Training Camp Assessment

The frost of five in the morning had yet to condense into dew on the alloy flooring when the entire floating landmass awoke to a piercing electric hum.

Gray formations once again converged on the steel plaza.

"Yesterday's twenty kilometers was merely an appetizer for you all."

The one-eyed instructor stood atop the high platform, his black long coat snapping in the morning wind.

His single eye held no emotion, only a blade-like scrutiny. "Today, thirty kilometers. Latecomers are punished; stragglers are expelled."

No wasted words.

Under the cold gaze of the supervising squad, the massive steel column once again embarked on this near-torturous forced march.

The sound of thirty thousand military boots striking the ground coalesced into a dull thunderclap, reverberating across the empty floating land.

Thirty kilometers.

Under one and a half times standard gravity, this already touched the red line of mortal flesh.

Jiang Yue moved within the crowd, his body rising and falling with the rhythm of the formation.

Today's thirty kilometers was a full ten kilometers longer than yesterday's.

For the vast majority of new recruits, those extra ten kilometers were the final straw that broke the camel's back.

Especially since some had yet to recover from muscle soreness, which would further impact their condition today.

"Breathe... out..."

Jiang Yue stared straight ahead, paying no attention to the pale-faced, sweat-drenched comrades beside him.

At the edge of his retina, the [Breath] entry flickered with a faint gray light.

[Current Entry: Smooth Breath (White)]

[Description: Your breathing rhythm is steady; the opening and closing of your lungs greatly calms the surging of blood and qi.]

[Accumulation Progress: Continuously increasing...]

As the march deepened, Jiang Yue could feel a faint burning sensation growing in his lungs.

But every time this fire surged, the steady rhythm brought by [Smooth Breath] suppressed it like a clear spring.

Compared to yesterday, Jiang Yue's steps today felt noticeably lighter.

That was the result of the [Calm Spirit] entry's microscopic repair of his damaged muscles during deep sleep the night before.

Even with only four hours, its restorative effect far surpassed ten hours of ordinary shallow sleep.

To his left, Li Tai was gritting his teeth, his entire body trembling.

"Jiang... Jiang Yue, you're really a monster."

Li Tai's voice squeezed through his teeth, carrying a hint of fear.

He had originally thought Jiang Yue would be limp as mud this morning, even prepared to watch him get dragged away by a medical puppet.

But now, not only was Jiang Yue running steadily, even his breathing was calmer than Li Tai's, who came from a well-off family.

Jiang Yue did not reply.

In such a march, speaking meant leaking one's qi.

Ten kilometers, twenty kilometers...

When the distance crossed yesterday's finish line, the entire formation began to collapse in waves.

Thud.

The sound of heavy objects hitting the ground came one after another.

A civilian youth, eyes bloodshot, took another large stride—then, due to the excruciating pain of torn muscles, his spirit instantly shattered, and he fell stiffly onto the deck.

Seconds later, a medical puppet precisely captured him and dragged him away like trash.

Jiang Yue's knees began to emit a sour grinding sound, and every time his sole landed, it felt like stepping on red-hot iron.

[Current Entry: Smooth Breath]

[Status: High-load operation.]

Jiang Yue held fast to that one breath of turbid qi.

He could sense that, under this extreme pressure, the originally dormant blood and qi within his body were being slowly awakened, like ice beneath winter sun beginning to melt.

Thirty minutes later.

When the final step crossed the finish line, Jiang Yue's body lurched violently.

He pressed his hands to his knees, sweat pouring down like rain, soaking his gray uniform.

"Not as extreme today... must be the physical improvement from body refinement."

After the morning session dispersed, it was back to the familiar gray cafeteria.

Still two tubes of cold nutrient paste.

Jiang Yue expressionlessly shoved it into his mouth. At this moment, his stomach was completely empty, a fierce hunger threatening to devour his very organs.

[Current Entry: Food Digestion (White)]

[Effect: Accelerates conversion, essence back-feeds.]

As the nutrient paste entered his stomach, Jiang Yue could feel his gastric peristalsis suddenly quicken.

Those crude energies were stripped and compressed, transforming into streams of warm currents that rapidly repaired the meridians damaged during his sprint.

For Jiang Yue, eating was no longer about survival—it was about fueling the furnace called his flesh.

Meal finished.

Fifteen minutes of rest.

Then came the tedious and heavy practice of the Federal Basic Body Tempering Technique.

On the high platform, the one-eyed instructor stood with hands clasped behind his back. He didn't personally guide, only coldly watched the tens of thousands in the formation drill the twisted eighteen stances.

Jiang Yue had practiced extra into the night in that narrow capsule pod. Now executing the moves, they were no longer as stiff as yesterday—methodical, by the book, passable.

But in the instructor's eyes, this was still mediocre.

Among these thirty thousand recruits, there were no shortage of those with astonishing comprehension.

Some could already bring their dermal membrane to resonance with each breath; others moved as fluidly as flowing water, faint signs of qi and blood penetrating the skin.

And Jiang Yue? He was just stable.

Stable as a stubborn stone by the roadside.

The instructor's gaze swept past Jiang Yue, landing on a youth of decent background.

That youth's posture was vigorous, his arms stirring faint wind-thunder as they swung—clearly having glimpsed thirty percent of the true meaning behind the "Bell Striking" stance.

The instructor gave a slight nod, noting the standout's name. As for Jiang Yue, he was filed under "strong will but limited talent," and not looked at again.

Jiang Yue didn't care.

At the edge of his retina, the panel faithfully recorded every postural correction.

[Action: Body Tempering]

[Status: Proficiency accumulating...]

[Note: Movement accuracy has reached ninety percent.]

After more practice, the one-eyed instructor mounted the high platform again.

The alloy pointer in his hand struck the table sharply, the crisp sound snapping everyone to attention.

"Silence."

The entire field fell still.

"The adjustment period is over. Starting tomorrow, you will officially enter the training assessment phase."

The one-eyed instructor swept his single eye across the crowd, his voice carrying an unyielding coldness:

"The Federal Great Expedition doesn't feed idle loafers. Every ounce of the Empire's resources must be spent on the most valuable warriors."

"There's only one rule: every ten days, a full-scale evaluation."

"Evaluation content: physical strength. Including but not limited to qi and blood sensitivity, pure explosive power, and weighted sprint speed."

The instructor raised one finger. "Those who fail to meet the standard will be stripped of military status and sent to Forge Star. Don't think I'm joking. The first batch of eliminations will be at least ten percent of you."

Ten percent.

A faint stir rippled through the crowd.

That meant three thousand out of thirty thousand would be reduced to logistics personnel in ten days.

"Of course."

The instructor's tone shifted, a hint of temptation creeping in. "Those who stay aren't condemned to a grass-eating fate either."

"After the evaluation, [Points] will be issued based on your comprehensive scores."

"Points are your lifeline in this camp. With them, you can go to Sector B to exchange for beast meat, medicine, or the gene enhancement fluids that can truly make your qi and blood boil."

"Want to get stronger? Want to fight your way out of this star sector? Then fight for it!"

"Fight for rankings, fight for points, fight for that sliver of a chance to live!"

"Dismissed!"