"Your woman? Don't be ridiculous!" A burly man with the most exaggerated pectoral muscles sneered, completely ignoring Draco, and flashed what he thought was a charming smile at Trillian.
"Hey beautiful, don't listen to him. What does a weak, scrawny man know about fitness? Let me teach you some real skills."
"Young man, you should train for two years first before coming back. You're not good enough for a woman like that," someone else chimed in.
"Are you sure?" Someone even walked up to Draco, deliberately puffing out their chest to make Draco appear even smaller.
"Excuse me, everyone, my man will teach me, so please don't bother." Seeing this, Trillian had no choice but to personally refuse.
But these men weren't about to give up. After being rejected, they didn't leave; instead, they turned their attention to Draco.
"If you won't let us teach you, does that mean you think you're better than us? Since you're so confident, why don't you dare to have a go at us?" The blond, muscular man crossed his arms.
"That's right! Only the winner gets to stay in this gym and teach this beautiful woman! The loser gets out immediately!"
"That's right!" The other muscular men chimed in, clearly wanting to team up and get rid of Draco, this eyesore.
"Is it fun for you gym regulars to bully someone who doesn't work out much?" Trillian defended.
Unfortunately, the men completely ignored her protests, instead staring at Draco and asking defiantly, "Dare you?"
Looking at this group of men who resembled gorillas, Draco felt nothing, even a slight urge to laugh. He shrugged.
"Okay, what should we compete in?"
"Good, you've got guts!"
"Easy! Three exercises." The burly man pointed to the barbell on the ground and said, "The first exercise is lifting the barbell, let's see who can lift the heaviest! The second is pull-ups, and the third is a plank!"
These are all the events they usually compete in.
"No problem." Draco nodded.
In the first round, as the barbell was lifted, the onlookers automatically dispersed, clearing out the central weightlifting area, and the atmosphere immediately became quiet.
Among the group of muscular men who had just led the provocation, a man with incredibly defined arm muscles stepped forward.
Over the past few days, he has consistently ranked first in lifting data, and is the undisputed strongest barbell lifter.
The man cracked his knuckles and shoulders, his bones making a slight popping sound, completely ignoring the slender Draco.
Walking up to the heavy Olympic barbell, he took a deep breath, lowered his waist, gripped the bar, and got into position, mobilizing 80% of his body's strength.
"Watch closely, kid!" The man gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his neck, and with a low growl, he lifted the barbell off the rack and did two perfect squats.
Then he slammed the man down, panting heavily, his chest muscles heaving, but he looked at Draco with a smug expression.
"Your turn."
The muscular men watching nodded in approval, their eyes full of admiration. Even seasoned veterans like them would have difficulty lifting that weight.
Draco walked calmly to the barbell. To outsiders, his physique and the heavy barbell in front of him created a stark contrast, and everyone was waiting to see him make a fool of himself.
As Draco's hands touched the barbell, he silently recited the Feather-Light Charm, and the magic flowed from his palms onto the barbell.
The barbell suddenly felt as light as a stick.
Moreover, instead of gripping the barbell with both hands like the strongman, he used his right hand to hold the center of the barbell.
This action stunned everyone.
What is he going to do? With one hand?
"Are you crazy? That's 140 kilograms!"
"He didn't even warm up; isn't that just asking for trouble?"
However, the next second, everyone's voices caught in their throats as Draco exerted force with his arm and easily lifted the 140-kilogram barbell with one hand.
Moreover, his lifting posture was extremely relaxed, his arms straight and motionless, as if he were holding not a 140-kilogram barbell, but a plastic toy.
The group of muscular men who had been provoking them vanished their mocking expressions; their pupils constricted as they stared intently at the scene before them.
Anyone who has dedicated themselves to strength training for years knows the terrifying weight of this barbell. Let alone a one-handed press, even lifting it by just a fraction of an inch with one hand is enough to strain muscles and bones. Yet this slender young man in front of me can hold it steadily with one hand and keep it from falling for so long?
Standing at the very front, Trillian was stunned, then her eyes lit up with amazement, and her slightly apprehensive heart finally settled.
The gym patrons, who were exercising in various areas, all turned to look when they heard the sudden silence. They put down their equipment and quickly gathered around in groups.
Within just a dozen seconds, the strength zone was completely surrounded.
All eyes were fixed on that striking scene: the boy's slender figure stood in stark contrast to the heavy barbell in his hands.
This overturned everyone's entire understanding of power.
"Holy crap... is this guy a circus performer?"
"No, even acrobatics aren't that exaggerated!"
"Is this some kind of alien?"
Discussions arose, and shock replaced the previous disdain.
What's even more shocking is that he didn't stop. He gestured to the referee next to him to continue adding weight. The referee hesitated for a moment, then added another 20 kilograms, bringing the total to 160 kilograms.
Draco remained unfazed, holding the weapon up with one hand.
"Add another one," Draco said calmly.
The referee added another 20 kilograms, making it 180 kilograms.
Draco remained motionless.
"Add more."
When the weight of the barbell was increased to 260 kilograms, the entire gym fell silent. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared in disbelief at the skinny boy who was lifting a barbell with one hand that even two strong men might not be able to lift.
Moreover, Draco showed no intention of putting it down; he held it up straight, his breathing steady, and even had the leisure to turn his head to look at Trillian, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Trillian covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide open. Although she roughly understood that Draco had used magic, her heart was still pounding, her cheeks flushed, and excitement and pride surged in her chest as she witnessed these people being slapped in the face.
This is her man!
The surrounding muscular men were in an uproar:
"My God... 260 kilograms... with one hand..."
"This is impossible... How could someone so small..."
Is there something wrong with the barbell?
"Impossible! The barbell is bent!"
"Want to come up?" Draco asked Trillian.
As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the room changed once again.
All the muscular men turned ashen-faced, their sense of superiority shattered. How laughable their hard-earned muscles were compared to Draco!
The female guests watching, on the other hand, stared intently at Draco, their eyes filled with amazement and a sense of awe at his power.
"Come up? Where to?"
"He wouldn't be thinking of..."
"Is he going to make that girl sit on the barbell?"