The Great Master glanced at him coolly. "Do you think the enemies who want to kill you will only come when your Soul Power is at its peak?"
Dai Mubai froze for a moment. A single, simple sentence from the Great Master left him completely at a loss for words.
The Great Master continued. "You knew perfectly well that Oscar had mushroom sausages to fall back on, so why did you give Ma Hongjun the chance to eat one? If you had stopped him from the start, or at least conserved more of your own Soul Power, you should have been the one to win."
Ma Hongjun had his arm draped over Oscar's shoulder. "Man, this feels great, seriously great. I never thought there'd be a day I could beat Boss Dai. Just— how great can it feel? Xiao Ao, those sausages of yours are really something."
Oscar chuckled. "Well, of course. After all, I'm a Soul Venerable now."
The Great Master watched the two of them with cold eyes. "Are you two very pleased with yourselves? Ma Hongjun, let me ask you — when Oscar's flying mushroom sausage wore off, why did you just let him fall to the ground? If Dai Mubai had still had enough strength for one more strike and killed him on the spot, what would you have done then?"
"I…" Ma Hongjun stared at the Great Master, completely dumbstruck.
The Great Master turned to Oscar. "And you. As a Food Type Soul Master, the single most important thing in any situation is to preserve your own life as long as possible. When he didn't actively help you, couldn't you have grabbed onto him and kept floating in the air? If Dai Mubai had still had ample Soul Power, he would have taken you out the moment you dropped. If he were your enemy, you'd already be dead. A Soul Venerable? Even a Titled Douluo-level Food Type Soul Master is utterly fragile in front of a Battle Soul Master."
Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun looked at one another. None of them could utter a single word.
The Great Master's voice was flat and calm, yet it cut straight to the heart of every mistake they had made.
"Xiao San." The Great Master turned to Tang San.
Tang San quickly stepped forward. "I'm here, Teacher."
"Tell me what you felt about your fight with Xiao Wu."
Tang San's face flushed red. "Teacher, I was wrong. I was careless and fell for Xiao Wu's second Soul Skill, Charm, which put me on the defensive. And when I didn't know what her third Soul Skill was, I released the spider web bind recklessly, which only put me in an even worse position."
The Great Master nodded. "Good that you understand your mistake. Your error was the most serious of all. Even a lion must use its full strength to hunt a rabbit, yet you committed an unforgivable mistake right at the start. If the enemy's attack had been even a little sharper, you would have been dead. Remember — a Control Type Soul Master must not only control the enemy, but also control himself."
Finally, the Great Master turned to Xiao Wu. "Your third Soul Skill must be Teleportation. But it has a distance limitation. If I'm not mistaken, it should be the ability of the Lightning Rabbit. Your third Soul Ring came from a thousand-year Lightning Rabbit. Among all Soul Skills, Teleportation is one of the rarest and most valuable. You've given me a very pleasant surprise. Combined with your Soft Technique, its lethality will increase tremendously. However — why did you assume you'd already won the moment you wrapped yourself around Tang San's neck? If you had been more careful at that point, and when you saw Tang San cast the third Spider Web Binding, instead of rushing to finish it, you had teleported out of his attack range first and then continued your assault, you would have won. Instead, you were brought back under control."
Xiao Wu quietly stuck out her tongue, but she didn't dare to argue back.
The Great Master's rigid face looked grim. "So this is what you call monster-genius talent? Your performance today has left me deeply disappointed. Every single one of you made an unforgivable error. Now, all of you will receive your punishment. You will run the entire way, supervise each other, and you are not allowed to use any Soul Power. From the academy to Sotuo City and back. Before lunch, I want you to complete ten round trips. You eat when the job is done. Tang San, your error was the most serious, so you will do twelve round trips. Move out immediately. Start."
Tang San was the first to take off at a run. To him, the Great Master's words were no different from an order.
Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun followed close behind. The Great Master had punished even his own direct disciple — and more harshly than anyone else. What more could they say? Besides, the mistakes the Great Master had pointed out were all glaring failures on their part.
"There are prepared rocks at the academy gate. Each of you will carry one on your back for a weighted run. Remember — you are a team. If even one person fails to complete the punishment, nobody eats." The Great Master added this with emphasis.
Though they were forbidden from using Soul Power, they were all Soul Masters. Years of Soul Power transforming their bodies had left them far stronger than ordinary people. Running without any weight simply wouldn't have achieved the Great Master's purpose.
The distance from the academy to Sotuo City wasn't enormous, but it was still roughly three or four kilometers. Ten round trips meant sixty to seventy kilometers, and with the added weight, it was no easy task whatsoever.
Watching the five of them run off into the distance, Ning Rongrong couldn't help but giggle. However, her laughter didn't last long.
"Why aren't you two running?" The Great Master's cold voice rang out.