Douluo Dalu: Sun Gauntlet

The cafeteria was quiet, with only three people seated at the dining table.

Quan Yi and Huo Wu ate with enthusiasm, savoring their meals, while Huo Wushuang sat still, his chopsticks untouched for a long time.

Finally, his gaze fell on Huo Wu's bandaged hands, and he asked with concern, "Tell me, what kind of training did you do to end up like this?"

Huo Wu quickly swallowed her food and casually raised her hands, waving them as if it were no big deal.

With a relaxed smile, she said, "It's nothing. I was just feeling competitive, so I trained with Quan Yi. I didn't expect it to be this difficult, and I ended up hurting my hands."

Huo Wushuang sighed helplessly. "I know you've been competitive since you were little, but you have to know your limits. Pushing yourself too hard to the point of injury isn't worth it."

Huo Wu nodded seriously, showing that she understood.

Now that he knew the reason behind her injuries, Huo Wushuang turned to Quan Yi with a slightly guilty expression. He lowered his head slightly and apologized sincerely, "Quan Yi, I'm sorry. My sister must have caused you trouble, and I also apologize for my rude behavior earlier."

Seeing his sincerity, Quan Yi quickly waved his hands dismissively. "No, no, senior, it's really fine! I completely understand your feelings. Besides, Xiao Wu didn't cause me any trouble at all."

"That's good to hear."

Seeing that Quan Yi wasn't holding a grudge, Huo Wushuang let out a sigh of relief.

Then, with a slight frown, he added, "You've probably noticed by now—my sister can be… difficult. I hope you'll be patient with her in the future."

Huo Wushuang felt exhausted just thinking about Huo Wu's personality.

He knew that Quan Yi had become her new target, and knowing how stubborn she was, she would surely keep pushing herself against him. That meant Quan Yi would have to deal with her antics regularly.

Since Huo Wushuang couldn't control his sister, the best he could do was ask Quan Yi to watch over her.

Quan Yi smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, senior. We're classmates now, and classmates should support and understand each other."

Huo Wushuang studied Quan Yi carefully. The boy was composed, responsible, and mature beyond his years.

With that, his worries finally eased.

Perhaps Huo Wu was lucky to have met a classmate like Quan Yi—someone who could be both her rival and her friend. With someone like him around, maybe her time at the academy would be much more interesting.

"Hearing that puts me at ease."

He pushed his chair back and stood up. "Alright, you two enjoy your meal. I have some matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving first."

Just as he was about to turn away, Huo Wu suddenly grabbed his arm.

"Wait, brother! You still haven't told me why you asked me to meet you at noon!"

Huo Wushuang smiled. "It's nothing important. I just wanted to check how you're adjusting to academy life. But seeing you eat this much, I doubt you're having any problems."

Then, with a playful smirk, he added, "I haven't touched my portion yet. If you're still hungry, go ahead and eat it."

Huo Wu scowled at him, glaring as he teased her.

"Tch!"

With a casual wave, Huo Wushuang bid farewell to the two before leaving the cafeteria.

Quan Yi watched him go, a faint sense of envy rising in his heart.

He envied Huo Wu for having such a caring older brother—something he had never experienced himself.

But Huo Wu, on the other hand, didn't seem to share the same sentiment.

The moment Huo Wushuang was out of sight, she immediately pulled his untouched meal toward her and eagerly started eating again.

Quan Yi watched her in amusement, shaking his head as he chuckled internally.

"Some people don't know how lucky they are."

—

After finishing their meal, the two walked side by side on the path back to the dormitory.

Huo Wu patted her slightly swollen stomach with a satisfied expression.

"Ahh, I'm stuffed!"

Huo Wu had deliberately avoided mentioning the soul beast meat to Huo Wushuang, which made Quan Yi quite satisfied.

As they walked, he glanced at her relaxed posture and reminded her, "Don't forget to stretch when you get back."

