The second floor of the Gravity Training Tower.
A few third-year students sat on the steps in the rest area.
They had just finished training. Sweat drenched them as they sprawled on the steps, drinking water and chatting.
One of them, a close-cropped young man named Zhao Lei, was a third-year student in the Elite Class and a regular at the Gravity Training Tower.
Another, Sun Hao, wore glasses. He was also a third-year student, a top student in theory classes, but only average in actual combat.
A few fit-looking female students sat beside them.
"Hey, have you heard?" Sun Hao pushed up his glasses. "There's a Martialist among this year's freshmen."
"A Martialist?" Zhao Lei nearly choked. "What era are we living in? They still have Martialists?"
"E-Grade. Only two words lit up on the Awakening Stele—'Martialist.' The whole place burst out laughing."
The upperclassmen roared with laughter.
Just then, a short-haired upperclasswoman said, "I heard that Martialist was training in the Gravity Training Tower yesterday."
"Technically, first-year students aren't allowed to train in the Gravity Training Tower."
Another upperclasswoman with long hair added, "People outside are saying he got in through connections. He was specially admitted."
"If he has connections, wouldn't he have some way to get into the Gravity Training Tower early?"
"What's a Martialist going to do in the Gravity Tower?" Zhao Lei wiped away his sweat. "He probably got winded after a couple of laps on the first floor. I bet he just came to try it out yesterday and won't dare show up again today."
"Actually, he's here again." Sun Hao jerked his chin toward the entrance. "Over there."
Everyone followed his gaze.
A boy in a faded T-shirt was coming up the stairs from the first floor.
He was well-proportioned—not a muscleman, but sturdy enough, the kind who looked slim in clothes and muscular without them.
The short-haired upperclasswoman's gaze moved over Ye Xiao, and then she remarked meaningfully, "This junior's pretty handsome."
The other girls nearby agreed.
The boys, on the other hand, weren't pleased.
"Him?" Zhao Lei looked Ye Xiao up and down. "He doesn't look very strong."
"He's a Martialist. How strong could he be?" Sun Hao scoffed. "I bet he can't even last half an hour on the second floor."
"Half an hour? Ten minutes would be impressive." Zhao Lei tossed his empty water bottle into the trash. "I bet he won't last five minutes before the second floor's gravity gets to him."
"The second floor's nothing like the first. The gravity starts at six times normal."
"Unlike the first floor, where you can at least lie down in the one-times-gravity zone."
"Three minutes," Sun Hao said.
"Maybe he can last ten minutes," one of the girls said.
"He probably just came up to try it out, then he'll be right back down," someone else said.
The group laughed as they watched Ye Xiao step onto the second-floor platform.
"Starting the timer." Zhao Lei began counting down.
When Ye Xiao stepped onto the second floor,
he immediately felt as if a brick had been placed on his shoulders.
It was heavy, but not unbearable.
"This must be the six-times-gravity zone."
Ye Xiao glanced at the second-floor entrance.
A sign listed the gravity levels on the second floor: six times, seven times, eight times, nine times, and ten times.
It also listed a series of safety precautions.
In short,
it reminded all students to know their limits when training under increased gravity.
Ye Xiao first tested how the six-times-gravity zone felt.
Once his body had adapted to the increased gravity,
he could move on to the seven-times-gravity zone.
"This freshman sure likes to show off," Zhao Lei said mockingly. "He's already lasted five minutes in the six-times-gravity zone."
Just then, Ye Xiao finally started moving.
Zhao Lei sneered. "Looks like he can't take it anymore. Judging by the way he's moving, he's heading back to the first floor."
However, under the group's watchful eyes,
Ye Xiao didn't return to the first floor.
Instead, he headed for the seven-times-gravity zone!
Sun Hao stared in disbelief. "Is this guy crazy? He's a first-year student who's barely been here a few days, and he's already risking his life in the seven-times-gravity zone?"
"An E-Grade weakling of a Martialist, and he's still acting so tough?"
"Does he think everyone looks down on him, so he's trying to prove himself this way?"
The short-haired upperclasswoman shook her head. "This junior's pushing himself too hard. He should care more about his health and his life."
But a little while later,
after Ye Xiao adjusted to the seven-times-gravity zone,
he headed toward the eight-times-gravity zone.
Only then
did Ye Xiao feel as though he were carrying a boulder.
"This is it! It feels like there's pressure in every gap between my bones!"
"This feels amazing!"
Once Ye Xiao grew accustomed to the gravity,
he even felt a rush of pleasure from the punishment his body was enduring.
Anything that could help his body evolve—
even torture that felt like outright abuse—
made Ye Xiao feel an intense, almost obsessive delight.
To other people,
this seemed like the thinking of a madman!
But to Ye Xiao,
this was the fastest way to grow stronger!
As Ye Xiao moved around in the seven-times-gravity zone,
a girl with a ponytail stood in front of him.
She was Zhou Yao, a third-year student in the Elite Class.
When she saw Ye Xiao's unfamiliar face, she couldn't help asking, "Are you a freshman?"
Ye Xiao nodded.
"How did you get in here?"
Ye Xiao said nothing.
Zhou Yao suddenly realized something. "Are you that Martialist?"
Ye Xiao nodded again.
Zhou Yao furrowed her brows. "It's only your second day, and you're already on the second floor. You must be pretty confident in your body."
"Even though you're a Martialist, the gravity on the second floor starts at six times normal. Do you know how much that demands of your body? Your scrawny build can't take it. Go back down. Don't push yourself. If you pass out, someone will have to carry you out."
Ye Xiao looked at her seriously. "Thanks for the warning, upperclasswoman, but I want to give it a try."
Out of concern for him, Zhou Yao added, "Fine, give it a try. But listen, there was once a freshman in the Genius Class who pushed himself like you. His profession and level were both higher than yours, but he threw up after ten minutes on the second floor. Later, they examined him and found that he'd badly injured his bones. He spent two months in a hospital bed."
"If anything happens to you, no one else will be kind enough to save you."
Ye Xiao could tell she was genuinely concerned.
"Would you save me, upperclasswoman?"
Zhou Yao sneered and rolled her eyes.
"No."
Ye Xiao said nothing more and headed toward the eight-times-gravity zone.
Watching his stubborn figure, Zhou Yao shook her head in exasperation.
But as she trained,
she kept an eye on Ye Xiao.
Then she watched
as he moved from the six-times-gravity zone to the seven-times-gravity zone,
then slowly made his way toward the eight-times-gravity zone.
After staying there for a while, he headed for the nine-times-gravity zone.
Finally, he stopped in the ten-times-gravity zone!
That place
was the most difficult zone on the entire second floor of the Gravity Training Tower!
It was also the least crowded!
Basically, only third-year students from the Genius Class trained there.
Yet Ye Xiao, an E-Grade Martialist and a first-year student,
had actually walked right into the ten-times-gravity zone!
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