"???"
Tang San, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, Jing Ling, and Huang Yuan exchanged confused glances.
What exactly was Dai Mubai planning?
It didn't take long for them to realize the full extent of his "hell training" plan—specifically designed for them.
"Old Zhao, I'm leaving these fine teammates in your capable hands! They need tempering! Without going through some trials, how can we achieve a good result in this tournament?"
Dai Mubai beamed as he addressed Zhao Wuji, who returned a mischievous grin, his eyes gleaming with glee.
"Don't worry, Xiao Bai! Two daily combat drills are just the start for them!"
Tang San and the others instinctively flinched. Something didn't feel right.
Two battles a day?
With whom?
"Ladies, let's go. Let's not disturb their training."
With that, Dai Mubai casually led a group of girls off the field, leaving Tang San and his group behind to face Zhao Wuji.
"Teacher Zhao, may I ask… where exactly is Boss Dai taking them?"
Tang San couldn't suppress his curiosity.
Zhao Wuji glanced at Tang San with a neutral expression and answered flatly, "Xiao Bai took them to eat. A few days ago, Poison Douluo Dugu Bo gifted Xiao Bai and Dugu Yan some ingredients.
"He's having Shao Xin cook them up into a meal…"
A wide grin spread across Zhao Wuji's face, as if he couldn't hold back his amusement.
Tang San and the others stared in disbelief.
They were about to endure grueling training, while Dai Mubai and the girls were going to enjoy a feast?
However, not everyone felt the same way.
"Heh, relying on his current soul power advantage to slack off? That's fine," Tang San murmured, a sly smile tugging at his lips.
"Dai Mubai, the more you waste time, the sooner I'll surpass you!"
Tang San's initial frustration at the apparent favoritism quickly faded, replaced by determination.
Let Dai Mubai indulge himself.
The more he indulges, the easier it'll be to overtake him!
Meanwhile, Ma Hongjun grumbled bitterly.
"Boss Dai is so unfair! How could he go enjoy delicious food without inviting me?"
Before Ma Hongjun could say more, Zhao Wuji clapped him on the shoulder with enough force to knock him off balance.
"Fatty, that stuff isn't for you. It's for your own good."
Ma Hongjun looked bewildered. "Why not? What is it?"
Zhao Wuji's face turned slightly awkward, and he coughed before replying, "...It's tonic for the kidneys."
The realization hit Ma Hongjun like a thunderbolt. His expression froze, and then he nodded slowly, understanding.
Dai Mubai was actually looking out for him!
Given his condition, any additional stimulation could lead to a real problem.
Oscar couldn't help but interject, "If Fatty can't eat it, then what about me? I'm perfectly fine, right?"
Zhao Wuji turned to him with a smirk.
"Xiao Ao, you're still so young. Don't tell me… you're already struggling?"
Oscar's face flushed crimson, and he quickly waved his hands. "No, no! Of course not!"
"All right, enough chatter," Zhao Wuji said, his tone suddenly sharp.
"Starting today, each of you will face me in combat twice daily!"
"And if that's not enough, you'll run ten kilometers under five times gravity!"
The group's eyes widened in alarm.
For soul masters, a ten-kilometer run wasn't much of a challenge. But under five times gravity? Even soul experts would be pushed to their limits.
"The difficulty will increase over time!" Zhao Wuji declared, his expression stern.
Even Tang San, usually composed, frowned at the mention of escalating difficulty.
"Honestly, you should all be thanking Xiao Bai for arranging this training for you."
"Do you know how rare it is for a Soul Douluo to personally guide anyone? Outside of Shrek Academy, you wouldn't get this chance in a million years!"
"If Xiao Bai hadn't asked me for this favor, none of you would have this opportunity!"
Zhao Wuji's words gave the group pause.
After a moment of reflection, they realized he wasn't wrong.
In prestigious academies like Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, even with multiple Soul Douluo-level elders, students rarely received direct one-on-one training.
The group's initial resentment softened into gratitude.
A short while later, however, that gratitude vanished.
"Ahhh!"
Oscar let out a wail of pain.
"Teacher Zhao, please don't hit my face! I have a date with a senior later!"
"You won't have that chance anymore," Zhao Wuji replied with a wicked grin, landing a punch squarely on Oscar's left eye to match the bruise on his right.
Though Zhao Wuji had initially planned to focus on Tang San, he hesitated.
Who knew if Tang Hao was watching from the shadows? Picking on Tang San might look too much like personal revenge.
With that thought, Zhao Wuji decided to "treat everyone equally"—by thoroughly pummeling them all.
"Ugh…" Tang San groaned, wiping blood from his lips as he lay sprawled on the ground.
Even with his soul power and combat skills, he was no match for Zhao Wuji under these conditions.
Just as he began analyzing the situation, the gravity around him abruptly intensified.
Ten times normal gravity.
Tang San's face contorted in pain as he felt the sudden, overwhelming pressure.
"Pfft!"
Unable to hold it in, he coughed up blood again and collapsed.
Before he could regain his composure, Zhao Wuji dismissed the gravity field—only to reapply it moments later.
Tang San let out another bloodied gasp as he fell flat on the ground again.
It was a masterclass in surprise tactics—Zhao Wuji's "sudden and repeated" approach was as brutal as it was effective.
Meanwhile, back at the banquet, Ning Rongrong eyed Dai Mubai with suspicion.
"Dai Mubai, this is all your doing, isn't it? You're the one who taught Teacher Zhao to do this!"
Dai Mubai chuckled slyly, raising his glass in mock innocence.
"Rongrong, how could you say that? Everything I do… is for their own good!"
(End of Chapter)