Chapter 110: Deeply Thoughtful

Having learned the way to be exempt from training, Lin Xiao no longer felt anxious. After all, the military training had only just begun, and his bet with Murong Jing wouldn’t happen until the afternoon.

He sighed inwardly, suddenly finding himself a bit bored.

As Lin Xiao sat idle, Wen Jingxuan and Hu Yu came running past him, gasping for breath. Their figures were hunched, and beads of sweat rolled down their cheeks as if they cost nothing. When the two saw Lin Xiao looking so relaxed, they could only gaze up at the sky in speechless resignation.

Was the gap between people really this wide?

Lin Xiao simply sat down beside Murong Jing, letting the instructor’s shadow shield him from the sun.

Murong Jing watched the students who were still running and couldn’t help but sigh.

“Though we have promising talents like you in the class, there are quite a few at the bottom as well.”

“How many laps have they run?”

“This is only the tenth lap. There’s still a long way to go.”

“It’s impossible for everyone to be as outstanding as me. Besides, they have a decent foundation. They’re not performing well now because they haven’t had this kind of training before. If they persist a while, the results will improve.”

Murong Jing looked at Lin Xiao with newfound appreciation.

“Do you find it strange that so many of these students are focused on ranged combat? Normally, there would be melee fighters to protect them, so they wouldn’t need this kind of training.”

“What’s so strange about that? It doesn’t hurt to put these guys through their paces.”

“Hahaha, you really are an interesting one!”

“You flatter me, instructor.”

As Lin Xiao chatted idly with Murong Jing, he suddenly noticed the instructor’s expression grow serious.

“You know, I’ve taken part in many battles, mostly against spirit beasts. Spirit beasts don’t care whether you’re a ranged or melee fighter—in their eyes, we’re all enemies. When a horde of them appears, the melee types can hold off some, but many still break into the ranged fighters’ formation. Do you know what that looks like? Sometimes, even a level two or three spirit beast can kill a level five or six ranged fighter. Watching such powerful individuals fall to low-level beasts... do you know how hard that is to bear? You all are the top students of Capital Spirit Martial Academy, the backbone of our future. I don’t know how much you’ll improve in this month, but I just hope my training will help you a little. At the very least, if you ever face what I described, you’ll be able to run a bit faster—hold out until close-combat support arrives.”

Hearing Murong Jing’s words, Lin Xiao’s attitude toward the instructor shifted. This was a man worthy of respect—his lectures might be harsh, but his intentions were truly for their good.

“Instructor, your efforts are truly heartfelt. Personally, I think you make a lot of sense.”

Murong Jing looked at Lin Xiao, finding him rather amusing. He wasn’t sure why he was saying all this to Lin Xiao—perhaps he had come to recognize Lin Xiao’s strength. In that moment, he no longer saw Lin Xiao as just one of his trainees, but as a friend.

“Enough, I don’t know why I’m telling you all this. I have high hopes for you, but you won’t beat me in the match this afternoon, so you’d better train hard.”

“That remains to be seen. If you lose, instructor, don’t start crying!”

Murong Jing glared at him, itching to teach this kid a lesson right then and there. He tossed his notebook to Lin Xiao.

“Don’t just sit around after you’re done running. From now on, you’re in charge of counting laps. I’m going to keep an eye on those slackers—many are already starting to loaf.”

Seeing the shade vanish as Murong Jing left, Lin Xiao could only resign himself. Counting laps was at least something to do.

Soon, Murong Jing’s voice thundered across the field.

“You weaklings are pathetic!”

“Are you turtles? No, even turtles are faster than you!”

“Haven’t eaten? Run, now!”

“Can’t keep going? Then just give up—the way I see it, you’re not passing anyway, so you might as well take a month-long vacation.”

“Surely no one’s really going to quit? Don’t let me look down on you!”

Many students were already running out of stamina, and Murong Jing’s words were a double blow to body and spirit. Yet his scolding had some effect. No one in the elite class at Capital Spirit Martial was anything less than exceptional. They were used to praise, and now, being berated so harshly, how could they not take it to heart?

Each of them nursed a stubborn fire—no way would they let Murong Jing look down on them.

At the starting line, seeing Lin Xiao leisurely counting their laps only spurred them further. One by one, their potential was ignited, and they ran faster than before.

Ten kilometers with weighted packs lasted two and a half hours in total. By the time the last student finished, a faint smile appeared on Murong Jing’s face. Though their results weren’t stellar, at least no one had fallen behind. The smile vanished quickly.

“That short a distance, and you took so long? If spirit beasts were chasing you, you’d be dead ten times over. Rest for ten minutes, hydrate, and get ready for the next round!”

A collective groan rose from the students, but there was no time to complain—they seized every moment to recover.

The Capital Spirit Martial Academy had officially started its new term. While the freshmen were undergoing military training, many students from other years, free of classes, gathered to watch.

Some cheeky upperclassmen even bought popsicles and watermelon, feasting in front of the new students. They had all been through this themselves—it was a special kind of seniorly affection. But really, most were there to see which of the new intake were good-looking.

Rumor had it this year’s freshmen were especially attractive.

Lin Xiao noticed quite a few senior girls casting covert glances his way. Sometimes, being handsome really was a nuisance.

Wen Jingxuan, too, attracted plenty of female attention, but he had no energy to care. He and Hu Yu were among the last to cross the finish line, and both felt as though their lungs would burst. Grabbing the water Lin Xiao handed him, Wen Jingxuan gulped it down.

“Brother Xiao, is this instructor trying to kill us?”

“Exactly! If I didn’t care about losing face, I would have given up already. I’ve never suffered like this in my life!”

Listening to their endless complaints, Lin Xiao couldn’t help but laugh.

“All right, stop whining, you two. This time, I’m on the instructor’s side. Your physical endurance really is too poor. A bit of hard training will do you good.”