Su Yuan's Willpower

On the way back, Su Yuan's spirits rose higher and higher.

He had gradually grown accustomed to the cold.

Once he was more than halfway back, the headwind from his rapid run no longer affected Su Yuan.

The closer he got to the passage entrance, the weaker the chill became.

After Su Yuan completed one round trip and stopped twenty meters from the passage entrance, he checked his status panel.

[Blood Qi Value: 79.1]

"On the return trip, it only increased by 0.2 Blood Qi Value. That was actually less than what I gained going deeper into the passage."

After his surprise, a look of understanding flashed across Su Yuan's face.

"Maybe the pressure from the cold's erosion gradually weakened on the way back, so it couldn't stimulate the Blood Qi in my body as effectively."

"It seems I can only gain more Blood Qi Value by going deeper toward the end of the passage."

After one round trip, Su Yuan had roughly figured out the pattern behind the increase in Blood Qi Value.

He glanced behind him, quickly ran to the passage entrance, then turned back toward the end of the passage.

"Oh?"

Wang Zheng glanced at Su Yuan, a trace of surprise appearing in his eyes.

"Student Su Yuan was actually the sixth to reach the passage entrance."

"His endurance seems rather remarkable."

Zhao Xinxuan watched Su Yuan's departing back and said, her eyes widening slightly.

"Don't be hasty. That was only one round trip. There are still four more. Let's see whether he can hold on."

"Using up more than half his vigor and focus right at the start isn't a good choice."

Huang Yi'an narrowed his eyes slightly, seemingly noticing Su Yuan's condition.

And indeed, just as Huang Yi'an had said, Su Yuan had expended half the strength in his body after just one round trip of resisting the chill from the Frost-Ice Stone.

There were still four round trips left. No one knew whether he could endure them.

Time slowly passed, and Su Yuan appeared at the passage entrance once more.

His complexion was far worse than when he had emerged from the passage for the first time.

"Look, just as I predicted, this kid definitely won't make it through the third round."

Huang Yi'an cast Zhao Xinxuan a smug glance, and his tone made her extremely uncomfortable.

As Zhao Xinxuan watched Su Yuan enter the passage for the third time, Huang Yi'an's words made concern rise in her eyes.

I hope Ding Kun can get here in time after Su Yuan passes out.

Ding Kun was a famously kind-hearted person at Qianshan No. 1 High School.

No matter who was in trouble, he would always step in to help.

No one knew why Ding Kun did this. Such behavior, which consumed his own time, was undoubtedly a waste of the golden years for martial arts cultivation.

Some had once mocked Ding Kun.

"Ding Kun, don't tell me you think you have no hope in martial arts, so you're deliberately building connections with students at Qianshan No. 1 High School to rely on them for cultivation later?"

Ding Kun merely shook his head at that. "I simply want to help others."

After saying that, Ding Kun had even donated all his possessions to Qianshan No. 1 High School's aid platform.

From that day onward, Ding Kun's reputation for being warmhearted spread throughout Qianshan No. 1 High School.

He sacrificed himself for others and asked for nothing in return.

Yet in some people's eyes, Ding Kun was an inexplicable freak with an odd personality.

On Su Yuan's side, when he reached the passage entrance for the second time, he checked his status panel again.

[Blood Qi Value: 79.8]

At this rate of growth, even a rocket could not keep up.

A single round trip increased his Blood Qi Value by 0.7. This place was practically a paradise for Su Yuan's cultivation.

By the time Su Yuan reached the middle of his third round trip, he no longer had any strength left to resist the cold. Only his unyielding will remained.

The others were not much better off. Some looked even worse than Su Yuan, their bodies covered in ice crystals.

"This kid still hasn't collapsed?"

Su Yuan had relied on his willpower to make it to the passage entrance for the third time. Huang Yi'an stared at him in disbelief, confusion filling his eyes.

"His willpower is passable."

With Wang Zheng's discernment, he naturally knew that Su Yuan had no strength left in his body to support himself.

What kept Su Yuan standing here was his resolute willpower.

