Chapter 3: Sports

There wasn't much time for reflection. Shortly after Zhang Yu returned to the classroom, the math teacher, wearing black-rimmed glasses, walked in carrying a stack of test papers.

"Today, we’re going to go over the test we took last time."

"Pass the papers back."

"Look at where you made your mistakes. I’ve told you how many times—if you don't understand something, come and ask me. I sat in the office for three hours yesterday afternoon, and not a single person came to ask me a question..."

Shortly after the math papers were distributed, the tall and burly P.E. teacher arrived in the classroom. He looked at the math teacher and said, "You’re sick."

After sending the ailing math teacher away, the P.E. teacher, Wang Hai, looked at the students and said, "This period has been changed to P.E."

"However, don't forget to review your math on your own. General Studies accounts for fifty points in the college entrance exam; a single point in that exam is the difference between many people."

"Speaking of General Studies, I might as well tell you now: I’ve already spoken to your Chinese teacher, and the next period has been changed to P.E. as well. Including the original P.E. class, you have me for the entire morning today."

The students followed Wang Hai to the indoor training arena. It was as vast as a public square and filled with all sorts of exercise equipment.

Wang Hai said, "As the first stage of the Immortal Path, the Qi Refining stage is all about laying a solid foundation. How firm that foundation is during your freshman year will determine the heights you can reach in your sophomore and junior years..."

As he felt these familiar scenes, a flood of detailed memories surged into Zhang Yu's mind.

Since the ten great sects consolidated and integrated the practices of the Immortal Path, it had long since developed into a systematic classification of realms and strength. It was all-encompassing, covering every aspect of Immortal technology—truly as vast as the sea.

The most widely known were the Ten Great Realms of the Immortal Path.

The key indicators determining which realm a person could ascend to were their Dao Heart level and their mana capacity.

For high school students, for instance, one must cross the threshold of Dao Heart level 10 and exceed 60 points of mana to break through from the Qi Refining stage to the Foundation Establishment stage.

The high school P.E. class before them was designed to hone the physical body and temper the will.

After all, a strong body not only increases the efficiency of mana growth but also greatly aids in developing the powerful will required for the Dao Heart level, while also enhancing combat capability within the Qi Refining stage.

If the Dao Heart and mana are the foundation of the Immortal Path, then the physical strength cultivated in P.E. class is the foundation of that foundation.

At that moment, waves of light swept over the students' bodies, displaying their physical strength data on a large screen nearby, ranked from highest to lowest.

1st place, Qian Shen, physical strength 1.15 2nd place, Bai Zhenzhen, physical strength 1.13 3rd place, He Dayou, physical strength 1.12 ...

It wasn't until Zhang Yu reached the 19th spot that he found his score.

19th place, Zhang Yu, physical strength 0.82

As Immortal technology within Kunxu continued to develop, various data and metrics had become increasingly precise.

Physical strength, for example, was not only quantified but re-tested every single P.E. class.

Like the Dao Heart, this metric was capped at level 10 during the Qi Refining stage.

Although physical strength wasn't the key indicator for breaking through to the next Immortal realm, it was related to the practitioner's efficiency and combat power. It was a vital foundation of the Immortal Path, accounting for 150 out of the 650 points in the Immortal subjects.

"Has my physical strength dropped to 19th place?"

Zhang Yu looked at his score, his mind recalling how, over this period, his progress in physical strength had been continuously surpassed by those around him.

Meanwhile, the surrounding students pulled out syringes and jabbed them into their arms, injecting various performance-enhancing supplements into their bodies.

Once these various brands of supplements entered the body, they not only increased the strength of muscles and bones but also boosted exercise efficiency by ten to twenty times. They were essential medicine for freshmen.

Here, you could skip a day of exercise, but you couldn't skip a day of injections. The top students often took eight or more shots a day.

Zhang Yu watched as Bai Zhenzhen, not far away, injected a total of nine shots into her buttocks, arms, and thighs in one go.

Compared to many of the hulking figures around her, Bai Zhenzhen appeared much smaller. Zhang Yu remembered this was because their physical training focuses were different, leading to different body shapes.

Wang Hai, the P.E. teacher, noticed Zhang Yu hadn't made a move to inject himself and walked over, frowning. "Zhang Yu, how many days has it been since you took a performance enhancer?"

Zhang Yu didn't dare say he was out of money. He knew that at Songyang High, that was just as shameful as having poor grades; he only dared to admit it to friends he trusted, like Bai Zhenzhen.

Furthermore, the fragmented memories in his mind told him that the original owner had been injecting so aggressively that his internal organs and cardiovascular system were under heavy strain, causing him to faint several times and putting his life at risk.

So, Zhang Yu gave a perfunctory excuse: "I want to try training without drugs..."

Little did he know, Wang Hai’s frown deepened at these words. His voice boomed like thunder: "Did you listen to those internet influencers who can't handle the pain of the drugs and promote 'natural body refining'? That’s all a scam! How can you keep up without drugs?"

"Look at how many spots you’ve dropped! If you keep this up, you’ll be kicked out of the honors class in the next monthly exam."

