At 7:00 AM sharp, the assembly bugle of Thunder Base sounded on time, like a sharp blade cutting through the tranquility of the valley.
Five hundred students rushed out of their residences and assembled in the Central Plaza. After a night of rest, the excitement of arrival yesterday had faded quite a bit, replaced by tension and uneasiness.
Everyone could see that the students who lived in the containers last night all had dark circles under their eyes and looked listless. Obviously, they hadn't slept well due to mosquito bites and the harsh environment. The top ten students living in the villa area, however, were glowing with health and brimming with Vitality.
This visible gap made everyone deeply understand the cruel meaning of Chief Instructor Lei Zhen's phrase "only recognizing fists."
"Attention!"
Lei Zhen stood on the high platform, his gaze scanning the audience like a falcon. Today, he had changed into a black tight-fitting combat vest, revealing arms covered with various hideous scars—medals left from fighting high-tier beasts.
"Yesterday was the induction ceremony, just an appetizer."
Lei Zhen's voice was low and full of oppression. "Starting today, Hell Week officially begins! For the next week, the daily training time will be 16 hours! No reasons, no excuses. If you can't hold on, get the hell out now!"
No one dared to move.
Since they had come here, no one wanted to be a deserter.
"Very good." Lei Zhen nodded with satisfaction and waved his big hand. "All units, target—Gravity Training Center! Run!"
...
The Gravity Training Center was a massive hemispherical building made entirely of black special alloy. From a distance, it looked like a steel beast crouching on the ground.
Five hundred students were led into an empty hall large enough to hold a thousand people. The floor of the hall was engraved with complex silver patterns—the runes of the Gravity Array.
"This is the most advanced large-scale Gravity Chamber in the military."
Lei Zhen stood behind the bulletproof glass in the control room, his voice spreading through the loudspeakers. "Here, you will endure pressure several times your own body weight. This will not only temper your bones and internal organs but is also the best place to test your willpower."
"The rule is simple: Persist!"
"The longer you persist, the more points you get! The last ten people standing will have A-Rank Beast Meat for lunch today! Those who fall can only drink nutrient paste!"
"Now, Gravity on—1.5x!"
Hum!
With a low humming sound, the silver patterns on the floor of the hall instantly lit up.
An invisible pressure descended from the sky as if the air had suddenly become viscous.
"Ugh..."
Many students whose Vitality barely reached 1.0 felt their bodies sink abruptly. Their knees went weak, and they almost knelt on the ground. 1.5x gravity was equivalent to carrying half of one's body weight while standing. It might be bearable for ordinary people, but for martial artists who needed to maintain Vitality circulation at all times, this would greatly accelerate physical consumption.
Lin Zhiran stood in the center of the crowd, his expression as calm as water.
With 1.5x gravity on his body, he didn't even frown. After the Dragon Blood Body Tempering, his Vitality was as high as 2.2, and his bone density was several times that of ordinary people. This little pressure was like a gentle breeze to him; he felt nothing at all.
He even had the leisure to observe the people around him.
The sword-carrying teenager living in Villa No. 2, named Gu Jian, also looked relaxed. He even closed his eyes, seeming to be comprehending something.
Not far away, Zhao Tai's face looked a bit ugly. Although he had piled his Vitality to 1.1 with drugs, his foundation was unstable. Under this inescapable gravity pressure, his legs were already trembling slightly.
"2x Gravity!"
Lei Zhen's voice sounded again, giving no time for adaptation.
Boom!
The pressure increased sharply.
"Ah!"
This time, someone finally couldn't hold on. A thin student screamed, his legs went soft, and he knelt directly on the ground, gasping for air, his face pale.
Then, the second, the third...
Like dominoes, within just a few minutes, dozens of students fell and were dragged out by the medical robots waiting on the side.
"These are the so-called elites?"
In the control room, Lei Zhen looked at the monitoring screen and snorted coldly. "Young people nowadays have such poor physical fitness. Keep adding weight! 3x!"
Hum—!!!
The air emitted an overwhelmed popping sound.
3x Gravity!
This was already the limit of what an ordinary human body could withstand! At this multiplier, blood flow would become extremely difficult, the heart's load would increase several times, and slight carelessness could lead to blood vessel rupture.
Thud! Thud!
This time, the number of people falling increased geometrically.
In just ten minutes, less than fifty people remained standing in the hall of five hundred!
Zhao Tai's face was flushed red, veins bulging on his forehead. His hands supported his knees firmly, sweat pouring down like a waterfall, shattering instantly upon hitting the ground.
"I can't... can't fall..."
He gritted his teeth, staring dead at the figure not far away that was still upright.
Lin Zhiran.
That damn F-Rank... no, S-Rank!
