inspire-indiana Chapter 71 Bet 1 to 1! Another 3km test!
Chapter 71 Bet 1 to 1! Another 3km test!
Chapter 72 A bet of one to ten! Another three kilometers to be tested!
"I..." Zhang Yan's voice suddenly became somewhat hoarse, "But I haven't even crossed the threshold of the Acupoint Opening Realm yet. How can I compare to the others?"
Su Chen didn't let this subtle shift in his stance slip by: "Then just tell me directly, what's your current punching power?"
"I measured it on Friday night, and it was 837 kilograms." Zhang Yan's voice lowered unconsciously. "But that's because I took the Bawang Fruit. It worked very well at first, and that's why the increase was so big this week. The absorption rate of the medicine has slowed down since then, so I'm not sure if it can increase any further."
"Look!" Su Chen took a step forward, his voice now carrying a sense of pressure. "Look! You only weighed 680 kilograms in the ten-school joint exam, and now you've increased by 157 kilograms! Keep up the good work, why can't you reach 1,000 kilograms?"
Zhang Yan opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again.
"Um...I..."
She felt that Su Chen's words seemed to make sense, but something also felt off.
The rational part of her mind told her that improving her punching power was not a simple matter; it would become increasingly difficult, and every kilogram she gained would require more effort than before.
But she felt that if she argued back, she would be denying her own future!
"Wait a minute!" She finally caught the opening, forcefully waving her hand in the air. "It's not that simple!? And you said a week! I've already improved this much this week, and you expect me to improve this much next week? Is that even possible!?"
Su Chen had been waiting for this moment.
He hardened his face, his voice filled with undisguised contempt: "Useless! You think you can be my coach? I'm going to help you now, and you don't even have the courage to challenge me!"
Zhang Yan was about to retort, but her face flushed red instantly.
"I...I..."
Her fingers clenched and unclenched, unclenched and clenched again.
His previous defiant and arrogant demeanor was completely shattered by Su Chen's few words.
Su Chen flattened his palm, and the Bone-Sculpting Pill lay in the center of his palm lines.
He extended his hand to Zhang Yan, the contempt in his voice vanished, replaced by a calmer, more serious tone.
"Once you take this pill, you must accomplish this."
Zhang Yan lowered her head and looked at the pill.
Premium Bone-Sculpting Pill.
These are high-quality items, with a market price starting at 100,000, but they are hard to find.
She glanced at Su Chen's face again. There was no teasing, no contempt, and no irritating expression on his face that made her want to punch him.
"I..." Her voice trailed off, almost drowned out by the mountain wind, "Wait a minute! You don't increase your strength by eating this, do you? Besides, the Bone Shaping Pill will fix your bone shape."
Su Chen covered his forehead.
He felt that his impassioned speech had been completely wasted.
"What do you care about bone structure?" He looked at Zhang Yan's face, which was a mixture of grievance and stubbornness, through his fingers, speechless. "You're already this age, your height is what it is, what are you still thinking about?"
Zhang Yan's pupils suddenly contracted.
She bared her fangs and took two steps forward, until Su Chen's back was pressed against the stone wall of the guard post.
"There's no one else here, so I can beat you up and nobody will care!"
Her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles cracked.
With her punching power of 837 kilograms, this punch would definitely leave someone covered in bruises!
Su Chen remained expressionless.
He turned his head and called out towards the shade of a tree not far away, "Little Purple, get her!"
Little Purple was lying under the shade of a tree, digesting the effects of the Bone-Sculpting Pill.
Upon hearing its owner's call, it rolled over and stood up, its limbs slightly bent, its light golden eyes locking onto Zhang Yan.
"Awoo! Awoo! Roar~!"
It arched its back and let out a threatening growl from deep in its throat.
Zhang Yan turned her head, her eyes, still tinged with anger, falling on Xiao Zi.
She did not back down.
"You'd better think this through! We're all going to give you special training and food. If you mess with me now, you'll regret it!"
"Awoo!"
Xiao Zi roared again, but this time the tone was noticeably lower by half a octave.
Zhang Yan continued, her tone unhurried: "When you're in my hands, your master won't be able to control you. Just imagine the scene... Are you sure you want to yell at me now?"
Little Purple's tail stopped wagging.
It tilted its head, its light golden eyes looking at Su Chen with a hint of pleading.
Zhang Yan stood up, crossed her arms, and raised her chin slightly: "Once I cross the threshold of the Acupoint Opening Realm, I'll tie you and your master together and beat you up!!!"
Xiao Zi's ears drooped completely.
