Douro Continent

Chapter 169 The Master is a Devil (Part 1)

Dai Mubai collapsed beside Zhu Zhuqing, panting heavily, his whole body trembling slightly.

Xiao Wu's scorpion braids had become disheveled, dripping with sweat, and her red lips were moving.

Tang San helped Ma Hongjun and Oscar lean against their bamboo baskets, then removed the excess weights. At this moment, his vision was also blurry. However, something within him sustained him.

For others, the punishment, or rather the training, was over. But for him, it wasn't.

Holding onto the table holding the water buckets and carrying a 15-kilogram load on his back, Tang San struggled to his feet and took steps forward.

Although he no longer needed to help anyone else, his steps were now completely unsteady.

"Brother, I'll stay with you." Xiao Wu also stood up, holding onto the table, but she only took one step before collapsing to the ground. Although her physical condition was much better than Zhu Zhuqing's, she had carried Ning Rongrong for quite a distance, and her limit had also been reached.

"Little San, I'll go with you too." It was Dai Mubai who spoke, also shouldering his own burdens, and staggered to Tang San's side. The two looked at each other, forcing out strange smiles on their pale faces. At the same time, they extended their right hands and clasped each other in the air.

The next moment, the two who had endured the most during the entire "punishment" fell to the ground at the same time, following in the footsteps of their companions.

The Shrek Seven Devils, all seven of whom were punished, were now lying down.

The master watched them fall one by one, yet he remained unmoved. Only after Tang San and Dai Mubai finally collapsed simultaneously did a faint smile appear on his face. "Never abandon, never give up, very good. Very good."

Flander, accompanied by Zhao Wuji and several other teachers, quietly appeared beside the master. "Master, you're quite good too. Ruthless enough."

The master ignored the dissatisfaction in Flander's words and waved his hand, "Hurry up and take them there."

The teachers, including the master, quickly unloaded the bamboo baskets from the children and carried them into the academy.

When Tang San regained consciousness, he found himself in his dormitory. A warm sensation spread through his body from all directions, and the comforting warmth almost made him groan.

After regaining his composure, Tang San found himself naked in a large wooden tub filled with a brown liquid. Oscar was on the other side, still fast asleep in his tub. With the addition of these two large tubs, the dormitory was now quite crowded.

Tang San stirred the liquid in front of him, and a not-too-strong medicinal smell wafted into his nostrils. His nose twitched, and he immediately understood something.

Since arriving in this world, although he hadn't studied its medicines in detail, he had a general understanding. The medicinal herbs in this world were very similar to those in his previous life. The liquid in the large vat was likely made from some medicinal herbs, primarily used to relax muscles and improve blood circulation, as well as strengthen the body's foundation. No wonder he didn't feel much pain when he woke up after such intense exertion. Only his legs were slightly sore, and his body felt a little weak.

Later, Tang San learned that the master had to add hot water to their buckets periodically to maintain the water temperature. The girls were hired from among the village women to help with this.

A note was pasted next to the wooden barrel, with the master's handwriting on it.

"Go to the cafeteria for dinner after you wake up." Upon seeing the word "dinner," Tang San felt his stomach rumble, as if he had just thought of something, and a wave of hunger washed over him.

After standing up from the water, he noticed two smaller buckets next to the two large wooden tubs, filled with clean water, obviously for them to wash their bodies. The water wasn't warm, and when Tang San soaked in it, he couldn't help but shiver. He immediately felt refreshed, and the soreness in his body gradually disappeared.

After quickly washing off the medicine and changing into clean clothes, Tang San left the dormitory. To his surprise, the sky outside was filled with stars, and the quiet night was occasionally punctuated by the chirping of insects and birds, creating a sense of tranquility.

He stretched his body vigorously, his bones cracking as if he had fully stretched out. He took two deep breaths of fresh air to replace the stale air in his body and strode towards the cafeteria.

From afar, the lights in the cafeteria could already be seen on. When Tang San entered the cafeteria, he found someone sitting there eating heartily.

Hearing footsteps, the person who was eating and drinking turned around and looked at Xiao San, who was none other than Dai Mubai. His soul power cultivation allowed him to wake up earlier than Tang San.

