Niche

"Clack, clack, clack!"

Lei Long, who had been hiding on the side, suddenly changed expression and took a few sharp steps forward.

"Don't talk nonsense! Brother Fei is a man! He only grew his hair out to commemorate his mother!"

After saying this, he stood opposite the line of students.

"I forgot to mention! Brother Fei, gender: male! Everyone remember that!"

The round-faced female student tilted her head, "Nan... Liang?"

Lei Long's eyes widened as he stared in disbelief at this somewhat airheaded girl, his lips trembling.

"You..."

"Smack."

A palm landed on his shoulder.

"Oh my~ Little Lei, why are you so nervous?"

Lin Fei stood behind Lei Long. Despite the exaggerated difference in their physiques, it was Lin Fei who seemed like the taller one.

With a light tug of his left hand, Lei Long was sent flying away.

After tossing Lei Long aside, he turned to look at the crowd, chin slightly raised as he grinned.

"Let's begin, everyone."

"Oh, right. My technique is a bit special and might be slightly painful, so don't worry about it."

Lin Fei spoke, and despite his pleasant, youthful voice, everyone felt an inexplicable chill and quickly stripped off their upper training uniforms.

On the other side, Lei Long, who had been tossed into the corner, huddled even further back after hearing Lin Fei say it would be "slightly painful."

Seeing this, a sense of foreboding rose in the hearts of the students.

But if it's only a little painful, it shouldn't be...

"Ah-- Mommy--!!"

"Save me! Save me! Ah--!!!"

The airheaded, round-faced girl lay on the floor screaming.

Tears mixed with snot and saliva dripped from her chin onto the floor, her hands clawing at the ground as she tried to crawl forward.

But it was useless.

Lin Fei stepped on her back with one foot, his index and middle fingers pressed together, constantly poking and tracing lines across her back.

"Don't be in such a rush to leave; carefully feel this force."

"If you had wanted me to smooth out your fist energy back at the main gym, I wouldn't have even bothered for a hundred thousand."

"You guys are really getting your money's worth this time."

Lin Fei spoke with a smile, his hands never stopping, "Hold on, the big one is coming."

Hearing Lin Fei's voice, the airheaded girl's face filled with terror, her right hand slapping the floor repeatedly.

"Coach, I was wrong! I was wrong!"

"I'll never call you Nan again--!!"

Before she could finish begging for mercy, Lin Fei's hands had already gripped her shoulders, "Here comes the big one~"

With a "crack," the airheaded girl rolled her eyes back and face-planted into the floor.

"Ohoho~~~"

As she "coughed" out a human-shaped puff of white mist, the entire gym hall fell silent.

No one made a sound, all of them silently staring at the floor, not daring to breathe.

Releasing the peacefully sleeping girl, Lin Fei tossed his hair, revealing a dashing smile as he looked at the students.

"Don't be impatient; everyone here today will get their turn~"

Near noon, Lin Ye slumped on the hall floor, his gaze still somewhat unfocused.

Beside him, Yan Yi was in the same state, staring blankly at the patterns on the floor, muttering unintelligible sounds.

Except for the two of them, the other students were in much the same condition.

Lei Long was no exception; he had been "repaired" along the way and sat in the corner with his mouth slightly agape, exhaling hot air.

"Clap! Clap!"

Lin Fei clapped his hands with a strange rhythm, and everyone slowly drifted back to consciousness.

"All eyes on me, everyone."

"Everyone, scoot toward the middle. And you students over there, stop drooling."

Hearing this, everyone scrambled to their feet, not daring to delay for fear of having to go through it all again.

In no time, the group had gathered around Lin Fei in three concentric circles.

"Does anyone have anything else they want to ask? You can ask now."

Lin Fei sat on the floor in the center, a brilliant smile on her face.

On the outer edge, Lin Ye slowly adjusted his breathing, feeling the changes in his body.

Previously, with the help of Yan Yi, his power output level had already reached 90 points.

This score was definitely among the top tier of all the students, likely only inferior to Wei Qian and Yan Yi.

