Double?
Upon hearing this, Zhi Yue’s little face immediately drooped. In fact, during training, Meng Qinghuan was right beside her. If you really calculated it, Meng Qinghuan’s training volume was more than three times hers. It would be unreasonable if he wasn’t stronger than her.
“Why are you treating me so well? I’m telling you, even if you treat me well, I won’t surrender to you.” Zhi Yue continued to be proud and stubborn, absolutely refusing to admit that she had already caved.
“Giving you a potion is treating you well? Everyone has this.” Bai Cha glanced at Zhi Yue. “Even their bones are cremated and turned to ash after death, but their mouths are still chattering. Such stubborn mouths.”
“I…” Zhi Yue’s face turned red with suppressed anger. Bai Cha had already passed her, heading towards the remaining few people who hadn’t completed their missions.
Sometimes, it doesn’t matter how strong you are; a backbone still has some use. Zhi Yue relied on this pride and had actually completed her morning training. Mo Ziye, Gu Zitan, and many others were still working hard.
“We need to eat lunch and have at least an hour of nap,” Bai Cha said. “I’ve left your potions here. We’ll continue in the afternoon.”
“D-Dr… Good.” Mo Ziye’s little face was covered in sweat, like a boiled shrimp. He was doing pull-ups on the horizontal bar and almost choked on his dry throat trying to say “good.”
Michael had just finished training and was lying on the ground like a dead dog. He now somewhat admired Lucifer for being able to last so long with Bai Cha. Seeing the small blue bottle of potion, Michael almost crawled over, gulped it down, and it went straight into his throat.
For the entire noon, these trainees walked as if they were floating. Gu Zitan had it the worst. Although his physical fitness was decent, his body shape was a huge disadvantage, almost costing him his life.
Despite having no appetite, Gu Zitan still diligently ate a lot of high-energy food, not daring to skip any, for fear of dying that afternoon. Meng Qinghuan came over, looking a bit schadenfreude as he watched Gu Zitan.
“How is it, Xiao Gu, is your soul still intact?” Meng Qinghuan laughed mischievously, holding Xiao Baimon. “Should I call your soul back for you?” https:/
“Old Meng… Aren’t you heartless?” Gu Zitan lay on the table, chewing a piece of apple, crunching mechanically. The food was tasteless, and his eyes had lost their spark.
“Hehehe, cheer up. Think about it, we’re going to save the world in the future. What if we can’t overcome this little difficulty?” Meng Qinghuan laughed so hard his stomach hurt, casually finishing a piece of dragon fruit from Gu Zitan’s plate, with a carefree expression.
“Even if Teacher Meng says so…” Mo Ziye also slumped on the table, his voice muffled. “But when I came for lunch just now, did I hear strange sounds from downstairs?”
“Downstairs? Below the cafeteria or below the training grounds?” Meng Qinghuan rubbed his shiny head. “If you’re talking about the training grounds, it’s probably Xiao Bai and Lucifer having a match.”
“A match?” Hearing this, Mo Ziye’s spirits perked up. His legs no longer hurt, and his waist felt fine. With a piece of cake in his mouth, he ran downstairs, even knocking over Zhi Ying’s fruit platter, enraging Zhi Ying to chase after Mo Ziye.
The Ye brothers, seeing that something was wrong, quickly went to pull them apart, only to end up sitting inside Gu Zitan. Gu Zitan had to stand up to give them space and was squeezed next to Zhi Yue, who was sitting on the outermost side.
As a result, the group, pulling and pushing each other, all ended up at the lowest level arena. Meng Qinghuan followed leisurely behind, smiling slyly.
In the stands, Bai Cha and Lucifer had been confronting each other for some time. Neither of them used their powers, opting for a direct one-on-one bare-knuckle fight. Their punches landed with solid thuds, making everyone in the stands wince.
“Alright, children, class time is here.” Meng Qinghuan sat behind Zhi Yue and his group, smiling. “Feel free to ask any questions.”
