Xiao Tianyang understood the meaning behind the other party's gaze and smiled. "Sect Master Ning, this isn't the place to talk. Let's return to the academy first."
Interrupted mid-thought, Ning Fengzhi had no choice but to hold back his original words. He nodded with a smile. "Very well. I actually have something I'd like to discuss with you two youngsters."
Xiao Tianyang chuckled. "Sect Master Ning, you flatter me. I'm just an ignorant junior—what could there possibly be for us to discuss?"
At this moment, Xiao Tianyang chose to play dumb.
Ning Fengzhi gave him a meaningful look but didn't press further.
Under the group's lead, they left the Great Soul Arena and headed back to Shrek Academy.
However, halfway there, Ning Fengzhi suddenly stopped and slapped his forehead. "Ah, I was so delighted to see you all that I nearly forgot about my prior engagements."
"Father, if you're busy, you should go handle your affairs," Ning Rongrong said with a shrug. "We'll be resting when we get back, and then we have training. We won't have much time to keep you company anyway."
Ning Fengzhi smiled faintly. "That's fine. But before I go, I need to borrow someone from you."
"Tianyang is our coach—he's not for loan!" Ning Rongrong quickly stepped in front of Xiao Tianyang, pouting.
Ning Fengzhi couldn't help but shake his head in amusement. "Are you worried I'll eat him? But this time, I'm not looking for Tianyang—I'd like to speak with Tang San."
"Me?" Tang San was taken aback.
"Yes, you. If you have time now, that is." Ning Fengzhi didn't press the matter.
Tang San didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned to Xiao Tianyang for guidance. Given his current position, Xiao Tianyang had the authority to decide whether he could leave.
Xiao Tianyang waved a hand dismissively. "Go ahead. I'll note down today's training for you—you can make it up tonight."
Tang San nodded and followed Ning Fengzhi as they departed.
As for where they were going or why?
Xiao Tianyang wasn't particularly interested, and he doubted anyone else was either.
….
Shrek Academy
After resting for about an hour, the group gathered at the back mountain.
No one was late—in fact, quite a few arrived early.
Of course, this wasn't because they were suddenly model students.
It was purely because Xiao Tianyang's punishment for tardiness was far worse than the training itself. Hence, today's punctuality.
"Alright, today we're changing up our training plan," Xiao Tianyang announced. "Have you noticed that as the quality of your soul power improves, your cultivation speed has gradually slowed? The higher your level, the more pronounced this becomes."
"Wait, how do you know that?" Ning Rongrong blinked in surprise.
Xiao Tianyang gave her a deadpan look. "Because the same thing happens to me."
Ning Rongrong: "..."
Shifting the topic, Xiao Tianyang continued, "So next, I want you to learn how to do two things at once."
Suddenly, he pointed at Ning Rongrong. "I know what you're thinking. You want to say the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has a secret technique for this, right?"
Ning Rongrong's eyes widened. "How did you—?"
"Not only do I know, but I also know its name—Distraction Control (Heart Separation Control), correct?" Xiao Tianyang shook his head. "But that's not what I'm teaching you. What I want you to master is the true dual-purpose of mind and body."
The group: "…"?
Xiao Tianyang sighed. "I know you don't understand. Let me put it this way—do you need to consciously control your breathing?"
"Of course not," Ma Hongjun answered without hesitation.
"Exactly. It's an instinct—you don't think about it," Xiao Tianyang explained. "Now, imagine if you could treat cultivation the same way—as natural and essential as breathing."
"If your mind treats cultivation as a fundamental necessity, like the body's demand for air, then stopping would feel as impossible as holding your breath indefinitely."
Oscar scratched his head. "But… wouldn't that mean suffocating? No one's dumb enough to forget to breathe."
"Precisely. That's the level I want you to reach—where cultivation is as involuntary as breathing. If you achieve that, do you think your progress will still be slow?"
"But you still haven't told us how," Xiao Wu pointed out.
"If I didn't explain the concept first, how could you grasp the method?" Xiao Tianyang rolled his eyes.
Then, a smirk tugged at his lips. "But since you're so eager, let's skip the lecture and get straight to practice. Experience is the best teacher, after all."
Later That Evening Tang San returned to Shrek Academy, his mind buzzing with the day's revelations—including his encounter with Crown Prince Xue Qinghe and the startling news about Tang Hao.
"My mental endurance still isn't strong enough. If it were Brother Tianyang, he wouldn't be this shaken." As he reflected on his emotional state, he steadied himself, preparing to complete the training Xiao Tianyang had left for him.
But as he neared the training grounds, a sharp cry cut through the air.
"That's Fatty's voice—did something happen?" Alarmed, Tang San activated Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, darting toward the source of the sound.
When he arrived, the scene before him left him stunned.
Dai Mubai and the others stood in a line, each juggling six brightly colored balls like circus performers—while Xiao Tianyang stood before them, casually tossing pebbles in their direction.
Under normal circumstances, dodging such slow projectiles would be trivial.
Yet everyone's eyes remained fixed on a large screen in front of them, displaying an esoteric passage so convoluted that even Tang San couldn't decipher its meaning.
"They didn't even notice the stones coming at them?"
That explained Ma Hongjun's yelp—he'd been hit while absorbed in the text.
"Ah, XSan, you're back." Xiao Tianyang spotted him and waved. "Perfect timing. You haven't missed much—join in now, and I won't have to repeat the lesson later."
Tang San hesitated but nodded, stepping into formation beside Dai Mubai.
Almost immediately, he regretted it.
While the others had at least some grasp of the exercise, Xiao Tianyang expected him to learn while practicing—a brutal initiation that drew sympathetic winces from the rest.
…
[I've just launched a new fanfiction project titled Protagonist's Mother Is My Wife.
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From chapters 31: Exclusive to Patreon paid members.]
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