"Don't! Old Bai! Slow down!"
On the track, after who knew how long they had been running, Qi Tian had already fallen far behind Fang Bai.
This guy seemed to have taken some kind of drug—his stamina was inexhaustible, like a bull's.
Nearly a hundred meters separated them now, and Fang Bai had already lapped Qi Tian once.
Although Qi Tian was a Tier 2 Martial Artist, his physical fitness was not particularly good.
On top of that, this young master had never suffered much since childhood. He often stayed up late watching movies, hit bars, and so on. His body had long since been hollowed out.
Although Fang Bai was only Tier 1, he exercised regularly. The system had also improved his physique before, so his physical fitness was no worse than that of a Tier 2 Martial Artist.
Mo Ming lounged against a chair, his feet propped on the table, sunglasses on his face. He had already drunk more than half of his milk tea, looking as though he were vacationing in Sanya.
"Too slow. The cafeteria's about to close!"
Drenched in sweat, Fang Bai glanced over, then silently picked up his pace.
Mo Ming chuckled, bit down on his straw, and took a sip. He immediately frowned. "It's not cold anymore?"
Then he said mildly, "Someone, get me some ice."
No response.
Mo Ming calmly said, "Five points."
After two seconds of silence, several ghostlike figures rushed over, each holding a bag of ice.
Just then, the space behind Mo Ming split open. A bag of ice was handed out, along with a phone displaying a QR code.
The students rushing over stopped short at the sight, regret written all over their faces.
Damn it! Why hadn't I awakened the Space Element?
Mo Ming cheerfully paid the points. The hand withdrew back into the space, which then returned to normal.
Mo Ming chuckled. "The Space Element really is pretty nice."
An hour later, Fang Bai became the first to complete the hundred laps. His legs trembled uncontrollably, and his lips had gone frighteningly pale.
Mo Ming said lazily, "Not bad."
Fang Bai stared at him blankly. He opened his mouth, but could not get a word out.
This was the first time he had run for so long. Even as a Martial Artist, he was struggling to endure it.
Mo Ming swirled the milk tea filled with ice cubes in his hand and smiled. "Want a sip? Only ten points."
Just as Fang Bai was about to speak, a wave of nausea suddenly surged up. He vomited right there on the spot.
Mo Ming: "..."
Mo Ming's gaze fell on that cup of milk tea. Drinking it was not an option, but neither was not drinking it.
Not long after, Qi Tian finished running as well.
He lay sprawled on the ground like a dead dog, feeling as if his soul had left his body.
"N-No more! I want to... go home."
Qi Tian endured the discomfort as Exotic Energy surged within him. He wanted to use [Healing].
Suddenly, a powerful force directly restrained him.
A chilly voice rang out. "You used [Healing] twice while running. Twenty points deducted!"
Qi Tian lost all will to live.
Mo Ming said flatly, "To be fair, your physical fitness is far too poor. Starting tomorrow, for the next week, you will complete a hundred laps every day. Spend the rest of the time cultivating. In half a month, at the Martial Academy's exchange tournament, you will represent Gemini Class!"
Fang Bai: "..."
Qi Tian: "..."
Mo Ming said mildly, "All right, you can eat now. A friendly reminder: the cafeteria closes in ten minutes."
Upon hearing that, the two bodies that had looked like corpses stiffened. The next second, they sprang up and charged toward the cafeteria.
Mo Ming chuckled.
A little later, in the cafeteria.
Fang Bai and Qi Tian sat facing each other. Their eyes were fixed on the food before them, yet neither had the slightest appetite.
Yet they were starving and weak all over.
Fang Bai swallowed and said with difficulty, "How about... instant noodles instead?"
Qi Tian's face was expressionless as he calmly said, "No appetite. I want to sleep right here."
The massive drain on his stamina had left his mind scattered, unable to focus.
"Teacher Mo's trying to kill us, isn't he?"
In the end, they still forced down a few bites. After returning to their dormitory, they collapsed onto their beds and fell asleep.
That afternoon, Fang Bai was awakened by a ringing sound.
He opened his eyes. As his consciousness returned to his body, a wave of soreness hit him.
"Hiss!"
His entire body felt as though it had been run over by wheels.
Fang Bai struggled upright, took out a Monster Core, and began absorbing it.
His goal was to reach Tier 2!
Once he reached Tier 2, he could go out alone to take on missions.
As strands of Exotic Energy from the Monster Core flowed into his body, Fang Bai finally felt a little better.
Over the next few days, the two repeated the same routine: a hundred laps of physical training every day, then absorbing Monster Cores to cultivate at night.
Fang Bai's cultivation rose day by day, and Tier 2 was now within arm's reach.
A week later.
Fang Bai walked calmly into the cafeteria, his clothes still soaked with sweat. This time, he had arrived half an hour earlier than on the first day.
After a week of relentless torment, Fang Bai had lost quite a bit of weight, but his temperament had clearly changed.
There had been no other classes for the entire week—only physical training!
Qi Tian had somehow obtained a batch of resources and had already begun preparing for a breakthrough.
Fang Bai, meanwhile, faced a new problem: he had run out of cultivation resources!
He had used up every Monster Core obtained from the dimensional space and had even exchanged points for more Monster Cores.
"Hello! One regular meal."
Fang Bai spoke to the student serving food.
The cafeteria meals were generally portioned out by students, and there were point rewards for doing so.
"Huh? It's you?"
A surprised voice came from inside the serving window.
Fang Bai froze, then took a careful look at the other person and immediately recognized him.
"Brother Huo?"
The person was Huo Qi, who had supported them in the dimensional space last time.
Huo Qi smiled faintly. "What a coincidence. How is it? Have you adapted to the pace of life at the Martial Academy?"
Fang Bai smiled awkwardly. "It's all right."
Huo Qi said with a smile, "I remember you're dual-element. If I'm not mistaken, you should have been assigned to that Gemini Class taught by Old Mo?"
Fang Bai asked curiously, "Are you familiar with Teacher Mo?"
Huo Qi clicked his tongue. "Not really, but who in the entire Martial Academy doesn't know him? He's a famously ruthless guy. The students under him get tortured miserably. Don't tell me you haven't been tortured?"
Fang Bai: "..."
Huo Qi clicked his tongue again. "Still, the students he trains are all pretty damn impressive."
Fang Bai gave a dry laugh.
They had all cultivated voluntarily. For now, they had not exactly been carried to greatness by him.
Fang Bai suddenly asked, "Brother Huo, haven't you been carrying out missions recently?"
Huo Qi said, "Not lately. But Old Zhang got in touch with me and said there's a troublesome mission that needs people right now. The mission requires a full five-person team before it can be accepted."
Fang Bai's eyes lit up. "What do you think of me?"
He happened to need resources right now, as well as an opportunity for a breakthrough.
Huo Qi looked at him in surprise, then broke into a grin. "Sure! Welcome aboard!"
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