He said with a look of frustration, "Do you think I want you to take drugs for my sake? I don't gain muscle just because you take them."

As he spoke, he pointed to a student in the distance. "Look at Qian Shen. He takes 12 shots of Dragon-Elephant serum a day to grow muscle and bone, 2 shots of painkillers to suppress the agony of muscle tearing and growth, and 2 shots of Taotie extract to speed up metabolism and the absorption of Immortal elements from food. He eats fifteen pounds of food a day to gain weight..."

"In just three months, his physical strength skyrocketed from 0.13 to 1.15. He’s the strongest body in the freshman year, worth twenty years of your 'natural refining'."

As Wang Hai spoke, Zhang Yu recalled how Qian Shen had gone from a scrawny kid under 1.7 meters three months ago to the little giant he was now, over two meters tall and weighing over three hundred pounds.

Wang Hai then pointed to another student. "Look at Zhao Tianxing, who used to be worse than you. His physical strength broke 1.00 the day before yesterday. Now his blood is truly like lead and mercury, his arteries are sclerotic, and his heart has tripled in size..."

After pointing out a circle of students, Wang Hai sighed. "Zhang Yu, I’m only telling you this because I saw you used to be in the top ten, you have good talent and high drug tolerance..."

Looking at Wang Hai’s earnest expression, Zhang Yu felt the man's concern, but between having no money and fearing for his life, he wasn't willing to inject himself now.

Just as he was thinking about how to explain it to him, he saw Wang Hai pull a box of medicine from his bag. "They say it's thirty percent training, seventy percent eating, and the remaining ninety percent is how you inject your drugs."

"This is the Vajra Sect’s latest 'Divine Elephant Strength' enhancer. Quality guaranteed by a major sect; one shot is worth ten of the others."

"To be honest with you, this stuff is still in the lab. I got it from a good brother of mine. Since you have good talent, I’ll give you a twenty percent discount—ten bottles for 8,800..."

Watching Wang Hai try to sell him the medicine, Zhang Yu suddenly remembered: more than half of the supplements the students in the class were eating and injecting were bought from Wang Hai.

This was a normal phenomenon at Songyang High. After all, medicine and body refining were inseparable. Every P.E. teacher was not only an expert in body refining but also an excellent pharmaceutical salesman, often backed by multiple medical supply channels.

But Zhang Yu could neither afford these nor could his body handle the drugs. He could only try to brush it off.

Seeing Zhang Yu making excuses and stalling, Wang Hai snorted, put the medicine back, and said with a look of disappointment, "Suit yourself, then."

Watching the P.E. teacher turn and walk away to instruct and sell to other students, Zhang Yu sighed helplessly, thinking to himself, "Is this dump so hard to get through even in P.E. class?"

Just then, a young man walked over and leaned in to ask, "Did Wang Hai try to sell to you again?"

The student looked refined and handsome, like a boy next door.

Memories related to him surfaced in Zhang Yu's mind.

"He is... Zhou Tianyi."

Zhou Tianyi was a study and lunch partner Zhang Yu had met on the first day of school.

The two had eaten lunch and studied together for three months, building a fragile friendship in the process.

However, as the memories surfaced, the first thing Zhang Yu thought of was the other boy's grade ranking.

"Ranked 25th in the grade, good enough to eat at the same table as me... Huh? Why do I have this kind of grade discrimination?"

Zhang Yu felt that as his memories merged, he was being influenced, placing more and more importance on the school's rankings.

Hearing Zhou Tianyi's question, he nodded. "Yeah, he wanted to sell me 'Divine Elephant Strength'."

"And you didn't buy it?" Seeing Zhang Yu nod, Zhou Tianyi hissed, "Aren't you afraid Old Wang will mess with you?"

"Mess with me?" Zhang Yu said. "I just didn't buy the drugs, that's all. It shouldn't be that serious."

Zhou Tianyi shook his head repeatedly. "Sigh, do you want to hear some gossip about Wang Hai?"

"Forget it, I'm not into gossip."

Zhang Yu turned and walked toward the exercise equipment, intending to familiarize himself with his body and the P.E. curriculum.

Zhou Tianyi continued, "Some teachers complained that Wang Hai was jerking off in the office next door, and the force of his ejaculation cracked the ceiling."

Zhang Yu stopped in his tracks. He wasn't a gossip, but such a ridiculous rumor... he had to see what was going on.

Zhou Tianyi said, "Wang Hai later explained he didn't do it; the 'bang-bang-bang' sounds were him disciplining disobedient students."

"I asked students from the previous two years, and it turns out Wang Hai has long had a habit of physically punishing underperforming students."

"Especially if your grades drop and you don't buy his drugs, he’ll lead the bullying against you."

"I heard a student a few years ago was driven to a mental breakdown by him."

Hearing this, Zhang Yu’s gaze suddenly sharpened. "And Wang Hai is still fine?"

Zhou Tianyi said dismissively, "Wang Hai’s teaching results have always been excellent. He’s Songyang High’s ace P.E. teacher; he’s trained three students who ranked first in the city for physical strength in the college entrance exam. Some say he has channels for drugs that are still in the labs of major sects."

