Chapter 100: A Comparison of Strength—Join the Special Training Program?
Staring at Zhang Yu’s physical strength of level 3.21, He Dayou’s eyes filled with utter disbelief.
He couldn’t accept that after spending so much money and training so arduously every day, he had ultimately been surpassed by Zhang Yu by such a wide margin.
He roared internally, How is this possible? How could this happen?
What on earth did Zhang Yu do? Why did his physical strength increase more than mine in a single month?
Is it some new alchemical enhancer or technology? But where did he get the money?
Nearby, Lan Ling’s gaze also sharpened. Did Zhang Pianpian intervene on Zhang Yu’s behalf? To achieve such an improvement, what did that woman do? Could she have used White Dragon High School’s Immortal Dao technology?
Wang Hai was even more curious about how Zhang Yu had managed such a monumental leap. Which alchemical firm? Which corporation’s new technology? Are they trying to promote a new product through Zhang Yu?
He observed Zhang Yu carefully, noticing that his temples were not bulging from injections, nor were there any training marks at the common injection sites on his arms.
Logically speaking, a high school student like this did not seem like a body tempering expert.
Wang Hai thought, The injection sites must be somewhere I can’t see. The Heavenly Demon Needle Art? Or the Blood Corpse Needle Art? What method did he use?
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu felt a chill run down his spine under Wang Hai’s scrutiny. Old Wang must be suspecting me of using enhancers again.
How many times do I have to say it? I’ve always been a natural body temperer.
Demonic beast meat powder? What body temperer doesn’t eat some?
The side effects of beast protein milk were virtually non-existent.
And the Crimson Marrow Primordial Pill certainly didn’t count as technological doping.
I take the sky as my blanket and the earth as my bed every day. This is truly pure, natural cultivation.
Zhang Yu looked at the broad-shouldered Lan Ling, thinking to himself that this was a true “alchemical man,” a condensation of the very essence of Immortal Dao technology.
Zhang Yu spoke up. “Well? Is there still a problem with us joining the competition team?”
Lan Ling’s eyelid twitched. “According to our agreement, you may…” he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
Meanwhile, in stark contrast to the crowd’s disbelief, surprise, and curiosity, the original fifth-place holder, Ye Haitao, was filled with despair.
With the addition of Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, her fifth-place rank had plummeted to seventh, completely erasing her chance to participate in the sports competition.
Thinking of the immense sum her family had invested in her to join the competition team and the special training program, of the debts they had incurred… and now, to lose her spot in the competition, Ye Haitao felt as if her world was collapsing.
Her legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground, her limbs beginning to twitch as if she were losing control.
Wang Hai’s gaze sharpened. “Her Dao heart is unstable. Get her Dao heart buffer and pour it into her mouth.”
On the other side, Li Yong, who had been fourth and was now sixth, found the result even harder to accept, especially since his physical strength was only 0.02 levels lower than Bai Zhenzhen’s.
To get me through high school, to earn money for me to compete, to let me have the benefits of the special training program, my parents have already shouldered far too much…
To make money, Li Yong’s father had joined a gang and smuggled children’s flying swords, risking execution to pay for his son’s tuition.
His mother had joined a food gang, producing counterfeit pre-made meals in an underground workshop, constantly facing the dangers of gang warfare and corporate raids. Now, with the squeeze from synthetic food, she was even facing the risk of being laid off by the gang.
This was Li Yong’s family—a gang family with an income higher than a city white-collar worker’s, yet constantly facing the risks of death, bankruptcy, and crushing debt.
And as a second-generation gangster, Li Yong’s dream since childhood had been to get into a university.
I am my family’s hope. Only by getting into a university can I change our family’s fate, change our past, and leave the gang life behind…
To keep up with the training here, I take over twenty different drugs every day, eat every two hours, and have suffered multiple fractures during extreme muscle training. Now, the moment I stop the painkillers, my entire body aches as if I’m dying…
My family has sacrificed so much, and I have sacrificed so much. On what grounds should I lose?
Is it just because Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen became the lackeys of some tycoon? Just because they received an investment and have money, a poor person like me has to lose to a rich man’s dogs?
Evidently, in the eyes of many students, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, who swapped a spiritual root between them every day, were already considered to be backed by a wealthy patron and firmly in the camp of the rich.
So, upon hearing Lan Ling agree to let Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen join the team, Li Yong stepped forward.
He stared daggers at Bai Zhenzhen and said, “There’s only a 0.02 level difference in our physical strength. That’s not a decisive gap in a sports competition. I want to challenge you!”
Through his recent training, Li Yong had learned that the sports competition was not an event where victory was decided simply by comparing physical strength numbers.
Otherwise, they could just rank all the high school students in Songyang by their numbers and be done with it. Why even hold a competition?
The physical strength number was just a foundation. What the sports competition truly tested… was how effectively a student could utilize their flesh and blood.
Bai Zhenzhen has the support of a tycoon like Zhang Pianpian, so her funding is surely more abundant than mine. But I refuse to believe her training this past month has been more diligent or focused than mine. Her control over her body’s strength might not even be as good as mine.
Plus, in the special training program, my fascial self-limitation was surgically released. My muscles can burst with overloaded power… I can definitely defeat her!
As he hyped himself up internally, Li Yong pointed at Bai Zhenzhen. “I want to compete with you to see who is stronger. Do you dare?”
Before anyone else could speak, Bai Zhenzhen was already smiling with anticipation, shouting a resounding “yes” in her mind.
Today is my stage. It’s not Yu-boy’s turn to show off.
But the thought that Zhang Yu couldn’t continue his show of dominance because his score was too high for anyone to challenge made her feel a little less gleeful.
She looked at Li Yong, adopting the cool, unapproachable demeanor of an ice queen, and said flatly, “How do you want to compete?”
