Chapter 111: Brothers, Come Borrow Money (Thanks to the Almighty Leader 'Shangxian Qitian')
On the battlefield, Bai Zhenzhen’s figure blurred like a ghost, darting swiftly within the circular arena, evading steel beads hurtling from all directions at breakneck speed.
After two months of grueling training, her body—refined through the relentless forging of Lei Ji’s True Body Technique and enhanced by Zhen Linggen’s support—had seen continuous improvements in the reaction time and explosive power of her muscles and tendons.
At this moment, neural signals surged through her entire being, translating her will into precise, instantaneous movements. Muscles contracted and exploded in perfect coordination as she shifted her body mid-dodge, narrowly avoiding each high-velocity steel bead.
Her speed was so extreme that she left behind a trail of afterimages, yet she still managed to slip through the narrowest of gaps—just in time.
“Much slower than Yu’s hands,” she mused, even as she dodged. Compared to Zhang Yu’s all-out intensity during sparring sessions, these steel beads felt sluggish. She could even afford to spare a moment to critique.
Meanwhile, nearly every contestant from the three elite high schools mirrored her ease—dodging with practiced grace as the steel beads rained down from every angle. This stood in stark contrast to the other schools, whose students had already been eliminated.
...
In the audience stand, Gang Shan nodded. “Jingchen, you’re right. These two students from Songyang High School have truly caught up to the standard of the top three.”
Le Jingchen smiled. “This is the impact of breakthrough in body-refining techniques. Even students who were once far behind the elite academies can now close the gap—thanks to surgical enhancement.”
Gang Shan frowned slightly. “But their performance still seems worlds apart from Le Mulan’s. She’s handling it with effortless ease.”
Le Jingchen nodded in agreement. “Super Metabolism Surgery enhances overall resilience. It allows users to safely overdose on various pharmaceuticals.”
“Those drugs affect every aspect of the body—strength, speed, explosive power, balance, flexibility, reaction time, focus, digestion… virtually every physiological function can be boosted through targeted injections.”
“So, in essence, Super Metabolism Surgery offers the most comprehensive, all-around enhancement—no weak spots.”
“Right now, this challenge isn’t just about speed and reflexes. It demands sustained mental focus and endurance—something most body-refining techniques simply can’t train.”
“But for Le Mulan, after Super Metabolism Surgery? A single injection into the brain is enough. If one isn’t enough, two, three—it’s just a matter of dosage. She can maintain superhuman focus, surpassing everyone else on the field.”
Le Jingchen added, “If anyone’s interested in this revolutionary body-refining technology, be sure to check out Ziyun Pharmaceutical’s official website. They have far more detailed information there…”
After Le Jingchen finished extolling Ziyun’s virtues, Gang Shan asked curiously, “How expensive is this surgery?”
Le Jingchen nodded. “Ziyun has always aimed to bring this technology to the world. Though the cost is not negligible, the current surgery fee has been reduced to under one million.”
Gang Shan mused, “That’s still a steep price. But luckily, ‘Gan Jie’ Platform recently approached me. We’re launching a special benefit together.”
“Anyone who borrows from me through the ‘Gan Jie’ platform will have six months of service fees waived.”
“Brothers, come borrow from me—no shame!”
Beside him, Le Jingchen silently observed the ad pitch. Gang Shan may be a body-refining celebrity, but he doesn’t sell pills or cultivation manuals. He only promotes loans—by far the safest kind of content. His fan base has the lowest mortality rate among all cultivation influencers. A true clean-living outlier in this industry.
Wonder how much the company paid him to promote this tech…
...
Meanwhile, as Le Jingchen and Gang Shan wrapped up their promotional segments, the elimination of all ordinary high school students was complete.
With the dodging area shrinking steadily, Key High School’s students began falling one by one.
He Dayou struggled to keep up, dodging steel beads from all directions. As the space tightened, his mind remained hyper-focused, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.
Suddenly, his leg lagged—his muscles failed to respond to his brain’s commands.
A sharp crack echoed through the room, and He Dayou collapsed, defeated.
The transplanted muscles hadn’t fully synced with his nervous system. After prolonged high-intensity performance, they finally failed.
Checking his time: 58 seconds.
He sighed in disappointment, returning to Songyang High School’s Rest Area.
Zhao Tianxing watched him with envy. Fifty-eight seconds… I’d probably last only thirty if I went up there.
But He Dayou himself felt no joy.
Instead, his eyes were locked onto the live broadcast screen.
“No one from the top three has been eliminated yet?”
This new body-refining tech… I wish I could get it too.
...
Le Jingchen commented, “Most Key High School students are out. The arena’s now nearly half its original size. The next phase is the top three schools getting hit.”
Gang Shan asked, “Jingchen, who do you think will win this round?”
Le Jingchen remained calm. “Hongta High School’s students are too bulky—this test hits them hardest. They’ll be the first of the three elite schools to fall.”
“Songyang’s two students have the advantage of smaller frames. They’ll last longer—just after Hongta, but before Ziyun and Bailong’s teams get hit.”
“Then the final spot… it’ll be between Le Mulan and Yu Xinghan.”
“I’m confident in Le Mulan’s strength and Ziyun’s new tech. But Yu Xinghan is a Golden Core Disciple. His investment far exceeds everyone else. His stats are the highest on the field. Even Le Mulan might not beat him…”
Though Le Jingchen praised Yu Xinghan highly, he kept emphasizing the latter’s Golden Core Disciple status—clearly setting up a narrative where, if Yu wins, it’s due to his elite status, but if Le Mulan wins, it’s proof of Ziyun’s technological superiority.
