Mystic Body

Hu Yi, his face flushed red, raised his glass high and shouted, "Come, everyone, let's toast Zhou Leng, winner of the 'Zhou Leng Progress Award'!"

Feng Wenhao sat beside Hu Yi, and beside Feng Wenhao was an empty chair.

On the other side of the empty chair, Xu Qingjin picked up a beer-filled glass, rose with a smile, and held it out to Zhou Leng.

"This was prepared for you."

Zhou Leng took it, raised it to the group, and said, "I was seeing someone off and got here late. I'll punish myself with a drink."

With that, Zhou Leng drained the glass in one go.

"Come, come, come, we've all been waiting for you." Hu Yi swayed slightly as he walked over, put an arm around Zhou Leng's shoulder, and guided him to the empty seat.

Xu Qingjin sat down beside him as well, with a female classmate she was close to on her other side.

In front of Zhou Leng, the bone plate, bowl, and chopsticks had been arranged with meticulous neatness.

Mo Hai sat at the head of the table and said with a smile, "All the praise that needed to be given has been given. As for how we feel about you, no words are needed. Just this."

After saying that, Mo Hai gave him a thumbs-up.

Most of them had drunk enough for their faces to turn slightly red. Even those who had not been drinking were more excited than usual. They all nodded lightly, their eyes bright and glistening.

Zhou Leng poured himself another glass of beer, rose to his feet, raised it in a circle toward those around him, and said, "Thank you all for taking care of me these past few days. This glass represents my gratitude. May the friendship between us classmates last forever!"

As he spoke, Zhou Leng drained his second glass in one gulp.

Then Zhou Leng raised a third glass and said, "This final glass is for every one of us. No matter what road you take, may you rise higher and higher and grow better and better!"

After speaking, Zhou Leng finished the third glass and sat down.

The way his classmates looked at Zhou Leng became even warmer.

At his side, Xu Qingjin said softly, "You're very happy today."

Zhou Leng nodded.

Everyone first exchanged polite small talk for a while before Mo Hai said, "Just now, we were all talking about how we felt after school started. Zhou Leng, what do you have to say about these days of military training?"

Zhou Leng thought for a moment and said, "I don't know how it felt for you in other places, but my biggest impression at the martial arts hall is that our martial arts hall doesn't really feel like a school. It feels more like a reserve martial guard unit or reserve soldiers."

"These past few days, all the martial arts hall students and I have changed noticeably. Before, we relied more on our teachers, our parents, and our school."

"But as we cursed the instructors and cursed the martial arts hall every day, we slowly realized that cursing was useless. This world does not bend to our will. No matter how ruthless the instructors and the martial arts hall are, can they be crueler than Demon Sea Demons? So our mindsets changed quickly."

"Yesterday was the last day of military training, and it was especially obvious. Everyone's gaze had grown steadier. Curse all you want, but no one was careless with their work. Overall, we've all become much more mature."

"Yes, that's exactly the feeling. Zhou Leng summed it up better." Feng Wenhao nodded.

Mo Hai sighed. "It seems Martial Arts Hall Students and martial university students really are different. When you weren't here, Feng Wenhao and several other classmates talked about the martial arts hall students' military training, and it had us jumping at every word. Even martial university students aren't trained that harshly. Those who aren't Martial Path Students are Still Stuck At the ordinary military training stage—mostly marching in formation and goose-stepping, with very little field training."

"Military Academy students must have it even tougher," Zhou Leng said.

"Of course." Mo Hai said, "Several students from the elite class got into Military Academy. Since school started, apart from seeing their names on the Freshman Ranking, we haven't been able to contact them at all. We made a rough calculation: martial university students' military training is about five times as intense as that of non-Martial Path Students. Martial Arts Hall Students have it twice as hard as martial university students. Military Academy students have it at least twice as hard as Martial Arts Hall Students."

"More or less." Zhou Leng had seen Ru University freshmen's training routines, and they were nowhere near as intense as those of Martial Arts Hall Students.

"How are things over at Yunhua? Did Zhang Xinglie say anything?" Mo Hai asked.

