Chapter 363: Blood Bag

"Nine Heavens ()"

Wu Di had been sleeping a lot these past two days—through the night and well into the afternoon. The magic formation Wang Feng had set up previously would make him lose consciousness the moment he stepped into it, leaving him with no memory of what happened inside afterward, only an overwhelming sense of fear, trembling, and exhaustion.

But now, he could recall fragments of it. He seemed to have seen a terrifyingly massive beast locked inside an enormous cage, its bars spaced so wide that even the beast's claws couldn't reach through. A giant golden lock sealed the cage, with a strip of paper bearing some inscription affixed to it.

As for Wu Di himself, he stood outside the cage, under the constant, unnerving gaze of the beast's unfathomably deep eyes. He was both terrified and morbidly curious about the beast's appearance, yet no matter how hard he tried, he could never make out its form. He wanted to leave, but every time he walked a short distance, he’d hit an invisible barrier—massive walls, towering beyond sight, with no doors or windows, as if trapped inside a bizarre, colossal room.

Eventually, he could only sit there, paralyzed, until the beast's terrifying stare and the slowly intensifying pressure suffocated him, scaring him to death...

In the most recent sessions, Wu Di felt the dream had grown clearer. He gained a more macroscopic perspective, realizing that this strange, enormous room resembled a cocoon—or perhaps an egg.

This discovery excited him. He wanted to break free from the shell, but no matter how hard he pounded until his hands were raw, the "shell" remained intact. Then, under the beast's torturously escalating pressure, he’d suffocate and die over and over again.

It was an inescapable deadlock, an endless loop he couldn’t break free from. Even now, when he slept, the nightmare often returned, leaving him utterly drained.

After nearly a week of training, the Soul Elixir sessions for Fan Xi and Wu Di had been reduced from twice a day (morning and night) to just once in the morning, but the dosage had been increased. Wang Feng could clearly sense that the physical toll on them as they sank deeper into the illusions was growing heavier. This was actually a good sign—low strain meant the soul refinement was only superficial, while high strain indicated it had penetrated deeper into their souls.

Whether refining or resting, Wu Di was now almost never fully conscious, remaining in a dazed stupor throughout. Ah Xi was doing slightly better, mainly because he had already undergone one awakening. The path of the Berserk Taiji Tiger was set, with little room for deviation—it was now just a matter of control and adaptation. Thus, he wasn’t as prone to excessive sleep as Wu Di. Plus, fueled by the power of love these past couple of days, even after soul refinement left him exhausted, he could still push through another round of physical training.

The intense training was proceeding at a breakneck pace, but to outsiders, it looked nothing like that.

The Martial Arts Academy wasn’t devoid of passersby. When the doors of Captain Wang’s team’s training hall were closed, it was fine, but when left open, people often saw Fan Xi and Wu Di standing inside, seemingly lost in thought, while Wang Feng lounged by the entrance, legs crossed, basking in the sun and tapping his fingers to some rhythm. The students of Rose Holy Sanctuary couldn’t help but marvel—what a leisurely life! Truly befitting Captain Wang. With the beastman situation raging like wildfire and the situation reaching a boiling point, he still had the nerve to use "training" as an excuse to laze around and sunbathe. His mental fortitude was truly unmatched. The Old Wang Team was legendary, and Old Wang himself was a legend!

Burj Al Arab...

Winnie’s mood was excellent as she gazed at yet another lavish, banquet-style lunch spread across the long table.

These past few days had been pure bliss. Who would’ve thought that beating up a few War Academy disciples would suddenly make that stubborn old traditionalist at home see the light? Now, with all the fine food and drink she could ask for, she finally felt like the heiress of the Lee family again. Before this, Winnie Lee had almost begun to suspect that the Lee family had gone bankrupt and she’d been orphaned.

"Leader Winnie!" A junior from the Soul Beast Academy peeked in through the door. "President Wang Feng has requested that you and Leader Kela return to Rose Holy Sanctuary for some kind of training..." As he spoke, his eyes widened at the sight of Winnie’s extravagant feast. He thought, such extravagance! How could two girls possibly eat so much?

"Training?" Winnie snorted. At my level, do I look like I need training? She smirked at the junior. "Go tell Captain Wang this leader is busy—very busy!"

"Huh?" The messenger was dumbfounded.

"Winnie," Kela interjected gently from the side. "The captain sounded serious this time. Didn’t we all agree on the Magic Rail Train? We should at least go back and check."