And now, after Lin Fei's guidance, his power output could be said to have reached 95 points.

95 points—this was the limit under normal circumstances.

The absolute standard of 100 points was almost impossible to achieve; there would always be some minor margin of error.

"Coach, given my aptitude, how long will it take for me to reach the third level?"

As he was thinking this, Yan Yi beside him suddenly spoke up, sitting upright with her legs crossed, looking straight at Lin Fei.

Lin Fei followed the voice, arched an eyebrow, and licked her canine tooth.

"Soul Whale Fist prioritizes willpower above all else. If you hadn't asked, perhaps five years."

"But since you asked, it will be at least five years."

Yan Yi lowered her head slightly and said nothing more.

Judging by the body-tempering effects of the eighteen forms of the Soul Whale Fist, she had always assumed it was a style that focused on the physical body, never expecting it to prioritize willpower.

The willpower of the Long Whale Dominates the Sea?

She recited silently in her heart; she was indeed lacking that specific willpower.

But soon, she lifted her head, her gaze remaining steadfast.

Watching the resolute Yan Yi, Lin Fei felt a touch of surprise—she was certainly determined.

Looking at it this way, perhaps it wouldn't take five years?

Lin Ye glanced at Yan Yi, then turned his gaze to Lin Fei.

"Coach, how long will it take for me to get started?"

Lin Fei looked at him, "Your physical talent is good. It shouldn't take more than seven days for you to master the basics of the fist technique."

"Since you have already mastered the Heat Line, it will likely only take these next two days."

"Among this batch of students, I estimate only Wei Qian and Yan Yi are faster than you."

Lin Ye nodded and continued to ask, "Are there many people who can master the basics in seven days?"

Lin Fei's eyes flickered as she looked directly at Lin Ye, her expression uncharacteristically serious.

"Not many. Mastering the basics in seven days is considered top-tier in terms of talent."

"Although Wei Qian and Yan Yi might master it faster than you, their potential is not as high as yours."

Among this batch of students, these three were the only ones she could guarantee would reach the third level.

"Considered?"

Lin Ye withdrew his gaze and didn't ask anything else.

Beside him, upon hearing Lin Fei's assessment, Yan Yi's expression remained unchanged; she had known this all along.

Wei Qian, sitting on the other side, glanced over. He recognized Yan Yi—the punch strength test from that day had left a deep impression on him.

It was just that Lin Ye had been too low-key; he had always assumed he was just Yan Yi's sparring partner.

Watching Lin Ye, he committed his appearance to memory.

Other students also looked over; the head coach was essentially acknowledging that Lin Ye had the highest potential in their batch.

"Ring-ring~~ Ring-ring~~"

A bell rang out, and Lei Long took out his phone to turn off the alarm he had set.

He looked at Lin Fei, "Brother Fei, it's twelve o'clock."

Lin Fei didn't speak; she stood up and scanned the room.

"That's it for today. We have guests coming this afternoon, so everyone go wash up and sleep... wash up and head home."

On the second floor of the Whale-Kill Boxing Hall, in the head coach's office.

Lin Fei stood behind the reflective glass, watching the students leave the boxing hall, her gaze lingering on Lin Ye's retreating back.

"The feeling he gives me... is very confident, perhaps even narcissistic."

"When he asks questions, it doesn't feel like he's asking for guidance; it's more like a wild beast arriving in a strange hunting ground, confirming its place in the food chain."

"He isn't trying to find out how long it will take him to get started, but rather where his ecological niche lies."

Lin Fei crossed her arms, looking down from above.

Lei Long quietly raised his eyelids from the side, his forehead wrinkling.

Who? Who are you talking about?

"Right, the boss is right," he said.

Lin Fei cast a sidelong glance at him, "What about that cult the Police Department mentioned?"

Upon hearing this, Lei Long took out a tablet and handed it over, displaying a map of Coast City.

"We found a few altars, but we haven't made a move yet, fearing we might alert the enemy."

Lin Fei looked at the red dots marked on the map and nodded slightly.

"Continue the surveillance for now; these annoying bugs need to be rooted out at the first opportunity."