Chapter 27: Training without Any Difficulty

Zhou Hao took a step forward and blocked Zhu Zhuqing, smiling, "Let's have a good talk."

Zhu Zhuqing tried to turn away, but Zhou Hao grabbed her wrist. Unable to maintain her icy expression any longer, a faint blush appeared on her cold face. She shook her head, broke free from Zhou Hao's grasp, and whispered, "See you tonight!"

With those words, she left Zhou Hao behind, who was filled with joy, and quickly walked away.

Oscar looked enviously at them. Although he had been trying to get closer to Ning Rongrong these past few days, there had been no substantial progress. The only time Ning Rongrong had treated him well was in the Star Dou Forest.

"Xiao Hao, Ah Hao! Teach me, please. Rongrong hasn't been talking to me these past few days."

Zhou Hao put on a confident smile. He felt that he was much stronger than Oscar and said, "Did you see what I did just now? Don't worry, you need to be brave and give it a try. Look, I succeeded."

Oscar was skeptical but gathered his courage and went to find Ning Rongrong. After a while, Zhou Hao was basking in the sun on the playground when he suddenly heard Ning Rongrong shout, "Oscar, you pervert, let go!"

Zhou Hao was surprised. What had Oscar done to cause such a commotion? He hurried over to see what was happening and arrived near the girls' dormitory, where he saw the backs of the three girls. Oscar was standing forlornly behind them.

Zhou Hao couldn't help but burst into laughter. Oscar felt like dying and pounced on Zhou Hao, "I won't spare you! What did you teach me?"

Zhou Hao pushed Oscar away and pretended to be serious. "It's obviously because your feelings haven't developed enough. How did you do it just now?"

"I did what you did. I stood in front of Rongrong and held her hand affectionately. She was really cute..." Before he could finish, Zhou Hao burst into laughter.

"Oscar, you better think it through again! Hahaha." Zhou Hao turned and walked away, leaving Oscar once again in the same spot, looking dumbfounded.

Inside the dormitory, Ning Rongrong's face was bright red as she held Zhu Zhuqing. "Your Zhou Hao is really bad. Oscar is such a fool, such a fool." Xiao Wu laughed so much that her eyes couldn't open. The thought of Tang San's goodness to her filled her with happiness.

Zhu Zhuqing felt a little embarrassed but didn't want to say much. She kept her cold face lowered, her cheeks slightly flushed. She didn't know what she was thinking. Xiao Wu quietly approached her from behind and blew a breath of air into her ear. Zhu Zhuqing jumped up like a startled kitten.

"I'm going to practice." She finally didn't want to entangle herself with these two women any longer. Ning Rongrong was still looking at Oscar's departing figure, and suddenly her brows furrowed as if she remembered something important. She returned to her bed to cultivate, and the dormitory returned to calm.

Zhou Hao returned to his own dormitory and felt that the days had been too peaceful lately. There wasn't a good training environment, so his progress would be slow. He had told Zhu Zhuqing before that he wanted to leave this place when both of their soul powers reached a bottleneck. He didn't know if she had considered it.

Only the Spirit Arena and the Spirit Beast Forest were the best places for cultivation. Zhou Hao had always believed this. As for Tang San's Immortal Herb encounter, it was no longer important to him. With the transformation of his Spirit Bones and the boost from his top-ranked martial soul, his cultivation talent and physical aptitude had reached their peak.

In Shrek Academy, it was almost like a vacation. He hadn't had a good fight in a long time.

At night, as agreed, Zhu Zhuqing came to find Zhou Hao. Her face had softened. Before Zhou Hao could approach her, Zhu Zhuqing had already activated her martial soul. Her icy claws gleamed, and she softly said, "Let's begin."

The girl made a nimble leap and attacked directly. Without hesitation, Zhou Hao sidestepped, but Zhu Zhuqing made a feint. With a light tap of her toe, she performed a front somersault, narrowly grazing Zhou Hao's neck with her claws.

Zhou Hao was a bit surprised. He immediately retaliated with an elbow strike from behind, and a majestic dark golden radiance burst forth as his muscles instantly swelled, stretching his clothes. The surrounding air seemed to become restless.

Amid Zhu Zhuqing's exclamation, Zhou Hao's robust muscles made contact with her claws. A tremendous force spread, causing her to lose balance and fall to the ground. Unable to retract her claws in time, they struck Zhou Hao's back.

Zhu Zhuqing hurriedly retracted her soul power. "Are you hurt? You could have dodged it!"

Seeing Zhou Hao's pained expression, Zhu Zhuqing became anxious and almost started crying. Just as she was about to approach him, Zhou Hao suddenly smirked and lifted his head, grabbing her hand.

"I've caught you."

The girl was both indignant and worried, but Zhou Hao was satisfied and said, "Your attacks can't break through my defense for now, but your recent progress is quite obvious."

"One day, I will defeat you," Zhu Zhuqing turned her face away and said coldly.

"Hahaha, let's go. Accompany me for a chat. I'll tell you later about your weaknesses," Zhou Hao said contentedly.

As they walked slowly, Zhu Zhuqing asked, "I agree to leave with you, but where should we go?"

"You've stayed around the Star Luo Empire for quite some time. The Douluo Continent is vast, and there are many places you haven't been to. The Sunset Forest, the Extreme North, and the seaside, we have many places to explore. The improvement of our strength happens in the blink of an eye. Staying obediently in this academy won't make us true powerhouses," Zhou Hao explained.

Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head and said, "But my strength can only become a burden to you."

