Soft Persimmon

"This gap is a bit outrageous..." Wei Hong said.

Feng Wenhao sized Zhou Leng up and said, "Your recent improvement hasn't been ordinary fast. Over 90 points in dodging and running? At No. 8 High School, that's Zhang Xinglie's exclusive domain."

"Maybe I got lucky."

"I believe you."

Soon, the third event, the weighted run, began.

Each person carried a 100-kilogram iron-sand bag on each shoulder, for a total load of 200 kilograms.

At Deng Zhijue's command, the first ten people began running together.

Everyone saw that Zhou Leng was like a rabbit among turtles, shooting far ahead while the other nine fell farther and farther behind.

Tao Bing said quietly, "Young Master Chang, if we don't make a move now, it'll be too late. Aside from the obstacle run, the later events aren't suitable for making a move."

Chang Luan said nothing.

Tao Bing added quietly, "Those who took Perfection Pills all have some sort of backing, more or less. Only this Zhou Leng had such good Martial Examination results and still got rejected by West Sea Martial University. He's the easiest to handle. Sometimes, you have to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys."

Chang Luan lightly brushed his slicked-back hair with his right hand and gave a soft snort through his nose. "Mm."

"Rest assured," Tao Bing said with a smile.

Afterward, Tao Bing left and spoke covertly with several classmates.

The fourth event, the long-distance obstacle run, began.

The students frowned as they looked at the obstacle course.

Of all the running events, the obstacle run was the most troublesome.

Crawling beneath barbed wire, leaping over gravel pits, crossing aerial ladders, scaling walls, rappelling at high speed...

There were thirty-nine obstacles in all. Each obstacle was timed, and even the slightest delay meant points deducted.

The obstacle run simulated a long-distance march. They had to run back and forth ten times, for a full ten thousand meters.

Deng Zhijue said, "Just like the five-thousand-meter sprint, enter the course one after another. This course may be rather crowded, so everyone must be extra careful. Maliciously injuring others is prohibited. In some narrow areas, a certain degree of collision is allowed, but keep it within reason."

The instructors all wore smiles.

This sort of chaotic obstacle run had always been an event for watching a good show.

Wei Hong shouted, "Instructor, what if I accidentally run into someone and hurt them?"

"In battle, protecting yourself is also a basic ability. If you can't even protect yourself during an obstacle run like this, how will you fight Demonic Beasts in the future? You might as well go home early," an instructor said without the slightest courtesy.

Some students felt faintly uneasy. At last, they realized that these instructors were Martial Guards, not merely teachers.

"Alright. Same as before, starting with student number 01, begin the obstacle run at twenty-second intervals."

One student after another rushed in.

Zhou Leng entered shortly afterward.

At first, Zhou Leng did not accelerate at full strength. Instead, he focused on familiarizing himself with the obstacles.

On the first lap, Zhou Leng ranked nineteenth, placing in the second tier.

After entering the second lap, Zhou Leng accelerated slightly.

Third lap, fourth lap...

As he neared the barbed-wire section, a full twenty meters long, Zhou Leng observed the students around him and calculated the lead time. Then he suddenly dove beneath the wire, flattened himself to the ground, and moved forward rapidly on hands and feet.

The instant Zhou Leng rushed in, a student beside him suddenly accelerated and charged straight into Zhou Leng, who had just crawled beneath the barbed wire.

Like a gecko, Zhou Leng swiftly shifted diagonally and avoided him.

The student suddenly gave a soft cry as his scalp was sliced open by the sharp barbed wire.

Zhou Leng did not even look back.

Before long, Zhou Leng climbed the wall and stepped onto the aerial ladder.

Between the two high walls, there was only a long ladder stretched across.

Zhou Leng ran swiftly along the ladder, drawing closer and closer to the student ahead.

When they neared each other, the student in front suddenly stopped and violently leaned his back toward Zhou Leng.

Zhou Leng's gaze turned cold. He drew in both hands, sent them out, and shoved the student in front off the ladder in midair before continuing to run.

