques. Regular visits to the soul tool experimentation zone were scheduled to learn the operation and application of basic soul tools, and to provide students who displayed strong interest or corresponding talent with an assessment of their potential for deeper development within the Soul Tool Department.
Furthermore, the curriculum was interspersed with systematic lectures on the habits and distribution of various soul beasts, as well as knowledge concerning evil soul masters, all aimed at broadening the students' horizons and awareness.
The section on evil soul masters was delivered by Zhou Yi with particular thoroughness and gravity. At present on the Douluo Continent, the activities of evil soul masters were growing increasingly rampant. Their traces could be found throughout the territories of the former three great empires and the Sun Moon Empire alike.
Through their sinister and perverse cultivation methods, they often attained terrifying combat strength far exceeding that of orthodox soul masters of the same level. Their conduct was treacherous and cruel, and they slaughtered the innocent without restraint, becoming a colossal malignant tumor endangering the stability of the continent.
Considering that in the future, should any of these students advance into the Inner Courtyard, they would be highly likely to join the Shrek Inspection Corps and carry out dangerous missions such as the extermination of evil soul masters, it was profoundly necessary to let them learn about these perilous enemies in advance and grasp the basic concepts of identification and response.
When the crisp chime of the dismissal bell rang out, signaling the end of yet another lesson, the students of Class One mostly wore expressions of lingering engagement or satisfaction. This training model centered on actual combat had allowed them to truly feel the marked growth of their battle experience, and their proficiency with low-grade soul tools was steadily improving.
The gains were undoubtedly bountiful—far more interesting and effective than the monotonous, day-after-day drudgery of rote theory and mere physical endurance running of the past. No one wished to squander their precious cultivation time on endless theoretical recitations and mechanical physical exertion. The pressure, the quick thinking, and the growth brought by real battle were what they craved.
According to the teaching plan, subsequent stages would also involve organizing field exercises in the outer reaches of the Great Star Dou Forest, allowing them to engage soul beasts in a complex, ever-changing natural environment and simulate genuine encounters.
This was not for the purpose of hunting. For the students of Class One, who generally possessed the capability to handle hundred-year soul beasts, defeating or wounding such targets was not difficult; the true threat lay with soul beasts of the thousand-year level and above.
The emphasis of the instruction was on experiencing the complete process of "contact—engagement—withdrawal," rather than life-or-death combat. After all, the need to acquire soul rings did not arise constantly, and pointless slaughter would only breed greater enmity among soul beasts, potentially even drawing back terrifying retaliation.
The painful lessons of the beast tides that had erupted historically—lessons brought by the frenzied onslaught of soul beasts—had long since been written into the academy's teaching materials. The students, well aware of the horrors of a beast tide, all understood that wantonly slaughtering low-tier soul beasts within the Great Star Dou Forest was an exceedingly foolish and dangerous act, very likely to enrage the powerful ten-thousand-year soul beasts dwelling in the forest's depths, and even the legendary Savage Beasts.
Thus, under Zhou Yi's repeated emphasis and Furina's private reminders, everyone tacitly adhered to the principle of sparring and knowing when to stop. Typically, they would only skirmish briefly with the soul beasts, forcing them to retreat or seizing an opportunity to swiftly disengage from combat. They absolutely did not fight to the bitter end or kill indiscriminately.
Furina herself also participated in these practical drills. She deliberately attempted to tangle with and oppose soul beasts purely relying on the soul power foundation granted by her first martial soul, Cake, and her own physical conditioning—without depending on her second martial soul, Salon Solitaire, or her divine artifact, Splendor of Still Waters. However, the practical results proved somewhat... embarrassing.
"Damn it! Sure enough, without a proper weapon and Mademoiselle Chevaleyda's help, relying solely on this support-type Cake martial soul and these fists and feet... I'm practically a combat weakling!" Furina was currently being chased by a pack of hundred-year Stormcloud Leopards, renowned for their speed, cutting a rather sorry figure.
While nimbly weaving and dodging through the forest, she lamented inwardly, "Against a single soul beast, I might still use my soul power to hold out and tussle for a few rounds, but against a whole pack... Cake just can't be used directly for fighting!"
Fortunately, her own speed was extremely fast. Under the propulsion of soul power, her form was swift and elusive, leaving the pack of Stormcloud Leopards far behind. She remained uncatchable.
This experience made her yearn even more fervently that in the future her Cake soul skills might derive something akin to Oscar's "Mirror Image Sausage"—something capable of temporarily replicating the effects of others' soul skills. Perhaps a "Mirror Image Ice Cream Cake," for instance. That way, even without summoning the members of Salon Solitaire, she could still possess a diverse array of temporary combat methods.
This minor "setback" made her clearly realize that under the laws governing the Douluo Continent, relying purely on physical techniques and basic soul power to oppose soul beasts—with their innately formidable bodies and often unique innate talents (especially when they were in packs)—was indeed an endeavor where her strength fell short. She attributed this entirely to "the foundational physiological design problems of Douluo humans" and absolutely refused to admit it was due to any insufficient training on her part.