Li Yong strode forward. “Alright, then we’ll compete by…”
“Insolence,” Lan Ling snapped. “This is to decide the school’s competition spots, not a childish game for the two of you. The specific event will be decided by me and the teachers.”
And so, after a brief discussion, it was decided that Bai Zhenzhen and Li Yong would compare their physical strength through barbell weightlifting.
Of course, as in all sports competitions, the use of magic power was forbidden. The contest was one of pure physical power.
Consequently, both of them had detection patches placed on their bodies to monitor any magic power circulation.
Zhang Yu watched this scene unfold and thought, Looks like I’ll have to stop the Celestial Cycle Qi-Gathering Method during the competition. It’s a shame to lose that period of passive breathing.
Zhang Yu could, of course, stop the passive breathing of the Celestial Cycle Qi-Gathering Method at will. After all, it was a breathing exercise he had mastered.
On the other side, Li Yong approached a 1500-kilogram barbell. He gripped the bar, and with a thunderous roar and a face flushed crimson, he heaved the barbell into the air.
After holding it for five seconds, the 1500-kilogram barbell slammed back to the ground with a deafening crash, bouncing several times.
Li Yong looked at Bai Zhenzhen with a grave expression. “Your turn.”
Under the gazes of everyone present, Bai Zhenzhen walked to the barbell. Her body gave a slight shudder, and as her muscles tensed, her entire frame seemed to swell.
Her muscles coiled and pushed against one another, seeming to merge into a single, unified whole.
Her training with the Thunderclap True Body had already significantly strengthened her nervous system, giving her powerful control over muscle recruitment and force.
And after cultivating with the shared spiritual root, her body tempering had taken on some of the qualities of the Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi, making her coordination and explosive power even stronger.
Now, Bai Zhenzhen gripped the bar, and without her face turning red or her breath catching, she effortlessly lifted the 1500-kilogram barbell.
While holding it aloft, her expression remained unchanged as she said coolly, “This is too easy. Let’s try something more challenging.”
After five seconds, Bai Zhenzhen casually dropped the barbell where she stood and strode toward another one weighing 2000 kilograms.
Then, to the astonishment of the crowd, a faint blush appeared on her cheeks. With a low shout, her arms bulged with power as she violently hoisted the barbell over her head.
Lan Ling’s eyes narrowed. Impressive explosive power and muscle control. This probably isn’t even her limit. Zhang Pianpian really spared no expense.
He Dayou had initially shared Li Yong’s thoughts, believing that since Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen’s physical strength had skyrocketed in a short time without their participating in the special training program, their control couldn’t possibly match theirs.
Now, seeing Bai Zhenzhen effortlessly lift the 2000-kilogram barbell, a shadow of gloom crossed his eyes.
But the person in the worst mood at the scene was, naturally, Li Yong.
His previous limit had been just over 1900 kilograms, and Bai Zhenzhen’s performance had clearly far surpassed that.
Rationally, he should give up.
But he was unwilling to concede.
I’ve sacrificed so much to get this far. Am I really going to surrender just because of some rich person’s money?
So Li Yong walked up to the 2000-kilogram barbell, took a deep breath, and lunged for the bar.
His muscles tensed violently. The 2000-kilogram barbell stood before him like an immovable mountain, barely budging despite his explosive effort.
Li Yong screamed in his mind, I want to go to a university!
I don’t want my parents to stay in the gang!
Get the hell up!
As his entire body trembled and blue veins bulged on his crimson forehead, the 2000-kilogram barbell actually began to rise, inch by agonizing inch.
“Roar!”
With a furious cry, Li Yong looked at the barbell held high above his head, a faint smile gracing his lips.
But in the next instant, soft popping sounds echoed from his arm.
Then, before his stunned eyes, blood sprayed from his right arm.
As his grip went slack, the barbell he had just held aloft came crashing down.
Wang Hai’s expression tightened. He rushed forward, catching the two-thousand-kilogram barbell with one hand while supporting Li Yong with the other.
Li Yong desperately tried to control his right arm, wanting to raise it, but found the muscles twitching uncontrollably.
“Teacher… what’s wrong with me?” Li Yong asked in a panic.
Wang Hai understood the situation at a glance and sighed. “After you had the fascial de-limitation surgery, your muscles can expand beyond their normal limits.”
“But your body hasn’t adapted to the overloaded exertion of your arm muscles. The tissue has torn.”
Wang Hai knew this was one of the drawbacks of the special training program. The body’s muscles were not a single, integrated unit. When transplanted muscle fibers unleashed their violent power, if the original flesh and blood couldn’t handle the load, a collapse would occur.
Hearing this, Li Yong grew even more panicked. “Can I recover? Can I still participate in the special training program?”
Wang Hai comforted him, “It’s alright, it’s alright. Just get some treatment and rest for a few days, and you can continue training…”
Lan Ling didn’t spare the defeated Li Yong a single glance. He simply looked at Bai Zhenzhen and Zhang Yu and said in a professional tone, “Then, as agreed, your results are sufficient for you to join the sports competition team.”
“You will participate in next month’s sports competition along with He Dayou and the other two.”
“As for the subsequent training sessions for the competition team, your attendance is optional.”
Zhang Yu, however, asked curiously, “Then… what about that special training program? Can we participate?”
Both Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen had long been intensely curious about this so-called special training program, the method that had allowed He Dayou and the others to rapidly increase their physical strength in just one month.
Lan Ling looked at them and sneered, thinking, Could it be that Zhang Pianpian has also taken an interest in Songyang High School’s transplant technology? Is that why she had these two join?
He stated in a businesslike manner, “The special training program is led by the Student Council with the school’s cooperation. Participants are selected according to specific criteria.”
“You two do not meet the selection criteria. You are not qualified to participate in this program.”