Chapter 3: Physical Education

Chapter 3: Physical Education

There was no time for reflection. Not long after Zhang Yu returned to the classroom, the math teacher, wearing black-rimmed glasses, walked in with a stack of test papers.

"Today, we'll go over the last test."

"Hand out the test papers."

"Look at the questions you got wrong. I’ve told you countless times to come to me if you have any questions. Yesterday, I sat in my office for three hours, and not a single person came to ask for help..."

Just as the math test papers were being distributed, the tall and muscular physical education teacher, Wang Hai, entered the classroom and said to the math teacher, "You’re sick."

After sending the sick math teacher away, Wang Hai looked at the students and said, "This class will be changed to physical education."

"However, don’t forget to review your math on your own. The General Knowledge Course is worth fifty points in the Gaokao, and every point counts."

"Speaking of the General Knowledge Course, I’ve already spoken with your Chinese teacher, and the next Chinese class will also be changed to physical education. Including the regular PE class, the entire morning will be mine."

The students followed Wang Hai to the indoor training ground, which was as vast as a plaza, filled with various exercise equipment.

Wang Hai said, "The Qi Cultivation Realm is the first stage of the Immortal Path, and it’s crucial to lay a solid foundation. How firmly you establish your foundation in your first year of high school will determine how high you can reach in your second and third years..."

As Zhang Yu felt a sense of familiarity with these scenes, countless details from his memories flooded his mind.

The Immortal Path, after being systematized and integrated by the ten major sects, now has a comprehensive set of realms and strength classifications, covering all aspects of Immortal Path techniques, a vast and intricate system.

The most well-known are the ten realms of the Immortal Path.

The key metrics that determine which Immortal Path realm a person can reach are the Dao Heart Level and Qi level.

For high school students, only those who surpass the 10th level of Dao Heart and have a Qi level over 60 can advance from the Foundation Building Stage to the Core Formation Stage.

The high school PE class, however, focuses on honing the physical body and strengthening the will.

A strong physical body not only increases the efficiency of Qi improvement but also greatly aids in developing the powerful will required for the Dao Heart Level. It also enhances combat capabilities in the Foundation Building Stage.

If Dao Heart and Qi are the foundations of the Immortal Path, then the Physical Strength Level, which is trained in PE class, is the foundation of the foundation.

At the same time, a series of light waves scanned the bodies of the students, displaying their Physical Strength Levels on a nearby large screen, ranked from highest to lowest.

1. Qian Shen, Physical Strength Level 1.15

2. Bai Zhenzhen, Physical Strength Level 1.13

3. He Dayou, Physical Strength Level 1.12

...

Zhang Yu had to look all the way to the 19th position to find his score.

19. Zhang Yu, Physical Strength Level 0.82

With the continuous development of Immortal Path techniques in Kunxu, various data and metrics have become increasingly precise.

Physical Strength Level, for instance, is quantified and re-evaluated in every PE class.

This metric, like the Dao Heart Level, can only reach a maximum of 10 in the Foundation Building Stage.

Although Physical Strength Level is not a critical metric for advancing through the Immortal Path realms, it significantly affects the efficiency and combat capabilities of a cultivator, forming a crucial foundation of the Immortal Path. It is worth 150 points out of 650 in the Immortal Path subject.

"Already dropped to 19th place?"

Zhang Yu looked at his score, recalling how his Physical Strength Level had been consistently overtaken by his classmates in recent times.

Meanwhile, the students around him began to take out injection syringes and inject various enhancing supplements into their arms.

These supplements, from different brands, not only strengthen muscles and bones but also increase exercise efficiency by several to tenfold, making them essential for high school students.

Here, you can skip a day of exercise, but not a day of injections. Top students often receive up to eight injections a day.

Zhang Yu saw Bai Zhenzhen, not far away, inject herself with nine doses, one each into her buttocks, arms, and thighs.

However, compared to the many muscular students around her, Bai Zhenzhen appeared much smaller. Zhang Yu remembered that this was because their physical training directions were different, resulting in different body shapes.

Wang Hai, noticing that Zhang Yu had not injected himself, walked over with a frown. "Zhang Yu, how many days have you gone without functional enhancers?"

Zhang Yu didn’t dare to say he was out of money, knowing that it was as shameful as poor academic performance at Songyang High School. He only confided in close friends like Bai Zhenzhen.

Moreover, fragmented memories told him that the original body had fainted several times due to the heavy burden on the internal organs and cardiovascular system from excessive injections, putting his life at risk.

Thus, Zhang Yu evaded the question, "I want to try without injections..."

Wang Hai’s frown deepened, and he thundered, "Have you been influenced by those internet celebrities who promote natural body training? That’s all a scam. Without injections, how can you keep up?"

