Chapter 40: I Have to Find a Disciple for You, Old Fossils
"Xiao Bai, your good days are over. It's time to train with me."
With a mischievous grin on his face, Fan Chen grabbed Xiao Bai and dragged him toward the training ground.
Xiao Bai wanted to escape, but no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't break free from Fan Chen's demonic grip. Step by step, he was hauled straight in.
When they arrived at the training ground, today's focus was on flight and reconnaissance. The one in charge of teaching was Luan Yuqing.
"Finally, it's my turn to fix—I mean, to train you."
Fan Chen's mouth twitched. Previously, they at least pretended a little. Now, they weren't even bothering to act anymore. He had truly become this group's plaything.
So far, aside from Guang Ling, whose training was at least somewhat humane, none of the others could really be considered human.
"Big brother, how about we run? I've got a bad feeling—this guy doesn't look like a good person at all."
"I feel the same way."
As he spoke, Fan Chen took a few steps back, then suddenly turned and ran away—his motion smooth and decisive—leaving Luan Yuqing completely dumbfounded.
Wasn't it just a joke? Was this really necessary?
On the nearby stands, Guang Ling shot a sideways glance at Golden Crocodile Douluo and the others.
"Look at what you've done."
Hearing this, the group all turned their heads away, pretending it had nothing to do with them.
As for why Fan Chen reacted this way—who else could he blame but this bunch of people for having far too much free time?
Every day's training was just them coming up with new ways to mess with Fan Chen.
Luckily, Fan Chen was tough enough. If it were anyone else, they'd have been broken by these guys long ago.
That said, jokes were jokes, and training was training. They never skipped teaching what needed to be taught, and Fan Chen's rate of improvement was nothing short of explosive.
Every time they complained aloud that he wasn't good enough, behind his back, they discussed just how terrifying his growth speed was.
Initially, Fan Chen's training volume was within a normal range. But ever since Golden Crocodile Douluo realized how resilient he was, everything changed.
That wasn't training anymore—it was extreme survival every single day.
It felt like they wouldn't be satisfied unless they played Fan Chen to death. At the same time, they knew that maintaining this intensity for too long would eventually break him.
So now, they have adopted a rotating system:
- One week of Golden Crocodile Douluo focusing on physical reinforcement and foundational body training.
- One week of Guang Ling handling long-range training and mental tempering.
- One week of Qiangu Brothers staff techniques training and practical combat.
- One week of Luan Yuqing's flight training and reconnaissance observation.
Any remaining time was given to Fan Chen for rest.
This cycle lasted exactly one month, then repeated the same pattern—the perfect cycle.
Guang Ling and Luan Yuqing's training wasn't nearly as extreme and served as a buffer for Fan Chen.
The real suffering and exhaustion came from Golden Crocodile Douluo and the Qiangu brothers' sessions.
After all, only with a solid foundation could everything else be expanded upon.
At this moment, Luan Yuqing had already caught Fan Chen and Xiao Bai and dragged them back. Xiao Bai was still struggling nonstop, while Fan Chen had resigned himself to his fate.
"Don't be scared, I'm just messing with you."
Even Luan Yuqing felt a bit helpless now. He only wanted to crack a joke and tease Fan Chen—who would've thought the kid would react so strongly and immediately run away?
"You have no idea what I've been through these past few days. I'm seriously starting to wonder if you guys are just messing with me on purpose."
"By the way, I've always had a question I wanted to ask you all. Why is it that, with so many of you, only my master has taken in a disciple, and none of you have accepted even one?"
Fan Chen was genuinely curious. And honestly, he hoped they'd take in a disciple—if they did, his own burden would be lighter.
"Haven't found anyone suitable. Our standards are extremely high. Besides, Titled Douluo rarely takes disciples. Do you think taking a disciple is that easy?"
"Then what else could it be?"
Fan Chen knew better than anyone how he was taken in as a disciple. The process had been absurdly simple; the entire procedure had practically been nonexistent.
Aside from a small, unexpected hiccup in the middle, everything was ridiculously straightforward.
"You're a special case."
Luan Yuqing naturally understood Fan Chen's thoughts. But the answer was always the same—Titled Douluo do not take disciples lightly.
The higher one's level, the more cautious they are. Unless they belonged to a major family or sect, many Titled Douluo went their entire lives without accepting a single disciple.
Fan Chen, with twin martial souls, was an absolute exception. Among Titled Douluo circles, innate full soul power was a major advantage. If a suitable martial soul appeared, even without innate full soul power, it could still be considered.
But when it came to twin martial souls, that didn't matter anymore.
If you hesitated, you lost.
That was exactly how Golden Crocodile Douluo felt—afraid that if he was even a step too slow, someone else would discover Fan Chen and snatch him away.
The birth of twin martial souls was destined to come with innate full soul power, and the existence of two martial souls granted far more flexibility.
Whether it was selecting soul rings or combat styles, there would always be at least one viable path.
Just like Fan Chen now—even if the Bai Ze martial soul wasn't suited for combat, the Reverse Edge Demon Armor martial soul could more than compensate.
Moreover, there has never been a case of twin auxiliary-type martial souls.
It's not impossible, but for two auxiliary martial souls to be born, both parents would need top-tier auxiliary martial souls.
And the holders of the number-one auxiliary martial soul—the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda—had a strict rule: their partner must possess extremely strong combat power.
This rule further reduced that possibility to almost nothing.
"So, what kind of disciple are you looking for? I'll go find one for you."
Fan Chen was now determined. He had to find suitable disciples for these old fossils. He couldn't be the only one suffering this torment.
"Someone like you. Would that work?"
"That'd be pretty hard. Someone like me is just too rare."
Seeing Fan Chen's troubled expression, Luan Yuqing burst out laughing.
He genuinely liked Fan Chen. Even though Fan Chen wasn't his disciple, every time he saw the boy, it brought him a sense of comfort.
"Then take your time. But training comes first."
Luan Yuqing didn't take Fan Chen's words seriously. After all, finding a disciple who satisfied him was no easy task.
With that, Luan Yuqing officially began Fan Chen's training.
The training content was very simple—perhaps even the most friendly and relaxed exercises Fan Chen had encountered so far.
It mainly involved high-difficulty aerial maneuvers and searching for items Luan Yuqing had hidden in complex terrain.
For Fan Chen, aside from still being somewhat unfamiliar with flying, searching for things was practically child's play.
Especially during the period when Xiao Bai possessed him—it was like having a god's-eye view. Everything hidden in the shadows was laid bare.
That included Di Tian, who was concealed in the darkness.
At the moment Fan Chen noticed Di Tian, Di Tian also sensed Fan Chen's gaze.
However, Di Tian had already been utterly shocked by what he was witnessing.
Especially when he saw Xiao Bai burrow into Fan Chen's body and merge with him as one.
The impact of that sight was no less explosive than if Xiong Jun suddenly danced seductively in front of him, gazed at him with deep affection, and said he wanted to merge with him.
"The Auspicious Beast… is his martial soul?!"
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End of Chapter