[The host has created a rift between Yu Xiaogang and Tang San, and has made Yu Xiaogang recognize the host as Sect Master. Minor fortune stolen from Tang San!]
[Reward: "Tang Sect Hidden Weapon Technique: Goddess Scattering Flowers"!]
This technique was a foundational move for many hidden weapons.
For example, the Tang Sect's fourth-ranked hidden weapon, "One Thousand and One Nights", was built upon this technique.
Similar to Rain of Blossoms, it relied on overwhelming quantity.
But whereas Rain of Blossoms emphasized continuous attacks, maintaining an unrelenting barrage—
Goddess Scattering Flowers focused on instantaneous release, creating an explosive burst of attacks.
Each had its own advantages.
Tang Lan was dazed for a few seconds before fully absorbing the knowledge.
Then, with a wave of his hand—
"First, a 40-kilometer training run! We'll have breakfast when we reach the town up ahead!"
"Move out!"
Zhao Wuji silently activated his soul skill and took off at full speed.
The rest of the team immediately followed.
Tang San hesitated for a moment, looking at Yu Xiaogang with concern.
"Teacher, do you—"
"No need to worry about me." Yu Xiaogang said stiffly. "The team must advance together. Go on."
"Yes!"
Tang San ran off.
Yu Xiaogang trailed behind, keeping up just enough to not fall too far behind.
However, he deliberately stayed outside Zhao Wuji's gravity zone—he was at least self-aware enough to know his own limits.
But even without weight training or gravity pressure,
he still kept falling behind.
Tang Lan was thoughtful and considerate.
Each time, he had the group circle back to find Yu Xiaogang, who was panting like a dying dog on the ground.
A man as prideful as Yu Xiaogang had no choice but to force himself up again.
This happened over a dozen times.
By the time the sun was high in the sky, the team finally reached the town.
Dai Mubai and the others were visibly frustrated.
—If not for this useless baggage, they wouldn't have had to run twice the distance!
But Yu Xiaogang, exhausted beyond words, couldn't even care anymore.
His long robe was discarded, his inner clothes soaked in sweat, clinging to his body and exposing his middle-aged, bloated physique.
A true life of comfort and indulgence.
Seeing this, Dai Mubai and the others felt even more contempt.
This is it?
Wasn't his famous quote "There are no useless martial souls, only useless soul masters"?
Well, his martial soul was garbage, and he himself hadn't put in any effort either!
He had a beast martial soul for god's sake.
Even Oscar, a support-type soul master, had far better endurance than him!
At this moment, Yu Xiaogang's so-called reputation as a "Grandmaster" was completely shattered in everyone's minds.
Even Tang San.
His brother far surpassed Yu Xiaogang in theory—
And now his physical condition was this pathetic?
Why didn't I listen to my brother back then? Why did I insist on taking him as my teacher?
And now look—
Completely useless, and only dragging the team down!
Disgusting!
After a short break in the town to replenish supplies, the team set off again.
This time, with no town to stop at, they ran for two and a half straight hours.
Yu Xiaogang collapsed first, flopping onto the ground like a pile of mud, gasping for air like a dying dog.
He was completely drained.
Dai Mubai and the others couldn't hide their frustration anymore.
Their eyes were full of disdain.
When it was just talk, he sounded so confident—
But when it came to actual action, he couldn't follow through at all?
"Sect Master, should we move ahead first? He can catch up later on his own." Zhao Wuji finally suggested.
"Yeah, Tang Uncle," Ning Rongrong agreed. "You have a lot to do when we reach Heaven Dou City. We can't waste too much time here."
The others didn't speak, but their expressions showed they agreed.
But—
Tang Lan's expression hardened!
"Have you all forgotten what I said? Tang Sect Rule No. 2—Never Abandon, Never Give Up!"
Zhao Wuji and the others fell silent.
—But why should the whole team suffer because of a dead weight like him?
"I'm very disappointed in you!" Tang Lan rebuked them. "By your logic, when we encountered the Titan Giant Ape, should I have just abandoned you all?"
The moment the perspective shifted, their thoughts changed.
Dai Mubai hesitated before suggesting, "Then… maybe Xiao San could remove his weights and carry him?"
