But things developed somewhat beyond Lin Fan's expectations.
As the minutes and seconds passed, he could clearly feel the tingling throughout his body rapidly intensifying while the pain swiftly faded. The secret medicine was having a powerful effect.
Lin Fan was pleasantly surprised by the results. Before an incense stick's worth of time had passed, the pain in his body was no longer particularly intense. He was confident he could get up and roll down again.
But he did not act rashly, because he noticed that most of the others were still howling in agony, as though their pain had barely eased.
Only two people were merely twitching at the corners of their mouths and sucking in cold breaths now, their pain having lessened considerably.
Could it be not just the secret medicine, but something about my body too? Lin Fan wondered inwardly. Ever cautious, he continued letting out howl after howl. He did not want to stand out too much.
About another half an incense stick later, a young man with a broad, square face was the first to climb to his feet. He was one of the two who had been sucking in cold breaths.
Though every movement made him bare his teeth in pain, he successfully stood up.
A flicker finally appeared in the eyes of the instructor, whose face had remained stern throughout. "What's your name?" he asked.
"Reporting to the instructor, my name is Li Feng," the young man replied spiritedly.
The instructor nodded. "Li Feng, you're the first to stand up. You'll receive an extra serving of medicinal food at every meal."
Fang Ping was delighted. "Thank you, Instructor!" Then he eagerly scrambled up the slope.
Watching this, Lin Fan was filled with regret. If he had been the first to stand, the medicinal food reward would have been his.
Just as he was berating himself, the instructor's next words set his heart at ease.
"The first five to stand up will each receive an extra serving of medicinal food at every meal!"
Hearing this, the human training dummy candidates struggled to stand, but most failed, collapsing with howls of pain. Only the other person who had already been sucking in cold breaths managed to get up.
Lin Fan had been anxious at first, but seeing this, he too pretended to be in great pain and swayed as he stood, even staggering a few steps.
"You two will also receive an extra serving of medicinal food at every meal. Give me your names," the instructor announced. Delighted, Lin Fan and the other man gave their names.
"Wang Wu!"
"Lin Fan!"
The two struggled up the slope, though Lin Fan was pretending. By now, he had almost completely recovered.
They were only halfway up when Li Feng came rolling down from above. Lin Fan watched him roll all the way to the ground, his face contorted in pain, but he did not pass out.
This Li Feng can really take a beating, Lin Fan muttered inwardly.
He and Wang Wu climbed to the top of the slope and exchanged a glance, each seeing determination in the other's eyes.
"Brother, good luck." With that, Wang Wu rolled down.
"Good luck to you too." Lin Fan followed him down after speaking. The wounds that had just stopped bleeding were scraped open again, and pain even fiercer than before swept through his entire body. Clenching his teeth, Lin Fan let himself tumble.
When he landed on the ground, Lin Fan's eyes lost focus. He was on the verge of passing out completely.
He instinctively looked at the panel and found that his Iron Cloth Shirt progress had indeed increased by another 10 points. He only needed to roll down eight more times to reach the beginner level in Iron Cloth Shirt.
After just a short while, Lin Fan's dizziness eased considerably. His body was rapidly absorbing the medicine's potency, and in less than a quarter of an hour, he felt he had recovered most of his strength.
He glanced a couple of times at Li Feng and Wang Wu nearby. Li Feng was still baring his teeth in pain, while Wang Wu was only just coming around.
Lin Fan was finally certain that his body had the best recovery ability. He lay quietly, unwilling to be the bird that stuck its head out.
This time, the instructor gave them an hour to rest.
As for the others, under the instructor's intimidating presence, they endured the excruciating pain and climbed to their feet one by one, crawled to the top of the slope, then rolled down. Most passed out before they were halfway down, and all were unconscious by the time they reached the ground.
After roughly an incense stick and a half, Li Feng struggled to his feet again and climbed up the slope.
A rare trace of satisfaction showed on the instructor's face.
Wang Wu struggled to rise, veins bulging on his forehead and teeth clenched tight, but ultimately fell flat on the ground.
Seeing this, Lin Fan remained unhurried. He would wait until Wang Wu got up.
Before long, Li Feng rolled down again. Lin Fan noticed that he still had not passed out. He really could take a beating.
Another half an incense stick passed before Wang Wu rose with difficulty, and Lin Fan also struggled to his feet.
Wang Wu looked suspicious. "Brother, you weren't waiting for me, were you?"
Lin Fan gave a bitter smile and replied weakly, "Not at all. We just happen to recover at about the same rate."
Thump, thump...
Two more bodies tumbled down. They were Lin Fan and Wang Wu. Lin Fan let out a pained groan, once again teetering on the brink of passing out completely.
He checked the panel again. Iron Cloth Shirt had advanced another 10 points.
Iron Cloth Shirt (Beginner 30/100).
Seven more times, Lin Fan thought.
The instructor gave them another hour to rest. Li Feng was still the first to get up, but this time he passed out from the pain.
Wang Wu and Lin Fan followed. This time, Lin Fan also pretended to pass out, and his Iron Cloth Shirt progress reached 40.
Once the three of them woke up, the instructor told them to head back and eat first. As for the others, they could forget about eating until they had completed four rolls.
Under the others' envious, jealous, and resentful gazes, Lin Fan and his two companions walked back to the martial arts school, baring their teeth in pain with every step. None of the three felt like talking. Enduring the pain, they returned to the school's rear courtyard, then entered the dining hall.
The middle-aged man in the dining hall gave each of them a serving of beef and two servings of medicinal food. As for rice, it sat in a wooden tub to one side for them to help themselves.
Lin Fan eagerly ate a serving of medicinal food. Warmth arose in his stomach, then quickly spread throughout his body, easing the pain in his wounds a little.
"This is good stuff," Lin Fan remarked.
"How could it not be? I heard one serving costs half a tael of silver," Wang Wu said, clicking his tongue.
"Hiss..." Lin Fan sucked in a cold breath. At his income of ten copper coins a day at the docks, he would have to work fifty days without eating or drinking to afford it.
The poor study letters; the rich practice martial arts. The ancients truly didn't deceive me! Lin Fan grumbled inwardly.
Li Feng kept his head down and ate without a word, showing no desire to talk to Lin Fan or Wang Wu.
With a mouthful of beef in his stomach, Lin Fan felt immensely satisfied. The last time he had eaten beef was five years ago, before Lin Ming had ruined the family.
Lin Fan ate three large bowls of rice, a bowl of beef, and two servings of medicinal food. He burped, feeling warm all over. The pain in his body had essentially disappeared.
Li Feng's face, which had been taut with pain, relaxed. His body had probably recovered considerably.
Wang Wu, on the other hand, still sucked in cold breaths from time to time, his body still wracked with pain.
The others returned one after another, and the quiet dining hall grew noisy.
The instructor returned too and told them to soak in the secret medicine after eating their fill. They would continue in an hour.
A chorus of wails rose in the dining hall. Without a word, Li Feng was the first to head toward the vats of secret medicine.
Lin Fan and Wang Wu exchanged a glance, then stood and followed him.