Chapter 111: Challenging Yu Xinghan
After surpassing Hu Yuntao, Song Hailong now found himself in second place on the track.
Yet his face showed no hint of joy; he merely stared intently at the distant Yu Xinghan.
That man…
To Song Hailong, the only opponent in this race was Yu Xinghan.
At this moment, Song Hailong’s muscles were drawn taut, making him appear a size smaller and giving him a certain streamlined beauty.
He was leveraging his powerful control over his demonic muscle to temporarily shift into a speed-oriented form.
The powerful plasticity of demonic muscle allowed students who had undergone the modification to gradually retract the external demonic beast characteristics as their physical control improved.
For a top student like Song Hailong, who had already undergone an elephant muscle implant modification, adapting to the demonic muscle was not difficult. As his physical control continued to increase, he could even temporarily alter his body’s form to enhance his speed.
While the resulting speed was purely explosive and lacked the control necessary for the previous stage, it was perfectly suited for this round’s contest of pure velocity.
Every muscle fiber, after contracting to its absolute limit, erupted like a spring forged from steel, unleashing immense kinetic energy.
With each violent beat of his heart, blood pumped to every muscle in his body, constantly transporting surging energy and dispersing the effects of various alchemical enhancers throughout his limbs.
But it’s still not enough.
This isn’t enough to defeat Yu Xinghan.
Song Hailong recalled his failures over the recent past, how he had fallen before Yu Xinghan time and time again, utterly defeated by the man in every aspect: Dao heart, magic power, athletics, martial skill, and Daoist arts.
He remembered the repeated humiliations at the man’s hands in front of the entire school.
He remembered the shame of kneeling, his father’s disappointment, his brother’s criticism…
But he knew that for now, all he could do was endure.
To beat Yu Xinghan, I have to close the gap little by little.
To dream of soaring to the heavens and defeating him in an instant would be disrespectful not only to his talent, but also to the wealth of a Golden Core True Person.
I will etch the failure of this race into my heart.
One day, I will defeat you.
For Song Hailong, taking second in this race was already a failure, a disgrace he would never forget.
But a moment later, Song Hailong, still holding second place, felt his gaze shift.
In his peripheral vision, a sudden whoosh of displaced air drew his attention to two figures, one on his left and one on his right, surging past him.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, Thanks, old Song. Drafting behind you saved us from a lot of wind resistance.
For this final stretch, I’m going all out.
Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, who had been conserving their energy while following Song Hailong, suddenly unleashed their power.
Song Hailong was taken aback as he watched Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen shoot past him like a flash of lightning.
Their physical strength is clearly inferior to mine, yet they can burst forth with such speed? They actually… surpassed me?
Song Hailong tried to give chase, only to find with a shock that he couldn’t keep up.
Have I slowed down?
No, they’re accelerating! These two… they can still go faster?
Song Hailong stared fixedly at Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen just ahead, his eyes locked on the constant ripple, contraction, and expansion of their muscles.
Has that Bai Zhenzhen been practicing a speed-oriented body tempering cultivation technique?
Watching the high frequency of her movements and the incredible coordination in her muscular rhythm, Song Hailong sensed an extraordinary lightness about her.
He had to admit that while he could likely overpower her in strength, he had fallen behind in speed.
As for Zhang Yu…
Encased in the tight-fitting athletic wear, Zhang Yu’s muscle definition was clearly visible to Song Hailong, his entire vital energy from head to toe seeming to move as a single, unified whole. With every movement, every explosion of power, it radiated the dazzling brilliance of a perfect work of art.
Only someone with physical control and strength on Song Hailong’s level could perceive its stunning brilliance and appreciate the precision and fluidity of that physique.
Zhang Yu… he’s perfectly unleashing every ounce of power in his body…
Zhang Yu’s physical strength might not have been as great as his own, but his control over his body, his mastery of his muscles, and the speed he was now unleashing at full power seemed utterly dazzling to Song Hailong.
It was as if everyone possessed electromagnetic force within them, but not just anyone could fire a railgun.
And now, as Song Hailong looked at Zhang Yu—a person with slightly less physical strength than himself—he felt only power, a familiar sense of power.
It’s… Yu Xinghan!
Zhang Yu’s ability to extract power from every muscle in his body… has it reached the same level as Yu Xinghan?
Watching Zhang Yu pull farther and farther away, Song Hailong pumped his legs furiously but couldn’t close the distance by a single inch.
It was the same feeling he got every time he tried to catch up to Yu Xinghan.
Unconsciously, the figures of Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan seemed to merge into one.
No… they weren’t merging!
Damn it… that kid Zhang Yu is about to catch Yu Xinghan!
To Song Hailong’s astonishment, after surpassing him, Zhang Yu quickly left Bai Zhenzhen behind, accelerating, accelerating, and accelerating again, until he actually began to close in on Yu Xinghan.
His steps grew lighter and lighter, each stride covering dozens of meters, as if he were about to fly into the sky and pluck the stars from the heavens; and the glittering star he was rapidly approaching was none other than Yu Xinghan.
Song Hailong’s heart trembled. He wants to challenge Yu Xinghan?
Challenge Yu Xinghan? The undisputed number one, a man whose overall physical attributes surpassed every other competitor here?
Meanwhile, the third eye on Yu Xinghan’s brow clearly saw the figure that was gradually catching up.
Yu Xinghan smiled. “Oh? Did you really catch up?”
At a moment when everyone was pushing forward at full speed, unleashing all their strength.