"Little San, come and eat. It tastes really good." Dai Mubai's evil eyes had completely returned to normal, and he smiled when he saw Tang San. They had shared joys and sorrows and gone through thick and thin together more than once. The feeling of mutual appreciation didn't need to be expressed in words. They could feel each other's friendship just by looking at each other.

He sat down next to Dai Mubai. There were six meals on the table in the cafeteria, clearly prepared for him and the others. There was also a note on the table, in the master's handwriting.

"After finishing your meal, wash the dishes thoroughly. Empty the water from the bucket in your room and clean it. No sleeping is allowed; cultivate your soul power before dawn. Assemble for class in the morning."

Dinner was very lavish, with a large bowl of fragrant stewed meat, five large, snow-white steamed buns, a bowl of thick soup, a plate of vegetables, and some fruit.

Tang San's stomach protested so much that he didn't have time to talk to Dai Mubai. He immediately began to devour the food in front of him, finishing it off in a flash.

It felt great, really great, incredibly great. After such a significant physical exertion, the replenishment from food seemed to make one feel as if their body was rapidly absorbing the nutrients.

Dai Mubai had already finished eating while Tang San was enjoying his meal. Leaning against the table, he watched Tang San until he was done before saying, "Little San, Master is ruthless. This is even more ruthless than Dean Flander's previous methods. Judging from Master's comment, we're probably going to have a tough time from now on. Is this how Master taught you before?"

Tang San shook his head and said, "What my teacher taught me before was mostly theoretical knowledge. This is the first time I've encountered training like this. However, yesterday my teacher told me that as a Soul Master, physical strength is fundamental. My ability to withstand the impact of the Human-Faced Demon Spider Soul Ring's power exceeding its limits is inseparable from my physical condition. Only a strong body can withstand more Soul Power. Perhaps that's why my teacher decided to have us undergo basic physical training."

Dai Mubai smiled wryly, "This isn't as simple as just strengthening. The master's training for us was completely designed to push us to our limits. If it weren't for our good physical condition, we probably wouldn't have been able to get up for days. However, that strange liquid seems to have some effect as well."

"I'm starving! Where's the food?" A figure rushed in from outside, not even bothering to greet Tang San and Dai Mubai, and pounced on the food on the table.

It was Xiao Wu who arrived. Seeing her rosy cheeks, Tang San immediately smiled. Clearly, Xiao Wu had recovered from her extreme exhaustion.

While eating, Xiao Wu noticed the note on the table and gestured to Tang San, indicating that she should finish eating first.

Waking up from his slumber and having eaten, Tang San felt languid and didn't want to move at all. He imitated Dai Mubai's actions, leaning against the table and watching Xiao Wu devour the food in front of her without any ladylike demeanor.

The girls were given the same food as the rest of the girls, except for two steamed buns each. Although Xiao Wu's mouth wasn't big, she ate quite a lot, and in no time she had finished most of the food in front of her.

The fourth person to arrive at the cafeteria was not Oscar, who had reached level 30 or higher, but Zhu Zhuqing.

When Zhu Zhuqing walked in, her expression was very calm. It wasn't until she saw Dai Mubai that she deliberately put on a stern face. However, Tang San clearly did not see any rejection in her eyes.

Zhu Zhuqing's eating movements were far more elegant than Xiao Wu's. She chewed slowly and deliberately, each movement appearing graceful. Behind this graceful movement lay speed. If Tang San hadn't witnessed the food in front of her rapidly diminishing, he would have found it hard to believe that she could eat so quickly with her seemingly leisurely movements.

"That felt so good, I'm full." Xiao Wu leaned against Tang San's shoulder without any hesitation. "Xiao San, did you run those two more laps later?"

Tang San shook his head with a wry smile, "No, after you fainted, Mu Bai and I also passed out. When we woke up, we were already in the medicinal water in the wooden tub."

Xiao Wu's pretty face suddenly flushed red. She sat up straight and whispered, "You're not wearing any clothes either?"

Tang San was taken aback, then nodded subconsciously.

Xiao Wu stuck out her tongue. "The note left in our dormitory said, 'Don't panic, the women in the village helped you take off your clothes. Go to the canteen for dinner.'"

Tang San chuckled and said, "Xiao Wu, you look so cute when you blush. Like an apple." As he spoke, he affectionately pinched Xiao Wu's cheek. Xiao Wu just glared at him in displeasure, but didn't stop him.

(End of this chapter)