"No, don't think like that. You understand best what you want, so you work the hardest. Will the progress of someone talented and hardworking be slow?" Zhou Hao looked firmly into Zhu Zhuqing's eyes.

After a long pause, the girl smiled and pursed her lips. "Thank you! It was only after leaving my family that I truly felt freedom. Each person should have their own life and not become a puppet of politics. I am not willing to accept that fate, so I want to become someone who can change the rules!"

Zhou Hao silently held her hand and exerted a slight force.

...

The next day, after finishing breakfast, everyone gathered on the playground. Yu Xiaogang had an indifferent expression on his face as he swept his gaze across the group.

"I have understood each of your martial souls and abilities. Starting today, I will conduct intensive training for all of you. Zhou Hao, step forward."

A flicker of dark golden light flashed in Zhou Hao's eyes as he casually walked forward.

"I'll give you a task. Without causing any serious injuries, defeat them one by one as quickly as possible."

Zhou Hao lifted his head and looked at him with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"What's the matter? Is there a problem? Your strength is undoubtedly the strongest."

Zhou Hao shook his head. He didn't think this kind of training had any meaning. In a battle where the strength difference was too great, it would be nothing more than the oppression of the strong. Any technique and wisdom would be like a clown.

"Master Yu, why don't you let Tang San and me have a fight directly? The others have no meaning. Besides, I also want to try Tang San's third spirit skill."

Seeing the surprise in Yu Xiaogang's eyes, Zhou Hao spoke up, "Master Yu, your idea is not wrong, but you should let Dai Mubai be the one. The gap between us is too big."

His words sounded arrogant, but it was the truth.

Yu Xiaogang calmly said, "As a control system Spirit Master, before encountering a Spirit that restrains yours, one-on-one combat is the strongest. If he uses his third Spirit ability, you won't have any chance."

Tang San stepped forward, his eyes filled with seriousness. "Master is right, Zhou Hao. In a one-on-one fight, my third Spirit ability is very strong. Be careful."

"Then give it a try. Don't hold back," Zhou Hao smiled faintly, unaffected. "I won't show any mercy until you admit defeat."

Tang San nodded without saying a word. He could clearly feel Zhou Hao's muscles tensing up completely, like a beast preparing to hunt.

Zhou Hao extended both arms to the sides, his chest protruding, and his bones crackling. Dark golden fur covered most of his body as the aura of a king suddenly erupted. Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, Martial Fusion!

Blue light surged out of Tang San's body as the modified Blue Silver Grass, which had become thinner, quietly spread beneath his feet.

Tang San said solemnly, "Xiao Hao, if you can break through my third Spirit ability, then I will admit defeat!"

Zhou Hao was also curious about the Spider web Restraint, which was hyped up in the original work. Just how strong was it to give Tang San such confidence?

"Be careful," countless Blue Silver Grass sprang forth from beneath Tang San's feet. Some leapt into the air, some crawled along the ground, and others wrapped around from the sides, surging towards Zhou Hao from all directions.

He didn't dodge and instead released a burst of dark golden light from his body. Dark golden blades seemed to create countless afterimages as he unleashed twice the strength and launched a second attack, instantly severing all the Blue Silver Grass.

A fierce glint flickered in Zhou Hao's eyes as a rumbling sound erupted beneath his feet. The ground cracked open on a large scale. Zhou Hao's speed wasn't fast, but he relied on an explosive display of strength to instantly close in on his opponent.

Yu Xiaogang, standing beside them, could only see a blurred figure. He was extremely astonished. Tang San's pupils contracted as purple light flickered. He could barely make out Zhou Hao's trajectory. His third Spirit ring suddenly shone, and Tang San's foot stomped as he threw a blue-green light ball using his Controlling Crane Catching Dragon.

"Got you," Tang San breathed a sigh of relief, as a giant five-meter-wide net instantly unfolded. Zhou Hao, seeing the situation, directly used his body to receive the Spider WebSpiderweb Restraint.

He felt his whole body tighten as he was tightly bound by the web.

"Xiao Hao, you lost," Tang San gasped for breath and said, "This Spider Web Restraint is something even a Spirit Ancestor might struggle to break free from."

Zhou Hao felt that even a slight movement on his part would cause the web to tighten even more.

Tang San continued, "This Spider Web Restraint is laced with venom and has strong adhesive properties. Give up."

Beside them, Yu Xiaogang also smiled. The child was still too confident. The others, especially Dai Mubai, were even more astonished, their mouths hanging wide open. The power of the human-faced demon spider's Spirit ring was unexpectedly formidable.

Zhou Hao also smiled, "You still underestimate me, Tang San." He slightly flexed his arms, and the indestructible spiderweb directly crumbled.

"How is that possible?" Both Tang San and Yu Xiaogang were dumbfounded. Zhou Hao's clothes were slightly torn, but there wasn't even a scratch on his skin. Was this really the body strength possessed by a Spirit Elder?

He looked calmly at Yu Xiaogang and said, "In the next few days, I want to go to the Spirit Arena. As you have seen, your special training is not suitable for me."

Tang San's expression was complicated, while Yu Xiaogang spoke, "Yes, I underestimated your situation. It's my fault. You can go to the Spirit Arena, but you must participate in the next stage of special training."

His expression had returned to being expressionless and emotionless.

"Alright," Zhou Hao gave Zhu Zhuqing a reassuring look and turned to leave.

Yu Xiaogang looked at the eager Dai Mubai and said in a deep voice, "You can also experience it."

Ma Hongjun, standing beside him, quickly concealed his eyes filled with envy and admiration and stood up seriously.

...