[Blood Qi Value: 80.5]

Looking at the Blood Qi Value that had broken through eighty on the panel, Su Yuan suddenly felt some strength return to his body. He turned and entered the passage again.

"Just watch. This kid will definitely faint on the fourth trip. I refuse to believe someone barely in his teens can have such strong willpower."

Huang Yi'an truly refused to accept it. He wanted to see how much longer Su Yuan could last.

Wang Zheng frowned slightly upon hearing that.

As someone from Vice Principal Song Ping's faction, Huang Yi'an was openly looking down on students from Second High School.

He was not even bothering to keep his intention to suppress Second High School hidden.

He had put it right out in the open.

"Teacher Huang, mind your words."

Wang Zheng turned and gave Huang Yi'an a cold look.

"Yes, yes, yes. I'll be more careful next time."

Huang Yi'an scratched his thinning hair and replied with an ingratiating smile.

Wang Zheng belonged to Vice Principal Zhou Yang's faction and was also its strongest member. Huang Yi'an could not afford to provoke him.

Vice Principal Zhou Yang maintained a neutral attitude toward Second High School, competing fairly and impartially for student resources.

As for the faction led by Vice Principal Tang Bingrui, where Teacher Zhao Xinxuan belonged, its stance was ambiguous and faintly leaned toward suppressing Second High School.

Although Zhao Xinxuan's personality was somewhat timid, she was slightly stronger than Huang Yi'an.

Qianshan No. 1 High School had three vice principals: Song Ping, Zhou Yang, and Tang Bingrui.

Originally, Zhou Yang and Tang Bingrui had been competing for the principal's position. Although Song Ping was also a vice principal, his strength had not met the standard, so he was temporarily unqualified.

But Song Ping had recently broken through to become a Fourth-Realm High Tier martial artist, changing the situation entirely.

A principal did not need overwhelming strength. What they needed were connections, educational methods, and a clear plan for the future.

Although strength did not need to be exceptional, at a school like Qianshan No. 1 High School, one could not keep others in line without a certain level of power.

Song Ping had become Qianshan No. 1 High School's fifth Fourth-Realm High Tier martial artist. His influence had clearly risen another level, putting him on equal footing with the other two vice principals.

At this moment, Su Yuan had gone from running to brisk walking inside the passage. That familiar feeling had returned.

"Just hold on for two more round trips."

Su Yuan gritted his teeth and stared ahead. He had made it this far solely because his unbreakable determination kept him moving.

During the middle stretch of the passage on his third round trip, he saw that Lin Jie could no longer endure it and had stopped to rest where he stood.

As for Li Xingyu, Xie Zhengyang, and the others, they were still on their second round trip.

Leng Xin and Fang Yan were slightly faster than Su Yuan and were now preparing to begin their fifth round trip.

"This pace suits me better."

As Su Yuan walked briskly, he actually felt his strength gradually recovering, while the rate at which his Blood Qi Value increased remained unchanged.

Before long, Su Yuan appeared within the sight of Wang Zheng and the other two teachers.

Huang Yi'an's face was filled with obvious shock, because Su Yuan's complexion was actually better than before.

He could not help suspecting that Su Yuan had secretly taken an Intermediate Recovery Potion.

With a Blood Qi Value in the seventies, there was no way Su Yuan should have been able to last this long.

"This kid..."

Huang Yi'an furrowed his brow, his suspicions growing even stronger.

"Exceptional willpower."

Wang Zheng's evaluation of Su Yuan remained the same five words.

Zhao Xinxuan noticed that the instant Wang Zheng saw Su Yuan emerge, his pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

The movement was tiny, but Zhao Xinxuan still caught it.

At once, Zhao Xinxuan felt relieved. Since Su Yuan had endured this long, getting through the fifth round trip should not be a problem.

Su Yuan glanced at Ye Ling and Chu Tianche, who stood before Wang Zheng and the other two teachers, and understood that the two had already finished their warm-up.

What was frightening was that Ye Ling and Chu Tianche's auras had not changed in the slightest, as if this had merely been an ordinary warm-up.