“Who are your children?” Michael glared at Meng Qinghuan indignantly.
“Lucifer, a grown man and a dragon, how can he even lose to a young girl like Bai Cha?” Zhi Yue lay on a chair in the audience, her foul mouth acting up again, muttering softly.
“You want to go?” Meng Qinghuan raised an eyebrow.
“I…” Zhi Yue deflated upon hearing this, whispering dejectedly, “No.”
In the stands, Lucifer wore a loose training outfit, while Bai Cha wore a black one-piece tight-fitting suit. One was muscular and aesthetically pleasing, the other had a shapely figure. The collision of their big and small fists made Mo Ziye’s teeth clench.
What surprised Mo Ziye the most was that after this punch, Bai Cha only paused for a moment, while Lucifer was forced back several steps. This exchange, it seemed, Bai Cha had the upper hand.
“Lower your center of gravity!” Bai Cha shouted, her fist moving so fast it became a blur. She landed a punch on Lucifer’s abdomen.
Lucifer had just been knocked away by Bai Cha. Before he could catch his breath, he heard Bai Cha’s reminder and quickly concentrated his core strength in his abdomen to stabilize his stance. However, he was still sent flying, rolling on the ground before bouncing back up.
Lucifer had improved greatly. At the beginning of their spar, Lucifer’s fiercest attacks were just uncoordinated flailing punches. Therefore, Bai Cha could only slow down and guide Lucifer, making his moves slightly more organized.
And so, with Bai Cha’s occasional reminders, after more than half an hour, Lucifer’s punches and kicks became clearer. Each move was commendable, and the arena finally became more interesting to watch.
Perhaps it was out of consideration for Lucifer’s good looks, but Bai Cha didn’t aim any punches at his face. However, if Lucifer were to take off his training clothes later, he would undoubtedly be covered in bruises.
Just as Lucifer’s spinning kick was blocked by Bai Cha’s palm again, Mo Ziye finally couldn’t hold back. With a complex expression, he looked at Meng Qinghuan. “Teacher Meng, why do I feel like Xiao Bai can always predict Lucifer’s moves in advance?”
“Be more confident, remove the ‘feel’,” Meng Qinghuan patted Mo Ziye’s head encouragingly. “Of course. He’s a beginner, after all. His skill animations have such long wind-ups, it’s natural for them to be predicted.”
“Ah?” Mo Ziye didn’t understand.
“Well… it means that before each move, there’s a preparatory stance in the muscles and eyes.” Meng Qinghuan explained as detailed as possible. “Simply put, his movements are too big, and you can tell what he’s trying to do.”
“Is that even possible?” Mo Ziye expressed that although he understood, he didn’t comprehend it. He had been sitting there for a long time, and he couldn’t see any obvious preparatory movements from Lucifer.
“So, Xiao Bai will definitely win?” Mo Ziye asked.
“Nonsense.”
“Do I need to say it?”
“Otherwise?”
Mo Ziye’s voice was quite loud. This time, people from all directions, front, back, left, and right, turned their heads to look at Mo Ziye as if he were an idiot. Mo Ziye was completely bewildered.
Mo Ziye didn’t know what he had said wrong. Just as he was about to ask, he saw a figure fall from the stage and land on the soft mat outside the ring.
Lucifer lay on the mat with his eyes closed, his chest heaving. Bai Cha stood at the edge of the ring, as calm as if she had just had a drink. The rise and fall of her chest seemed like she had only jogged for ten minutes.
“Are you alright?” Bai Cha took off her one-piece suit, revealing the yoga pants and white t-shirt underneath. Her arms also had a few bruises, and she had sustained some injuries, but they were all unavoidable minor skin abrasions.
Lucifer nodded, no longer having the strength to speak.
Fighting Bai Cha was more difficult than training. It was not only a challenge for stamina but also for mental acuity. One needed a clear mind and quick reflexes to counter and block; otherwise, they could only be beaten.