Yu Xinghan suddenly turned his head to look back at the pursuing Zhang Yu.
He even spoke, his voice carrying over the wind, “I know you.”
“You’re the one I eliminated, aren’t you?”
“If it weren’t for me, my master would have taken you as his disciple.”
“So… you must hate me, don’t you?”
Hearing the powerful voice carried on the gale, Zhang Yu did not reply.
He had no intention of wasting energy on conversation. Right now, his eyes saw only victory.
Whether his opponent was Song Hailong or Yu Xinghan, they were simply obstacles to be overcome.
Beat them, win this competition.
Get into the Ten Greats.
And climb to the second level of Kunxu with Zhen!
At this moment, Zhang Yu simply continued to unleash his body’s power, just as he had through countless days and nights of running; though he couldn’t circulate his magic power, he could still vent the full might of his vital energy.
As if sensing the determination in Zhang Yu’s gaze, Yu Xinghan smiled faintly. “Not bad. You’re truly worthy of someone who, like me, has mastered the Heavenly Martial Heart-Tempering Art.”
“In that case… I’ll play with you for a bit.”
To everyone’s astonishment, Yu Xinghan suddenly slowed down, seemingly moving backward relative to the onrushing Zhang Yu, until he was running right alongside him.
Then, as Yu Xinghan and Zhang Yu raced shoulder-to-shoulder, kicking up a gale, he slowly raised his right hand and extended three fingers.
Three!
Then two fingers.
Two!
Zhang Yu’s breath hitched, and he mentally gritted his teeth. A countdown? This guy…
Zhang Yu understood at once; Yu Xinghan wanted to fall back to his position and race him from an even start.
The next moment, Yu Xinghan held up a single finger.
One!
A roar erupted in Zhang Yu’s mind.
If he had been sprinting at his limit before, then at this instant, every muscle fiber and every drop of blood in his body, under his exquisite control, erupted in a supercharged burst.
Though he couldn’t circulate magic power, the experience from countless sprints and numerous level-ten cultivation techniques—Sports Car Legs, Elevator Leap, the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms, the Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi—all surged forth in an overloaded display.
His entire vital energy became an extension of his thoughts, obeying his will and charging forward with frenzied desperation.
The muscular self-limiters that the Songyang High School team needed surgery to release were something Zhang Yu could now shatter through sheer force of will and physical control.
Under this supercharged burst, his muscles began to tremble and his organs seemed to groan as his body erupted with a speed that shattered his limits.
But he had no energy to spare for such details; his eyes were fixed on Yu Xinghan, who he was doggedly keeping pace with.
I can do this…
I can beat him.
My control over my body is greater than his. I’m better at accelerating, better at pushing past my limits.
Even if my physical strength is lower, I can still be faster!
Under the astonished eyes of the countless spectators.
Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan accelerated again and again, as if starting a new race entirely.
The two figures, like streaks of light, instantly left everyone else behind, bolting down the track.
Neck and neck!
…
“So fast!” Qian Shen muttered. “Can first-years really be this fast?”
In the Songyang High School rest area, He Dayou, Qian Shen, Zhao Tianxing, and the others all watched in shock as Zhang Yu ran neck and neck with Yu Xinghan, the strongest competitor in the field, the two of them like twin bolts of lightning on the track.
“Running neck and neck with Yu Xinghan’s level 5.07 physique with only a level 4.95…” Wang Hai watched the speeding Zhang Yu on the large screen, his expression thrilled as a trembling thought crossed his mind.
Does this mean Zhang Yu’s ability to tap into his body’s power… is greater than Yu Xinghan’s?
But he quickly dismissed the incredible idea.
“No, impossible. It must be some kind of potent drug to unlock his potential.”
“But for a drug to let Zhang Yu match Yu Xinghan’s speed, the side effects must be immense.”
Wang Hai looked at Zhang Yu on the screen with concern. “Can he hold on?”
…
In the stands.
The announcer, Gang Shan, exclaimed, “This student from Songyang High School can actually keep up with Yu Xinghan? The skill level of these two must be higher than most second-years, right?”
Le Jingchen was also watching with utter surprise, wondering, What in the world has Songyang High School done?
He nodded. “He must have taken some kind of potent drug to keep up with Yu Xinghan for a short period. It seems that with the help of new technology and drugs, it’s not impossible for an ordinary person to challenge a Golden Core disciple.”
As he spoke, he had Gang Shan turn the camera toward Le Mulan.
“She’s been warming up for so long, the drug should have taken full effect. Mulan is about to make her move, isn’t she?”
On the track, Le Mulan, who had been holding fifth place, suddenly accelerated, surpassing Song Hailong in a single burst and then rapidly closing in on Bai Zhenzhen.
Her cheeks were flushed, her breathing was heavy, and steam rose from her body as the purple, vertical-pupil marking on her forehead grew more vivid.
Her coach’s words replayed in her mind.
“This is the newest illicit alchemical enhancer from Purple Cloud Labs. A single dose costs a hundred thousand, and it’s potent enough to burn an ordinary high school student’s organs to ash.”
“However, with your super-metabolism surgery, you can handle it just fine.”
“Because once the enhancer wears off, your entire body will be plunged into a state of extreme fatigue, you could only take it before this round began.”
“And after taking it, you needed to warm up while waiting for its effects to kick in.”
“Then, the only thing you have to do is… run.”
“Run the rest of the race with all your might before it wears off.”