"Pfft, you know Captain Wang—all big talk no action, lazier than a sloth. What kind of 'unique' training could he possibly offer?" Winnie waved it off dismissively. "He’s probably fed up after two days of trying to teach Ah Xi and Wu Di and now wants to dump the job on me. Well, I’m not falling for that! Take my advice—don’t go either, or you’ll end up stuck with his mess!"

"That’s not right." Kela frowned slightly. "Then I’ll go by myself later."

"Seriously? Weren’t you the one who said we’d stick together yesterday?"

"This doesn’t conflict with the captain’s business." Kela smiled. "We’re a team—we should all move forward together."

"Ugh, now I’m getting lectured..." Winnie rolled her eyes. After a moment’s thought, she figured that since Captain Wang was still the captain and they’d all agreed to stand united, completely ignoring him might not be the best move. "Fine, fine, I’ll go with you. Hmph, let’s see how long it takes for you to lose faith."

When they arrived at the training hall, they spotted Wang Feng from afar, lounging at the entrance with his legs crossed. Annoyed by the sun’s glare, he’d even draped a copy of the Holy Sanctuary newspaper over his face. His legs bobbed lazily, the epitome of laziness. Nearby, Wu Di lay passed out on the floor, snoring loudly with drool pooling beneath him. The only one making any effort was Fan Xi, who was jogging—but even he looked half-asleep, yawning incessantly with heavy eyelids.

Kela still seemed puzzled, but Winnie burst out laughing. "See? What did I tell you? If our captain ever took training seriously, pigs would fly!"

"Maybe it’s a... 'unique' training method?" Kela tried to defend him. She firmly believed in their captain—after all, without him, she wouldn’t have awakened. As a beastman herself, and an awakened one at that, she could sense that Wu Di, even in his slumber, seemed different from a few days ago. An awakening energy was stirring within him.

Winnie shot her a sidelong glance. This poor woman had been completely hoodwinked by that Wang Feng guy—probably beyond saving. Only someone as brilliant and wise as herself, the very embodiment of chivalry and heroism, could see through Wang Feng’s lazy true nature!

Sigh, truly it's a case of everyone else being drunk while I alone stay sober. The only one who can match wits with Old Wang, that con artist, is me!

She walked over and gave the chair leg a couple of kicks: "Hey!"

The chair tilted, and the Holy Sanctuary's Light newspaper slid to the ground. Old Wang groggily opened his eyes. He was dead tired today, mainly because he hadn't slept again last night and had also drawn a bit too much blood... Tsk, it's hard to control—no syringes, just hacking at his hand with a knife. Yesterday, he accidentally made dozens of extra bottles and stayed up all night. Old Wang was utterly miserable, practically turning into their personal blood bank now. But since it was already done, he couldn't waste it. Originally, he planned to wait until Fan Texi and Wu Di completed their awakening before calling Winnie and the others over, but now he decided to just bring them in early.

"You're here?" Old Wang yawned and stretched. "Go inside and start training on your own. I'm still a bit sleepy—gonna take another nap. No need for explanations..."

"Alright, alright!" Winnie said with a grin. "No need to give me that song and dance!"

"Huh?"

"Stop right there, don't 'huh' me! You're just trying to act like you're settling in here to lower those guys' guard, right? So you can make a run for it? Hmph, with the kind of relationship we have, I know exactly what you're up to. No need to pull this act with me." Winnie plopped down on the recliner next to him, shoving Old Wang halfway off. She said bluntly, "Old Wang, all this effort is pointless. Let me tell you, if we're gonna run, we should do it early. Ice Spirit is already set up, so why waste time here..."

"...I called you here to train, not to spout nonsense." Old Wang was speechless. "I've set up a Soulforge Array inside... Look at these two next to me—they're barely holding on."

"Pfft, still pretending? You and your 'Soulforge Array'—did you lose yourself in la-la land or what?" Winnie rolled her eyes. What even was a Soulforge Array? She'd never heard of it. "Let me tell you, you're a smart guy, but don't try to fool me. Admit it—did you drug them? Hah, look, you even prepared a cup for me!"

Winnie pointed at the 'drink' in Old Wang's hand as if she'd discovered a new continent. "Let me make this clear—I absolutely refuse to drink any sketchy brew like this!"

"...Fine, don't drink it." Old Wang couldn't be bothered to explain further and pushed Winnie toward the door. "Come on, let's go inside first."

"Why go inside? Can't we talk openly out here? Ah!" Winnie suddenly realized something and looked at Old Wang with disgust. "Tsk tsk tsk, I knew you always had ulterior motives toward me! And here I thought you were my bro. Wang Feng, I never thought you'd be this kind of person..."