The student landed easily, raised his hand, and shouted, "Report, Instructor! Zhou Leng pushed me off the aerial ladder."

The instructors wore smiles and did not move.

The student looked awkward and had no choice but to climb the wall again and cross the aerial ladder.

Not long after, Zhou Leng climbed onto a steep artificial mountain, a full five stories high.

Just as he was about to reach the summit, Tao Bing suddenly slammed into him from the side, his shoulder like a bull's, his charge fierce and swift.

The slope here was steep, and Zhou Leng had nowhere to dodge. He lowered his body and planted his stance firmly.

His body was like a boulder.

The image of the Standing Elephant Chapter surfaced in Zhou Leng's mind as he rammed into Tao Bing.

Shoulder against shoulder, rising proudly like an elephant.

Zhou Leng's body swayed slightly, while Tao Bing flew backward off the artificial mountain.

"Hm?" Zhou Leng gave the seemingly weightless Tao Bing a puzzled glance, then flipped himself onto the summit, descended the mountain, and continued running.

In midair, Tao Bing's entire body went numb and sore. His meridians shook, leaving him unable to circulate his true qi. His body lost balance, and he crashed heavily onto the mountainside before rolling downward.

Crack...

"Ah..."

Tao Bing screamed as he rolled to the foot of the mountain, blood covering his body. His right leg twisted grotesquely, bright-red bone piercing through the skin.

Deng Zhijue's expression did not change. Instead, he smiled and said, "Little Jia, take him to the infirmary."

"Yes!" Instructor Jia ran over, picked Tao Bing up, and rushed toward the infirmary.

One instructor laughed. "Kids these days are far too impatient."

"They overestimate themselves. They have no idea what it means for Zhou Leng to score over ninety in multiple events."

"Today's not bad. There's a good show to watch."

The instructors all smiled, acting as though it were nothing at all.

Chang Luan, who had seen everything from behind, had storm clouds gathering in his eyes.

Chang Luan's mind was a tangled mess, and his speed slowed.

Lap after lap, when he reached the eighth lap, Chang Luan climbed the high wall and ran across the aerial ladder.

Suddenly, he felt a massive force slam into him from behind, sending his body flying diagonally outward.

Fortunately, it was not very high here, and he was already at the Blood-Circulating Stage. He barely landed on both feet, staggering several steps before steadying himself.

Anger appeared on his face. He looked up and saw Zhou Leng running past on the aerial ladder.

Chang Luan narrowed his eyes, gave a cold smile, and continued the obstacle run.

The instructors saw everything.

"Zhou Leng is not bad. He has spirit, but he also knows restraint."

"Friction creates motivation."

"Back in our day, we fought our way up with fists drawing blood."

Over the next several laps, Zhou Leng's path was exceptionally smooth.

The people ahead even took the initiative to make way for Zhou Leng.

The obstacle run ended, and the new scores were distributed. The class suddenly became much quieter.

Zhou Leng: 98 points.

Only a few people did not know what had happened.

Feng Wenhao, Wei Hong, and the others walked over.

Feng Wenhao asked quietly, "They made the first move?"

Zhou Leng nodded.

"Hmph. It's fine. We're martial arts students. As long as nobody gets crippled, even broken arms and legs won't count as a disciplinary offense."

Wei Hong said quietly, "The other side isn't easy to deal with. Be careful."

Before long, Lu Juncai, the top direct-admission student in the class, walked over and asked, "Chang Luan came after you too?"

Zhou Leng nodded.

Lu Juncai was tall and powerfully built, his muscles like cast iron.

Lu Juncai said, "I saw your supplementary admission exam results. They were far higher than my college entrance exam results. Don't bother with that sort of trash. Your target is Xu Kang'an from the class next door. Win first place for our class."

After the obstacle run ended came the fourth event: weightlifting.

Before long, it was Zhou Leng's turn. He stepped onto the demonized weightlifting platform.

It was a piece of equipment shaped like a doorway. Zhou Leng raised both hands and braced the thick steel plate overhead.

