Secrets

"Eat, eat, eat!"

"Like a starving ghost reborn. Sooner or later, he'll eat himself to death!"

A dozen meters away from Lu Zhan, the chubby Graham shot him a jealous look.

He had still had something of an appetite, but after seeing the way Lu Zhan ate, he did not even want a leaf of vegetables.

Back in the classroom, Liu Shuang, the leader of their group, had struck Graham where it hurt, tearing open an old wound.

Graham had always bullied the weak and feared the strong, so he naturally did not dare resent Liu Shuang.

Instead, he directed his hatred at Lu Zhan.

If this guy had not been so outstanding, if he too had "given up halfway," why would everyone have remembered Graham's past?

"Graham, you need to face reality and learn to recognize other people's strengths."

"Lu Zhan dared to associate with Wen Shiyan despite carrying the District 13 label. That alone proves he has unusual mental fortitude."

"But there's still plenty of suffering ahead on the path of an Armored Warrior!"

"Moving fast doesn't necessarily mean you'll reach the finish line. What matters is who can keep going the longest."

Despite his mediocre talent, Liu Shuang had a remarkably even-tempered outlook.

Having too much talent was not necessarily a good thing. Graham was far more talented than he was, yet now he still called him boss.

Graham had once thought highly of himself because of his decent talent, and he had not been well liked.

Later, he had faded into mediocrity. Although he had not become universally despised, everyone had still tended to shun him.

It was Liu Shuang who had offered him a helping hand and taken him in.

Liu Shuang had not taken in this "stray dog" out of a desire to help someone in need.

Rather, he wanted a constant reminder: There's nothing wrong with having mediocre talent. Work hard enough, and you can trample even geniuses underfoot.

Graham was the first genius he had trampled underfoot.

"Boss, living like this is just too hard."

"We clearly need huge amounts of energy, but our bodies resist eating."

"We can make up for it by spending more time, but that slows our progress."

"If we keep crawling along like this, our standing with our respective backers will fall!"

"If we're unlucky, they might even sell us straight to the military."

Graham nodded repeatedly at his boss's "lecture," but he also voiced a hidden concern shared by all of them.

Although they had signed themselves over to various factions, that did not mean they had secured a job for life.

Those factions, eager for quick returns, naturally wanted the seedlings they had invested in to flourish.

If their growth remained sluggish and undernourished, the factions would act.

They would certainly find ways to cash out as quickly as possible, or even cut their losses outright.

"Graham, you're being too impatient."

"The factions understand the basic class's situation better than we do."

"Normally, they're willing to accept it as long as we advance to the intermediate class within a year."

"Even if it takes another six months, the most they'll do is lower their assessment of us."

"Chasing quick results is no substitute for steady progress!"

Liu Shuang dismissed Graham's worries entirely.

Their little group had monopolized the best spots in the classroom.

As long as they were willing to endure some hardship, their rate of progress would definitely put them near the top of the class.

By Liu Shuang's own calculations, provided nothing else went wrong in the gourmet appreciation class, he would need at most two months to raise the fluctuation intensity of every cell in his body above 1.5.

"Liu Shuang is right. Our little group is definitely way ahead of the rest of the class."

"Instead of worrying so much, we'd be better off enduring more hardship and sticking it out a little longer."

"But Graham, you'd better stop dragging us down."

"If I remember right, your hair follicle cells only had a fluctuation intensity of 0.9 in the last test. All of ours were at 1.2."

The other three members of the group had begun to worry after hearing Graham's words.

But Liu Shuang's remarks instantly brought them light and hope, steadying their nerves.

That was why they liked gathering around Liu Shuang.

Their boss was always confident and methodical in everything he did.

"Don't worry, everyone. I definitely won't hold you back."

"I still have some connections outside. I..."

Seeing signs that he might once again be "shunned" or even "eliminated," Graham immediately panicked.

If he left this little group, he would never be able to claim the best spots in the classroom on his own.

If he could not appreciate the "gourmet food" up close, his progress would become even slower.

And so Graham revealed the little secret he had been hiding.

Liu Shuang's hair follicle cells have such a high life fluctuation intensity. It's actually reached 1.37.

I wonder what my own cells' fluctuation intensity will reach after this gourmet class!

Every word of the supposedly private conversation between Liu Shuang and his companions reached Lu Zhan's ears.

In fact, it was not just them. Lu Zhan listened to every conversation in the dining hall.

Perhaps hunger had stripped everyone of their vigilance, or perhaps they were simply too worked up. Either way, the students around him revealed quite a few secrets.

Naturally, the most common topic was the life fluctuation intensity of their own cells.

The Training Center conducted a test every half month, and only the individual being tested knew their results.

But now, Lu Zhan was undoubtedly the person who knew the most.

According to Lu Zhan's tally, the vast majority of the students had hair follicle cell fluctuation intensities above 1.0.

Yet not a single one exceeded 1.4.

As for Lu Zhan himself, his hair follicle cells had a fluctuation intensity of only 0.5 at his last test.

Rather embarrassingly, the other students all tested their own hair.

Lu Zhan, now sporting a gleaming bald head, could only use body hair as a substitute.

Tsk, tsk. There really are plenty of clever people in this world.

That chubby Graham actually uses an IV to inject nutrient solution directly into his body.

And he's not even the only one using this method.

Naturally, Lu Zhan heard Graham's little secret.

Using an IV to bypass the stomach, intestines, and the rest of the digestive system was indeed a quick way to replenish nutrients.

But Liu Shuang's dismissive expression made it clear that the Training Center did not encourage this method.

Still, the fact that Graham dared to mention it meant the method was not prohibited.

At the very least, injections of ordinary nutrient solution remained within the Training Center's acceptable limits.

Graham's little secret was not actually all that sensational.

Lu Zhan even heard about an "Appetite-Stimulating Potion," or "Digestive Tablets," from a student who let something slip.

As long as this potion was used properly, the Training Center would never detect it.

Outside the Training Center, the various factions allowed it to be used openly.

There really are quite a few dubious tricks in the Training Center, and this is only the basic class.

If even the Training Center, with its strict inspections, is already like this, shouldn't the world outside be even crazier?

This glimpse offered a picture of the whole, and Lu Zhan was growing less and less confident in Yeluo City's supposed "peace and stability."

The only thing he could do was make himself stronger.

For example, he could follow Su Yuyan's guidance and strike while the iron was hot by practicing his basic combat techniques more.

After all, he was currently dead last in the class in basic combat techniques!