Little Angeliya took the tip of the spade, Zhong Shenxiu smiled wickedly, and then picked up a dry branch from the boat. He drew a circle about two meters in radius on the ground along a specific trajectory.

Angeliya became increasingly puzzled, wondering if Zhong Shenxiu intended to engage her in combat within this circle. But what was the purpose of making her hold this spade?

Did he intend for her to fight him with this spade? Angeliya truly couldn't fathom it.

"Done!" Zhong Shenxiu tossed away the dry branch in his hand, clapped his hands, and then said to Angeliya, "You can start digging now!"

What???

Angeliya thought she must have misheard, widening her eyes and staring motionlessly at Zhong Shenxiu.

"See this circle? Your task now is to dig downwards along this circle. Keep digging until I tell you to stop!" After explaining once, Zhong Shenxiu paid no more attention to Angeliya and walked to a shady spot in the distance to rest.

Angeliya looked at Zhong Shenxiu, then at the circle beside her. She looked somewhat dazed.

Could this be another form of training?

Though filled with doubt, Angeliya dared not ask further and could only comply and begin digging!

"Girl. Use your Dou Qi, use the method I taught you before. Dig faster, I’m in a hurry!" Zhong Shenxiu's lazy voice drifted over from afar. A classic case of speaking comfortably from a position of ease!

Angeliya’s spirits lifted immediately. She thought to herself: This is indeed a training exercise! Then she began to dig with even greater effort.

The soil quality here was somewhat peculiar. It was quite easy to dig at first, but gradually, more sand and stones appeared in the earth, requiring significant effort for every spadeful.

However, because Angeliya was using her Dou Qi, these stones couldn't stop her.

Although Angeliya still couldn't fully concentrate her Dou Qi onto the spade, the training of the past few days had not been in vain. A faint, almost imperceptible shimmer of Dou Qi could now be seen swirling around the spade.

This was a war of attrition, as Angeliya didn't know how long she had to dig or how deep she needed to go. It wasn't that she didn't ask; it was that Zhong Shenxiu wouldn't tell her even if she did!

It wasn't that Zhong Shenxiu was unwilling to tell her; it was because Zhong Shenxiu himself didn't know!

Zhong Shenxiu ordering Angeliya to dig the pit wasn't truly aimed at training her; it was to use her as free labor!

Through detection using the "Thousand Mile Tracing" spell from sorcery, Zhong Shenxiu had found traces of Yin energy underground at this location. If nothing unexpected happened, there should be a relic of the 'War' epoch buried beneath!

Although selling the two 'War' relics last time earned a considerable sum, Zhong Shenxiu's expenses had also been substantial. After purchasing magic rings and buying property, the remaining money was less than a quarter of the original amount!

To fatten up his purse again, Zhong Shenxiu had to dedicate a day to returning to his old ways, but this time he was merely the supervisor; the real work was being done by Angeliya.

Of course, it also served to train Angeliya's endurance!

Half an hour had passed, and Angeliya was beginning to show signs of physical exhaustion. Muddy water mixed with sweat coated her forehead, her breathing was slightly labored, and the Dou Qi surrounding her was noticeably dimmer than before!

Fortunately, when Angeliya reached a depth of three meters, the soil quality softened once again. Furthermore, the muddy water seeping out increased!

Angeliya was naturally quite beautiful, but now she was completely covered in mud, her face smeared into a grotesque mask—as comical as could be!

"Girl, take a rest now!" Zhong Shenxiu finally walked over.

The words sounded like heavenly music to Angeliya's ears. She hastily dropped the spade and gasped for air.

"Climb out!" Zhong Shenxiu said coolly once more.

Angeliya assumed the training for the day was over and was quite pleased. She swiftly climbed out of the pit and extended her hand, offering the spade to Zhong Shenxiu. In her mind: since the training was finished, the tool should naturally be returned to its owner!

"What are you trying to do?" Zhong Shenxiu asked irritably.

Angeliya froze, sensing something was amiss with Zhong Shenxiu, and tentatively asked, "Isn't... isn't it over?"

In that instant, Zhong Shenxiu genuinely felt like snatching the spade, kicking the foolish woman into the pit, and then quickly backfilling the earth and tamping it down!

Damn it, she was infuriating!!

Seeing Zhong Shenxiu's storm-clouded face, Angeliya seemed to realize something and quickly retracted her hand, adopting a fearful expression.

Zhong Shenxiu rolled his eyes at her, thinking that at least she was becoming shrewder than before. After a moment of silence, he said, "Come here, sit next to me!"

Saying this, Zhong Shenxiu pointed to the spot beside him.

"What f—" Angeliya’s words were stifled by a sharp look from Zhong Shenxiu. She obediently sat down where indicated.

Zhong Shenxiu walked softly behind her and placed his hands gently on her back.

