Chapter 100
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Chapter 100: Comparing Strengths. An Invitation to the Special Training Program?
He Dayou stared at Zhang Yu’s Physical Strength rating of 3.21, his eyes wide with disbelief.
He could not believe that after spending so much money and enduring grueling daily training, Zhang Yu had surpassed him by such a margin.
How is this possible? He roared inwardly. How could this happen?
What has Zhang Yu been doing? How did his Physical Strength improve more than mine in just a month?
Is it a new drug or technology? But where did he get the money?
Beside him, Lan Ling’s gaze sharpened. Could Zhang Pianpian be behind this? He wondered. Such rapid improvement. What exactly has she done? Could he be using the immortal cultivation technology from Bailong High School?
Wang Hai was even more curious about Zhang Yu’s astonishing progress. Which Pharmaceutical Factory? Which corporation’s new technology? Could they be using Zhang Yu to promote a new product?
He scrutinized Zhang Yu closely but found no bulging needle marks on his temples, nor any trace of use at the common injection sites on his arms.
By all appearances, this high school student did not seem like a body refinement expert.
Wang Hai thought to himself, The needle insertion points must be somewhere I cannot see. Is it the Heavenly Demon Needle Technique? Or the Blood Corpse Needle Technique? What method did he actually use?
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu felt uneasy under Wang Hai’s scrutinizing gaze. He muttered inwardly, That Old Wang is definitely suspecting I’m using drugs again.
How many times have I told him? I have always done natural body refining.
Demon Beast Meat Powder? Who does not use a bit of that for body refining?
Beast Protein Milk has practically no side effects. And as for the Hunyuan Pill, it hardly even counts as tech doping.
I train with the sky as my blanket and the earth as my bed, truly cultivating in the purest, most natural way.
Zhang Yu glanced at Lan Ling, the door plank man, thinking to himself that this was the true embodiment of the essence of immortal cultivation technology, a medicine-man.
Zhang Yu asked, “So, are there any issues with us joining the Competition Team now?”
Lan Ling’s eyelid twitched slightly as he replied in a cryptic tone, “According to our agreement, there should be no problem…”
Meanwhile, compared to the crowd’s disbelief, astonishment, and curiosity, Ye Haitao, who had previously been ranked fifth, felt utterly devastated.
Originally ranked fifth, Ye Haitao had plummeted to seventh place after Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen joined, completely losing her chance to participate in the sports competitions.
Recalling the massive investments her family had made for her to join the Competition Team and the special training program, along with the crushing debt they had shouldered, Ye Haitao felt her world crumble now that she had lost her spot.
Her legs gave away, and she collapsed to the ground. Her limbs began to twitch uncontrollably as if she were losing all command over them.
Wang Hai’s gaze sharpened. “Her Dao Heart is unstable. Go fetch her Dao Heart buffer agent and pour it down her throat.”
Meanwhile, Li Yong, who had originally been fourth but was now sixth, found this outcome even harder to accept, especially since his Physical Strength was only 0.02 levels lower than Bai Zhenzhen’s.
To get me into high school, to earn money for me to join the competition team, to let me enjoy the special training program, my parents have already shouldered so much…
To make money, Li Yong’s father had joined a gang, smuggling children’s Flying Swords and risking execution to earn tuition fees for his son.
His mother had joined the Food Gang, replicating pre-packaged meals in underground workshops. She constantly faced the dangers of gang conflicts and corporate crackdowns. Now, with the rise of synthetic food, she was at risk of being “optimized” out of the gang or outright expelled.
This was Li Yong’s family. Their income surpassed that of white-collar workers in the city, yet they lived under the constant threat of death, bankruptcy, and debt.
As a Second-Generation Gangster, Li Yong’s childhood dream was to get into a university.
I am the family’s hope. Only by getting into a university can we change our fate. Only the can we transition from the underworld to legitimate business, wash away our gang ties, and escape this life…
To keep up with the training here, I take over twenty different drugs daily, eat a meal every two hours, and have fractured bones multiple times during extreme muscle training…. Now, if I miss a painkiller dose even slightly, the agony is unbearable…
My family has sacrificed so much, and I have sacrificed so much. How can I lose?