"Look at how many places you’ve dropped. If you keep this up, you’ll be kicked out of the Demonstration Class in the next monthly exam."

He said with a look of disappointment, "Do you think I’m making you take injections for my benefit? It won’t make me any stronger."

He pointed to a student in the distance, "Look at Qian Shen. He takes 12 Dragon-Elephant Serums a day to enhance his muscles and bones, 2 Analgesic Injections to suppress the pain of muscle growth, and 2 Tao’s Metabolic Enhancers to boost metabolism and the absorption of Immortal Path elements from food. He eats about fifteen pounds of food a day to gain weight..."

"In just three months, his Physical Strength Level has skyrocketed from 0.13 to 1.15, making him the strongest physical body in the first year. It would take you twenty years of natural training to match him."

As Wang Hai spoke, Zhang Yu recalled how Qian Shen had transformed from a skinny 1.70-meter-tall boy to a 2-meter-tall, 300-pound giant in just three months.

Wang Hai then pointed to another student, "Look at Zhao Tianxing, who wasn’t even as good as you before. He broke the 1.00 Physical Strength Level mark just the other day, with blood as thick as lead and hardened arteries, his heart tripled in size..."

Wang Hai sighed, "Zhang Yu, I’m only telling you this because you used to rank in the top ten for Physical Strength Level, showing great talent and exceptional drug tolerance..."

Seeing Wang Hai’s earnest concern, Zhang Yu felt a sense of gratitude but was still unwilling to take injections due to financial constraints and fear for his life.

Just as he was thinking about how to explain, Wang Hai pulled out a box of Enhancement Serum from his bag, "Three parts training, seven parts eating, and ninety parts depend on how you inject."

"This is the latest Titan Strength Serum from the Vajra Sect. High-quality, one injection equals ten."

"Let me be honest, this stuff is still in the lab. I got it from a good friend. Seeing your potential, I’m offering it to you at a discount. Ten bottles for 8800..."

Seeing Wang Hai’s sales pitch, Zhang Yu recalled that more than half of the physical enhancement supplements the students used came from Wang Hai.

This was a common practice at Songyang High School. After all, drugs and physical training were inseparable. Every PE teacher was not only an excellent physical training expert but also a skilled drug salesman, often connected to multiple pharmaceutical channels.

But Zhang Yu couldn’t afford these supplements, and his body couldn’t handle the Enhancement Serum. He could only try to evade the situation.

Seeing Zhang Yu’s hesitation and excuses, Wang Hai coldly snorted, put the drugs away, and said with disappointment, "Then you’re on your own."

As Wang Hai turned to guide and sell to other students, Zhang Yu sighed in frustration, thinking, "This place, even PE class is so difficult to get through?"

Just then, a young boy approached Zhang Yu and asked, "Wang Hai tried to sell you something again?"

The student looked clean-cut, with a boy-next-door appearance.

Memories of him surfaced in Zhang Yu's mind.

"It's... Zhou Tianyi."

Zhou Tianyi was someone Zhang Yu had met on the first day of school, and they had become study and lunch partners.

They had eaten together and studied together for three months, during which they had formed a fragile friendship.

But as the memories flooded back, the first thing Zhang Yu thought of was Zhou Tianyi's class ranking.

"Class ranking 25, good enough to eat with me... Wait, why am I also discriminating based on grades now?"

Zhang Yu felt that as his memories merged, he was becoming increasingly influenced, placing more importance on the school's ranking system.

Hearing Zhou Tianyi's question, he nodded and said, "Yeah, he wants to sell me the Divine Elephant Power."

"You didn't buy it again?" Zhou Tianyi hissed when he saw Zhang Yu nod. "Aren't you afraid Wang Hai will mess with you?"

"Mess with me?" Zhang Yu replied, "Just not buying medicine, it's not that serious, right?"

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

"Pass, I'm not into gossip."

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

Zhou Tianyi continued, "A teacher complained that Wang Hai was causing a ruckus in the neighboring office, and the ceiling cracked from the noise."

Zhang Yu stopped in his tracks. He wasn't one for gossip, but such a ridiculous story... he had to find out what was going on.

Zhou Tianyi said, "Wang Hai later explained that he wasn't doing anything; the banging sounds were him disciplining misbehaving students."

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

"Especially if their grades drop and they don't buy his medicine, he'll lead the bullying."

"Rumor has it that a few years ago, a student was driven to mental breakdown by him."

Hearing this, Zhang Yu's eyes narrowed sharply. "Wang Hai got away with that?"

Zhou Tianyi shrugged. "Wang Hai's teaching results are always excellent. He's the ace physical education teacher at Songyang High School, having produced three students who topped the city's Physical Strength Level in the Gaokao. Some say he has access to experimental drugs from major sects."