Angeliya's body visibly trembled. Just as she was about to turn around, Zhong Shenxiu's gruff voice sounded again: "Quickly use what I taught you..."

Angeliya murmured an "Oh" and swiftly began circulating the 'Introductory Inner Cultivation Method.'

As she calmed her mind, Angeliya noticed a warm, flowing energy seeping into her body from Zhong Shenxiu's hands, constantly dispelling the fatigue. The sensation was like a cool breeze arriving suddenly on a sweltering summer day.

Just as Angeliya was lost in the comfort, Zhong Shenxiu's hands withdrew from her back, and the immensely pleasurable feeling vanished instantly.

"Hey, girl, time to get up!" Zhong Shenxiu said, seeing Angeliya seemed to have grown fond of sitting on the ground.

Angeliya didn't want to anger Zhong Shenxiu again, so she nimbly stood up from the ground, but her face displayed an expression of disbelief.

At this moment, Angeliya realized that her body, which had been utterly exhausted moments ago, now felt incredibly light, as if injected with new vitality!

What exactly was happening? Why wasn't she tired at all now?

"Girl, stop staring blankly. Hurry up and get back down to dig! If you hit anything, remember to call me!" Zhong Shenxiu said before walking away again!

Angeliya looked at Zhong Shenxiu's retreating back. For some reason, a smile reminiscent of a lily blooming after rain spread across her face. Then, she sprang back into the mud pit and resumed work!

By the time Zhong Shenxiu called Angeliya out of the pit again, it was noon.

This time, Zhong Shenxiu allowed Angeliya a longer rest.

After a simple lunch, Zhong Shenxiu posed a strange question to Angeliya: "Girl, besides teaching you swordsmanship, did your school teach you anything else?"

Angeliya blinked a couple of times, then nodded, replying coolly, "Besides teaching me the sword, they also taught me how to use Dou Qi!"

Hearing this answer, Zhong Shenxiu nearly sprayed out the lunch he was eating. He thought: I just praised you for becoming sharp, and now you’re back to being dense!

He had no choice but to rephrase the question.

"Girl, if you didn't have a sword in your hand, how would you deal with your opponent?"

This question stunned Angeliya. She had never considered it, as she was always inseparable from her sword; a situation where she had "no sword in hand" was simply impossible.

From Angeliya's expression, Zhong Shenxiu already knew the answer he was looking for. He sighed softly and asked again, "Girl, when you fight an enemy, do you only use your hands?"

Angeliya's expression became even more vacant, growing increasingly confused about what Zhong Shenxiu was trying to convey.

Zhong Shenxiu was speechless again. Why is talking to you such an effort? he thought.

"Girl, don't you ever use your legs?" Zhong Shenxiu made his point more directly this time. "Your strength isn't in brute force, but in your agility and flexibility. If you incorporated kicks into your combat, your overall fighting strength would increase significantly!"

Angeliya was beginning to understand Zhong Shenxiu's meaning—he was telling her to use her legs in battle. Robin had indeed knocked Laurent down using kicks that day, it seemed.

At this moment, Angeliya felt as if a window had been opened in a sealed room; she was beginning to discover her true potential!

"Did your academy not teach you any leg techniques at all?"

Angeliya quickly shook her head, simultaneously realizing that her previous answer to Zhong Shenxiu had been irrelevant. Her cheeks flushed slightly!

"Want to learn?" Zhong Shenxiu cut straight to the point.

Angeliya nodded vigorously, her expression seeming to convey: If you teach me, I’ll do anything you ask!

"Then hurry up and finish the work!" Zhong Shenxiu said unhurriedly.

Motivated by Zhong Shenxiu's enticement, Angeliya's drive intensified, and her digging speed became even faster than at the start.

She had now almost reached a state where she and the spade were one entity. While digging, she didn't look at the ground at all, her mind constantly conjuring images of how magnificent she would look wielding powerful kicks like Robin’s! (Ugh, who knew Angeliya had her vain moments!)

Time ticked by, and the pit Angeliya was digging grew deeper.

Just then, Zhong Shenxiu suddenly stood up from the rock where he was sitting, his eyes fixed straight ahead, and his expression turning slightly serious!

What was wrong with him? Could it be that some magical beasts were attacking?

Not at all. This time, the arrivals were human, not magical beasts, and there were quite a few of them—around a few hundred people! Furthermore, every single one looked quite formidable.

These people were approaching Zhong Shenxiu’s location at a steady pace, neither fast nor slow. What was baffling was that the leader was a beautiful woman.

Her temples held hair like clouds nearing snow-white cheeks; even without makeup, her complexion rivaled the dawn light on fresh snow! Such a stunning beauty was carrying a massive sword on her back, nearly four feet long and as wide as a bear’s paw.

Could she also be a Sword Master?

Calculating their speed of approach, they would meet Zhong Shenxiu in about three minutes.