On the tenth lap, she started moving again.
Her heart pounded wildly in her chest. Each beat sent scalding blood coursing through her body.
She ran against the raging wind, heading toward the so-called "finish line," one step at a time.
One step.
Two...
Three!
The finish line was right before her, just one step away!
She took... her final step!
Everything before her eyes suddenly went black. Her body completely lost control, yet the corners of her mouth lifted in a smile. She wasn't worried in the least that she would fall.
She used the last shred of her strength to murmur,
"Teacher, I've taken the first step."
All her strength drained away in an instant. Her knees buckled, and she pitched straight forward.
Gu Chensha's voice sounded at the edge of her fading consciousness, as if speaking to her, yet also as if talking to himself.
"Tempered by a thousand trials, the heart becomes iron; through a hundred deaths, the blade makes its opening."
"The closer you get to your limits, the more you can break through them."
"This isn't the end. It's the beginning of your transformation."
"Qing'er, you did very well. Sleep easy."
Just as Zhu Zhuqing's consciousness was about to sink into darkness, her eyes suddenly flew open.
A flash of sharp, dark-gold, vertical pupils glinted in her eyes.
Then her limp body suddenly snapped taut. Like a long spear bent to its utmost and springing straight back, she stood firmly in place without falling an inch.
Lei Xiang, who had been waiting by the steps the whole time, stared wide-eyed at the sight.
He instinctively rubbed his eyes hard, thinking he must be seeing things.
But when he opened them again, that figure was still standing steadily on the track.
"What's going on?"
His mind went blank.
Had he seen a ghost?
Just a moment ago, that woman had looked completely spent, as if she could collapse at any second. How had she suddenly regained her balance like nothing was wrong?
Was she even human?
By the time he came to his senses, Zhu Zhuqing was walking toward the dormitory area.
Lei Xiang's heart was still pounding.
But as he watched her, he suddenly noticed that her back wasn't steady. Her steps were unsteady, and she even wavered twice.
A thought shot through his mind.
She's faking it.
She must be forcing herself to keep going!
Yes, that has to be it!
She's just putting on a brave face. She doesn't want anyone to see her falter!
The shock in his heart faded at once, replaced by a surging blaze of resentment.
The humiliation of being defeated in one move that day, his teacher's cold expression, his companions' barbed teasing—all of it rushed back to him.
Hadn't he waited here all this time for a chance to get revenge?
Now that her Soul Power was spent and her body had reached its limit, she could barely stand. Wasn't this a godsend?
Even if he couldn't cripple her, he could still trample her underfoot and reclaim all the face he'd lost today!
A shadow of malice crossed Lei Xiang's eyes.
He glanced around. Most of the students had already left after evening practice. Only a few people passed along the track, and none of them were paying attention.
He lightened his steps and quickly caught up.
Three meters.
Two meters.
One meter.
Just as he gathered his Soul Power and prepared to smash his fist into Zhu Zhuqing's back—
The unsteady figure ahead suddenly stopped.
The night breeze swept through the tree-lined path, rustling the leaves. The surroundings fell deathly silent.
Zhu Zhuqing slowly turned around.
Her once-clear pupils had been replaced by dark-gold vertical ones.
There was not the slightest trace of a young girl's exhaustion in those eyes, only a bottomless indifference. It was like a deep-sea behemoth looking down on ants, devoid of any trace of human emotion.
Just one glance.
The blood in Lei Xiang's body froze instantly. His Soul Power, halfway through its circulation, seized up in his meridians, and he even forgot how to breathe.
His mind went blank. All his malice, all his arrogance, crumbled beneath that gaze until not a trace remained.
He didn't even know why he was afraid. He only felt an extreme chill shoot from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head.
Every hair on his body stood on end. His very soul trembled!
"Get lost."
The single low word slammed into his sea of consciousness like a heavy hammer, carrying a spiritual pressure that threatened to crush everything.
Lei Xiang's legs gave way, and he dropped to his knees with a thud.
The next second, he felt warmth in his lower belly, and a stream of warm liquid ran uncontrollably down his trouser leg.
His face turned as white as paper. After the extreme terror came overwhelming humiliation.
And the person who had brought all this upon him didn't even spare him a second glance.
Zhu Zhuqing had already disappeared from his sight.
Lei Xiang collapsed limply to the ground, gasping for breath. Cold sweat soaked through his clothes, and his eyes held nothing but lingering terror.
In an unoccupied corner of the tree-lined path, Zhu Zhuqing came to a stop.
More precisely, it was Gu Chensha, who had taken control of Zhu Zhuqing's body.
He furrowed his brow slightly and flexed his hands and feet. Then he cupped the two mounds of flesh on his chest a few times and muttered under his breath,
"As expected, it really is hard to fully get used to this in such a short time."
He shook his head, then slowly walked back to the student dormitory.
He shut the door and locked it.
He went to the bed and sat cross-legged, then ran his fingertips over his storage ring.
A pale-blue glow flashed, and an ancient sandalwood box appeared in his hand.
The instant he lifted the lid, a rich, mellow medicinal fragrance filled the entire room.
The lustrous, pearly-white Soul Ascension Pill lay quietly inside, a faint glow of Soul Power flowing across its surface.
Just the scent of the medicine was enough to soothe most of the turbulent energy in his body left by the extreme run.
"I can't use medicinal herbs to soak and temper your body. This is all I can do for you."
Gu Chensha looked at the pill, his voice even. "What I can do is help you absorb every last bit of its medicinal power into your body."
As soon as he finished speaking, he picked up the pill and swallowed it.
The pill melted as soon as it entered his mouth. It wasn't bitter in the least; it became a warm yet incredibly rich current that slid down his throat into his dantian.
The medicinal power of the Soul Ascension Pill flowed steadily and at length, like a stream of snowmelt in spring. It was unhurried, yet it seeped into every crevice.
Gu Chensha immediately closed his eyes, calmed his mind, and focused completely on circulating his Soul Power as he guided the warm current through his entire body.
Wherever the current flowed, the tiny muscle tears and damaged meridians left by the extreme run were gradually soothed and repaired.
His sore, swollen, stiff, numb limbs relaxed completely, as if they'd been soaked in warm water.
Then he redirected the medicinal power, sending it surging toward his dantian and deep into his meridians.
Pale-white Soul Power slowly circulated around his body. The two Yellow Soul Rings beneath his feet lit up along with it, their glow growing ever more imposing.
As the medicinal power continued to seep in, Zhu Zhuqing's Soul Power rose steadily at a visible pace!
Level 21, mid-stage...
Level 21, peak...
His dantian trembled faintly, and his meridians widened by a hair. The barrier of his Soul Power shattered with a crack.
Level 22!
The momentum didn't slow in the slightest. The medicinal power continued to wash steadily through his meridians, filling the expanded pool of Soul Power.
Level 23!
Level 24!
Before you continue