Chapter 18: As Long as It Doesn’t Kill You, Push Yourself to the Limit

Just as Lin Xiao was pondering how to begin, Sun Zhiyuan walked over holding a vest. The vest was thin and light, and Lin Xiao was briefly taken aback—was special attire really necessary for training?

“This is a weighted vest. Put it on; it’ll help you burn off that restless energy inside you.”

Lin Xiao curled his lip. Such a flimsy vest—how heavy could it possibly be?

Well, weighted or not, he didn’t have the luxury to care right now. He just needed to start exercising; the heat raging through his body was nearly unbearable.

Seeing how casually Sun Zhiyuan handled the vest, Lin Xiao figured it couldn’t weigh more than twenty pounds. But the moment he accepted it, his arms sank as if an anvil had dropped into his hands. He nearly lost his grip.

Luckily, he was no stranger to hard labor; otherwise, he might have embarrassed himself.

“You’ve got to be kidding, brother. This has to be at least a hundred pounds!”

“Pretty much. Enough with the nonsense. This is the lightest one I could find. Put it on.”

Lin Xiao was dumbfounded but knew arguing was pointless. He could only submit to Sun Zhiyuan’s iron will.

In the end, it was with Sun Zhiyuan’s help that he managed to don the vest. It felt as if a mountain had settled on his shoulders.

Yet, the moment he put it on, the raging energy inside him seemed to calm, if only a little.

“To be fair, it’s surprisingly effective. Still, I have to ask—isn’t this too much intensity right off the bat? I’m worried my body won’t handle it. If I end up with permanent damage, that’d be a disaster.”

“Hmph, you talk too much. This vest is made from special materials—worth a fortune. Besides adding weight, it’ll help suppress that wild energy inside you. You’ll be wearing it for a while—take it off only to bathe, not even when you sleep. As for your health, don’t worry. I promise you’ll be fine. Now stop dawdling and get running—twenty laps around the indoor track!”

Lin Xiao wanted to protest, but the energy in his body flared violently once more. Even with the vest suppressing it, he still felt unwell.

With a wry smile, he gave up resisting and dragged himself to the track.

The indoor track wasn’t large—about the size of a basketball court. Normally, twenty laps would be no problem, but now he was carrying over a hundred pounds.

At first, his stamina held. Even with the extra weight, he managed a steady jog.

The wild energy inside him grew noticeably calmer, which gave him the motivation to keep going.

By the tenth lap, his pace slowed, and sweat had soaked his clothes through. His shoulders felt as heavy as lead and began to ache sharply.

He suspected the vest had already cut into his skin.

Still, Lin Xiao refused to quit. With so many people watching, he didn’t want to give up so easily.

Orphaned in both his lives, Lin Xiao recognized a common thread between himself and the body’s original owner: they were both afraid of loneliness. He thought well enough of the elderly in this nursing home. Maybe he didn’t quite see them as family yet, but somewhere deep down, he didn’t want to be looked down upon by these elders.

Even as his pace dragged, he gritted his teeth and kept going.

His perseverance drew frequent nods of approval from the elders observing him.

As time passed, Lin Xiao realized the energy inside him had settled completely. Not only that, but it was now nourishing his body.

The sensation was so enjoyable he nearly cried out.

Buoyed by this, his steps grew lighter and his speed picked up again.

He understood now—his body was being nourished by the energy within. This would benefit him for life.

Lin Xiao wasn’t stupid. He finally realized: Sun Zhiyuan had taken him to train not just because he disliked his scrawny limbs, but for his own good.

He knew his previous condition. Normally, ten laps with this weight would have been his limit.

Yet in just one day, his physical strength had improved by more than a little.

If he kept this up—even if his awakened ability was only F-rank—he might still become strong.

Excitement welled up inside him. He couldn’t deny that, having been reborn in this world, he yearned to grow stronger.

The reality of awakening only an F-rank ability had hit him hard, but now he saw hope again.

He didn’t want to squander this chance. At the very least, he had to try.

With that, his steps grew lighter still.

Before long, he completed the twenty laps.

Dragging his exhausted body to Sun Zhiyuan, he shot him a defiant look.

He might know now that Sun Zhiyuan meant well, but he’d never thank him out loud.

He probably thought Lin Xiao would never finish twenty laps—so Lin Xiao had to show him.

“What’s with that look? Training’s just begun. That was only the warm-up,” Sun Zhiyuan remarked.

Lin Xiao stumbled, nearly collapsing to the floor.

That was just the warm-up?

“Brother, be honest—are you trying to kill me?”

Sun Zhiyuan gave him a grin that, to Lin Xiao, was nothing short of terrifying.

“What are you saying? If you finally get your hands on a toy you like, would you give up so easily? Relax, I won’t kill you—but you’re partly right. My standard for you is, as long as you don’t die, I’ll push you to your limits!”

Lin Xiao: o(′^｀)o

He mentally took back any trace of gratitude he’d felt. This old devil really was out to finish him off!

He didn’t bother holding back and simply plopped down on the floor. In truth, the fatigue wasn’t the worst part—the vest was just unbearably uncomfortable.

He could already see blood seeping from his shoulders.

At some point, Liu Jiao appeared at his side.

Without a word, she cast a healing spell on him. Lin Xiao felt a sudden itch on his shoulders, and when he checked, the wounds had vanished.

She followed up with a stamina restoration spell, and Lin Xiao immediately felt reinvigorated.

“You really are the best, sister!”

“Save the flattery. I only healed you so you wouldn’t die here. I’m on Brother Sun’s side—you’d better get ready for more training.”

With that, Liu Jiao stepped away. Sun Zhiyuan was flexing his wrists, cracking his knuckles loudly.

Lin Xiao knew that if he didn’t get up, the gruff old man would really give him hell.

A wise man doesn’t court disaster—better to keep training.

With Liu Jiao’s healing, he once again felt the wild energy stirring inside him.

Even though breakfast had only been second- and third-grade spirit beast meat, he’d eaten a lot. Liu Jiao hadn’t calmed the energy in his body; the moment his stamina returned, the energy grew restless again.

It seemed he would have to gradually exhaust and absorb this energy through training.

Thus began Lin Xiao’s hellish regimen under Sun Zhiyuan’s direction.

He finally understood why Liu Jiao stayed nearby—whenever he pushed his body to the very edge, she would heal him.

As soon as she finished, Sun Zhiyuan would urge him to continue. The entire morning was spent in this cycle, until every ounce of energy from breakfast was depleted.

Just as Lin Xiao was about to rest, it was time for lunch.

Xu Qing brought their lunch directly to the gym.

Seeing the table heaped with meat and fish, Lin Xiao realized it was all spirit beast meat.

He swallowed hard, struggling to resist the urge to pounce on the food.

“Isn’t there any normal food here?” he complained.

Sun Zhiyuan shot him a cool glance. “This is what there is. Eat it or don’t—if you go hungry, that’s your problem. Either way, training continues this afternoon.”

Hearing that, Lin Xiao wasted no more time and dug in with abandon.

He understood now: the only reason he’d lasted the morning was the energy from the spirit beast meat. If he didn’t eat, he wouldn’t survive the afternoon.

Not only did he have to eat—he had to eat as much as possible!

Watching Lin Xiao devour his food, Sun Zhiyuan smiled.

To be honest, Sun Zhiyuan was a little impressed.

This kid complained nonstop, but in the end, he persevered.

If he could pass this test, he might truly be worth cultivating.