At this moment, Lin Zhiran still had his hands in his pockets, standing straight, his breathing rhythm not even disordered. 3x gravity only made him feel his body was slightly heavier.
"This kid's physical fitness is a bit perverse."
In the control room, a deputy instructor looked at the data panel and said in surprise, "Vitality fluctuation is extremely stable, heart rate is only 50 beats per minute? Is this really a rookie who just awakened a few days ago? This physical strength has already caught up with veterans who have trained for two or three years, right?"
A glint flashed in Lei Zhen's eyes. "Not finished yet. Since he is an S-Rank, he must have S-Rank treatment. Give him a separate 'extra meal'!"
His finger tapped on the console, locking onto the area where Lin Zhiran was.
"Local Gravity—5x!"
Boom!!!
In the center of the hall, within a two-meter radius of Lin Zhiran, the gravity field collapsed abruptly!
Lin Zhiran, who could still maintain ease, felt his body shake violently. The special alloy floor under his feet even emitted an overwhelmed "creaking" sound.
5x Gravity!
This was like a sedan car pressing directly onto his body!
If it were an ordinary person, their bones would have shattered into slag by now.
Lin Zhiran's knees bent slightly, but in the next second, he straightened his spine again.
He looked up, his gaze passing through the one-way glass, staring directly at the control room. Although he couldn't see anyone, he knew this was the instructor testing his bottom line.
"Testing me?"
The corner of Lin Zhiran's mouth curled up in an arrogant arc.
"Then let you see what an S-Rank is!"
He no longer resisted passively but took a deep breath, his chest rising high.
Inside his body, the "Thunder Breathing Method" roared into operation!
Rumble...
Sounds like muffled rolling thunder came from within his body. In this quiet hall, the sound was clearly audible, making the eardrums of the surrounding struggling students buzz.
"This is... Thunder Sound?!"
Gu Jian, who hadn't fallen yet, opened his eyes abruptly and looked at Lin Zhiran in shock. "Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound? Muscles and Bones Resonating? He is using gravity to temper his body?!"
Correct.
Lin Zhiran wasn't just resisting gravity; he was using this terrifying external pressure to temper the Vitality that had just skyrocketed last night!
The Vitality, which was originally slightly unstable due to rapid breakthrough, was forcibly compressed and purified under the oppression of 5x gravity. Every thread of Vitality became more condensed, heavy and powerful like mercury.
Inhale—Exhale—
With his breathing, the surrounding air seemed to form a visible vortex, rushing frantically into his body.
His skin began to glow with a faint purple hue, a sign of Vitality circulating to the extreme.
"Satisfying!"
Lin Zhiran shouted internally.
This feeling of every cell in the body cheering and getting stronger was even more satisfying than taking drugs!
Watching the teenager on the monitoring screen who was not crushed but whose aura grew stronger, Lei Zhen slammed the table and laughed loudly:
"Good! What a way to use the body as a furnace and gravity as fire!"
"This kid actually trained the 'Thunder Breathing Method' to the Small Success Realm overnight? This comprehension is simply monstrous!"
"Stop! Today's gravity test ends here!"
Lei Zhen decisively turned off the gravity system. If he continued pressing, the others wouldn't be able to take it, but this kid would probably treat the Gravity Chamber as a cultivation holy land and refuse to leave.
Hum.
Gravity dissipated.
The surviving students collapsed on the ground like they were exhausted, gasping for breath. Only a few like Lin Zhiran and Gu Jian remained standing.
Lin Zhiran moved his neck, unsatisfied, making a series of crackling sounds.
He felt that his strength was a fraction more condensed than before he came in.
"Assemble!"
Lei Zhen's voice sounded again. "Top ten, follow me to the canteen to eat meat! Others, dismissed to drink paste!"
...
Afternoon, Combat Training Field.
After eating a sumptuous meal of A-Rank Beast Meat, Lin Zhiran felt heat rolling in his body, full of energy and wanting to find someone to fight.
And this opportunity came very quickly.
"Next is Free Combat Training."
Lei Zhen stood by the field, biting a cigar. "To increase practicality, I allow you to conduct 'Points Betting Battles'! Everyone has an initial 10 points. Lose one match, deduct 1 point; win one match, gain 1 point. Those with zero points will be eliminated!"
As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere in the field instantly became tense.
Everyone knew this was the beginning of the law of the jungle.
"Lin Zhiran!"
A voice like muffled thunder sounded.
A burly man nearly two meters tall, with muscles bulging like granite, walked out. He wore a specially made extra-large training suit and held a thick alloy staff in his hand. Every step he took made the ground tremble slightly.
"It's Wang Li from Villa No. 3!"
"I heard he has innate divine strength. Before awakening, he could lift a motorcycle with one hand. He awakened the B-Rank Talent [Great Strength], and his strength now probably exceeds 2000kg!"
