The Flooring Was Very Expensive

Seeing Fu Junlin absorbed in watching, Qiao Zishu stopped as well.

The two watched for less than ten seconds before the person inside could no longer hold on and instantly collapsed onto the floor.

But he had not fallen from exhaustion.

It was more like some terrifying gravity had pinned him to the ground. Everything about him seemed to be sinking, as though he were about to be crushed into the floor!

The floor in the Gravity Room area was no ordinary flooring. It was a specially made rubber surface, slightly soft and covered with countless tiny holes.

It could withstand immense pressure and return to its original shape afterward, yet it would not sink at the slightest touch like a mattress.

It was material specifically designed for Gravity Rooms.

"What is this thing??"

Big Black asked curiously from inside Fu Junlin, its voice carrying a trace of anticipation.

"This is called a Gravity Room. As the name implies, the machine converts Passive Energy into gravity and uses it to exert pressure on the person inside.

"It may just be simple pressure, but I heard the results are incredible. During the process, all the pores open in an extremely short time.

"The body's load also operates at its limit for a short period, while the brain is tested by something like a vacuum state. It seems to be highly effective for training the internal organs and muscles too!"

Fu Junlin spoke with undisguised envy.

"You heard?"

Big Black asked.

"Yeah. I only heard about it—I've never experienced it myself. I barely even went to the gym before."

Fu Junlin said aggrievedly.

"Idiot!! This thing is tremendously useful to you! Or rather, it is extremely important for accelerating your growth from 5% to 10% of the Gene Lock!

"Even for you right now, if you want to break through the 5% Gene Lock, this thing can be of enormous use!!"

Big Black howled excitedly.

Fu Junlin was stunned as well.

"Really??"

"Nonsense, of course it's true! Fu Junlin, listen to me—don't be stingy with money. Even if it costs twenty thousand, you have to go in!!"

Big Black did not even need to guess, because the words "Special Training Area" were written on the glass.

Fu Junlin had not intended to haggle anyway. He had always wanted to try the Gravity Room, so he headed straight for the front desk.

"Huh?"

Qiao Zishu was taken aback by Fu Junlin. Why was this guy acting so mysteriously? One moment he was staring at it in fascination, and the next he was striding away, just short of breaking into a run.

At the front desk, Fu Junlin asked the receptionist:

"Hello, how much extra does it cost to use the Gravity Room?"

The receptionist glanced at his forehead and awkwardly forced out a smile. After all, he had bought a membership card and was still a member.

"I'm sorry, but Subspecies aren't allowed to use the Gravity Room. That's the gym's rule. There's nothing I can do..."

Qiao Zishu, standing beside him, had not expected Fu Junlin to be asking about that. After hearing the answer, she secretly tugged at him.

"I can pay extra!"

Fu Junlin straightened his back and said directly. He still had eighteen thousand in cash!

Gravity Rooms being unavailable to Subspecies—people like Fu Junlin and Qiao Zishu, who were Subspecies themselves, did not need to ask why they faced this kind of discrimination.

Because it was far too common.

Even cafés had designated seating areas for Subspecies, tucked away in corners without windows, with decor completely different from the Superior Human section.

The receptionist shook her head.

"I'm sorry, it's not about whether you'll pay extra. The gym has rules. Please don't make things difficult for me, handsome."

Fu Junlin's offer was tempting. If he paid extra, that money would surely end up in the receptionist's hands.

But she did not dare accept it. If a Subspecies entered the Gravity Room and a Superior Human or Mighty-Species People complained about it,

she would lose her job.

Fu Junlin clenched his fist, then slowly loosened it.

"Sorry to bother you."

He could only apologize to the receptionist in a low voice. Then he turned around dejectedly and met Qiao Zishu's puzzled gaze.

Just then, a handsome boy stepped out of the opening elevator. Dressed head to toe in trendy black clothes, he kept rolling his neck as though he had slept on it wrong the night before.

"Young Master Cheng."

The receptionist hurriedly put on a sweet smile and greeted him.

The boy known as Young Master Cheng smiled and said, "Sister Xiaoli, open a Gravity Room for me. I spent all night researching mechs, and my neck is stiff as hell. I need to work up a sweat!"

Without showing any gym membership card, he headed directly toward the Gravity Rooms as he spoke.

The girl at the front desk immediately used the controls to open a Gravity Room for him, smiling sweetly.

Clearly, this Young Master Cheng was not only a Superior Human, but also the kind with plenty of money and connections.

Fu Junlin exchanged a helpless look with Qiao Zishu. Then they entered the elevator together.

Inside the elevator, Qiao Zishu glanced at Fu Junlin. Seemingly searching for a topic to discuss, she explained:

"That person just now is named Cheng Xiaoyu. He's the son of this gym's owner. Their family has seven gyms in Flying Cloud City, so they're very rich.

"He's in the first-year mech class too. You might run into him in class tomorrow."

Under the current school system, in order to get university students into combat quickly and hunt Energy Cores efficiently,

the first year was also divided into two semesters.

During the first semester, students were not allowed to take a second major. This was so they could focus more effectively on one specialty, achieve proficiency, and enter combat quickly.

The second semester was when they made up for shortcomings and selected a second major.

Classes also changed from the previous two modes into three modes.

University classes were first divided into racial classes.

For example, the Subspecies Class Three led by Shi Hongyu. What they studied was basic knowledge, types of Arena Zones, basic coordination, tactical coordination, and so on, mainly building on the inherent advantages of Subspecies students.

Superior Species naturally had the advantages of Superior Species, and Mighty Species were the same.

There were two days of racial classes each week.

The rest were major-specific classes. For example, Fu Junlin's major was Battle Banner.

That meant he had to take at least one or two Battle Banner classes every week. Those were also rotating classes, so students of all races often attended together.

But since every major had so many students, once people found a teacher they liked, they generally followed that teacher. As a result, major classes were usually filled with familiar faces too.

Starting from the second semester of freshman year, there was one additional major.

That meant taking one more class for the second major each week.

If you wanted to work hard, you could catch up by studying the first-semester freshman courses on your own, taking more classes, asking classmates and teachers for more guidance, and getting more real combat experience.

That was up to you.

Fu Junlin nodded. No wonder the receptionist had called him Young Master Cheng.

Nowadays, "young master" was mostly used jokingly. The receptionist probably had some interest in that rich second-generation heir too.

"Why did you suddenly want to use the Gravity Room?" Qiao Zishu asked quietly.

"It's nothing. I just wanted to try it. I don't understand why something like this has to discriminate against us too..."

Fu Junlin leaned against the elevator wall in dejection, shaking his head.

A nearly imperceptible sadness appeared in Qiao Zishu's eyes. She laughed at herself and said:

"Maybe they're afraid we'll drop parasites onto the floor. You know that kind of flooring—it's very expensive..."