"You—"
"Stop." The Great Master's commanding shout halted Liu Erlong's action.
The Great Master walked over to the resisting Soul Master with measured steps and gave him a nod. "Fine. I will train alongside you. As long as I haven't collapsed, none of you are allowed to stop."
Hearing this, Liu Erlong grew anxious at once. "Xiao Gang, don't be rash. You're no longer young. And you've been without sleep for days—how can you endure that kind of strain?"
The resistant Soul Master curled his lip and muttered under his breath, "Knew he couldn't handle it. Just here to torture us."
The Great Master's dark gaze shifted to Liu Erlong. "Erlong, step aside and continue supervising. I'll train with them." Though his tone was calm, it carried an unmistakable authority. Even a woman as fierce as Liu Erlong dared not argue with him at a moment like this.
"When a task arises, the disciple should bear the burden. Master, let me train with them instead. I'm also curious to see just how demanding this so-called impossible training really is."
At the sound of that voice, the Great Master's icy expression finally softened with a trace of surprise. He turned to look toward the source.
"You're back." Looking at his disciple, the Great Master was overcome with a rush of emotions. He did not even notice the
Tang San nodded to the Great Master, then turned to face the muscular, middle-aged Soul Master. "I will train alongside you on the Great Master's behalf. Whatever you do, I'll double it. The limits of the human body have never been fully proven. I am the Great Master's disciple, and I will prove to you that my teacher's theory is absolutely sound."
The muscular Soul Master scoffed dismissively. "You don't even know what we've been training and you're already bragging. I'd like to see how you manage double."
Tang San stroked Xiao Wu in his arms, walked up to Liu Erlong, and handed the rabbit over. "Teacher Erlong, could you hold her for me? This is Xiao Wu."
Liu Erlong was stunned for a moment. She took the rabbit Tang San offered, not quite understanding what he meant.
Tang San turned and walked up to the muscular Soul Master, looking him straight in the eye. "If I succeed, I want you to apologize to my teacher."
With that, he strode to the center of the training field, then turned to face the Great Master. "Master, please instruct me."
Tang San's arrival had finally warmed the Great Master's gaze. He nodded and said, "You will run laps under
Zhao Wuji stood at the very center of the training ground. With his strength as a Soul Douluo, he could extend the range of his gravity field all the way to the outer perimeter of the field.
Tang San nodded to Zhao Wuji. "Teacher Zhao, sorry to trouble you. Give me six times gravity."
Zhao Wuji smiled faintly and nodded back at Tang San. His Gravity Enhancement skill was not yet true gravity manipulation—he could not reduce gravity. But with his current strength, he could enhance gravity up to tenfold at maximum.
The third soul ring lit up, and sixfold gravity bore down directly onto Tang San.
Tang San felt his body grow heavy. His gaze swept over the students who had stopped running. "Please keep count for me." The moment the words left his mouth, he was already off and running.
Tang San's pace was not particularly fast, but each stride covered nearly the same distance as he moved forward at a steady speed. He quickly reached the outermost lane and began circling.
Some students did not believe Tang San was actually under sixfold gravity. They instinctively moved closer, and when Tang San passed in front of them, they were hit by an enormous wave of pressure that nearly sent them to the ground. Only then were they convinced that Zhao Wuji had not gone easy on him.
Of course, that did not stop them from keeping watch. Every Soul Master observed Tang San carefully—if he had used Soul Power, there would have been fluctuations, and they would have caught it immediately.
But they were quickly disappointed. Not only had Tang San not used any Soul Power, but his pace was actually picking up.
Tang San was no longer the Tang San of old. Two hundred-year rings, one thousand-year ring, two ten-thousand-year rings, and one hundred-thousand-year ring—four soul rings had granted his body a terrifying level of enhancement. On top of that came the purification from two legendary spirit herbs and the attribute boosts from four pieces of soul bone. In terms of raw physical strength, no one present could compare to him—not even the Immovable Bright King Zhao Wuji.
Soon, ten laps were done. Tang San's speed kept climbing, yet his expression did not change in the slightest. His breathing remained even, his complexion steady, as though nothing were happening at all.
"Teacher Zhao, increase it to maximum gravity." When he began his eleventh lap, Tang San called out to Zhao Wuji.
Zhao Wuji chuckled to himself. The little monster was truly a little monster. Now that the Great Master had someone to back him up, things were about to get interesting. Thinking this, he still offered a verbal warning: "Maximum gravity is tenfold. Be careful." This was less a caution for Tang San than for the stunned students watching.
Gravity surged again, but Tang San's speed did not slow one bit. The only change was a faint flush on his cheeks.
These Soul Masters served the Tian Dou Empire's royal court and had only recently been transferred here. They had not witnessed the fight between the Shrek Five Devils and Zhao Wuji and Flandre the last time, so they did not recognize Tang San. Seeing him sprint at such a monstrous pace under terrifying gravity using nothing but raw physical strength, every single one of them was rooted to the spot. The burly Soul Master who had challenged the Great Master earlier stood with his mouth hanging open, his face a portrait of disbelief.
Twenty laps were over before they knew it. Tang San jogged back to the center of the field and bowed to the Great Master. "Master, is there more?"
