Lei Hong already had considerable prestige among these elders, and now it seemed he had won even more support.
Fang Chang seemed to have accepted this with equanimity. He still stood there with a faint smile.
"Who wants to go first today?"
Hong Lei smiled and continued.
"Brother Hong, I'll give it a try!"
Wu Yu said at once.
He immediately stepped over to the two-hundred-pound stone lock and gripped it tightly with both hands.
Then he exerted all his strength, but could only lift it three feet before he was unable to raise it any higher.
After holding it there for about two breaths, he had no choice but to give up.
Next, he went over to the one-hundred-and-ninety-pound stone lock.
Not only did he quickly lift it above his head, he also managed to hold it for more than three breaths.
"Not bad. Fang Chang, make a note of this: Wu Yu, one hundred and ninety pounds!"
Hong Lei turned to Fang Chang with a smile.
Fang Chang said nothing. He picked up the paper and pen he had prepared and began recording the result.
"Impressive! No wonder Wu Yu came in first last time. In just ten days, he's gained nearly twenty pounds of strength. I'm afraid first place is his again this time!"
"Having meat every day really makes a difference. I've probably gained five pounds of strength at most over these ten days!"
Many people looked at Wu Yu enviously.
The newcomers who had only arrived recently were especially impressed. Forget lifting a one-hundred-and-ninety-pound stone lock; they would probably struggle even with a hundred-pound one.
Chen Pi, Gu Ming, and Chen Yong, who had also mastered the basics of the Five Animals Fist, felt immense pressure at that moment.
There were only three spots for free meat, and barring any surprises, Wu Yu had already secured one.
That meant they could only compete for the two remaining spots.
"I'll go!"
Wu Yu had only just returned to the crowd with a smile when Chen Pi, without waiting for Hong Lei to speak again, went straight to the one-hundred-and-ninety-pound stone lock.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, he managed to lift it above his head, though only with difficulty, and held it for just two breaths.
"Chen Pi, let's put you down for one hundred and eighty-five pounds!"
Hong Lei nodded at Chen Pi with a smile.
"Thank you, Brother Hong!"
Chen Pi cupped his hands and bowed to Hong Lei, then returned to the crowd with a broad smile.
He hadn't beaten Wu Yu, but with a result like that, barring surprises, he should comfortably take third place, even if he couldn't hold on to second.
"Only one spot left!"
Gu Ming and Chen Yong exchanged a glance, each seeming to see the sharpness in the other's eyes.
No matter what, they had to claim that final spot.
Soon, several more people took their turns.
Most had gained five or ten pounds of strength since the last test.
Then the newcomers gave it a try, too. Almost all of them could barely manage to lift the one-hundred-pound stone lock.
"If nothing unexpected happens, Lu Yuan will have to give up third place this time!"
"Obviously, it'll be either Chen Yong or Gu Ming in third. Lu Yuan can forget about it!"
"That's not necessarily true. Maybe he only slacks off in front of us, then goes home and secretly trains harder."
Some people turned to look at Chen Yong and Gu Ming, who were raring to go, then glanced at Lu Yuan, still standing quietly where he was.
Before long, to everyone's anticipation, Gu Ming and Chen Yong took their turns one after the other.
Gu Ming managed to lift the one-hundred-and-eighty-pound stone lock, but held it for only two breaths. Chen Yong lifted the same weight and managed to hold it for three.
In the end, Gu Ming narrowly lost to Chen Yong by five pounds.
"The results are in. The top three are pretty much settled: Wu Yu in first, Chen Pi in second, and Chen Yong in third!"
Everyone sighed with mixed feelings. Once again, it seemed the top three spots were out of their reach.
Fall behind once, and you'll fall behind at every turn. They were probably never going to get another chance.
Unless Chen Yong turned out to be another good-natured fellow like Lu Yuan and started slacking off after taking third place—not only coming to Song Academy just once a day to practice the Five Animals Fist, but also leaving as soon as he'd eaten his free meat.
But that was clearly impossible. Chen Yong trained harder than anyone every day; otherwise, he couldn't have beaten Gu Ming, who had mastered the basics of the Five Animals Fist a day earlier.
"Brother Wu Yu and Brother Chen Pi didn't disgrace the top three from last time. Some people, though, are another matter. Still, I should thank him. If he weren't so unwilling to endure the hardship of training, I might not have taken third place!"
Chen Yong looked at Lu Yuan with a half-smile and spoke without the slightest restraint.
"Brother Yong, congratulations! With free meat, you'll make tremendous progress over the next ten days!"
Many people came forward to congratulate him and curry favor, as if they all believed third place was already in Chen Yong's pocket.
"Of course. With free meat to help me, I'll maintain five or even six training sessions a day. I won't slack off for a moment. No one's taking third place away from me at the next test!"
Chen Yong declared proudly.
Lu Yuan didn't treasure the free meat allotment, but Chen Yong treasured it as if his life depended on it. He would never hand it over.
As time passed, more and more people took their turns.
And just as everyone had expected, no one managed to surpass Chen Yong.
As last time, only Lu Yuan remained.
"What a shame. Ah Yuan was stronger than most people to begin with. If he'd trained properly over these past ten days, he might have held on to third place!"
Chen Pi sighed and secretly shook his head.
"Ah Yuan, don't disappoint me!"
Fang Chang was also watching Lu Yuan intently, his brows furrowed slightly.
"He's going last again. Is he planning to come from behind and snatch third place once more?"
"Impossible. Maybe he's just afraid of embarrassing himself, so he's waiting until everyone else has gone!"
Amid the crowd's chatter, Lu Yuan stepped forward and went straight to the one-hundred-and-ninety-pound stone lock.
"No way. He's going to lift the one-hundred-and-ninety-pound one too?"
"Know your limits. Even if he was born stronger than most, he's only been at Song Academy for a little over ten days. There's no way he's mastered the Five Animals Fist, so he absolutely can't lift a stone lock that weighs one hundred and ninety pounds!"
"I've got a bad feeling about this. Could he really steal third place from Chen Yong again?"
Ignoring the crowd's chatter and stares, Lu Yuan reached out and gripped the stone lock in front of him with both hands.
Though he seemed to struggle more than Chen Pi had, he still managed to lift it above his head and hold it for more than two breaths.
"Thud!"
As Lu Yuan dropped the stone lock to the ground, the dull impact seemed to land right in everyone's hearts.
"He really did it again!"
"Chen Yong's been humiliated again! That guy's so sneaky. He acts like a lazy bum in front of us, but then he must go home and secretly train late into the night. No wonder he's always late lately—he must be training until the small hours!"
Under everyone's astonished gaze, Lu Yuan walked back to the crowd, his expression still calm.
"You brat... congratulations!"
Chen Pi pointed at Lu Yuan and shook his head with a helpless smile.
"Likewise!"
Lu Yuan only smiled, offering no explanation.
"Damn it... Damn it!"
Nearby, Chen Yong's face was dark with fury.
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