Looking at the ten people who had once again lined up neatly, Huo Yuhao spoke with a tone of regret:
"Honestly, although I'm very confident in myself, this result still surprised me. You're too weak. I'm very disappointed."
"I'm not someone who's very rational. Since you've disappointed me, you'll have to be punished accordingly." As he spoke, Huo Yuhao raised his hand and pointed to the side.
"See that bamboo forest? Run thirty laps around it. If you can't finish, there's no need for you to stay."
The group looked at each other, wanting to object but unable to find a reason to. Even they felt embarrassed. Except for the three substitutes including Long Aotian, every one of them had a higher cultivation than Huo Yuhao, and even with ten people working together, they had still been effortlessly crushed.
Now, they truly had nothing to say.
Seeing their reactions, Huo Yuhao was secretly pleased—this was exactly the effect he wanted.
"You can start now. If I see anyone not moving after a minute, I'll add another thirty laps."
"Oh, and one more thing—you can't use your Martial Souls or Soul Skills, but you can use your soul power."
Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions changed, and they quickly started running around the bamboo forest.
Watching their awkward running posture, Ran Hongyue chuckled to herself. Huo Yuhao had really gone all in on tormenting them. Anyone who got close to him during the sparring was inevitably whipped by the Evil God Spear—even the girls like Xiang Yuqing and Vina weren't spared. He clearly had no sense of mercy.
She figured they were probably covered in bruises, though Huo Yuhao had at least refrained from hitting their faces.
An hour later, they had only completed their fifth lap. Everyone was running at a steady pace—neither too fast nor too slow.
The bamboo forest wasn't large, with each lap being only around five kilometers. Thirty laps meant about 150 kilometers. For ordinary people, finishing this before nightfall would be impossible.
But the ones here were elites among soul masters, so it wasn't a big deal to them. In fact, they thought it was a bit too easy—yes, easy.
But was it really that easy? Of course not.
When they started the sixth lap, Ran Hongyue, who had been watching with her arms crossed, suddenly joined in—not by running, but by flying.
Seeing this, the group felt uneasy. Somehow, it didn't feel like she was just here to supervise.
Sure enough, in the next moment, everyone suddenly felt a heavy pressure pressing down on them. The one with the lowest cultivation, Vina, stumbled and nearly fell.
Everyone looked up at Ran Hongyue hovering in the air. She merely said three cold words:
"Keep running."
With no choice, they continued running under the pressure. Now, they weren't so sure they could finish all thirty laps before dark. Fortunately, Ran Hongyue adjusted the pressure according to their individual strengths, making it more bearable.
In truth, Ran Hongyue was a bit speechless herself. She had basically been drafted by Huo Yuhao for hard labor.
By the tenth lap, everyone was soaked in sweat. Each step felt like it weighed a ton.
"Keep breathing steady, don't lose your rhythm. Just listen to me," said Huo Yuhao, his voice ringing in their ears.
"Now, try light meditation while running. Focus your mind on meditating, and let your body's running motion become a habit."
The method Huo Yuhao described was similar to self-hypnosis—essentially multitasking. His goal was to help them develop a habit so that no matter what they were doing, they'd be training at the same time. Though shallow meditation wasn't very effective, it was better than nothing. It might not show much difference in a day or two, but over a year or two?
It would be like passively grinding XP 24/7.
As for how Huo Yuhao came up with this? He was actually forced to. His natural soul power was too low, and even with the Heaven Demon Technique, he constantly searched for new ways to improve.
He glanced at Lin Xi and Ye Lingling, who had been watching the show from the beginning.
"Quite relaxed, aren't you? Go run with them," he said to Lin Xi. Since she was following him now, he wanted to help raise her power as well.
Lin Xi nodded, her expression unreadable, and joined the running group.
At that moment, Ye Lingling came up and tugged at Huo Yuhao's sleeve, her voice sweet and playful:
"Big brother, I want to join them too."
Huo Yuhao patted her head gently with a warm smile.
"If you want to go, then go. If it's too tiring, come back."
"Mhm!" Ye Lingling smiled sweetly at him, then turned and ran to catch up with Lin Xi and the others.
The group—especially people like Lin Kong and Long Aotian—truly lived up to being top talents of the Body Sect. Long Aotian in particular had excellent talent. After Huo Yuhao's explanation, he entered the meditative state by the first lap. The rest followed soon after. Lin Xi and Ye Lingling were late to join but also got into the rhythm after a few more laps.
By evening, all twelve—including Ye Lingling—passed by Huo Yuhao once again. At that moment, their eyes looked somewhat dazed.
This was a sign of being too immersed in cultivation. They probably had no idea how many laps they'd run by now.
"Stop."
Huo Yuhao's shout snapped them out of it. Their eyes regained clarity, and as they came to their senses, waves of soreness and fatigue flooded their bodies. Ye Lingling, the delicate one, even fainted on the spot.
Huo Yuhao instantly flashed over and caught her in his arms. He turned to the others and said,
"You can all go back now. Be here tomorrow at 8 a.m. sharp."
With that, he carried Ye Lingling back.
After entering her room and placing the girl on the bed, Huo Yuhao left immediately. The little girl might be cute, but after sweating all afternoon, she smelled a little funky—and he wasn't particularly fond of that.
The next morning, when Huo Yuhao opened his door, he saw everyone already waiting outside—including Lin Xi and Ye Lingling.
"Follow me," said Huo Yuhao, as he turned toward the lakeside.
"Young Master, aren't we running today?" asked Vina.
The others didn't move either. Yesterday's method had given them some real gains, and they were actually hoping to continue.
Had they really become addicted to running?
....
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