Just because Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen became lapdogs for the rich? Just because they got investments and have money… does that mean a poor kid like me has to lose to a rich man’s dogs?
In the eyes of many classmates, it was clear that Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, who alternated using Spirit Roots daily, were already backed by wealthy investors and belonged to the affluent elite.
So, after hearing Lan Ling agree to let Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen join the team, Li Yong stepped forward.
He glared at Bai Zhenzhen and declared, “The difference in our Physical Strength is only 0.02 levels. That’s not a decisive gap in PE competition. I challenge you!”
After this period of training, Li Yong had learned that PE competition were not solely about comparing Physical Strength numbers.
Otherwise, they could just rank all the high school students in Songyang by their Physical Strength scores and call it a day. Why bother with matches?
Physical Strength was merely a foundation. What sports competitions truly tested was how well students could unleash the full physical potential of their own flesh and blood.
Bai Zhenzhen has a wealthy backer like Zhang Pianpian, so her resources are undoubtedly greater than mine. But I refuse to believe her training over the past month has been more diligent or focused than mine. Her control over her physical strength might even be inferior to mine.
Plus, thanks to the special training program, my fascial self-limitations have been removed by surgery, allowing my muscles to unleash superhuman bursts of strength. I’m definitely going to win!
[Note: Fascial is actually kinda Fascia. It’s a connective tissue that wraps our muscle and organs for structural support]
While mentally pumping himself up, Li Yong pointed at Bai Zhenzhen and challenged, “I want to see which of us is stronger. Do you dare to compete?”
Before anyone else could speak, Bai Zhenzhen was already laughing eagerly inside. She cheered to herself, Perfect! Today is my day. It’s not Yu Zi’s turn to show off this time.
But then she remembered that Zhang Yu was only unable to continue showing off only because his stats were too high for anyone to challenge… Bai Zhenzhen felt a bit of her joy fade.
She turned her gaze to Li Yong, her icy demeanor radiating a icy queen ‘keep your distance’ aura, and asked coolly, “How do you propose we compete?”
Taking a confident step forward, Li Yong began, “Fine, then let’s compete in…”
“Insolent,” Lan Ling snorted coldly. “This is about determining the school’s competition team slots, not some childish game between you two. The specific events will be decided by me and the teachers in consultation.”
After a brief discussion, they decided that Bai Zhenzhen and Li Yong would compare their physical strength through barbell lifting.
Of course, like all PE competitions, the use of magic power was strictly prohibited during the match. The contest was one of pure physical strength alone.
To ensure this, both competitors were fitted with monitoring patches to detect any circulation of magic power.
Zhang Yu observed the scene and thought to himself, It seems I’ll have to pause the Cosmic Orbit Energy Gathering Method during the competition. What a pity to miss out on that passive cultivation time.”
Zhang Yu could, of course, control and stop the passive breathing aspect of the Cosmic Orbit Energy Gathering Method. After all, it was a breathing technique that he himself had mastered.
Meanwhile, Li Yong approached the 1,500-kilogram barbell. With a roar, his face flushed crimson as he gripped the bar and lifted it.
After holding it for five seconds, the 1,500-kilogram barbell crashed back to the ground with a thunderous boom and bounced several times.
Li Yong turned to Bai Zhenzhen with a serious expression. “Your turn.”
Under everyone’s watchful gaze, Bai Zhenzhen stepped up to the barbell. Her body gave a slight jolt as every muscle tightened, making her seem to swell slightly.
Her strands of segmented muscles intertwined and pushed against each other, appearing to merge into a single, unified whole.
Originally, Bai Zhenzhen’s nervous system had been significantly strengthened through her training in the Thunderclap True Body, giving her exceptional control over muscle recruitment and force generation.
Later, after exchanging Spirit Roots with Zhang Yu for mutual cultivation, her body refining practice also took on some of the effects of the Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi. This further enhanced her muscular coordination and explosive strength.
