Chapter 167: Chapter 158: Serious
They were very clear about what the concept of half-year promotion in Body Refinement meant.
That was the pinnacle of the Top Ten Martial Arts.
People like them, in terms of strength or potential, couldn’t be compared to ordinary students in the Lieutenant Camp.
Some older students who initially wanted to provoke or teach the new recruits a lesson silently shut their mouths.
Wei Xiangqian and other students from West Sea Martial Arts exchanged glances.
The pressure on their shoulders suddenly increased.
If this Zhou Leng wasn’t that Zhou Leng, winning or losing wouldn’t matter.
But since it was that Zhou Leng, if they lost, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but it wouldn’t look good on them.
Only after Zhou Leng walked away did they start speaking.
"You guys from West Sea Martial Arts have to go up, whether you like it or not."
"However, he is ultimately too young; in the first one or two months, you don’t need to worry."
No worries for the first one or two months, but what about afterward?
Wei Xiangqian smiled calmly, "We, in West Sea Martial Arts, are the least accomplished group. Even if we lose, it doesn’t matter. But, we must not be intimidated by a new recruit, let’s go."
Wei Xiangqian took the lead, and the other three West Sea Martial Arts students followed.
"I’ll participate too, to experience what a top genius in the Top Ten Martial Arts feels like." A student with a tough demeanor, originating from the Demon City Army, followed.
"Even new recruits from Yunhua Jinjing might not be able to crush us. I’ll give it a try too."
One by one, people got interested.
Soon, the majority of the students decided to participate.
Only a few students stood in place, watching the excitement.
Shi Lai hesitated for a moment, but since he was only a Blood Transporting Period soldier, he had to ask, "Leaders, are you... all going to take the test?"
"Yes!"
"According to the rules, five people per batch, please line up in order, and try to minimize friction and collisions during the testing. He is a friend of Elder Song, so we hope all leaders participate in the spirit of friendship first, competition second."
Shi Lai had been following Zhou Leng and naturally overheard the conversation between Zhou Leng and Song Juesi. Knowing Elder Song was already exceptional, plus the recommendation from Chen Shouhu, if anything really happened, he’d surely be held accountable by his superiors.
Wei Xiangqian and a few others exchanged knowing smiles. Shi Lai’s words might indicate that Zhou Leng, even if competent, had his limits.
Wei Xiangqian smiled, "Don’t worry, in the testing arena, we’ll all be clean. But when it comes to the battle ladder, it’ll be a real fight."
Shi Lai nodded, glanced at Zhou Leng, and entered the other participants’ test applications.
Close to 9 in the morning, three soldiers and a captain arrived on a truck.
The three soldiers took down five Gravity Cultivation Armors, following the captain.
The captain gazed across the crowd, taking a heavy look at Wei Xiangqian and others, then said, "I am the examiner for your test this time, in charge of this assessment. I won’t elaborate on the rules; you all know them. Just try to abide by the rules of the test arena."
Upon hearing "try," Zhou Leng recalled the previous incident with Tao Bing, and it was clear some precautions were necessary.
The examiner said, "The first batch of examinees, put on the Gravity Cultivation Armor, prepare for the first weighted run."
Zhou Leng and Wei Xiangqian and others took the Gravity Cultivation Armors.
Zhou Leng looked at it, at first glance just a thicker black bulletproof vest, with a flexible display screen on the surface.
Shi Lai and several other soldiers stepped forward to help adjust the gravity of the Gravity Cultivation Armor for the five.
Shi Lai said, "Get ready, start Qi manipulation, the gravity will gradually increase, up to 2000 kilograms. Don’t overexert by not using True Qi, an ordinary Early Stage of Body Refining, without True Qi weightlifting, can only lift just over 2000 kilograms."
Zhou Leng maintained Qi manipulation, while Shi Lai gradually increased the gravity.
As the gravity increased, it felt as though the body was slowly sinking to the seabed, with pressure constantly intensifying.
Until later, the body felt the clear heavy pressure.
It didn’t seem as heavy as Shi Lai said; it felt as though even without True Qi, it could be borne.
Finally, it was adjusted to 2000 kilograms.
Zhou Leng’s feet slightly sank into the earth.
This was the first time using the Gravity Cultivation Armor; he walked lightly, swayed his body, gradually adapting.
This feeling was peculiar, as if the body was enveloped by weighty seawater.
A weight of four thousand jin pressing on the body, in the Blood Transport period, would likely render one immobile.
Zhou Leng walked while continuously adapting to the new weight.
Wei Xiangqian and the four others from West Sea Martial Arts remained calm, continuing to warm up and flex their joints.
The trailing students closely watched Zhou Leng, observing the details on him, whispering among themselves.
"This new recruit has quite good physical attributes."
"When we first arrived, with the added 2000 kilograms of gravity, it was hard to be this calm."
"There’s going to be a good show."
Many people smiled; since they weren’t part of West Sea Martial Arts, the more excitement, the better.
The examiner said, "You five, stand at the starting line. First round, 2000 kilograms weighted 5000-meter run, get ready."
This number would astonish the students of the Top Ten Martial Arts, but in the Competition Camp, it was merely an entrance test.
The five stood behind the starting line, shaking their arms and legs, making final preparations.
"Get ready..." The examiner drawled with a long ending note, holding a stopwatch, "Run!"
Zhou Leng began to stride forward, at a moderate pace, while feeling the transformations in his body.
There was no intention of vying for the lead, merely treating this weighted run as a form of learning and growth.
The other four glanced at Zhou Leng, then accelerated.
The 2000-kilogram heavy bodies pounded the ground, creating dull thuds.
Even the reinforced track displayed noticeable vibrations.
