Chapter 69: Interested in Installment Payments? A Lone Man and Woman, Alone in a Room?
Once Flender announced the training arrangements, the reactions among the group varied widely.
Dai Mubai raised his brows slightly.
Ma Hongjun and Oscar wore expressions of curiosity mixed with envy.
Ning Rongrong blinked, seemingly lost in thought.
Zhu Zhuqing's gaze toward Lin Qingmo grew even more probing.
And at the side, Tang San quietly clenched his fists.
His expression grew darker.
Why was it like this?
Special treatment again!
Just because Lin Qingmo's soul ring configuration was strange?
Dean Flender was being far too biased toward Lin Qingmo!
The flames of jealousy surged wildly in Tang San's heart as he felt deeply wronged.
In truth, he had completely misunderstood.
The intensity of Lin Qingmo and Xiao Wu's training was nowhere near comparable to simple running laps and basic physical conditioning.
What they followed was a systematic "hell training" regimen personally designed by Lin Qingmo—one that combined sports physiology and training methodologies from his previous life, deeply integrated with the combat characteristics of soul masters on the Douluo Continent.
The intensity was extreme, the methods unconventional—so much so that hardly anyone in this era would believe it if it were described aloud.
Soon, the two arrived at a larger, dedicated open area on the western side of the academy.
Without wasting any time, Lin Qingmo immediately began setting up the training ground.
With a thought, blue light flickered in his palm as countless thick, resilient Blue Silver Grass vines burst forth from the ground.
These vines carried no offensive intent. Instead, under his precise control, they moved as if alive, intertwining and constructing structures.
Before long, all manner of oddly shaped obstacles appeared across the clearing.
There were vine walls of varying heights that required jumping over or crawling through.
There were vine ropes suspended in midair that required precise timing and leverage to swing across.
There were also massive stone blocks of different weights, tightly bound with vines, clearly meant for strength training.
There were even mats woven from soft vines—no one knew what they were for.
"Xiao Wu, same routine as always."
Lin Qingmo clapped his hands, clearly satisfied with his handiwork.
"Today we'll still divide it into three phases: forty minutes of aerobic warm-up and agility training, followed by lower-body explosive power and core strength training, and finally your exclusive deep flexibility work."
"Got it!"
Xiao Wu nodded vigorously. There wasn't the slightest hint of fear in her eyes—only eager anticipation.
She was already used to these training routines.
Although every session left her feeling as if her body were about to fall apart, the results were undeniable.
Under this scientific yet brutal training, her speed, flexibility, and instantaneous explosive power were improving at an astonishing rate.
The system Lin Qingmo had developed could truly be said to be one of a kind in this world.
For example, Xiao Wu's flexibility training cleverly incorporated many poses and stretching concepts from yoga and dance.
Combined with the traits of her Soft Bone Rabbit martial soul, it maximized her natural advantages in flexibility—far beyond what ordinary soul masters could imagine.
The two exchanged a smile, said nothing more, and immediately threw themselves into intense training.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the academy, those who had begun running laps while panting heavily occasionally heard strange shouts and dull thuds from heavy objects hitting the ground coming from the western training field.
As Tang San ran, he couldn't help glancing in that direction from the corner of his eye. The unwillingness in his heart grew like wild grass.
One day…
He clenched his teeth and silently vowed.
One day, he would prove himself stronger than Lin Qingmo!
He would make everyone's gaze return to him—Tang San!
Especially Xiao Wu's gaze.
He would never give up!
…
"Xiao Wu, your training method… It's really quite special."
After finishing her laps, Zhu Zhuqing hesitated at the edge of the training ground for a while before softly speaking up.
Watching Xiao Wu weave nimbly through the various vine obstacles—her movements smooth and explosive—an envious glint flashed through her eyes.
She had never seen training methods like these before, yet the effects were obvious.
"I… can I join you?"
Zhu Zhuqing pressed her lips together and finally asked the question. A rare trace of earnestness appeared on her usually cold face.
She wanted to become stronger—desperately.
She needed to improve her strength and didn't want to miss any possible opportunity.
"Hey!"
Xiao Wu landed steadily after a nimble backflip, dusted off her hands, then grinned as she pointed toward Lin Qingmo, who was adjusting the weights of the stone blocks.
"Well, that depends on Ah Qing. He's the one who designed the training plan—he's our chief instructor and chief planner."
Zhu Zhuqing's gaze followed hers to Lin Qingmo.
Those cool, clear eyes carried unmistakable expectation as she quietly waited for his answer.
Lin Qingmo set down the stone block in his hands and turned around.
He sized Zhu Zhuqing up from head to toe, the corners of his mouth curling into a half-smile.
"Join us? Of course you can—more than welcome."
"But I don't offer 'mass fitness packages' here. If you want results, it has to be a tailor-made 'VIP personal training course.'"
"And since it's private customization, there's naturally a fee, right?"
He grinned, flashing a row of white teeth, a distinctly scheming merchant glint flickering in his eyes.
"A… fee?"
Zhu Zhuqing was clearly stunned, having not expected this at all.
"Yes. Gold soul coins—hard currency."
Lin Qingmo nodded matter-of-factly.
"And don't think it's expensive. This customized training plan isn't something I just pull out of thin air."
He raised a finger and began counting.
"I need to comprehensively assess your physical baseline data, skeletal and muscular structure, soul power circulation characteristics, martial soul strengths and weaknesses—even your daily diet and lifestyle habits…"
"That requires extensive observation, testing, calculation, and deduction. It's mentally exhausting and time-consuming!"
"So, one fixed price. Ten thousand gold soul coins. Guaranteed value for money and explosive growth in strength."
"Ten thousand gold soul coins?!"
At those words, a crack appeared in Zhu Zhuqing's usually composed expression.
Her cheeks flushed faintly with embarrassment.
She had run away from home with limited funds to begin with, and after expenses along the way, she had very little left.
Ten thousand gold soul coins were an astronomical figure to her right now.
This was bad…
Zhu Zhuqing's heart sank, her palms growing slightly sweaty.
Was she really going to miss this opportunity to grow stronger just because she didn't have the money?
Lin Qingmo's perception was sharp. One look at her expression and he understood most of the situation.
He stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Rather than making things difficult for her, he proposed an alternative.
"Short on cash? No problem—we can be flexible."
"I support installment payments. You can pay a small deposit first, say… five hundred gold soul coins?"
"For the rest, we'll sign a simple IOU. You can pay me back in installments once you have the money. Interest-free—pretty generous, right?"
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes lit up. Without the slightest hesitation, she nodded immediately.
"Alright! I agree—let's do it!"
As long as she could grow stronger, money could be solved sooner or later.
She believed this investment was worth it.
"Straightforward! Then it's settled."
Lin Qingmo nodded in satisfaction.
Then he pointed toward the small wooden cabin beside the training ground, used for storing equipment and resting.
"Alright then, Student Zhu Zhuqing, please come inside with me first."
"I need to collect your basic physical data for a preliminary evaluation so I can begin designing your training plan."
"Wait!"
A clearly anxious and angry voice suddenly rang out.
Dai Mubai, who had been watching coldly from the side, strode over in a single step, his face dark as thunder.
"Zhuqing, you can't go!"
He had already felt inexplicably uncomfortable watching Zhu Zhuqing talk with Lin Qingmo.
Now, seeing Lin Qingmo actually trying to take her alone into a small wooden cabin—
A lone man and a lone woman, alone in a room…
A surge of furious heat shot straight to Dai Mubai's head, nearly burning away his remaining rationality.
End of Chapter