Now, Bai Zhenzhen simply gripped the barbell with both hands. Without her face reddening or her breath labored, she effortlessly lifted the 1,500-kilogram weight.
As she held it aloft, her expression remained unchanged as she said calmly, “This is too easy. Let’s try a harder one.”
After holding it for five seconds, Bai Zhenzhen casually dropped the barbell where she stood and strode toward another one weighing 2,000 kilograms.
To the astonishment of the crowd, a faint blush appeared on her cheeks. Bai Zhenzhen let out a low cry and her arms bulged as she violently thrust the barbell over her head.
Lan Ling’s gaze sharpened as he thought to himself, Remarkable explosive power and muscle control. This likely isn’t even her limit. Zhang Pianpian has truly invested a fortune in her.
He Dayou had initially shared Li Yong’s thinking. He believed that even though Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen’s Physical Strength had skyrocketed in a short time, they hadn’t participated in the special training program, so their control couldn’t possibly match theirs.
But when he saw Bai Zhenzhen effortlessly lift the 2000-kilogram barbell, a grim look flickered in his eyes.
Of everyone present, Li Yong was undoubtedly the most disheartened by this scene. After all, his previous limit had been just over 1900 kilograms, and Bai Zhenzhen’s performance clearly far surpassed his limit.
Rationally, he should have given up. But he was not resigned to defeat.
I’ve sacrificed so much to get this far. Am I really going to surrender just because of some rich person’s money?
Li Yong approached the 2000-kilogram barbell. After taking a deep breath, he lunged down and gripped the bar.
Every muscle in his body tensed. The 2000-kilogram barbell loomed before him like a mountain, and his explosive effort barely made it budge.
Li Yong roared in his heart, I will go to university!
I will not let my parents stay in a gang!
Get the hell up!
As his muscles trembled and veins bulged on his flushed forehead, he actually managed to lift the 2000-kilogram barbell, inch by painstaking inch.
YEEEAHHH!
With a final bellow, Li Yong gazed at the barbell held high above his head, and a faint smile touched his lips.
But in the next instant, a series of soft popping sounds came from his arm.
Then, under his dazed gaze, blood sprayed from his right arm.
His grip faltered, and the barbell he had just raised overhead crashed to the ground.
Wang Hai’s expression hardened. He rushed forward, catching the two-thousand-kilogram barbell with one hand while supporting Li Yong with the other.
Li Yong struggled to control his right arm. He tried to raise his hand but found its muscles trembling, completely beyond his control.
“Teacher, what’s happening to me?” Li Yong asked in panic.
Wang Hai understood the situation at a glance and sighed. “After the fascia release surgery, your muscles can expand beyond their normal limits.”
“However, your body hasn’t adapted to the overexertion of your arm muscles. Your tissue have torn.”
Wang Hai knew this was one of the flaws of the special training program. After all, the muscles in the body were not a single, integrated unit. When the transplanted muscle fibers unleashed their explosive strength, the original flesh would collapse if they could not withstand the strain.
Hearing this, Li Yong’s panic intensified. “Can I recover? Can I still participate in the special training program?”
Wang Hai comforted him, “Don’t worry, don’t worry. Just get it treated and rest for a few days, and you’ll be able to train again…”
Lan Ling did not spare the defeated Li Yong a single glance. He looked only at Bai Zhenzhen and Zhang Yu with a businesslike demeanor and said, “As per our agreement, your results are sufficient to join the PE Competition Team.”
“You will participate in next month’s competition alongside He Dayou and the other two.”
“As for the team’s supplementary training sessions… whether you attend is up to you.”
Zhang Yu, however, asked curiously, “What about that special training program? Can we join?”
Both Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen had long been intensely curious about this so-called special training program, the method that allowed He Dayou and the others to rapidly increase their physical strength in just one month.
Lan Ling sneered at the two of them, thinking to himself, Could Zhang Pianpian have her eye on our Songyang High School’s Transplant Technology? Is that why she had these two join?
With a professional expression, he stated, “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 criteria, so you are not qualified to participate in this program.”
