Chapter 101: Team

After waiting for a while, seeing that he was fine, Tie Li finally picked up the Azure Clam and poured it into his mouth.

At first it was a strong fishy smell; after swallowing it, a faint fresh fragrance flowed out from his abdomen.

A sense of coolness spread from his abdomen outward.

The others, seeing that the two of them had eaten, rushed forward and swallowed the Azure Clam.

"Having eaten the Azure Clam, don't waste its effect; put on your weighted vests, run a lap around the foot of the mountain, and forbid the use of soul power, otherwise the effect will be greatly reduced."

In no time, everyone felt a wave of internal heat sweeping through them.

Tie Li was the first to don the weighted vest, with Tuo Yu close behind.

Having experience eating whale glue, Tie Li naturally knew what would happen next; if he didn't want an embarrassing situation, it was best to follow Zhao Tianhe's words.

"Boss, wait for me first."

Tuo Yu watched Tie Li's running speed, his eyelids involuntarily flickered; is he still a human Soul Master after all?

Hearing Tuo Yu's shout, Tie Li finally slowed his pace and, in turn, looked at the members behind him, each one's face flushing red.

Their weighted vests had been lightened or added to during the afternoon, but running a lap around the mountain foot still placed a considerable burden on the body.

To absorb all the nutrients of the Azure Clam, the best method is to keep the body at its limit.

A simple weighted run can push the body to its limit, but maintaining that limit continuously is difficult.

Tuo Yu came to Tie Li's side and hurriedly relayed the information he knew to Tie Li.

After hearing it, Tie Li's eyes showed a hint of contemplation.

"I'll take the lead; you follow behind me, each pulling the next, keeping a breathing rhythm." Tie Li turned around, sharing his idea with the group, and Tuo Yu casually mentioned the Azure Clam's effect.

Under Tie Li's indication, the team kept a straight line.

Being at the front, besides shielding from the wind, the main role is to set the pace.

Behind Tie Li were Gu Qi and Mu Wei; fourth in rank was Tuo Yu; behind them were Jue Dun, Zhang Xiaohe, and Ning Ning. As a Support-type Soul Master, her physical condition was the weakest among them, even though she is a Soul Elder!

Zhao Tianhe, as the teacher, must have known the Azure Clam's function and effect, but he didn't tell the group; instead, he let the only one who knew its effect, Tuo Yu, remind the members.

Zhao Tianhe kept observing from the shadows, very satisfied with the Second Team's performance at this moment.

If everyone ran separately, then in the coming days of training, I'd have to bring out the heavy stuff.

In a team, the most important thing is cohesion.

"Zhao Laoshi, let's go to the front and wait for them."

Qin Ming was beside Zhao Tianhe; tonight, besides the Second Team, the First Team also conducted special training.

But compared with the newly formed Second Team, Qin Ming was still confident in his own First Team; in terms of cohesion, it was certainly more like a complete team.

"Alright."

…

Tie Li led the way, the team's speed staying uniform, and they quickly reached the foot of the mountain.

Immediately, at the mountain foot they spotted another team in the same condition as theirs, also wearing weighted vests, seemingly having eaten something good, emitting a faint fragrance.

"They're members of the First Team."

Tuo Yu recognized the other side, and Tie Li looked over; indeed they were First Team members, led by Yu Tianheng.

The two teams appeared in the same place; although neither spoke provocatively, the air was filled with a silent clash.

It was unclear whether Tie Li did it on purpose, but the running speed increased by a notch.

The six members also cooperated, accelerating with Tie Li's speed increase, overtaking the First Team by several positions.

Yu Tianheng glanced at the leading Tie Li and also quickened his pace; the First Team's six members likewise sped up, unwilling to fall behind the Second Team.

One should note that they are the Tian Dou Royal Academy's top students, which is why they constitute the First Team.

If they lost to the Second Team? How could they still claim to be the First Team?

It was only their private rivalry, which tormented the two Support-type Soul Masters at the back of the team.

Both teams began to see members dropping out of formation.

By the time the two leaders reacted, the teams had already become a mess.

Behind Tie Li only Gu Qi and Mu Wei remained; Yu Tianheng's team fared better, with three members behind him: the Shi brothers and Oslo.

Just as Tie Li and Yu Tianheng were considering whether to return for the missing members, the team-leading teachers of both teams appeared ahead of them.

Qin Ming's expression was grim; from the start he had emphasized team cohesion, yet because of a momentary clash of pride, he abandoned the members.

Zhao Tianhe's expression improved considerably; after all, from the beginning he hadn't overemphasized, but let the members run weighted runs to digest the Azure Clam, maintaining formation from the start and only encountering chaos upon meeting the First Team, a result that pleased him.

"Stop, let's go back to find Yan Zi and the others."

Yu Tianheng gave up the prideful contest, taking the remaining members and retracing their steps.

"Team Leader, what should we do?" Gu Qi asked.

The team-leading teachers of both teams stood ahead; the First Team, at this moment, retraced their steps to find members, clearly indicating that this wasn't a simple weighted run—the true purpose was to train your team's cohesion.

But Zhao Tianhe's expression was blank, leaving Tie Li unable to fathom his thoughts.

"First pass Zhao Laoshi, then go back to find Tuo Yu and the others."

In Tie Li's eyes, the positions of Qin Ming and Zhao Tianhe formed a finish line.

The two teams, with two completely opposite actions, destined them to have different characters.

As Tie Li led the remaining two members past Zhao Tianhe's side, Zhao Tianhe's eyes showed both satisfaction and a hint of disappointment.

After Tie Li passed him, he turned back the same way.

"I thought his nature wouldn't place such importance on winning or losing, but I was mistaken," Zhao Tianhe said lightly.

Even from this alone, one can see Tie Li's character.

"Individual versus team is a choice question, but some people have already made their choice early," Qin Ming said with implication.

Tie Li led the team back the same way, expecting to search one by one, but to his surprise, Tuo Yu took the lead, with three members following him.

Tuo Yu was in the middle position of the team; when the shield behind him fell out of the team due to lack of stamina, he immediately sensed something was wrong, left the team on his own, returned the same way to look for his teammates, and regrouped them together.

Seeing Tie Li leading the team members back, Tuo Yu secretly let out a sigh of relief in his heart; what he worried about most was Tie Li choosing to abandon them.

Tuo Yu led the remaining team members back into the team, and the seven of them continued running forward.

Looking at the Second Team that appeared first in their field of vision, Zhao Tianhe and Qin Ming both had a flash of surprise in their eyes.

(End of chapter)