And the events unfolded exactly as predicted.
First, Hongta High School’s students were struck down with angry roars.
Then, several Ziyun and Bailong students fell.
Pang!
Chu Qiuhé felt the impact of a steel bead against his arm. He sneered, stopped dodging, and let the beads pummel him—crack-crack-crack—as he walked out of the room unharmed.
“Dodging is annoying. I’d rather just take it.”
As he walked, his gaze fixed on the screen, watching who remained.
A few seconds later, Lian Tianji was also struck—unable to keep up with the shrinking space.
With admiration from students of the lower-tier schools, Lian Tianji made his way back to the rest area, eyes still glued to the screen.
A hint of regret tugged at his face. Still couldn’t match the Sacred First or Zhang Yu…
As more elite school students fell, Gang Shan was stunned to see Bai Zhenzhen and Zhang Yu still standing.
Besides them, only Le Mulan and Yu Xinghan remained.
“Making it to the top four?” Le Jingchen was surprised, but then shrugged. “Makes sense.”
“Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen have Physical Strength Levels ranked fifth and seventh in the arena. Their smaller frames give them a real advantage. Earning a top-four spot here is perfectly normal.”
“I shouldn’t have underestimated them just because they’re from Songyang. They must be using the new breakthrough in body-refining tech too.”
“These two might even have a shot at the top five in the overall Physical Fitness Competition.”
Le Jingchen silently reevaluated his bias, then turned back to the field.
The arena had shrunk to barely the size of one person.
Zhang Yu had entered Full Concentration mode, slowly shifting his body as he observed each steel bead’s slow, deliberate trajectory—moving millimeter by millimeter to avoid every one.
Bai Zhenzhen, meanwhile, contorted her body in impossible ways—twisting, bending, folding—using her astonishing speed, reflexes, and flexibility to compensate for her weaker focus, keeping her alive.
But for both, the real challenge wasn’t dodging—it was tracking steel beads coming from every direction while the space left was shrinking.
Bai Zhenzhen gritted her teeth internally. I can’t keep up with this…
As the arena tightened further, their dodging grew harder. Eventually, both were eliminated.
4th Place: Songyang High School – Bai Zhenzhen – 2:13
3rd Place: Songyang High School – Zhang Yu – 2:18
After stepping down, Bai Zhenzhen and Zhang Yu turned to the live screen, watching the final duel between Le Mulan and Yu Xinghan.
Bai Zhenzhen muttered, frustrated. “Those two… I swear, they can see steel beads coming from behind.”
At the same time, Le Mulan was no longer calm.
Her eyes and ears were hyper-alert, sharpened by the Tenfold Stimulant. She sensed minute air shifts, predicting bead trajectories before they arrived.
Her brain, pushed beyond limits by the Tenfold Cognitive Enhancement Agent, calculated the optimal dodge path in real time—reacting to each bead before it even fired.
Blood surged through her veins like a river, delivering powerful drugs to every muscle, triggering explosive contractions and leaving afterimages with every movement.
Yet, as the arena shrank, the difficulty mounted. Her brain burned with effort. Sweat poured from her forehead, tracing down her cheeks and sliding along her pale neck.
With no room to turn, she could only rely on hearing to detect beads from behind—growing increasingly difficult.
Pang!
A steel bead struck her back.
Le Mulan instantly relaxed, her body vanishing in a flash.
2nd Place: Ziyun High School – Le Mulan – 2:25
As she stepped out, Le Mulan stared at the screen—only to be shocked.
Yu Xinghan was still inside.
How is he still dodging?
Yu Xinghan felt the world slow down.
His mind, enhanced by the 10th-level Tianwu Cultivation of the Heart Scripture, allowed him to perceive the world in slow motion while in Full Concentration.
The third eye in his mind granted him a 360-degree view.
And with the highest Physical Strength Level on the field, his explosive speed was nothing short of terrifying.
...
In the audience stand, Le Jingchen watched, stunned.
This guy… can he see behind him? Without Martial Energy cultivation, this must be a physical enhancement. But Bailong High School doesn’t have that tech. Is it Xinghuo Immortal’s method? Or… is he just born with it?
He couldn’t tell. But he said nothing.
After all, this was a physical competition. Extraordinary body traits—whether innate or surgically acquired—were within the rules.
Then, a collective gasp erupted from the crowd.
...
On the battlefield.
As the circle shrank to the point where standing was nearly impossible, Yu Xinghan dropped into a crouch.
Then, with a single finger, he pressed downward.
He sat cross-legged on the circle, balancing on just one fingertip.
With that one point of contact, his body continued to twist and shift—like a silver tree dancing in a storm—adopting impossible, beyond-human stances, dodging steel beads with flawless precision.
In just seconds, Yu Xinghan displayed a level of strength, speed, balance, flexibility, and reflexes that was nothing short of perfection—overwhelming, dominant, flawless.
When the circle shrank to smaller than the width of his fingertip, he finally moved.
With a flick of his finger, he launched upward—escaping the final wave of beads.
As the steel beads ceased firing with the arena’s final contraction, Yu Xinghan descended back into the room.
Not a single bead had struck him.
1st Place: Bailong High School – Yu Xinghan – 2:33
On the screen, Yu Xinghan turned to the crowd and offered a faint smile.
“Starting next month, Xianyun Group will launch Artificial Demon Muscle body-refining services in Songyang City. Stay tuned.”
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Requesting Monthly Votes
(End of Chapter)
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