Just then,
Fatty Wang changed the subject. "Bro Xiao, do you have a bank card?"
Ye Xiao shook his head.
He'd already been specially recruited as a student.
He hadn't paid tuition, and even his meals were the cheapest option.
Why would he need a bank card?
Fatty Wang immediately looked troubled.
"Then how do I give you the money?"
"What do you want to give me money for?"
"Of course I have to give you money! Without you, Bro Xiao, my mom never would've given me a million!"
"Uh..."
"And after I give you this million, I'll have another chance to earn a million next week."
"Huh? You're giving me the whole million?"
"Yeah, Bro Xiao. Let's work together from now on. You help me improve my strength, and I'll help you make money!"
Ye Xiao stared at him for a full five seconds before speaking.
"You mean we'll work together to make money off your mom?"
He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"You're her son. Why are you always taking someone else's side?"
"Won't your mom beat you if she finds out?"
Fatty Wang grinned and spoke in a conspiratorial tone.
"Bro Xiao, I'm only telling you this secret. Don't let it slip!"
Ye Xiao nodded.
"Actually, my family's incredibly rich! We have the kind of money we could never spend, no matter how hard we tried!"
Ye Xiao was stunned.
"What does your family do?"
Fatty Wang closed his mouth and kept smiling mysteriously.
"I can't tell you that. My mom and I agreed on three rules. While I'm studying at school, I'm not allowed to reveal my family background."
Ye Xiao nodded silently.
Who would've thought that this honest, chubby guy had such an insanely wealthy family?
It was completely unexpected.
After all, judging by Fatty Wang's words and actions, as well as his clothes, food, and lifestyle,
and on top of that, his initial C-rank profession,
there was no way to connect Fatty Wang with a family of such immense wealth.
Since Fatty Wang insisted on giving Ye Xiao the million,
Ye Xiao couldn't refuse his generosity.
So he made a suggestion.
"Fatty, how about using that money to buy me a Spirit Ring?"
Fatty Wang stared at the Spirit Ring on Ye Xiao's finger.
"Bro Xiao, don't you already have one?"
The Spirit Ring Ye Xiao wore had been lent to him by Su Muyun.
"This one isn't mine. I borrowed it from someone, so I'll have to return it later."
Fatty Wang nodded.
"No problem, Bro Xiao. Leave it to me!"
The night passed peacefully.
The next morning,
Fatty Wang went with Ye Xiao to the Body Tempering Pavilion, since he wanted to train his body, too.
Eight thirty in the morning.
South District.
When the two arrived at the Body Tempering Pavilion, they found it deserted.
The crowded places were the Elemental Pavilion, Weapon Pavilion, and other popular vocational halls.
Ye Xiao was a Martialist.
He was the only one of his kind at Jiang University.
When it came to body tempering,
Ye Xiao was the only one with any real need for it.
At most, other students trained their bodies as a supplement. Their main focus was still on their professions.
The two stood in front of a gray building.
Ye Xiao had never seen it before.
During the few days since the start of term, he'd gone back and forth between his dorm and the Gravity Tower and had never come here.
It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to. He just hadn't known the university had a training facility for professions like Martialists.
"The Body Tempering Pavilion," Fatty Wang said beside him, speaking with confidence. "It's specifically for body-tempering professions. Martialists, warriors, boxers, monks... They all train here."
"Why is it so deserted? Is it closed?" Ye Xiao glanced around.
Fatty Wang looked at him, his expression complicated. "Because... hardly anyone uses it. Who still trains their body these days? Mages just take pills, the five elements professions just seek enlightenment, and summoners train their contract beasts. Body tempering? It's hard, exhausting, and has no future."
He paused. "But the equipment here is genuinely good. It's all made for professions that specialize in body tempering."
As Ye Xiao entered the Body Tempering Pavilion,
he smelled dust in the air, and a layer of it coated many surfaces.
That showed how rarely anyone came here.
A long corridor stretched out beyond the entrance. The lights were dim, and faded posters hung on the walls.
"Champion of the Fourth National Body Tempering Tournament!"
"Excavation Site of the Extreme Martial Sect Ruins!"
"Sanctification of the Flesh: The Martialist's Ultimate Path!"
The corners of the posters had curled up, and dust had gathered on them, as if no one had touched them in ages.
At the end of the corridor stood an even larger iron door.
A line of text was carved into it:
"The body is the soul's armor. If the armor is weak, the soul cannot endure."
Beyond the door lay a vast space.
The ceiling was sky-high, a full fifty meters above.
Light from the skylights cut the space into bands of brightness and shadow. Tiny specks of dust drifted through the air like golden fragments.
The entire hall was as quiet as a forgotten temple.
Ye Xiao stood at the entrance, gazing for a long time.
Not because of how big it was.
But because of the machines—row after row, one after another, a whole hall full.
Their steel frames stood silently in the shadows like sleeping beasts.
Some of the machines looked familiar.
The walls were the same as those in the Gravity Tower, made of Obsidian Profound Iron. He'd seen the material in the gravity chamber.
Others were completely unfamiliar.
There were enormous hydraulic arms, rotating drums, walls covered in protrusions, and transparent chambers filled with liquid.
Each machine had a plaque engraved with its name, purpose, and maintenance history.
The edges of the plaques were worn, and the writing was blurry, as though countless hands had touched them.
"Are all these... for body tempering?" Ye Xiao asked.
"Yeah." Fatty Wang walked over to the nearest machine and patted its rust-covered iron arm.
"The Ten-Thousand Catty Hydraulic Hammer. It trains your ability to withstand blows. You stand underneath it and let the hammer hit you. It starts at fifty catties and gradually increases. Once you reach ten thousand, you graduate."
"Hit me?" Ye Xiao looked at the machine. The hammer was as big as a tabletop, suspended overhead as if it could fall at any moment.
"Yeah, hit you," Fatty Wang said. "Martialists don't just train to punch people. They need to be able to take a hit, too. You punch someone, they punch you back. Whoever has the tougher body is the one who lasts."
He paused. "But hardly anyone uses this thing. It hurts too much. The last person to use it was a senior in his fourth year, three years ago. He trained for two days and ran off."
Ye Xiao walked under the hydraulic hammer and looked up at the enormous iron weight.
Sunlight streamed in through the skylight, and the hammer's shadow fell across his face like a black tombstone.
Ye Xiao gave a helpless, wordless laugh and shook his head. "Fatty, you sure know a lot. You're not just messing with me, are you? If that thing hits me, won't I be turned into a meat pancake?"
Fatty Wang burst out laughing and hurriedly explained.
"Bro Xiao, why would I lie to you? My family sells these machines!"
As soon as the words left his mouth,
Fatty Wang realized he'd let the secret slip and quickly covered his mouth.
Ye Xiao raised an eyebrow and looked at him in surprise. "Your family sells these?"
Fatty Wang's face reddened. He coughed awkwardly and changed the subject.
"Bro Xiao, want to give it a try?"
Ye Xiao suddenly felt eager to try it.
He stared at the Ten-Thousand Catty Hydraulic Hammer above him, a steel beast towering overhead.
Then he asked three words.
"How do I start?"
Before you continue