"Even if the school wanted to get rid of him, most students and parents wouldn't agree. They rely on Wang Hai's medicine to boost their Physical Strength Level."

He looked at Zhang Yu and warned, "If you keep not buying the medicine and your grades don't improve, he might target you too."

Seeing Zhang Yu frown, Zhou Tianyi asked curiously, "Hey, you used to get a lot of injections. Why did you stop? Running out of money? Need me to lend you some?"

Sensing the sincerity in Zhou Tianyi's eyes, Zhang Yu smiled helplessly. "No, thanks."

"Really no?" Zhou Tianyi pressed, "How about using mine today?"

Zhang Yu shook his head repeatedly. He was genuinely afraid that one more injection might kill him.

According to his memories, many people had been severely injured, disabled, or even died due to excessive drug use. Even at Songyang High School, there were students who suffered serious injuries each year from overusing drugs.

Despite this, students still flocked to boost their Physical Strength Level through drugs.

And the original Zhang Yu had shown signs of overuse last week.

Thinking about the massive debt and the damaged body he had inherited, Zhang Yu sighed again.

As they were whispering, a cold gaze suddenly swept over them, and Wang Hai barked, "Stop chatting during physical education class."

Zhang Yu and Zhou Tianyi immediately stopped their conversation and started exercising.

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

With his muscles contracting and expanding, he moved the heavy ball around as if it were a toy, feeling the blood and qi circulating through his body, warming up his limbs.

"This is just warming up..."

The entire process was instinctive, almost etched into his flesh. Zhang Yu completed the warm-up without much thought.

As he continued training, he gained a deeper understanding of his body, and more memories surfaced.

"In the Qi Cultivation stage, physical training focuses on strengthening muscles and bones, breaking through limits through repeated practice to ultimately enhance the Physical Strength Level."

"One method, particularly popular among high school students, is the Sixfold Physique Cultivation Forms."

The Sixfold Physique Cultivation Forms were created by the ten major sects specifically for high school teaching. The thirty-six movements, combined with various equipment, comprehensively develop the body and effectively boost the Physical Strength Level.

Under the framework of the Immortal Path, all martial and dao techniques are classified from levels 1 to 100.

Most students at Songyang High School could successfully enter the basics and reach level 1 in the Sixfold Physique Cultivation Forms after one or two weeks of study.

If they could continue to improve, the training effects of the Sixfold Physique Cultivation Forms would become increasingly powerful and extraordinary.

However, this was not easy. In Zhang Yu's memory, only Bai Zhenzhen had managed to reach level 2 in the Sixfold Physique Cultivation Forms in the three months since the start of the school year.

This was why Bai Zhenzhen could maintain a second-place ranking in Physical Strength Level with nine injections a day, closely trailing Qian Shen, who took sixteen injections daily.

"The level of the Sixfold Physique Cultivation Forms affects the efficiency of Physical Strength Level improvement, but the key to strength and physical education grades is still the Physical Strength Level itself."

"Speaking of which, my Physical Strength Level is 0.82, and I can casually lift hundreds of pounds. In the Foundation Building stage, the highest Physical Strength Level is 10, and after Foundation Building, it can reach 20... The gap between people is enormous."

Zhang Yu initially just wanted to practice casually and get familiar with the physical education curriculum and his body.

But as he went through the movements of the Sixfold Physique Cultivation Forms, he became increasingly serious and meticulous, as if an instinct within him was urging and encouraging him to persist in his training.

His muscles were repeatedly torn, and his bones were constantly impacted. With each practice, his body, though battered, began to heal and grow stronger.

This was the qi within Zhang Yu's body. Just like in the past few months of physical education, his body was damaged under pressure and then repaired and strengthened by the qi.

Exhaling deeply after two hours, Zhang Yu felt aching all over, as if his body was about to fall apart.

"No wonder they need painkillers..."

He looked up at Bai Zhenzhen, who was still sweating profusely, and at the other students who were also training intensely, a sense of urgency instinctively rose within him, urging him to push his body further.

"If this level of training happened in the real world, I would have died long ago."

"Only with the support of various Immortal Path drugs and qi can one endure and grow stronger."

Feeling the pain from his body and the instinctive desire to train and become stronger, Zhang Yu couldn't help but marvel at the original Zhang Yu's deep-seated determination.

However, as the training continued, this deep-seated instinct seemed to fade.

The future path would ultimately be chosen by Zhang Yu himself.

When the morning physical education class ended, Zhang Yu was exhausted and lying on the ground, while the other students around him, still full of energy, continued their intense training.

Zhang Yu reflected on the difference between those who used drugs and those who didn't.

Suddenly, he noticed the black patch on his palm, with only a quarter of it left unfilled.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end