In just a short while, the four easily led by over a dozen meters, widening the gap with Zhou Leng.
Zhou Leng didn’t mind, continuing to sense the changes in his body, uninterested in risking injury for showmanship.
The other students were unsure if Zhou Leng lacked the strength or was taking a steady approach, so they quietly watched without commenting.
The gap between the two sides grew larger; when it reached two hundred meters, approaching half a lap difference, many students gently shook their heads.
Even if Zhou Leng was a new recruit, not to mention a Mid-Stage Body Refining veteran, closing a two-hundred-meter gap to catch up with Wei Xiangqian seemed impossible.
After all, Wei Xiangqian ranks in the first tier of the Lieutenant Camp and has the strength to graduate.
"Zhou Leng is speeding up..."
Everyone looked at Zhou Leng.
After the previous run, Zhou Leng had become accustomed to this feeling.
In martial arts perception, even with a load weighing 2000 kilograms, there was no slightest damage to the body.
Especially with the enhancement of True Qi, it felt... quite okay.
So, Zhou Leng began to speed up.
Soon, the gap between the two sides reduced to one hundred meters, and Zhou Leng maintained this speed.
After a while, Zhou Leng felt he still had some energy left and accelerated again.
By the third lap, Zhou Leng caught up to the fourth position, advancing from fifth to fourth.
The early stage body refining senior from Yunhai Martial Arts Academy, who was at the bottom, stared at Zhou Leng’s back.
He carefully observed Zhou Leng’s steps, sweat, movements, and even recalled the heartbeat when Zhou Leng passed him.
He couldn’t see any sign of struggle.
As an experienced martial artist, his heart sank, feeling something was amiss.
However, he didn’t forcibly try to catch up, but instead attempted to closely follow Zhou Leng and prevent the gap from widening too much.
Just ten seconds later, Zhou Leng surpassed the third position.
This time, everyone stared straight at Zhou Leng, realizing the seriousness of the issue.
A freshman trailing by two hundred meters could still overtake?
After a while, Zhou Leng passed the second position, leaving only ten meters between him and Wei Xiangqian.
The second place was also a mid-stage body refining student from Xihai Martial Arts Academy. He gritted his teeth, accelerated his True Qi, and sprinted a few steps to overtake Zhou Leng.
Zhou Leng continued to run at his own pace, and with more than one lap to go, Zhou Leng sped up.
He overtook the second place, surpassed Wei Xiangqian, reached the first position, and continued to accelerate.
Wei Xiangqian was momentarily stunned, his eyes flashing, he took a deep breath, and accelerated with all his might.
Soon, he overtook Zhou Leng.
Three seconds later, Zhou Leng accelerated again, passed Wei Xiangqian, and kept speeding up.
Wei Xiangqian watched the gradually leaving back of Zhou Leng, gritted his teeth, mobilized all his strength and True Qi, and strode forward with all his might.
Bearing a full 2000 kilograms, his speed still far exceeded that of an ordinary person’s sprint.
Yet, Zhou Leng was even faster.
The distance between the two grew wider and wider.
Wei Xiangqian ran while staring blankly at the retreating silhouette.
Everyone watched as Zhou Leng galloped, leading Wei Xiangqian by a full hundred meters, crossing the starting line first.
At the moment Zhou Leng reached the finish line, Wei Xiangqian was still slightly better off, while the other three students from Xihai Martial Arts Academy staggered, their steps chaotic, and their breathing unsteady.
"Something’s not right..." an old student muttered.
"I sense an ominous feeling."
"Could it be that the Cultivation Armor is broken?"
At this moment, the examiner’s voice came from the finish line.
"Exceeded standard."
The old students exchanged glances.
The standards in the Competition Camp are not as detailed as in school; test results are only announced in three categories.
Below standard, meet standard, exceed standard.
The difference between the three standards is vast.
Generally, even an outstanding mid-stage body refining student would take three months to meet half the projects.
Meeting the standard means possessing the basic qualifications to graduate.
Only five people from the first tier can fully meet the standard, but none exceed it.
One person boldly shouted: "Instructor, is the Cultivation Armor broken?"
The examiner glanced at that person. The testing equipment had been checked in advance, so the possibility of issues was very low.
He said, "Second test, exchange Cultivation Armor."
With one sentence, he silenced the doubters.
Zhou Leng was sweating all over, his breath slightly rough, but apart from that, there was not much change.
While walking, he sensed his body.
Since it was his first time participating in heavy load running, he had not gone all out, using roughly ninety percent of his strength.
So far, it seemed alright.
Before long, the others arrived at the finish line one after another.
After walking for a while, soldiers helped to adjust the Cultivation Armor, and then they exchanged them.
Zhou Leng and Wei Xiangqian exchanged each other’s Cultivation Armor.
"Second test, 2000 kilograms load, obstacle run of ten thousand meters, five laps. Move to the next test site."
Everyone walked out of the ordinary track and into the adjacent obstacle run course.
The obstacle run course was similar to Ruda’s but even more complex, with increased difficulty in slope, climbing height, and various challenge intensities.
"According to the previous rankings, there will be a 20-second interval between starts," the instructor said.
Zhou Leng was ranked first last time and dashed out first.
First, there was thirty meters of normal road, then fifty meters of chest-deep water, followed by a ten-meter high wall climb, then walking on a slightly swaying steel rope, followed by nine whole ups and downs of small hills, then crawling under a barbed wire...
At the beginning, the other four tried their best to catch up, but Zhou Leng, already accustomed to the 2000 kilograms load, was getting faster and faster.
Soon, Zhou Leng completed the first lap of the obstacle run and began the second lap.
Wei Xiangqian tried his hardest to chase, but instead became further away.