Chapter 19: The Final Training

After lunch, before Sun Zhiyuan could even tell Lin Xiao to start training, Lin Xiao himself had already reached his limit. As the saying goes: eat a good breakfast, a full lunch, and a light dinner—Lin Xiao had truly eaten his fill, so much that he was practically bursting. As a result, all the energy he had painstakingly burned and absorbed that morning once again surged violently within him, even more uncontrollable than before. If he didn’t get moving soon, Lin Xiao felt like he might actually explode.

Seeing Lin Xiao so perceptive, Sun Zhiyuan’s face broke into a gratified smile. Now was not the time for Lin Xiao to just train aimlessly; he had prepared a systematic regimen for him.

“Don’t be in such a hurry. This afternoon’s session is underwater training. All you need to do is swim.”

Lin Xiao couldn’t help but roll his eyes. He could swim, sure, but with the weighted vest he was wearing, he’d probably sink like a stone the moment he hit the water.

“Come on, old man, if you want me dead, just say so. With this much weight, I’d have to be a ghost to swim.”

“Heh, you can either jump in yourself, or I can throw you in.”

Lin Xiao wanted to say more, but the energy raging inside him only made him feel hotter and more agitated. A cold dip didn’t seem like a bad idea after all. Since there was no point in resisting, he resigned himself to fate—he trusted Sun Zhiyuan wouldn’t just stand by and watch him drown.

Soon, they arrived at the poolside, and Lin Xiao dove straight in. The water was just the right temperature. Although the water provided buoyancy, the weighted vest pressed down on him uncomfortably, always trying to drag him to the bottom.

Luckily, the wild energy within him lent him enough strength; with its boost, he managed not to be dragged under.

“Get used to the weight in the shallow end first. Once you’re ready, start swimming.”

Lin Xiao didn’t bother complaining anymore. He might as well use his energy to train. After splashing around in the shallow end for a while, Lin Xiao finally adjusted to the extra weight. Taking a deep breath, he began to swim. The weighted vest made things much harder, but at least he could move forward.

Lin Xiao had taught himself to swim; he wasn’t exactly skilled, but he wasn’t about to drown either. His swimming style was nothing more than a basic dog paddle.

Sun Zhiyuan and Liu Jiao watched him closely. Seeing Lin Xiao dog-paddling, they were at a loss for words. His ungainly flailing made them want to laugh.

“This kid’s swimming form is really clumsy. Looks like when we have time, we should teach him some proper strokes.”

Liu Jiao smiled. “It doesn’t matter, as long as he stays afloat.”

She was right: after only three laps, Lin Xiao began to sink on the fourth.

Bubbles gurgled up from the pool. Sun Zhiyuan, who had been watching carefully, immediately leapt in and pulled Lin Xiao out.

Lin Xiao coughed up several mouthfuls of water, looking utterly spent. He realized that swimming used up far more energy than training on land.

Liu Jiao promptly helped him recover some stamina. Before Lin Xiao could even thank her, Sun Zhiyuan gave him a kick and sent him right back into the pool.

“If you’re still alive, keep swimming!”

Lin Xiao cursed him for being heartless, but continued with his practice.

He spent a full three hours thrashing about in the pool before Sun Zhiyuan called him out—not out of mercy, but because there was another training segment waiting. During this time, Lin Xiao had no rest at all. Any attempt to slack off was met with loud scolding. He knew better than to pretend not to hear; he’d already learned the consequences. Whenever his strength ran out, Liu Jiao was right there to replenish him, not allowing a single idle moment.

Another two hours of land training followed, and Lin Xiao felt completely done in. Even with Liu Jiao’s support keeping his stamina up, the mental exhaustion would not fade.

At last, he had a chance to catch his breath—it was dinnertime. Seeing Xu Qing bring his meal, Lin Xiao’s expression was one of deep conflict.

Dinner didn’t look ordinary either. If he kept eating, would he have to keep training afterward? At this point, he was exhausted in both body and mind—he just wanted a shower and to collapse into bed.

Xu Qing, seeing Lin Xiao in such a depleted state, couldn’t help but smile.

“What’s wrong, Lord Lin? How did you end up so haggard?”

Lin Xiao shot her a glare. This girl really knew how to twist the knife. He tried to resist eating, but after a day of intense training, he was famished.

His stomach growled loudly, right on cue.

Sun Zhiyuan glared at him. “What are you waiting for? Eat!”

Lin Xiao’s face was a picture of resignation.

Forced to eat again!

“Hey, old man, since I’m like this, is today’s training over?”

“Over? Not yet. But don’t worry, tonight’s session is only an hour—and it’s not physical training.”

Hearing that, Lin Xiao let out a breath of relief, but another question nagged at him: if he ate and didn’t do physical training, how was he supposed to burn off all the energy from his meal?

“Don’t worry, your body can handle it.”

Lin Xiao didn’t believe it would be that simple. But what could he do? A man can lose his head or bleed, but he can’t skip a meal. Food came first. With that thought, he dug in with abandon, even deciding to spite Sun Zhiyuan by eating his share too.

Soon, Lin Xiao realized something was wrong—the energy he gained from dinner was even stronger than what he’d gotten at breakfast or lunch.

Were they trying to kill him?

“Old man, what’s going on? Why is the energy so overwhelming? I can’t take it!”

“That’s the idea. Next comes the final training session.”

Without waiting for a reply, Sun Zhiyuan hoisted him onto his shoulder. Lin Xiao heard a rush of wind at his ear, instinctively closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he was standing with Sun Zhiyuan in a ring.

Wait—a ring?

What was going on?

Sun Zhiyuan looked even more mischievous, tossing Lin Xiao onto the mat.

“Final session: combat training. Your opponent is me. If you can land a single hit, you win. Of course, I’ll fight back, but don’t worry—I know my limits.”

Lin Xiao could hardly believe it.

Damn it! This old man was clearly taking revenge.

Just one look at Sun Zhiyuan’s burly arms and Lin Xiao knew he wouldn’t survive even one punch.

“Brother! I was wrong—don’t mess with me like this!”

“Heh. Forgot to mention, you just ate the meat of a level-seven spirit beast. The energy is too wild for you to handle. If you tried to train alone, it’d take you all night. Don’t count on Liu Jiao to help—she won’t soothe the energy this time. So you have two choices: fight me in the ring and burn through it quickly, or train by yourself all night. And no matter how late you finish, tomorrow’s training still goes on as usual.”

Lin Xiao was beside himself with frustration. This guy had set him up!

He’d come to this retirement home for an easy life, not to be tormented like this!

Damn it—if that’s how it is, he’d just have to go all out against the old man.