Wang Li walked up to Lin Zhiran, looking down at him, and said in a muffled voice, "Heard you are an S-Rank? And one who plays with spears?"
"I'm a rough man and don't understand techniques. But I hate those monkeys who run around relying on speed the most. I want to bet with you, 10 points, all in! Dare or not?"
The audience was in an uproar.
All in right from the start?
10 points, once lost, meant direct elimination! Was this Wang Li crazy?
Behind the crowd, a trace of viciousness flashed in Zhao Tai's eyes. This Wang Li was a "hired thug" he bought at a high price. Although only a B-Rank Talent, his brute force was terrifying, and he had thick skin and flesh, perfectly countering agility-type martial artists like Lin Zhiran.
As long as Lin Zhiran's speed was restricted, one stick down, and even an S-Rank would be crippled!
Lin Zhiran looked up at the mountain of meat in front of him, his expression strange.
"You say... I look like a monkey?"
He pointed at himself, then looked at Wang Li.
"Are you not?" Wang Li grinned, revealing a mocking expression. "Without that spear, without speed, with your small frame, I can break you with one punch!"
"Good."
Lin Zhiran nodded, a trace of playfulness flashing in his eyes. "Since you want to bet, let's bet bigger. Besides the 10 points, whoever loses runs a hundred laps around the playground, shouting 'I am trash' while running. How about it?"
"Hahahaha! Just what I wanted!" Wang Li laughed wildly, slamming the alloy staff in his hand. "Come on!"
Boom!
Wang Li attacked first.
He didn't have any fancy moves, relying on his great strength and wide attack range. He swung the alloy staff with the sound of tigers and wind, carrying the momentum of sweeping away a thousand troops, directly covering all of Lin Zhiran's dodging space.
"Get down for me!"
This strike was heavy and powerful, exploding the air pressure.
Everyone thought Lin Zhiran would use his footwork to dodge like he did against Zhao Tai yesterday.
But in the next second, a scene that made their jaws drop happened.
Lin Zhiran... didn't dodge!
He stood still, his feet seemingly rooted. Facing the howling alloy staff, he just slowly raised his right hand, spread his five fingers, and seemingly casually grabbed forward.
"Is he crazy?!"
"That's an alloy staff! Won't this smash his hand bones?"
"Too arrogant!"
Even Lei Zhen in the distance frowned. Just as he was about to intervene, it was too late.
Bang!!!
A dull impact sound rang out.
There was no sound of shattering bones, nor any screams.
Only a tooth-aching sound of metal friction.
Lin Zhiran's right hand firmly grabbed the alloy staff carrying a thousand pounds of force! Although his arm sank slightly, it didn't bend. That fair palm was like an iron pincer, deadly locking the staff body, preventing it from advancing an inch!
The wind stopped.
The hideous smile on Wang Li's face froze. His face turned red as he used all his strength to try to pull the staff back or press it down, but the staff was motionless, as if cast in concrete.
"This... Is this your strength?"
Lin Zhiran looked up, his eyes palpitatingly calm.
"You're right, I'm one who plays with spears."
"But who told you that those who play with spears don't have strength?"
Before his voice fell.
Lin Zhiran's arm shook violently, and the Vitality in his body roared like a dragon. The 2.2 Vitality, combined with the instant explosive power brought by the "Thunder Breathing Method," was fully released at this moment!
"Up!"
He shouted low, grabbing the staff with one hand, and actually lifted the over-two-hundred-pound Wang Li, along with the staff, directly into the air!
Whoosh—
It was like swinging a rag doll.
Lin Zhiran exerted force with one arm, swung Wang Li in a semicircle in the air, and then smashed him ruthlessly onto the ground!
Boom!!!
The ground trembled, and gravel flew.
Wang Li was smashed into the ground, creating a human-shaped shallow pit. His eyes rolled back, foam foamed at his mouth, and the alloy staff in his hand was severely bent and deformed.
One move!
Pure strength domination!
The field was dead silent, even quieter than in the Gravity Chamber just now.
Everyone looked at Lin Zhiran as if they had seen a ghost.
Is this f*cking an Agility-type martial artist?
This is more like a humanoid T-Rex than Wang Li, who is famous for strength!
Lin Zhiran let go, allowing the bent alloy staff to fall to the ground with a crisp clang.
He patted the dust off his hands, his gaze sweeping over the dumbfounded Zhao Tai, and finally landing on the unconscious Wang Li.
"Remember to have him run laps when he wakes up."
"Louder please, my hearing isn't very good."
After speaking, he turned and walked out of the field, his back proud and domineering.
At this moment, no one dared to question the gold content of his S-Rank Talent anymore.
Whether speed or strength.
He was the well-deserved—King!