Axe Emperor's Recognition

Training ground, the blazing sun scorched their hearts.

Twenty minutes had passed. The First Echelon elites had already completed sixteen laps, with only four remaining. Everyone was drenched in sweat, gritting their teeth and picking up speed.

To finish within twenty-five minutes, the final few minutes were crucial. Besides, there was a new recruit chasing hard from behind, driving them into a mad sprint.

They were the elites among the new recruits and trained diligently every day. Each of them had a bit of pride. If they were caught by a new recruit who had only trained for a month...

Fuck, just thinking about it felt awful!

The Third Echelon, with the poorest stamina, had completely become background scenery. They could barely even maintain their formation, with people constantly falling behind in a scattered mess.

Their only goal was to pass.

"He's coming! He's coming again!"

"Has he lapped us three times already?"

"The instructors are definitely going to chew us out when we get back!"

Watching Luo Ya pass them again, the Third Echelon recruits groaned miserably. They did not even have the strength left to complain.

It was one thing to be overtaken by the First and Second Echelons. They were usually no match for those guys anyway. But getting lapped several times by a new recruit—who were they supposed to complain to?

That new recruit was ridiculously strong, okay!

The Second Echelon was under mounting pressure as well.

They could reliably pass, but found it difficult to achieve excellent results. They knew they could not compare to the First Echelon elites, but they had never imagined a new recruit would kick their asses.

Seeing Luo Ya catch up, everyone grew anxious. If he passed them again, they would be a full lap behind!

However, they could not stop him.

"Brothers, should we block him?"

"With what?"

"Damn it, clear the innermost lane!"

"If we're suffering, we can't let the guys in front have it easy either!"

The Second Echelon quickly reached an agreement and gave up the innermost lane, the most energy-efficient position, allowing Luo Ya to pass quickly.

The First Echelon happened to see this as they rounded the bend.

"Fuck, those bastards from the Second Echelon actually gave the new recruit room!"

"Do they have no shame?!"

"Brothers, faster! The new recruit is catching up!"

At the twenty-third minute, Luo Ya finally caught up to the First Echelon's rear!

But at that moment, the First Echelon recruits could no longer spare any attention for Luo Ya behind them. They were all sprinting wildly, drenched in sweat, with only the final thousand meters left in their minds.

800! 500! 300!

The finish line came into view!

Their formation fell apart at that moment. Everyone began their final acceleration without prompting, sprinting wildly with their tongues hanging out.

Their assessment results concerned their futures!

"Faster, faster!"

Luo Ya's pupils contracted as he stared fixedly at the red line at the finish. His adrenaline continued to surge, and strength welled up once more in his exhausted legs.

A little faster!

Even if he could only shave off one second, he had to give it everything he had!

The twenty-fifth minute!

Luo Ya bent over, gasping for breath, his hands braced against his trembling knees. Large beads of sweat dripped onto the ground. The exposed skin of his body was faintly flushed from the intense exertion, radiating visible heat.

His mind was completely blank.

"Nicely done!"

Along with the praise, a hand wearing Iron Fist Gauntlets extended before him.

"Smack!"

Luo Ya grabbed Fullbody's hand and shakily rose with his help. After taking a deep, forceful breath, he raised his head to look at the sky.

Whew... My heart nearly exploded.

Fullbody was in much better condition, clearly with plenty of strength left. Smiling, he pointed behind Luo Ya. "Turn around and look."

"Hm?"

Luo Ya turned around.

The First Echelon guys were all there, each one looking like a mule or horse on the verge of collapse, clutching their waists and legs as they groaned.

Wait.

Luo Ya looked at where Fullbody and he stood, then looked at the other recruits, quickly realizing something.

It seemed he had run to the front?

After resting for a short while, several of them came over to Luo Ya and gave him a hard thump on the chest before raising their thumbs.

"You're damn good, kid!"

"Not bad."

Luo Ya grinned and replied with a particularly smug remark.

"There are still other assessments."

"Fuck, passing us once isn't enough for you?!"

The group immediately started cursing, but the hostility in their eyes was gone. It had been replaced with admiration.

It did not matter whether Luo Ya was a green new recruit. Since he could beat them in training, he had earned their respect.

The military camp respected the strong above all else!

The other recruits were still undergoing their assessments. The extra five minutes were a benefit for Luo Ya and the others, allowing them to rest properly and recover their strength.

After catching his breath for a while, Luo Ya walked toward Sergeant Morgue, who stood nearby. His heart was filled with gratitude. During the earlier run, he had clearly felt Morgue coordinating with him.

"Sergeant Morgue, thank you for your help!"

"No need to thank me. You earned this result through your own effort."

Morgue gave an almost imperceptible nod.

He liked serious Marines.

"Keep working hard from here on."

"Yes, sir!"

Luo Ya straightened his back and gave a military salute.

Soon, the running assessment ended.

Four recruits failed to pass and left the training ground dejectedly.

Normally, if someone signed up for the assessment, then even if their usual training results were not outstanding, they could barely meet the standard.

However, the assessment tested more than just physical strength and endurance. Mentality was also important. Especially under the gaze of so many school officials, poor performance was very common.

After a brief five-minute break, the next assessment quickly began.

Two hundred push-ups, all to be completed within five minutes. Their form had to be standard, and they could not pause midway. Completing them within four minutes counted as excellent.

"1, 2!"

Under the blazing sun, the recruits rose and fell on the sandy ground. Whenever a recruit's form was not standard enough, the examiner's whip would crack across their back.

Three lashes meant immediate elimination!

"34, 35, 36!"

Luo Ya exerted strength through both arms, steadily pushing himself up.

The push-up assessment was easier than the running test. Most recruits could pass it, and with little pressure, his mind began to wander.

Did Koby train like this too?

Even calculating based on a branch's training load, multiplied by two hundred, that would be forty thousand push-ups. There were only a little over eighty thousand seconds in twenty-four hours, which meant averaging one every two seconds—and that did not even include other training exercises.

Impossible. Even a pile driver was not that fierce!

"Weighted training?"

Thinking of the massive axe on Sergeant Morgue's back, Luo Ya seemed to understand a little. If time was not enough, then add weight.

Doing push-ups with sandbags on his back would definitely be several times more effective than doing them normally. He would try it when he got back tonight.

"Crack!"

The whip lashed viciously across his back, leaving a burning pain.

"Don't lose focus!"

"Yes, sir!"

Luo Ya's face paled, and he hurriedly reined in his thoughts to focus on training. Sergeant Morgue's whip would not go easy on him.

Hiss—he definitely drew blood!

3 minutes 53 seconds!

"200!"

Luo Ya took a deep breath and rose to his feet with a relaxed expression. The other recruits also gradually completed the push-up assessment.

This time, not a single person was eliminated.

"Hm."

Morgue picked up his notebook and wrote "excellent" beside Luo Ya's name. His opinion of Luo Ya rose once again.

Compared to the earlier run, Luo Ya had completed this assessment with ease. He had already completely turned the techniques he learned from him into his own.

His learning ability was very strong!