In truth, five minutes is a substantial amount of time. It's long enough to sneak in a second sleep, or to finish a breakfast or a trip to the privy. You could even get through a quick session of self-gratification, or perhaps even manage to woo a girl... So, summing it all up, five minutes is ample time to accomplish quite a bit.

But for Youxiang and Xiao Zi, five minutes was agonizingly short—too short to even take a complete, settling breath. Before they could even properly contemplate whether five minutes was enough rest, it was already over.

When Lin Luo called out for the fifth time, "Five minutes rest, then back at it!" Youxiang could finally barely hold back. Looking at Xiao Zi, who was trembling uncontrollably, and feeling her own body reach its limit, she pleaded haltingly, "Master... could we please rest a little... longer? We truly can't... take much more."

Xiao Zi said nothing. It wasn't that she wasn't tired; she was simply too exhausted even to speak. She merely gazed at Lin Luo with pitiful eyes, conveying how much she was struggling.

Even the Thirteen Protectors started to feel that Lin Luo’s methods were bordering on inhumane. Their leader, observing the pitiable state of the two young girls, finally chimed in with a suggestion: "Look here, Master, it's alright if we don't rest. We could stand here for three days and nights without batting an eye. But these two disciples of yours... they really can't handle it. If this continues, they’ll eventually be worked to death."

Though this was a chaotic era, not all Yōkai were as cruel and bloodthirsty as the werewolf from yesterday. Some were genuinely kind and amiable. These Thirteen Protectors might not be saints, but they possessed some shred of conscience and a measure of pity for the two loli.

Of course, the reason he spoke up wasn't solely pity; it was also a subtle attempt to curry favor. He believed that by displaying more friendliness, their chances of survival would increase once this heavy bag training session was concluded. Yet, after saying the words, he immediately found the thought rather ridiculous.

Given Lin Luo's display of cold-blooded cruelty, he must clearly hold a grudge against his two apprentices, intending to exhaust them into oblivion. His intercession for the two loli was undoubtedly going against Lin Luo’s will. Perhaps if he had suggested extending the break to three minutes, he might have pleased Lin Luo more?

Lin Luo was unaware of the subtle psychological churning within this Zhang Fei-like Yōkai and had no time to concern himself with it. Instead, he looked sternly at Youxiang and Xiao Zi: "Feeling tired is normal. If you didn't feel tired, I'd be surprised. But that doesn't mean you've earned more rest. Because in a real battle, the enemy will never grant you respite. The moment you show fatigue, the enemy’s attacks will only become fiercer. If you can't even endure this small amount of suffering now, forget becoming the strongest—you won't even catch up to these few third-rate Yōkai in your entire lifetime!"

The Thirteen Protectors felt unjustly implicated, tears welling up unseen. They really wanted to protest: they weren't third-rate Yōkai; they were first-rate!

Of course, this ranking of first or third-rate was relative. In Lin Luo's presence, they certainly weren't qualified to call themselves first-rate Yōkai, so they could only pretend not to have heard.

Meanwhile, after listening to Lin Luo’s words, Youxiang shuddered violently.

Perhaps finding a pillar of support had caused her to relax slightly amidst her excitement, momentarily forgetting her past efforts. As a Yōkai lacking natural talent, she had no shortcuts other than compensating with sheer effort to bridge the gap in her innate ability. Even with such a powerful Master, to stay ahead of all other Yōkai, she would need to expend an exponentially greater effort.

Because effort was, quite literally, her only shortcut.

"I understand," Youxiang glanced at Xiao Zi beside her, then nodded firmly. In truth, her plea had been mostly on Xiao Zi's behalf. But she forgot that Xiao Zi’s innate quality was infinitely superior to hers. With the same level of effort, she could never hope to catch up to Xiao Zi—even if Xiao Zi were allowed to rest, she could not!

Having said that, Youxiang immediately closed her eyes. To recover her state, she couldn't afford to waste even a second.

The same went for Xiao Zi. The two shared an unspoken understanding: achieving success demanded commensurate effort; otherwise, everything else was just fleeting mist.

Neither of them were fragile flowers raised in a greenhouse, which allowed Lin Luo a slight measure of relief. They understood clearly what lay hidden behind such hardship: only after enduring sufficient suffering could they truly attain beautiful things. Having lived through so much instability and displacement in the past, they knew this inherently. Hothouse flowers, conversely, would likely understand nothing and only complain about the difficulty.

Lin Luo hadn't yet figured out precisely what he should teach them next. He could, of course, start from their future potential—like Yakumo Yukari's realm progression or Kazami Yūka's Spell Card. But... as a Gap Youkai, Xiao Zi currently struggled even to open a gap, let alone carry someone. To teach her the power of the realm, which Lin Luo himself barely understood, would be preposterous! And as for Yūka's dual-barreled Spell Card, its unparalleled power was fundamentally built upon her colossal innate Yōryoku and her mastery over its manipulation. Did the current Youxiang possess enough Yōryoku and precise control?

