On the other side, Taishu Xuan was already completely immersed in the satisfaction of a sweeping victory.
He was determined to use real, hard data on combat strength to crush these clueless little monsters, shattering their confidence so they’d understand just how vast the gap was between them and true Elites!
Then, they’d lose their fighting spirit, feel only sorrow for their race, and from then on, never dare step onto the stage or face any other team.
Avoiding battle? Fine, then I’ll strike at your hearts.
Unless you dare to confront your fears head-on and fight openly and honorably, you will forever live in the shadow of others!
These team members were all young and hot-blooded, never willing to be one step behind anyone else.
Taishu Xuan knew all too well that breaking their confidence would be the deepest torment for them.
At this moment, Jie Shui stood there in a daze, completely unlike his usual energetic, foolhardy self.
He clenched and unclenched his fists, and after a while, sighed weakly, “I’m sorry. I embarrassed everyone.”
He was willing to lose at any time, but not now, not when he had let down the whole squad.
The devices displayed the gap in strength so directly that it made him realize the other side truly had the power to trample his pride…
That was the hardest thing for him to accept.
The other squad members didn’t blame him, because everyone knew they weren’t much stronger than Jie Shui.
Each was well aware of their own strength and maximum speed—they couldn’t even imagine how a Bronze Team like the other side could put up such results.
And now, these people were their opponents.
“You really are weak,” Si Lian said bluntly, without a trace of comfort.
“Now do you understand why I didn’t let you go up against them?”
The little monsters clenched their jaws, stealing glances at Taishu Xuan and the Zhanhuang Sixteen Team members’ smug faces, listening to their provocative whistles ringing in their ears.
Their anger surged to their heads, but what followed was only powerlessness, and a sense of contrast.
These past days, they’d dominated the arena, their egos swelling, dreaming of creating a miracle—one hundred consecutive wins to reach the finals, fantasizing about becoming legends.
In their self-satisfaction, their motivation to cultivate had gradually faded.
They always felt they were already strong enough and lacked the urge to train harder.
“I won’t say nonsense like ‘it’s not too late if you start working hard now.’ Some gaps can never be closed. While you’re improving, your enemies are improving too. If you fall one step behind, you’ll keep falling behind,” Si Lian said coldly.
“But if you want to defeat such opponents, you have to figure something out. You have to double your effort, make greater sacrifices to catch up.”
“Aunt Si Lian,” Jie Shui’s voice trembled as he looked at Si Lian hopefully, “do you think… we can catch up? You brought us here—there must be a way, right?”
“You can, if you’re a Genius,” Si Lian looked at him with utter contempt.
“But you’re not. None of you are. At best, you’re just passable. In this Shenzhou Cup Grand Tournament, you can’t even be called excellent.”
Jie Shui felt as if he’d been struck by lightning.
He’d thought he might be some miraculous Savior.
He didn’t know why he’d gotten so cocky, but the moment he’d joined this squad, a special sense of Mission had filled his whole being.
He always felt he must be someone special, that everything would be different with him around, and whenever he hit rock bottom, a miracle would happen.
But he knew, deep down, there was nothing really different about him.
He was just a pathetic fool who couldn’t admit he was ordinary.
“If you’re not convinced, go train.” Si Lian’s words were brief and to the point.
She said no more.
On the other side, the Zhanhuang Sixteen Team members had thrown themselves completely into training.
Their movements were practiced and experienced, like a well-organized miniature army.
From their Evaluation Devices, the voices of the announcers constantly reported their results—Grade B, Bing Rank—these terms echoed endlessly, like a demonic chant pouring into the ears of the Bagpipe Squad members.
“We’ll keep following you,” Taishu Xuan declared, brimming with the pride of a victor.
“Until you disband or die out. Savor this taste of failure again and again, and the despair of never being able to catch up!”
Si Lian held her tobacco pipe in her mouth, but showed not the slightest sign of anger—on the contrary, she simply smiled faintly.
Taishu Xuan smiled too. “I know what you’re thinking. You’re using us to sharpen your squad. But some setbacks can never be overcome by hard work. In the face of despair, your team will only be broken down, step by step.”
“Some people only get worse with every defeat. Some people get stronger with every defeat,” Si Lian raised her chin slightly.
“You can win ten thousand times, but we only need to win once.”
“Heh,” Taishu Xuan was unimpressed.
“Let’s wait and see.”
Jie Shui was greatly shaken.
He ran off to do weight training like a madman, not saying a word, racking his brains to improve his spiritual power conversion efficiency.
Lin Gang was right there beside him, also working on strength training.
Though Lin Gang wore a relaxed expression, his eyes kept flicking to the other team’s training area, and now six large red notes had appeared on his arm.
Gan RuÇŽnruÇŽn was darting and weaving on the Variable-Speed Evasion Trainer.
She squinted her eyes, so focused she seemed to have forgotten the earlier disappointment.
It was the first time Jiang Ke’er had seen her so serious.
A Miao was pouring spells onto the Variable-Speed Target.
His reaction was as slow as ever—he took ages before daring to throw a spell… But after watching him for a long while, Jiang Ke’er realized he never missed.
Each shot was precise and packed with power.
“And you?” Si Lian looked at Jiang Ke’er, who was standing motionless.
“I’m going to sleep.” Jiang Ke’er, as out of place as ever, lay down on the tree branch.
“Sleeping is the best kind of cultivation for me.”
Si Lian was quite surprised.
She couldn’t believe that any young person could remain calm under such provocation—unless they had completely lost their fighting spirit.
But Jiang Ke’er was clearly not that kind of person.
So she must have her own cultivation plan. Si Lian wouldn’t interfere.
“When are we fighting?” Jiang Ke’er suddenly asked.
Si Lian knew she couldn’t hide her thoughts from this little fox, so she replied frankly, “Half a month. That’s the longest Taishu Xuan can wait.”
Half a month—for cultivators immersed in training, it would pass in the blink of an eye.
Jiang Ke’er nodded, then coolly closed her eyes and lay on the branch, entering her cultivation space.
“Thud…”
She hadn’t been cool for even five seconds.
She tumbled headfirst to the ground, covering the bump on her forehead with teary eyes.
Si Lian couldn’t help but laugh and cry, “If you’re going to sleep, just sleep. Why climb onto the treetop? Let me see.”
Si Lian gently blew on the bump on Jiang Ke’er’s forehead, asking with concern as she blew, “Still hurt?”
“It’s nothing, doesn’t hurt!” Jiang Ke’er’s face was beet-red.
She quickly used Sacred Light to heal the injured tissue.
“Go to sleep.” Si Lian helped Jiang Ke’er sit by the tree, letting her use her own shoulder as a pillow.
Jiang Ke’er hurriedly closed her eyes, pretending to sleep hard to avoid the awkwardness.
Si Lian quietly extinguished her choking pipe and replaced it with a wine gourd, taking silent swigs.
She gazed at Jiang Ke’er’s youthful face, and in a daze, she started to smile.
That little one, who’d fallen from a tree and busted her head just to pick some fruit, crying until her face was a mess but stubbornly insisting she wasn’t hurt…
She wondered how that kid was doing these days.
You lot really do seem to have been cut from the same mold.
So stubborn, every one of you.
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