With a soft beep, the thick steel plate slowly pressed downward, while the blue demonic patterns on its surface grew brighter and brighter.

On the display screen of the frame, the number representing the weight climbed rapidly.

100... 200... 300...

The entire class stared at that number.

As the black steel block pressed down, Zhou Leng's face grew redder and redder, and his body sank slightly.

Suddenly, there was another beep. The thick steel plate slowly rose, Zhou Leng removed his hands from it, walked out, and turned back to look.

805 kilograms.

85 points.

After he returned to the other students, Feng Wenhao let out a breath of relief. "Alright, this is finally normal. That freak Zhang Xinglie got full marks, and it was even an 'over-score'—more than nine hundred kilograms. He's practically a monster."

Wei Hong said, "Zhou Leng's body is clearly at the level of a minor genius. He really can't compare with that sort of great genius. Next comes the comprehensive exam, especially the qi-lifting weight test and maximum destructive intensity. Those two show true strength best."

Next, the others took their turns lifting. The result was three full scores, and a total of twelve students scored higher than Zhou Leng in weightlifting.

Even Chang Luan's weightlifting score was above Zhou Leng's.

Several instructors stared at Zhou Leng.

Zhou Leng was so strong in other areas but relatively weak in strength. There was likely another reason for it.

The pills and Meat Medicinal Diets he had received since childhood had not kept up.

Strength required slow accumulation over years and years.

If he made up for the Meat Medicinal Diets and pills, to what extent would Zhou Leng grow?

After some thought, Deng Zhijue wrote Zhou Leng's data and his own opinion into two brief reports, sending them separately to Chief Instructor Huang Jingqiu and hall master Wang Boxiong.

Wang Boxiong was handling Martial Guard Bureau affairs. After taking a quick glance, he connected to the testing ground's monitoring equipment and projected it onto the huge screen in front of him.

Next came the punch-force test.

When it was Zhou Leng's turn, he first tried a few punches, then stood before the demonized punch-force measuring device.

Ahead of him was a thick black padded target, as large as a chair back, its surface covered in scuff marks.

Zhou Leng took a deep breath, planted his right foot, spun and twisted his waist. His arm lashed out like a whip, power running through his entire body as he threw a punch.

Everyone's eyes widened. It was clearly only a punch, yet it looked as though his entire body had crashed forward.

The instructors all nodded. It was a very standard crashing-style exertion, equivalent to pressing the strength of his entire body into his fist.

Bang!

Everyone looked at the display.

"825 kilograms."

"82 points."

Everyone checked their phones, comparing Zhou Leng's weightlifting strength with his punch force.

Wei Hong said, "Punch force is closely related to body weight and foundational strength. Zhou Leng's weight is so far behind, and his foundational strength isn't strong either, yet his punch nearly scored ninety-five points. That shows Zhou Leng's force application is remarkably skillful. Unless something unexpected happens, Zhou Leng's destructive intensity will be especially high too."

After a short rest, they moved into the true qi examination.

Both total true qi and true qi intensity were tested with a true qi measuring device, making it very fast.

Because many people in the class had used Perfection Pills and advanced to the Blood-Circulating Stage, many received full marks of one hundred.

Zhou Leng, at the eighth level of Qi-Nourishing Great Accomplishment, earned 63 points for total true qi and 88 points for true qi intensity.

The third event was true qi control.

The event was still Bubble Basketball. The students began practicing, while all the instructors watched Zhou Leng.

In both the Martial Examination and supplementary admission exam, Zhou Leng had scored ninety-nine points.

Soon, the official test began, and it was Zhou Leng's turn.

The bubbles flew out. Ten shots, ten baskets. They did not touch the rim and shattered upon landing.

100 points.

The entire venue fell silent.

"Damn..." Wei Hong said with feeling.

Chang Luan stared at the striking 100 points on the display. Thinking of Tao Bing, who had nearly been smashed to pieces, he frowned deeply.

Chang Luan faintly felt that he had squeezed the wrong soft persimmon.

The reality was likely not merely that it was not soft.

It might not even have been a persimmon.