"Even if the school really didn't want him, most students and parents wouldn't agree. They all rely on Wang Hai to buy drugs to help them improve their physical strength."

He looked at Zhang Yu and warned, "If you keep refusing to buy drugs and your grades don't go up, I'm afraid he'll mess with you too."

Seeing Zhang Yu frowning, Zhou Tianyi asked curiously, "I mean... you used to take plenty of shots, why did you suddenly stop? Don't tell me you're out of money? Do you want me to lend you some?"

Feeling the sincerity in the other's eyes, Zhang Yu smiled helplessly. "No need."

"Really? How about you take mine today?"

Zhang Yu shook his head repeatedly. He was truly afraid that if he took a few more shots, he would drop dead on the spot.

According to his memories, there was no shortage of people in this world who had been crippled or even died from excessive drug loads. Even at Songyang High, there were people every year who were severely injured by over-medicating.

Yet, students chasing physical strength through drugs were endless.

And the original owner had shown signs of being overwhelmed since last week.

Thinking that the original owner had not only left behind a massive debt of 700,000 but also this broken body, Zhang Yu sighed again.

Just as the two were whispering, a cold gaze swept over them. Wang Hai barked, "No chatting during P.E. class!"

Zhang Yu and Zhou Tianyi immediately stopped talking and began their exercises.

Zhang Yu walked up to a large iron ball, his muscles tensed, and with a sudden burst of strength, he lifted the 100-kilogram ball.

Following the contraction and expansion of his muscles, he moved the iron ball around his body as if it were a toy.

As the ball flew and rotated, Zhang Yu felt his blood and Qi surging, and his body temperature gradually rising.

"This is the warm-up..."

The entire process was etched into his flesh like an instinct; Zhang Yu completed the warm-up training without even needing to think.

In the subsequent training, his mastery of this body deepened, and related memories continued to surface.

"Body refining in the Qi Refining stage is mainly about tempering muscles and bones, breaking through limits through repeated practice, and ultimately increasing the physical strength level."

"The specific method... the most popular one among high school students is the 'Thirty-Six Body-Building Forms'."

The Thirty-Six Body-Building Forms were created by the ten great sects specifically for high school teaching. The thirty-six movements, combined with different equipment, could comprehensively develop the body and effectively increase physical strength.

Under the Immortal framework summarized by the ten great sects, all martial arts and Daoist techniques were classified from level 1 to 100.

Most students at Songyang High could successfully master the basics after a week or two, bringing a basic martial art like the Thirty-Six Body-Building Forms to level 1.

If one could continue to increase the level, the effects of the training would become stronger and more incredible.

But this was clearly not easy. In Zhang Yu's memory, in the three months since school started, only Bai Zhenzhen had managed to raise the Thirty-Six Body-Building Forms to level 2.

It was precisely because of this that Bai Zhenzhen could maintain her physical strength ranking at second in the grade with only 9 shots a day, closely chasing Qian Shen, who took 16 shots.

"The level of the Thirty-Six Body-Building Forms relates to the efficiency of physical strength improvement, but the key that truly determines raw power and P.E. grades is physical strength itself."

"Come to think of it, with my physical strength at 0.82, I can easily swing hundreds of pounds around. The maximum physical strength in the Qi Refining stage is level 10, and after Foundation Establishment, it can reach level 20... The gap between people is just too huge."

Zhang Yu initially only wanted to practice casually to familiarize himself with the P.E. class and his body.

But as he practiced the Thirty-Six Body-Building Forms set after set, he became more serious and meticulous, as if an instinct in his body was urging him, encouraging him, and pushing him to persist in his training.

His muscles were torn repeatedly, his bones were impacted, and after practice after practice, his body, having been repeatedly ravaged, finally released a warm current that began to silently repair the damage in his flesh.

This was the mana within Zhang Yu. Just like the P.E. classes of the past few months, the body was ravaged under heavy pressure, then continuously repaired by mana, becoming stronger in the process.

*Hoo!*

Two hours passed in the blink of an eye. Zhang Yu exhaled deeply, feeling his entire body aching, as if his flesh and blood were about to disintegrate.

"No wonder they need painkillers..."

He looked up at Bai Zhenzhen in the distance, still drenched in sweat, and the other students frantically training. A sense of urgency instinctively welled up in his heart, as if urging him to continue squeezing his body.

"If I had trained this crazily in my original world, I probably would have died long ago."

"It’s only because of the drugs supported by various Immortal technologies, plus mana... that I can hold on and keep getting stronger."

Feeling the pain radiating from all over his body and the instinct still craving exercise and strength, Zhang Yu couldn't help but lament the depth of the original Zhang Yu's obsession.

However, as the training continued, this instinct hidden deep in the human body seemed to be fading.

The path ahead would ultimately have to be chosen by the current Zhang Yu himself.

When the morning P.E. class finally ended, Zhang Yu was exhausted and collapsed on the field, while all around him stood a group of classmates who were still full of energy and training frantically.

Zhang Yu sighed, realizing this was the difference between using drugs and not.

Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of the dark patch on his palm and discovered that the area not yet filled with black had shrunk to less than a quarter.

(End of chapter)