A Mere Flesh Wound

Inside Meinz Fitness Club, Bai Ye stood at the entrance wearing a mask, waiting for Peter.

Two or three minutes later, Bai Ye's eyes lit up when he saw the blond boy jogging over from afar. He raised a hand and waved. "Peter, over here."

"Bai, the whole class was talking about you today," Peter said as he walked over. "I had no idea you were this amazing."

"Let's go inside first." Bai Ye waved a hand and led Peter into the club.

The entire first floor was filled with fitness enthusiasts building muscle. Bai Ye passed around them and headed straight up to the private gym on the third floor, where the atmosphere immediately became much quieter.

Peter examined the room's furnishings, paying particular attention to the several iron blocks in the corner. Then he asked, "Bai, you still haven't told me. What's this twenty-thousand-dollar part-time job you mentioned?"

With his back to Peter, Bai Ye said, "We'll talk about that later. Let's spar first."

"Spar?"

Peter froze for a moment. A tingling sensation shot from his cervical spine straight to his brain. Bai Ye abruptly twisted around, his right leg sweeping back toward Peter's head like a giant axe with tremendous force.

Bai Ye's pant leg howled as it tore through the air. If an ordinary person took that kick head-on, their entire head might have been sliced clean off.

Peter leaned backward, feeling the air brush past the tip of his nose. Somewhat angry, he said, "Bai, what are you doing?"

"I just wanted to test your reaction speed. Even if you hadn't moved just now, you wouldn't have been hurt."

Bai Ye withdrew his right leg and smiled. "As an apology, you can punch me once. As long as you don't kill me on the spot, hit me however you like."

"You said it." Still a little shaken, Peter clenched his fist. Unsure whether Bai Ye could take a hit, he held back and lightly punched Bai Ye in the abdomen.

The playful punch did not even cause Bai Ye pain, but he had already achieved his goal.

Description:

Someone has attacked you. Analyzing opponent data.

Name: Peter Parker

Strength: 3.0

Agility: 2.6

Constitution: 2.8

Spirit: 4.2

Charm: 1.1

...

Seeing the new information in the Stat Panel's description section, Bai Ye was also stunned for a moment.

How exactly are the values on this panel calculated? I remember that in the movies, Spider-Man could stop a hundred-ton train traveling at nine meters per second in thirty seconds. By that calculation, his strength should be at least around seventy tons—at least twenty times mine.

Yet aside from Spirit, the gap between Spider-Man's values and mine on the Stat Panel isn't even double. Though that may be because he's only just awakened and hasn't fully developed his physical potential.

After finishing his thoughts, Bai Ye turned to look at the oblivious Peter beside him. A harmless, gentle smile appeared on his face. "Peter, come help me train."

"Uh, train?" Peter Parker froze for a moment.

"That's right. The part-time job with a monthly salary of twenty thousand dollars is helping me train my resistance to damage."

Bai Ye got up, walked over to the backpack in the corner, pulled out a thick stack of U.S. dollars, and returned to Peter.

Before Peter's slightly dazed eyes, Bai Ye lightly waved the stack of bills in his hand. His tone was incredibly tempting. "If you agree, I can advance you one month's salary right now."

Looking at the money right in front of him, practically within reach, Peter maintained his composure and said with some difficulty, "But what can I train you in?"

"It's simple. You just need to keep hitting me with that rod over there. That's my training method. Just be careful not to beat me to death," Bai Ye said.

You... know about the changes to my body today? Peter's eyes filled with surprise. He even wondered whether Bai Ye had somehow caused his body to become stronger.

"Of course I know. As for how I know, everyone has their own secrets. How about we give each other a little space?"

He could not be bothered to make up lies to deceive him. It was better to simply say nothing.

"Alright. If all I have to do is hit you with a rod, then I'll take the job." Peter did not continue asking questions and chose to accept the part-time job.

"Very good. Then let's begin now."

Under Peter's astonished gaze, Bai Ye grabbed the iron blocks in the corner, which had been increased to two tons in weight. He planted his feet and assumed a horse stance, urging him at the same time, "What are you standing around for? Hit me with the rod."

"Uh, alright." Peter gripped the Steel Rod in his hand and swung it into Bai Ye's back while holding back his strength. Bai Ye felt nothing at all.

"Put some strength into it. Don't be afraid of beating me to death," Bai Ye urged. The next moment, he felt a slight pain as the Steel Rod struck his back.

"Yes, yes, yes. That strength is barely acceptable. Of course, it'd be even better if you added another forty or fifty percent." Bai Ye nodded in satisfaction. The damage from that strike was already greater than Smith's.

Hearing Bai Ye's praise, Peter found it strangely unsettling, but he added a little more strength.

"The force behind that one is perfect. Keep using that much strength, but increase your speed too. Ideally, keep that same force while striking different spots on my back at the fastest possible frequency." Bai Ye was exceptionally pleased with the Peter-brand massage treatment.

Soon, the sounds of flesh being violently lashed filled the entire gym.

Under Peter's control, the Steel Rod whipped Bai Ye's back at a rate of seven or eight strikes per second.

Every hit left a conspicuous red welt across Bai Ye's back, which was now as tough as rhino hide.

Four or five minutes later, Bai Ye was still gripping the iron blocks with both hands and holding his horse stance without moving an inch. However, the tank top he wore had already torn apart, exposing his bloody, mangled back.

Seeing this, Peter had no choice but to stop. "Doesn't it really hurt? Your back is bleeding."

"It's just a flesh wound. It'll heal after a while. This is the best way to become stronger." Bai Ye looked at the progress displayed in the description section and spoke indifferently.

With the Peter-brand massager boosting him, at this frequency, he only needed to be hit another hundred thousand times.

That meant another four or five hours, and the Constitution he had just raised could increase by another 0.1. Then Bai Ye could directly refresh his physical condition, and every wound would be gone.

Not to mention that with his current superhuman healing ability, wounds like these—which had not even broken any bones—really could only be considered flesh wounds. They would heal in a few hours.

Looking at the Steel Rod in his hand, now stained red, Peter's expression turned somewhat ugly. "Even if you can take it, I can't really bring myself to keep going. The blood from your back has splashed onto my clothes."

"Hey, you're being picky about work now? If you can't handle it, hit my arms and thighs first." Bai Ye sighed. His bones had not even been broken, yet Peter could not take it anymore. He was far too delicate.