Under Gu Shen's guidance, training became brutal.
"You rely too much on your strengths," he said coldly. "That's why you'll lose against true monsters."
He forced Wang Lei to fight without speed.
Made Su Ling refine pills under constant attack while also training her in sword techniques, pushing her to merge alchemy and blade control.
Lin Xue was trapped in formation arrays she had to break herself, while simultaneously learning to wield a sword alongside her illusions, making her attacks unpredictable.
Xu Mei trained her phoenix flames under suppression, her fire growing denser and sharper. At the same time, Gu Shen forced her to master sword combat, merging flame and blade into one devastating style.
And Li Hao—
Was pushed the hardest.
Not only did he refine his control over multiple martial souls, but Gu Shen handed him a spear.
"A true warrior doesn't rely on one weapon," Gu Shen said. "Learn this."
At first, Li Hao struggled. His instincts were tied to the sword. But slowly, he began to understand the spear's reach, its dominance, its battlefield control.
"Balance everything," Gu Shen said. "Or you'll collapse under your own power."
Day after day, they improved.
Not just individually—
But as a team.