"I know, I know. I won't forget." Huo Wu pouted slightly, feeling as if Quan Yi was treating her like a child. With mild annoyance, she pushed his shoulder lightly.

Quan Yi ignored her reaction and instead took out a jar of soul beast meat from the Heart of Fierce Sun, handing it to her.

Huo Wu's expression became serious. She carefully accepted the jar, holding it as though it were a precious treasure.

"There's about a week's worth inside. If you need more, just ask me—but it won't be free. You'll have to pay for it."

Then, his tone turned serious. "And remember this—cultivation is your own responsibility. I won't supervise you, nor will I teach you anything. Everything depends on your own efforts."

Quan Yi's words were firm, almost ruthless. But considering how much he had already helped her, the rest was up to her.

Huo Wu, however, didn't seem bothered. Instead, her eyes shone with confidence.

"That's exactly what I want! Just wait—I'll catch up to you soon."

Quan Yi chuckled. "Haha, I hope your confidence lasts."

For the first time, he didn't hide his arrogance in front of her.

As they neared the freshman dormitory, he slowed his pace and said, "Alright, we're almost there. I'll head back now."

"Mm, bye!" Huo Wu responded.

—

Back in his dormitory, Quan Yi didn't go for his usual shower right away. Instead, he immediately pulled out his training schedule.

He needed to revise it.

After experiencing the academy's mimicry cultivation field today, he realized that his original plan was no longer optimal.

The effects of mimicry training were beyond his expectations. If he meditated in the mimicry environment at night, his soul power would increase at an accelerated rate.

That was a good thing—but it also posed a problem.

His physical fitness would not be able to keep up with the rapid growth of his soul power. In other words, by the time he broke through level 20, his body might still be lagging behind.

This was because his current training schedule had been designed based on his previous soul power growth rate.

Now, he had no choice but to increase the intensity of his physical training so that his body could keep pace with his cultivation.

He needed to take another step forward.

As he studied his schedule, he carefully considered how to adjust it. It wasn't a simple matter—if he recklessly increased his physical training, his body might not withstand the strain, which could negatively impact his meditation and soul power growth.

Balancing physical training with cultivation was not easy.

Deep in thought, Quan Yi meticulously planned his next steps.

—

Meanwhile, Huo Wu had also returned to her dormitory.

The first thing she saw upon entering was her reflection in the mirror.

Her once-pristine dress was now wrinkled—a silent witness to her madness from earlier.

She gently ran her fingers over the fabric, her voice filled with regret. "This was my favorite dress…"

Though she was annoyed by the wrinkles, the sight of them brought back memories of her grueling training session at the playground.

As she recalled the events of the day, an inexplicable fire ignited within her once more.

Without hesitation, she stripped off the dress and stepped into the bathroom.

She hadn't forgotten Quan Yi's instructions.

Locking the door, she filled the bathtub with hot water before carefully mimicking the stretching exercises Quan Yi had demonstrated.

But the moment she attempted the first stretch—

"Ah!"

A sharp pain shot through her muscles, forcing her arms to drop instantly.

"It hurts!"

Every movement targeted her most exhausted muscles. Each stretch seemed designed to inflict maximum discomfort.

As she gritted her teeth through the pain, she couldn't help but curse in her heart.

"That guy is a complete lunatic!"

But she quickly steadied herself. She knew that short-term pain was better than long-term suffering. If she stopped now, the soreness would only last longer.

Determined, she gritted her teeth and pushed through.

Yet, as expected, the bathroom soon echoed with pained groans.

"Ahh—damn it! Quan Yi, you monster!"

—

Half an hour later, she finally completed a full set of stretches. Though the pain was excruciating, she could feel the relief that followed—the deep, satisfying soreness of well-stretched muscles.

Exhausted, she slowly lowered herself into the steaming bath.

The moment her body submerged in the warm water, a soothing sensation washed over her, melting away all her fatigue.

Relaxing into the heat, her eyelids grew heavy.

Before she knew it—

She had fallen asleep.