Clearly, directly teaching them specific techniques was impractical. Even if they memorized them, they would be castles built in the air, ready to collapse at the slightest touch.

It would be better to start with the foundations.

Yes, the fundamentals. Lin Luo, having suffered greatly from deficiencies in this area himself, knew perfectly well that the foundation was more crucial than any single technique.

It was like the foundation of a building. Only when the base is solid can one hope to erect a skyscraper that pierces the clouds. Otherwise, no matter how beautiful the ornamentation, the structure remains inherently unsound.

So, what Lin Luo needed to do now was relentlessly squeeze their stamina to fortify their physical capabilities, continuously apply pressure to their spirits to forge tougher wills, constantly strike at their power output to instill more precise control, and repeatedly force them past their limits so they had the chance to surpass those limits again and again.

Why is there the saying, "Human effort has its limits"?

That is because for humans, there are too many invisible, intangible boundaries that cause them to feel exhausted. But in this era, for Yōkai, there are no external frameworks or restraints. The limit targets only one thing: the individual self.

Therefore, as long as they dared to surpass it, had the confidence to surpass it, and put in the necessary hard work based on that confidence, the limit absolutely could be overcome!

And finally, after countless times of surpassing their limits, once they possessed a foundational quality that matched their future selves, even if he taught them nothing else, relying solely on their inherent potential and effort, they would inevitably stand at the apex of the world soon enough.

It wasn't a matter of belief; it was because the future was already predetermined to be so!

The entire day passed. Except for a half-hour interval for eating, Youxiang and Xiao Zi repeated the monotonous attacks until they were completely spent. Only then was their training concluded for the day.

In the end, Lin Luo had to carry both of them back.

"Uh, what about us?" When Lin Luo emerged again, the leader of the Thirteen Protectors asked with trepidation. They could have fled during that time, but a faint glance from Lin Luo before he entered the room had stopped them.

Lin Luo smiled slightly and clapped the leader on the shoulder. "The training isn't over yet. Of course, you can't leave. One must see things through to the end, and the same applies to Yōkai, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes, yes, absolutely." The leader nodded with a strained smile. Before this demon, he dared not resist at all, thinking to himself: Since your fist is bigger, whatever you say goes. If my fist were bigger, I’d be knocking your teeth out.

"Since you are working for me, even if the work is light, there must be proper compensation. Ah, I suppose I’ll treat you to a meal first."

The Thirteen Protectors had endured a full day of beatings, only to be rewarded with a single meal. Lin Luo looked as if he were the one taking a loss, sporting a grimace of pain. This left them thoroughly depressed. If their strength didn't dictate otherwise, they would have liked to retort: We let you hit us all day, and we'll treat you to three meals!

However, when dozens of platters piled high with aromatic, exquisite dishes suddenly materialized before them, all complaints vanished. They stared, drooling excessively... Cuisine in this era was notoriously backward. For wandering Yōkai like them, the best they ever ate was roasted meat; they had never encountered such delicacies!

Even before tasting it, the mere presentation and fragrance had completely captivated them.

Seeing their expressions, Lin Luo beamed and made a gesture inviting them to eat. The Yōkai glanced at each other, then, after one last round of swallowing hard, they began to devour the grand feast ravenously.

But before they could get many bites in, Lin Luo suddenly remarked, "Oh right, I forgot to mention earlier. I put a little something extra into these dishes. It’s called the Three-Step Soul Chasing Powder. I hear that after taking it, you drop dead after taking three steps."

At these words, the Yōkai instantly froze.

"And that bowl of red soup is the antidote..." Lin Luo continued as the Yōkai rushed to drink the soup. "However, this antidote is incomplete. It only suppresses the poison for one day. You must drink it continuously for a full month to completely neutralize the toxin."

"Damn it! Ancestor! Can you stop playing games with us?!" The Thirteen Protectors were near tears.

Lin Luo wore an expression of helplessness, though a smile played on his lips. "It's fine. You’ll be detoxified after working for one month. Oh, and... remember to guard the door for me tonight."

With that, he turned and walked back into the house.

The Thirteen Protectors exchanged bewildered looks. A moment later, one of the Yōkai asked, "Boss, what should we do?"

The leader hesitated for a moment, then finally hardened his resolve: "What else can we do? Eat up! After all, you can't be poisoned by the same thing twice!" Saying this, he resumed attacking the toxic food with fervor.

Seeing this, the other Yōkai also began scrambling to eat.

Regardless of the emotional state of the Thirteen Protectors, Lin Luo couldn't help but chuckle. There was no Three-Step Soul Chasing Powder in the food; he was purely bluffing. While these Thirteen Protectors were not weak in strength, their overly muscular, Dragon King-esque physiques clearly indicated that... intelligence was their fatal flaw!