At this moment, Lucifer felt pain all over his body, so much so that cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
“Go back and apply the potions. Remember to take a nap at noon. Don’t sneak in extra training, or it will be counterproductive,” Bai Cha said, clapping her hands and looking at the crowd that had gathered below. “You all too, whether you’ve completed your training tasks or not, you need to go back and rest.”
“Eh? Yes!”
“Alright, alright!”
The match was over, and the spectators, eager to watch, scattered like birds and beasts, leaving as quickly as possible, fearing that Bai Cha might change her mind and drag them back for more training.
“Ming… Mingze.”
Gu Mingze was about to return to his room with Cang Liu when he suddenly heard a rough voice from behind, and his body stiffened. He instinctively tightened his grip on Cang Liu’s arm.
“What’s wrong?” Gu Mingze swallowed, looking at Gu Zitan behind him, trying to calm himself. “I haven’t done anything wrong, have I?”
“Uh, no, I just wanted to discuss something.” Gu Zitan waved his hands quickly, looking a bit embarrassed. “I don’t know how to swim, but there’s swimming training this afternoon.”
Gu Mingze was taken aback. All his life, his entire family, including Gu Zitan, had always criticized him with judgmental eyes and tones. He never expected Gu Zitan to discuss something with him in such a calm manner.
It was clear that Gu Zitan meant he didn’t know how to swim and wanted Gu Mingze to teach him.
Gu Mingze stood there stiffly. The rejection of his original family and Gu Zitan’s overtures made him exceptionally conflicted. He looked up at Cang Liu, instinctively seeking help from him.
This action again pierced Gu Zitan’s eyes. All his life, Gu Mingze had never relied on or sought help from him, his own brother. And now, even though he was the one with the blood relation, Gu Mingze instinctively sought help and relied on someone who wasn’t related to him by blood and wasn’t even the same species.
“If you want to go, you can, but it has to be after the lunch break,” Cang Liu said.
“Then, around one o’clock, Cang Liu-ge and I will go to the training hall.” Gu Mingze certainly didn’t want to teach Gu Zitan to swim by himself; he was afraid of embarrassing himself to death. He casually pulled Cang Liu into the plan.
Cang Liu didn’t object, implicitly agreeing. However, what none of the three expected was that when they arrived at the swimming pool, there was one more person learning to swim.
“Why, I don’t know how to swim either. I overheard you talking, can’t I come along and learn?”
Zhi Yue crossed her arms, her face showing an unusual youthful charm. “There are two of you, can’t you wait and teach one more person?”
Cang Liu: “……”
Gu Zitan intended to mend his relationship with Gu Mingze, so Gu Mingze would definitely teach Gu Zitan. But who Zhi Yue would be taught by was obvious at a glance.
Cang Liu truly had no good feelings towards Zhi Yue. This person was too deeply brainwashed by the光明一派 (Guangming Yipai – the ‘Bright Faction’), with morality and righteousness always on her lips. She had even spoken disrespectfully to Bai Cha before. If not for Zhi Yue’s simple-mindedness, lack of ulterior motives, and relatively kind heart, Cang Liu would have been fortunate not to have chopped her.
However, since they would all participate in the world competition together, Cang Liu couldn’t be too heartless and had to reluctantly teach along with Gu Mingze.
As a result, when Bai Cha entered the swimming pool that afternoon, she felt a strong sense of awkwardness wash over her.
Gu Mingze looked serious, Gu Zitan looked silly and happy.
Cang Liu looked indifferent, Zhi Yue looked cheerful.
Bai Cha and Lucifer: “?”
What were they doing?
In any case, for the newcomers, the most challenging first day had come to a satisfactory conclusion. For these children, who were undergoing such intense training for the first time, the night’s sleep was exceptionally sweet.
The moonlight was bright and inherently cold. On the rooftop, the pure moonlight blurred the chilling aura of the merman, giving him an almost dreamlike appearance.
Cang Liu stopped practicing his sword and squeezed his own hard, cold forearm muscles, sighing inwardly.
“Do you feel the returns are too poor?”