18: Chapter 18 Immovable as a Mountain, Smashes and Sends S-Class Genius Away

Wang Gang's fall made quite a commotion.

That Powered Exoskeleton worth fifty thousand smashed onto the synthetic track, letting out a dull metallic impact sound.

The surrounding students, who were already running until they were nearly out of breath, were startled; their rhythm broke, and they almost tumbled along with him.

Lin Qi didn't look back.

He didn't even change his breathing frequency, still maintaining a rhythm of inhaling every two steps and exhaling every two steps, like a precision machine with a set program, sweeping past Wang Gang's still-twitching body.

Thirtieth lap.

The situation on the field changed.

The originally colorful skill light effects had mostly thinned out.

Most of the Awakened's mana bars were empty; without skill buffs, their depleted physical constitutions were laid bare.

One by one, their faces were pale and their steps dragging; rather than running, it would be better to say they were shuffling.

Only Lin Qi was still accelerating.

That dark bronze skin glistened in the sunlight, sweat sliding down his muscle lines, but no trace of pain could be seen on his face; instead, he radiated a sense of hearty satisfaction.

The warm-up was over.

The real exercise had just begun.

Only two people remained ahead.

Leading was Li Shaobai, closely followed by a boy from the Beast Transformation System with an [Antelope Bloodline].

That boy's legs had turned into reverse-jointed antelope hooves; every kick-off could propel him four or five meters away.

But this thing consumed physical strength.

Lin Qi stared at the bobbing back ahead, fine-tuning his steps to stay exactly two meters behind the other.

This was the optimal drafting distance.

That Beast Transformation boy was bulky, and even wider after transforming, making him a perfect natural windshield.

After running two laps, the boy in front felt something was wrong.

There was always a footstep behind him that he couldn't shake off or pull away from, like a plaster stuck to his back.

He couldn't help but look back.

With this look, his mentality nearly collapsed.

Lin Qi was right behind him, calmly adjusting his breath, and even nodded at him; his gaze seemed to say: Thanks, bro, the wind protection is great.

"Damn you!"

The Beast Transformation boy cursed and forced his Bloodline power to accelerate.

But he was already at the end of his rope.

Thirty-fifth lap.

The antelope hooves turned back into human legs.

The backlash came extremely fast; the boy's legs went weak, and he knelt directly on the grass, vomiting with a loud retch.

Lin Qi sidestepped the mess, his speed increasing rather than decreasing.

Only Li Shaobai remained in front.

At this time, Li Shaobai wasn't having a good time either.

Although those Enchanted Running Shoes could still provide a bit of assistance, his own physical stamina had reached its limit.

His lungs felt like they were stuffed with red-hot iron filings; every breath carried the smell of blood.

But he couldn't lose.

He was an S-rank Professional, the heir to the Li family; how could he lose to a Blank Slate who only knew how to take a beating?

"Get lost!"

Hearing the footsteps approaching from behind, Li Shaobai squeezed two words through his teeth.

Lin Qi ignored him.

Fortieth lap.

The curve.

Lin Qi suddenly exerted force, lengthening his stride, and cut in directly from the outside lane, attempting to pull alongside.

The two men's shoulders were almost touching.

Li Shaobai caught a glimpse of that dark bronze color from the corner of his eye, and a surge of malice rose in his heart.

Since I can't outrun you, I'll squeeze you out.

This was physical contact allowed by the rules.

Using the centrifugal force of the turn, Li Shaobai leaned his body violently outward, his shoulder hitting Lin Qi's chest with a vicious force.

A gasp erupted from the stands.

Instructor Su Qing frowned, just about to call a halt, but found that Lin Qi's movement had changed.

Facing the charging Li Shaobai, Lin Qi didn't dodge.

His center of gravity suddenly sank, his toes gripped the ground firmly, and his spinal Dragon suddenly contracted; his whole person was like a rooted iron tower.

Thousand-Jin Drop.

This was a Stance Work in martial arts used to stabilize the lower body, emphasizing "rooting where one stands, immovable as a mountain."

Bang.

The two men's shoulders collided solidly.

Li Shaobai felt as if he hadn't hit a person, but a concrete pillar.

That reaction force was absurdly large.

"Ugh!"

Li Shaobai groaned, his whole body sent staggering back two steps, his rhythm completely ruined.

Meanwhile, Lin Qi only shrugged his shoulder and, using the force of the collision, lunged forward.

He overtook him.

Clean and efficient.

"How is this possible?"

Li Shaobai's eyes widened as he watched the receding back, his mind going blank.

From that hit just now, his shoulder was still numb, and his bones felt like they were falling apart.

Is this guy made of iron?

The stands exploded.

"Holy crap! He knocked Li Shaobai flying?"

"Is this still a Blank Slate? This physical constitution is even more fierce than a Beast Transformation user, right?"

"That was a technique just now, wasn't it? I saw his center of gravity sink incredibly fast."

Instructor Su Qing watched the leading figure on the track, and her clenched fist relaxed.

She was smiling.

Though it was faint, she was definitely smiling.

This was the talent she was looking for.

Without using flashy skills, relying only on extreme control over the body, he could crush a so-called S-rank Genius.

This is true Martial Dao.

The overtaken Li Shaobai completely lost heart.

The arrogance that had been sustaining him shattered into pieces in the face of the absolute gap in strength.

His speed slowed visibly to the naked eye, eventually turning into a jog.

But Lin Qi was still accelerating.

Last five laps.

The entire playground seemed to have become his personal stage.

No opponents, no interference.

He was running joyfully.

The essence accumulated deep in his body, along with the surging blood, completely integrated into every inch of his muscles and bones.

He could feel his skin membrane breathing greedily; every opening and closing of his pores was inhaling and exhaling the free energy between heaven and earth.

This is the body after reaching Major Achievement in "Skin Refining."

The more he fought, the braver he became; the more he ran, the stronger he grew.

"There's one lap left!"

The Dean shouted into the microphone, his voice trembling slightly.

He looked at the stopwatch in his hand; this result had already broken the school record.

And it was broken by a lot.

Lin Qi crossed the finish line.

But he didn't collapse like the others, nor did he gasp for air.

He just slowly decelerated, ran another two hundred meters around the finish area, and then slowly came to a halt.

Adjusting his breath.

Inhale every three steps, exhale every three steps.

Only when his heart rate flattened did he turn around and look at the "Geniuses" still struggling on the track.

A few minutes later.

Li Shaobai stumbled across the line, falling directly onto the grass, panting heavily, staring at Lin Qi with a resentful gaze.