Its light golden eyes darted back and forth between Su Chen and Zhang Yan twice, then it silently took half a step back and tucked its head between its front legs.
Su Chen:
'
""
He reached out and patted Zhang Yan on the head, making a crisp "smack" sound.
"What are you saying? How dare you threaten our group's darling?"
Zhang Yan lowered her head when he patted her, and it took her a moment to realize what had happened. She covered the spot where she had been patted and pouted unhappily.
Then she suddenly thought of something, abruptly raised her head, her gaze fixed directly on Su Chen's face, a hint of belated doubt in her voice.
Are you kidding me?
Su Chen did not answer.
He stretched out his hand holding the pill, his five fingers together, and the Bone-Shaping Pill in his palm was less than ten centimeters away from Zhang Yan's lips.
"Really, no! If you don't believe me, you can eat it right now. This is a top-grade bone-shaping pill! You should at least get a discount if you're going to play around."
Zhang Yan's gaze darted back and forth between the pill and his face twice.
Her voice unconsciously lowered: "What if...what if I can't do it?"
"I'll compensate you with ten."
"???" Zhang Yan suddenly looked up, her eyes wide like saucers. "This is way too dark!"
"But if you do it, it's free money. And I've calculated it for you. If you increase the proficiency of the Overlord Body Technique and the Mountain-Splitting Fist by half a level, you should be able to do it."
Zhang Yan's expression turned incredulous again.
"You make it sound so easy!!!" She held up a finger, pointing it at her own nose. "If you're so capable, why don't you try raising your Body Tempering Technique to the fourth level and mastering it?"
Su Chen was not angry.
He withdrew his hand from the pill, sighed, and his voice carried a hint of disappointment.
"I've noticed you really lack confidence! You're so indecisive and hesitant; you're unlikely to achieve anything great. Oh well, I guess I misjudged you!"
He shook his head, making a gesture as if to take the pill back.
"Look at me, did I even flinch once when I made a bet with that scoundrel Guo Hao?!"
Zhang Yan's expression froze.
Guo Hao!
That guy who used Hellfire to blow up everyone's scores in the practical assessment.
When Su Chen made the bet with him, the gap between them was even greater than the gap between her and Wu Chen now.
"I..."
Zhang Yan's lips moved a few times.
Then she suddenly moved.
She lowered her head, opened her mouth, and took the pill from his palm in a very quick motion, as if afraid of changing her mind.
The moment the pill entered her mouth, she regretted it.
She puffed out her cheeks, stared wide-eyed at Su Chen, the Bone-Shaping Pill still in her mouth, realizing that she seemed to have fallen into some cunning trap.
She wondered again: Why would he help her?
Seeing her in a dilemma and her rapidly increasing favorability rating, Su Chen finally couldn't suppress a smile.
"That's more like it!"
Zhang Yan stared at him, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster's, her throat bobbing once, then once more.
She swallowed it.
Then she raised her head, stared straight at Su Chen, and her lips moved slightly: "Who's afraid of who!"
Just as the air grew quiet and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.
Zhang Yan's phone rang.
She grasped at her phone like it was a lifeline.
Su Chen didn't try to hide anything and started reading.
Zhang Yan opened the group chat and frowned: "Liu Xiangdong tagged everyone in the community group, asking if anyone wanted to go to the training ground. He's already booked the location. Wang Yichuan and a few others have already replied that they're going."
Su Chen asked疑惑地问道, "Why do you sound like you dislike Liu Xiangdong?"
"Wow! He's in cahoots with Guo Hao! Isn't that something to hate?"
"Oh, I see."
Zhang Yan looked at Su Chen with a strange expression: "What you're saying is like you've disliked Liu Xiangdong for a long time? I did feel that your relationship with him was sometimes good and sometimes bad, which was quite strange."
"Wow~ You, with kindergarten-level intelligence, can sense that?"
"you!"
Zhang Yan grinned, "If I hadn't taken your pill, I would have beaten you to death!"
"Maybe in another month, you won't have another chance!"
"snort!"
Zhang Yan's eyes darted around, and she asked, "By the way, didn't you make a bet with Guo Hao? What's your 3km time now?"
"Forehead..."
Su Chen didn't know how to answer for a moment.
His previous best time was 7 minutes and 53.77 seconds.
After running five kilometers, based on his calculations, he felt he could improve his time by another 10 seconds, and running 7 minutes and 45 seconds should be no problem.
But this was achieved with the help of Contract King Yichuan and his Shadowless Step!
Now...
He loaded the Invincible Body Technique, which also improved his speed to some extent, but it was still much worse than the Shadowless Step.
Zhang Yan's example is a perfect example!