Tang San did not hesitate at all—he immediately shook his head.
"Teacher's body is too weak. He wouldn't survive being carried under heavy pressure for long."
Silence.
No one could argue.
But should they really lower the entire team's training intensity just for Yu Xiaogang?
Tang San sighed.
"Brother, I'll carry Teacher and follow behind the team."
Tang Lan pretended to be reluctant.
"I suppose that's the only way."
"But Xiao San, don't take off your weights. Try to keep up with the team's pace."
Tang San nodded.
With no need to keep circling back to pick someone up, the team's travel speed increased more than fivefold.
Dai Mubai sighed in relief, "Finally, we can focus on training properly!"
The others all nodded in agreement.
The feeling of losing a deadweight?Truly liberating!
But at the same time—
There was no more downtime.
After an hour of intense running, Ning Rongrong and Oscar hit their physical limits first.
Their limbs felt like they were made of lead, each step unbearably difficult.
Dai Mubai pulled out a rope from his storage ring, tying it around both his and Oscar's waists.
He dragged Oscar along to keep running.
—Upholding the sect rule: Never Abandon, Never Give Up!
Ning Rongrong looked pitifully at Tang Lan.
Tang Lan flicked out a Lifebound Blue Silver Emperor vine, wrapping it around Ning Rongrong's waist.
And so, they ran for another hour.
This time, Zhu Zhuqing started to falter, her endurance pushed to the limit.
She felt especially weighed down in the chest area.
But with her prideful nature, she still gritted her teeth and endured.
Tang Lan had been watching her closely.
The moment he noticed something was wrong, he didn't reach out to help—
Instead, he decided against stopping for a break and kept them running for another half an hour.
Finally, Zhu Zhuqing, who was relying solely on willpower, tripped over a stone.
She was about to land face-first into the ground when—
Tang Lan flashed forward, catching her in his arms.
Then, without a word, he took her hand and pulled her forward, making her continue running.
At the same time, he flicked out another Lifebound Blue Silver Emperor vine, latching onto Dai Mubai—who was already so exhausted that his heterochromatic eyes were starting to blur together.
"Hold on for another half hour!" Tang Lan shouted. "This is the moment to break through your limits!"
To those who had already pushed past their limits, this "half hour" felt like the only thing keeping them going.
Every single one of them had just one thought in their mind—
"Just hold on for half an hour!"
Only Zhao Wuji noticed something strange.
—Sect Master, why are you only holding Zhu Zhuqing's hand?
Then he glanced at Ning Rongrong, who was being dragged along by a vine.
He immediately put on a "this is getting interesting" expression.
After half an hour,
Zhao Wuji was about to deactivate his soul skill—
But he never heard Tang Lan give the order.
And since everyone's brains had already shut down, they kept running purely out of mechanical habit.
Zhao Wuji frowned!
At this level of intense training, both their bodies and wills were already at their breaking point.
If they kept pushing past the limit, they could end up permanently injured!
Just as he was about to speak up—
He suddenly remembered something.
Tang Lan had that ridiculous healing ability from his soul power…
And then there was his insane self-regeneration.
Hmm…
Maybe it wasn't an issue after all?
So, he shut up.
Another half hour passed.
Finally, Oscar collapsed first, staggering forward and face-planting into the ground.
A Lifebound Blue Silver Emperor vine shot up from the earth, catching him before he hit the dirt.
The sudden imbalance caused a chain reaction—
Dai Mubai was immediately yanked down, and Ning Rongrong tumbled forward as well.
Only Zhu Zhuqing—whose hand was in Tang Lan's grasp—was still standing.
Thanks to the constant internal energy nourishment from the Nine Yang Divine Skill, she hadn't truly hit her breaking point yet.
Tang Lan didn't stop.
He kept walking forward, dragging Oscar and the others along at a slow pace.
At the same time, the Lifebound Blue Silver Emperor vines transferred internal energy into them, healing their overexertion injuries.
With this cycle of exhaustion and recovery—
Their physical endurance slightly increased.
The price?
Everyone was sprawled across the ground, staring blankly at the sky, unable to move.
They didn't care about anything anymore.
Right now, they just wanted to lay there and rest.
(End of Chapter)