Chapter 111: Why Additional Training? Don’t You Have Any Sense?

Wen Jingxuan and Hu Yu could only sigh in frustration. At this pace, even if they didn’t die within a month, they might as well peel off a layer of skin.

Of the three troublemaking heavies in Jingdu, Sun Bin was in the best shape physically; he could still push through ten kilometers. Lin Xiao, watching his two best friends collapse from exhaustion like dogs after a long run, was absurdly delighted.

Murong Jing had been watching the time the whole while, and, true to his word, as soon as ten minutes passed he had the line assembled immediately. Though the students wailed and complained, they still lined up obediently. Lin Xiao noticed many of their legs were shaking uncontrollably. It was an after-effect of the high-intensity drill.

Murong Jing clearly understood this, so he didn’t assign more hard training. Instead, he led them through stretching and recovery work.

With his wager against Lin Xiao in mind, he decided to make an announcement and fire up their pride.

“Students, I know you’re not happy with this, but sorry—you’re under my command. If you object, you still need to bear it. If you truly can’t, you can challenge me.
Now I have some good news. For every event I’ve taught you, you may challenge me. If you beat my score in even one event, you are exempt from training.
Lin Xiao has already challenged me. His event is this afternoon’s shooting drill.
Any others want to join? Bring it on if you dare.

Of course, my time is limited. Win, and you’re exempt. Lose, and your training load doubles.”

At first, when they heard they might be exempt, many eyes lit up. But when they heard the penalty for losing, they swallowed their courage. Since Lin Xiao had already taken the challenge, this was a good chance for everyone to test the instructor himself. If Lin Xiao succeeded, they could join later.

When no one stepped forward, Murong Jing looked a little disappointed. He had expected some headstrong fool to lose control and jump in. He had underestimated them.

What he didn’t know was that when it became clear a challenge win meant skipping training, Luo Yao’s eyes too flashed with excitement. Yet her host persona was controlling her body and was too shy to speak up in public. Whether she would actually challenge him was anyone’s guess.

Murong Jing guided everyone through more than an hour of recovery work, and most people finally felt noticeably better. It was noon by then.

Everyone thought they would be dismissed to eat, but no one had properly understood how harsh this military drill could be.

Lunch was mandatory and, unsurprisingly, Murong Jing led them all together. By the time they reached the canteen, everyone’s meal had already been ordered. Each boy got one jin of Grade-Two spirit-beast meat; each girl got eight liang. And everyone had to eat every bite. Most wore expressions that said they already regretted life. Grade-Two spirit-beast meat was not easy to digest; if you wanted to burn off its energy, you had to train even more.

Lin Xiao found the scene vaguely familiar. Wasn’t this exactly how he’d endured things in the nursing home? The only difference was that back there he’d eaten higher-grade spirit-beast meat and had Liu Jiao, a top-tier healer, to worry for him. No such safety net here.

The school had been clever with its planning: Grade-Two meat was enough to challenge the students without overwhelming their bodies. It was just right for building fresh recruits’ stamina.

The meal was mostly silent, and many ended up shoving it down by force of will. Lin Xiao felt no strain at all—he could even have eaten another two jin.

Only after everyone finished did Murong Jing finally clap his hands once.
“Disperse. Rest for a bit. Be back here at two o’clock for shooting training.”
Then he turned and left without waiting around.

The students, in unison: “A break?!”
We’re already buzzing with energy. We’ll have to burn it off somehow.

Many had already started jogging toward the field. Even Sun Bin, despite being a melee-type specialist, was not immune to all that food. One jin of spirit-beast meat had clearly pushed some people’s energy levels past the limit.

Lin Xiao watched them go and headed back to his room to take an afternoon nap. Resting in the middle of this was his way of showing respect to Murong Jing; whether he’d get his exemption depended on his performance later.

When he woke, none of the three guys from the room had returned yet. It had been a “sweat-slinging” noon, all right.

By the time he reached the field, most of the class were sprawled all over the grounds, completely worn out. Lin Xiao walked straight to the three men.

“Hmm. How are you feeling?”

The three simply let out silent sighs. Hu Yu looked at Lin Xiao.
“Xiao, I want to know how you trained. Why do we all share the same rank and yet you’re untouched by this? Teach us.”

“I’m not refusing,” Lin Xiao said. “I passed through your stage too. I’ve even eaten Sixth-grade spirit-beast meat.”

At that, the three fell silent. If Grade-Two meat nearly killed them, forget it.

Before Lin Xiao could press them again, Murong Jing had already arrived.
“All right, assemble!”

The students stood up in an instant.

“I’m pleased you chose to add extra drills during lunch,” Murong Jing said.
The students thought: “Why did we add them? You know what we just did, right?”

“The afternoon training is easier,” he continued. “It’s shooting practice. Many of you may underestimate firearms, but at lower levels, a heat weapon can be stronger than abilities. I don’t know how many of you have handled one before, but in the next session, train properly.”

The moment shooting was mentioned, everyone lit up. Most had never touched a weapon in their lives, and the chance to practice at a firing range made them surprisingly happy. Seeing their spirits rise, Murong Jing nodded and moved the line along toward the Jingdu Lingwu Martial Ground.

Because of the training program, the Jingdu Lingwu yard had been arranged into a proper range. Inside, rifles were lined in neat rows, and the boys’ eyes shone with excitement as they looked at them.

Lin Xiao cast one quick glance and recognized the weapon instantly: a Type 95 rifle. At the nursing home, he had practiced with these enough.

After the elite squad lined up at the range, Murong Jing’s first move was to fix his gaze on Lin Xiao.
“Lin Xiao, you actually dare to challenge me. Then you must understand firearms at least a little. Let’s begin. Show them how a firearm is used.”

Lin Xiao was ready for exactly this. If he defeated Murong Jing, he could use the remaining time for his own purposes.

For ordinary students, military training was meaningful.
For him, though, it was a waste of time.