After thinking for a moment, he replied, "Within 7 minutes and 50 seconds."
"It's alright... but at this speed, it'll be hard to beat Guo Hao. That guy's practical assessment is so nasty; if you lose to him, it'll drive you crazy!"
Su Chen, however, was quite confident and said, "Don't worry!"
He felt that if all else failed, he could use this time to look for talented individuals with exceptional speed in the next grade.
Let's nurture our relationship!
You can't go back on your own bet.
Zhang Yan glanced at her phone again and said, "Sister Xiyue hasn't replied in the group yet. I messaged her privately, and she asked if I was going. Haha~ Are you planning to go?"
"Hmm... go ahead. Our relationship isn't so bad that we shouldn't see each other. Besides, I really do plan to go to the training ground so you can continue your grueling training. It's the only training ground around here. If we deliberately avoid it and bump into each other later, it would be really awkward."
"Okay~"
The thought of the grueling training brought a mischievous smile to Zhang Yan's face as she glanced at Xiao Zi.
Little Purple's fur trembled.
Donglin Martial Arts Training Ground.
Third floor, track number one.
There were about twenty people scattered in the stands outside the track.
Most of them are senior high school students from Development Zone No. 7, with a few junior and sophomores as well.
Su Chen stood on the starting line of track number seven, jumped twice in place, and then stretched his ankles.
The track was newly laid, with a matte finish on its dark red plastic surface.
.
Su Chen took a deep breath, her heart beating faster than usual.
Wang Yichuan's contract was just terminated this morning.
The Shadowless Step skill dropped directly from the Iv5 trial card back to Iv3, and the last acupoint of the third level hasn't even been opened yet!
His Shadowless Step technique is now at least two levels weaker than when he went head-to-head with Guo Hao last week.
"But the Iv6 Invincible Body Technique is no joke either, it should be about the same! The longer the run, the better the effect."
A shout suddenly came from the other side of the fence.
"Go Chen Ge!"
Yang Fan leaned on the railing, his hands cupping his mouth.
Seeing Su Chen looking over, he was filled with excitement.
Several boys from his community joined in the commotion.
Su Chen's lips twitched, and he forced a smile.
He cursed under his breath: "That brat, shouting so loudly, it's like a major exam for the whole grade!"
What was originally just a casual getaway with friends has suddenly become a lot of pressure.
He was a little afraid that his time this time would be worse than the seven minutes and fifty-three seconds he achieved when he raced against Guo Hao last time.
To relieve psychological pressure, Su Chen turned around and glanced back.
Track 6, Zhang Yan.
Zhang Yan was squatting on the ground retying her shoelaces, her ponytail hanging down in front of her shoulders, and a rubber band dangling from her mouth.
Noticing Su Chen's gaze, she abruptly looked up, her eyes wide: "What!?"
Su Chen crossed his arms and said casually, "It's nothing, I just wanted to see who's at the bottom to relieve some pressure."
"you!"
Zhang Yan ripped the rubber band out of her mouth, stood up abruptly, took a few steps across the starting line, and kicked Su Chen in the shin.
Feint kick.
Su Chen jumped back a step, barely avoiding the collision, his shoe sole grazing his trouser leg as he passed by.
"Haha~ That's it?" Su Chen looked disgusted.
Zhang Yan bared her fangs, wanting to kick again, but the referee on the side of the track had already raised his flag.
She glared at Su Chen fiercely, then retreated to track number six and squatted down to stretch her legs again.
Su Chen turned around and glanced at Liu Xiangdong on track number eight to his right.
Liu Xiangdong had already assumed his starting position, knees slightly bent, fingers on the ground, eyes fixed ahead, and he was completely still.
Around seven minutes and forty-six seconds! Su Chen remembered it very clearly.
Speed is Liu Xiangdong's weakness.
His strongest subject is spiritual affinity, and he has an extremely strong ability to fuse with spiritual pearls, making his threshold for advancing to the Spirit Martial Realm much lower than others.
This subject is for the truly gifted!
His humanities and spiritual pearl theory are also quite good. The only thing that has always been his weakness is speed.
"I wonder where my limits are..." Su Chen withdrew his gaze and readjusted his breathing. It would be quite interesting to be able to outdo him!
Beside the track, the referee raised his flag.
"On your marks!"
Su Chen took a deep breath, bent his knees slightly, and supported himself on the ground with his five fingers.
"preparation!"
"Bang--!"
Su Chen slammed his right foot off the ground, propelling his body forward.
He didn't rush to grab a spot.
For the first 500 meters, stay in the middle to slightly ahead of the group and maintain your rhythm.