All the classmates looked at Zhou Leng curiously.

So that's what they really care about, Zhou Leng thought. He then shared some of the things he had heard from Zhang Xinglie.

"Yunhua-Jingjing is completely different from us."

"Before school even begins, martial university students undergo high-intensity intensive training, receive Innate Guidance, and get pills and Meat Medicinal Cuisine every day."

"After school starts, the military training isn't particularly intense, but each person's individual training is extremely demanding. Aside from a few students who slack off, more than ninety percent are extraordinarily disciplined."

"Zhang Xinglie said that only after entering Yunhua Martial University did he understand that his past efforts and talent could only be considered passing."

"At Yunhua, Zhang Xinglie is probably above average. He has already started routine 500-kilogram weight training without true qi. Classmates just a notch stronger than him start at no less than 800 kilograms, and they're all charging toward 1,000."

Everyone sighed in amazement.

Feng Wenhao said, "Could we put it this way? The greatest strength we can possibly reach is only part of their daily training routine? Maybe we can't even reach that?"

"That's exactly it." Zhou Leng looked at Mo Hai again. "How is that Shan Heyuan?"

Mo Hai gave a bitter smile. "He's practically become a legend at West Sea Martial University. The ordinary martial arts gym we use doesn't suit him at all. He goes straight to the faculty martial arts gym to train, and even the routine weight training of Vitality Stage experts can't compare with his."

"He really is a beast."

"His only weakness is poor true qi control. But with that strength and that ocean of true qi, when he fights, what need is there for control? He can just force his way through. A Body Tempering Stage teacher sparred with him. Shan Heyuan threw a punch, and the teacher blocked with both arms—crack. Both arms were pulverized. Not fractured—pulverized."

The classmates slowly shook their heads.

"Giant Bloodline is truly terrifying. Humans simply can't compare," Feng Wenhao said.

But Mo Hai said, "Don't think of it that way. Humans may be average physically, but intelligence and acquired Studying can make up for all kinds of shortcomings. Our teacher said that giants have an advantage before the Grandmaster realm, but after becoming Grandmasters, humans can make up the difference. Do you know why?"

"Mystic Bodies?" Zhou Leng asked.

"Right. Those Grandmasters will do everything they can to cultivate one—or even all—of the four Mystic Bodies: qi, blood, body, and strength. A Grandmaster who has mastered the Mystic Body of physique is only a notch weaker in pure physical flesh than a giant of the same rank. They won't be at an absolute disadvantage, and with true qi and body-tempering cultivation techniques, a very small number can even overtake them."

Feng Wenhao sighed. "No wonder, in some combat videos, human Grandmaster Martial Saints tear demons apart with their bare hands and tread on giant dragons beneath their feet."

"Unfortunately, the cultivation methods for special physiques still haven't been made public."

Mo Hai said, "It can't be helped. First, special-physique cultivation is rare. Second, it's highly dangerous. Third, no complete system has been developed. And fourth... perhaps the competition is too fierce. If one person obtains it, another won't, so the martial clans and great houses that hold the information keep it tightly hidden."

"I hope that in future Ten Realms Battles, humanity can obtain more Golden Light Crystals and unlock more cultivation systems after opening them."

"Thanks To those mysterious Golden Light Crystals, otherwise humanity's martial arts system wouldn't have developed so quickly."

Everyone chatted for quite a while.

Seeing that the time was about right, Zhou Leng secretly sent a message to Feng Wenhao.

Feng Wenhao immediately rose to his feet and said it was getting late, that there were matters to attend to at home, and that he would be taking his leave first.

Zhou Leng also brought Xu Qingjin along, and the four of them left together.

Mo Hai watched the room door slowly close, his gaze darkening. He raised his glass toward the remaining classmates and said, "Today, we won't go home until we're drunk..."

On the road, Zhou Leng and Xu Qingjin walked ahead, chatting.

Hu Yi and Feng Wenhao followed behind, their faces flushed red as they draped their arms over each other's shoulders and staggered along.

From time to time, the two glanced at Zhou Leng and Xu Qingjin ahead of them, wearing sleazy grins.