Above, Wang Dong, hovering effortlessly in the air with the wings of the Goddess of Light Butterfly unfurled, looked down at Furina being "merrily" chased through the forest by soul beasts and couldn't help a snide remark: "So, without those formidable martial souls and divine artifacts, even the mighty Water God gets chased all over the forest by soul beasts! This is truly a rare sight."
Beside him, Xiao Xiao looked down with some concern: "Furina... is she really alright? Should we go down and help her?"
Huo Yuhao appeared quite composed. He shook his head. "No need to worry. With Sister Furina's speed, those Stormcloud Leopards can't catch her. If there were real danger, she could summon assistance or use her soul bone skills to protect herself at any moment. Let's wait a bit longer. Once we see she's about finished with her training, we'll head back to the academy together."
"Alright," Xiao Xiao nodded. Then, as if remembering something, she turned to Wang Dong, a hint of smug satisfaction surfacing on her face. "Oh, right, Wang Dong. You'd better step up your cultivation! My soul power rank is now a good bit higher than yours. Though my soul rings' cultivation years still can't match yours for the moment, the gap is shrinking!"
Just one day prior, Zhou Yi had delivered to them the compensation the academy had promised. The two Soul Ascension Pills, after discussion, had been given to Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao respectively to boost their soul power. Xiao Xiao herself, having practiced the cultivation art bestowed by Furina, had seen her cultivation efficiency surge dramatically. Coupled with the Soul Ascension Pill, her progress had been particularly pronounced.
As for the soul bones: one was a ten-thousand-year left arm bone, derived from the powerful soul beast descendant that carried a portion of Titan Giant Ape bloodline. The abilities it conferred leaned toward power amplification and a degree of gravity manipulation. At Wang Dong's vehement insistence, it had been allocated to Wang Dong. Although Xiao Xiao and Huo Yuhao didn't understand why Wang Dong would rather take a ten-thousand-year bone over a fifty-thousand-year one, they didn't dwell on it.
The other was a right arm bone that had just reached the fifty-thousand-year cultivation threshold, originating from an exceptionally rare ten-thousand-year Lightning Rabbit. The soul skill it granted was "Blink"—which consumed relatively little soul power and could be activated multiple times over short distances, offering extraordinary mobility. It was perfectly suited for a control-type soul master like Xiao Xiao, and thus went to her.
The infusion of soul power brought by fusing with a fifty-thousand-year soul bone, combined with the boost from her cultivation art and the Soul Ascension Pill, meant that Xiao Xiao's soul power rank now firmly exceeded Wang Dong's.
Wang Dong, although he had received the complete Mysterious Heaven Technique from Tang Ya, which allowed him to cultivate considerably faster than the average soul master, was ultimately still somewhat slower than Xiao Xiao. Coupled with the fact that he occasionally indulged in a bit of quiet slacking off, having this gap pointed out by Xiao Xiao ignited a sharp sense of urgency in his heart. He silently resolved to train even harder—otherwise he truly would be left in the dust by Xiao Xiao.
"Hmph. What's there to be so smug about?" Wang Dong refused to yield verbally and lifted his delicate chin. "You're just benefiting from a soul bone and a pill—a temporary lead, that's all. This lord's innate talent is better than yours, and with the Tang Sect's secret arts at my command, catching up to you is only a matter of time!"
"Oh, really?" Xiao Xiao smiled with her eyes curved, deliberately drawing out her tone. "But if a certain young miss keeps sneaking in bouts of laziness like this, and I leave her further and further behind... don't come crying about it when the time comes."
"I would never cry!" Wang Dong immediately retorted, though a faint flush colored his cheeks.
Interestingly, both Xiao Xiao and Huo Yuhao had noticed that regarding the address "young miss," Wang Dong seemed to have only offered a token protest the very first time. Afterward, it was as if he had silently acquiesced, never again mounting a strong objection.
Though they found it slightly odd, when they linked it to Wang Dong's daily habits—his extreme fastidiousness, his delicate and strikingly beautiful features, and the occasional hints of a somewhat pampered, coquettish temperament—the two felt the form of address was, in fact, rather fitting and didn't probe any deeper.
A short while later, the thickets not far away suddenly rustled violently. Furina emerged from within, looking somewhat disheveled, a few stray leaves caught in her hair and clinging to her clothes. "Haah... I'm exhausted. These soul beasts are ridiculously persistent—they chased me for ages!"
She brushed grass fragments from her garments as she complained, "Couldn't they have arranged a lone soul beast for me to duel one-on-one for practice?"
Xiao Xiao stifled a laugh and asked, "If you used a weapon or summoned your second martial soul, couldn't you have wiped them out easily?"
"Then what would be the point of training?" Furina rolled her eyes with elegant exasperation and steadied her breathing. "Alright, my practical combat drill is over for now. It's getting late. We should head back to the academy."
"Mm, let's go," Huo Yuhao nodded in agreement.
The four delayed no further. They oriented themselves and set off together at a steady pace, heading back through the outer reaches of the Great Star Dou Forest toward Shrek Academy. Sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting dappled shadows that stretched the figures of youths and maidens across the forest floor. Their growth—and their story—continued on.