A series of rapid footsteps came from behind me.
Zhang Yan caught up from track six.
The two ran almost side by side for about ten meters at the bend.
Zhang Yan turned her head away, panting, but still managed to throw out a boast: "I... my speed improvement isn't bad either!"
After saying that, she exerted her strength and overtook Su Chen by half a body length.
Su Chen smiled and didn't try to compete with her.
He didn't even speed up. He simply maintained his own pace, watching Zhang Yan's figure slowly move forward.
However, after a while, Su Chen gradually accelerated.
A moment later, he passed her on the left. As he passed her, he turned his head and winked at her.
"It's nothing special."
"you!"
Outside the runway fence.
Upon seeing this, Liu Yongchao exclaimed excitedly, "It's amazing! It's amazing!"
He slammed his hand on the railing, turned to Yang Fan beside him, and shouted, "Brother Chen has cheated on Zhang Yan again!"
Yang Fan grinned and said, "Last week at the 3km mark, Brother Chen had already overtaken Sister Zhang Yan. That's perfectly normal~"
Several boys from the same community perked up immediately upon hearing this.
"Really? Even though Zhang Yan is severely unbalanced in her studies, a pure strength monster, her speed is still over 100th in the grade, right?"
Yang Fan nodded: "Yes! Sister Zhang Yan was ranked 149th last week, and Brother Chen was ranked 14th."
"Wow!!! Chen Ge is already aiming for the top 150 in his subject??? No wonder he's so good at the practical assessment!"
"Haha~"
No one else paid as much attention to Su Chen's performance as Yang Fan.
Upon learning this, everyone became interested.
Yang Fan also had an in-depth conversation with them.
Meanwhile, inside the runway.
Wang Yichuan leads the pack.
Lin Xiyue is second, and Liu Xiangdong, who is third, is about 20 meters away from the person in front.
Su Chen gradually distanced himself from Zhang Yan.
One kilometer.
Su Chen felt as energetic as when he first started running.
The Invincible Body Technique! The battery life is still significantly improved.
Realizing he had plenty of energy, Su Chen took a deep breath and suddenly shifted gears as he entered the second bend. Liu Xiangdong was in front of him.
Liu Xiangdong's running posture is very distinctive. His back is straight, and his arm swing is not large but the frequency is very stable.
He kept his eyes fixed on Lin Xiyue ahead, his gaze intense.
Just as Liu Xiangdong's attention was entirely focused on what was ahead.
Suddenly, a figure flashed past him.
Su Chen overtook him!
Liu Xiangdong's breathing paused noticeably.
His steps faltered.
Liu Xiangdong was naturally arrogant, so how could he accept this scene? He immediately gritted his teeth and rushed forward!
After quickly overtaking Su Chen, he continued to surge forward, overtaking Lin Xiyue and moving into second place in the group.
A sound suddenly came from outside the runway.
"Go, Chen Ge!"
"Go, Chen Ge!"
At first, it was just Yang Fan shouting, but later others joined in.
Liu Xiangdong clearly heard the shouts, and his pace quickened.
500 meters!
The indicator signs along the runway passed by the edge of Su Chen's field of vision.
Only 500 meters left!
Su Chen took a deep breath.
Feel the inexhaustible power provided by the Overlord Body Technique.
The speed suddenly increased to another level!
"Beep~"
[Number 26 - Wang Yichuan: 7 minutes 48 seconds]
"Wuhu~ Brother Chuan is awesome!"
After a while.
"Beep~"
[Number 39 - Lin Xiyue: 7 minutes 77 seconds]
"Wow~ Awesome! Awesome!"
After a while, Su Chen gritted his teeth and crossed the finish line, finally feeling a sense of relief for his lungs.
He bent over, supporting himself on his knees, panting heavily, his back heaving violently.
Then another heavy footstep came from behind.
Liu Xiangdong crossed the finish line!
The two crossed the line almost one after the other, with no more than four body lengths between them.
Su Chen looked up, just about to check the score on the timer, when the people outside the fence surged over.
Yang Fan was the first to rush to him, grabbing Su Chen's shoulders with both hands, shaking him violently.
"Brother Chen! You...you're absolutely incredible! Do you know how high your grades are? You're definitely in the top 100 of the grade!"
Su Chen opened his mouth, but his throat tasted rusty, and he couldn't say anything for a moment.
He wiped the sweat from his face, looked up, and the light passed over Yang Fan's shoulder, landing on the electronic timer in the distance.
He thought to himself: I've surpassed Liu Xiangdong! Doesn't that mean I'm under 7 minutes and 45 seconds?
That would be wonderful!