The Great Master waved him over. Tang San strode quickly to his side. By now, only a light sheen of sweat on his forehead gave any indication of exertion.
A glimmer of satisfaction flickered in the Great Master's eyes. He turned to the burly Soul Master who had been vocal earlier. "Now tell me—is threefold gravity for twenty laps truly an impossible task?"
The burly Soul Master stared dumbly at Tang San. "Are you—are you even human?" At those words, even the Great Master and Liu Erlong could not help but crack a smile.
Liu Erlong kicked the muscular Soul Master flat on his back. "Enough talk. Get back in line. Everyone who stopped—your lap count resets. Start. Say one more word and I won't be so polite."
The muscular Soul Master scrambled to his feet and dashed back to the formation, but he could not resist glancing back at Tang San. "Brother, what level is your Soul Power? Did the Great Master really train this kind of stamina out of you?"
Tang San nodded. "I've been cultivating under my teacher's guidance since I was young. I'm at level sixty-six now."
Thump—the muscular Soul Master's legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground.
"H-How much?" His voice was already trembling.
Tang San said calmly, "Level sixty-six. I'll be twenty-one soon. Satisfied? You still haven't apologized to my teacher." As he spoke, a powerful wave of pressure erupted from his body, sweeping across the entire training ground. Every Soul Master in the midst of training felt as though they could barely breathe.
Most of these Soul Masters were around levels forty to fifty. Only someone above level sixty could make them feel this kind of pressure. So even though Tang San had not released his soul rings, they believed his words without a shadow of a doubt.
All of the Tian Dou Empire Soul Masters were stunned. The burly Soul Master looked at the Great Master again, and his entire expression underwent a dramatic transformation. He bowed respectfully from the waist. "I'm sorry, Great Master. I was out of line just now. I accept my punishment."
The Great Master said evenly, "Ten more laps."
The burly Soul Master's body trembled, but he hurried back to formation and began running alongside the other Soul Masters under Zhao Wuji's gravity field.
The Great Master sighed softly and patted Tang San's shoulder. "If only every one of them had been as obedient as you were back then. The Tian Dou Empire would one day be able to stand against Spirit Hall."
"Xiao San, are you saying this is Xiao Wu? What happened?" Liu Erlong looked at Tang San with confusion.
Tang San hurried over to Liu Erlong and took Xiao Wu back into his arms. He realized that even though Xiao Wu had become a rabbit, the briefest separation from her filled him with unease.
"Master, Teacher Erlong, let's find somewhere quiet to talk."
Seeing the light fade from Tang San's eyes, the Great Master and Liu Erlong both knew something serious had happened.
They said nothing more and led Tang San into the nearby woods.
"Xiao San, speak." The Great Master nodded to him.
Tang San stroked Xiao Wu in his arms. The fragile peace he had managed to build over these past days was shattered all over again. The Great Master was his family, and the moment he saw him, every wall inside him crumbled. His eyes reddened. "Master, at the end of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, you may have already guessed—Xiao Wu is not human. She is a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast. That was exactly why
Liu Erlong's pupils contracted sharply. "Don't tell me this little rabbit in your arms really is Xiao Wu."
Tang San nodded. He proceeded to recount every detail of his time away from the academy, from his departure to his entry into the Star Dou Great Forest.
When he reached the part where Xiao Wu had sacrificed herself to save him, he broke down completely, his voice dissolving into sobs.
"...It's all my fault. I failed to protect Xiao Wu." Clutching Xiao Wu's true form, Tang San dropped to his knees before Liu Erlong with a thud.
The Great Master's body trembled slightly. Liu Erlong was weeping just as hard, both hands clamping down on Tang San's shoulders and gripping tight. "Spirit Hall. Bibi Dong. I will kill you."
In a blaze of fury, Liu Erlong spun around to leave.
Tang San lunged forward and seized her arm. "Teacher Erlong, please don't be reckless."
Liu Erlong violently shook off his hand. "Reckless? How can I not be reckless? Tang San, if you're still a man, come with me to Spirit Hall. Even if it means death, I'll tear that place apart."
"Enough!" The Great Master's thunderous shout stopped Liu Erlong in her tracks, her rage spiraling out of control. "What good would that do? You'd only be throwing your life away. It's already happened—do you really want Xiao San to go along and die with you?"
Liu Erlong stared at the Great Master, her lips quivering. Finally, she threw herself into his arms and broke into heart-wrenching sobs. Her clan had been destroyed, her people slaughtered. Even her adopted daughter—her only remaining emotional anchor—had been reduced to this by Spirit Hall. The grief and rage inside her had reached their breaking point. If she did not let it out, she would go mad on the spot.
The Great Master held Liu Erlong tightly and looked at the tear-streaked Tang San. "All right, now. A real man sheds blood, not tears. Spirit Hall owes us, and one day we will collect a hundredfold. You cannot blame yourself for what happened to Xiao Wu. You did everything you could. What you need to do now is raise your strength as quickly as possible, reach the Titled Douluo level, and help her revive. Do you understand?"
Tang San wiped away his tears and gave the Great Master a firm, resolute nod.