She fainted 233 times! What a reckless girl!

As the good news spread from Qingbei University, Ye Hao's name seemed to sprout wings, spreading across the entire Great Xia in just half an hour!

The first university student to meet the admission criteria for Taibai Academy was born!

This news acted like a shot of adrenaline, instantly igniting the passion of the entire nation.

Countless university students, who were previously anxious and self-doubting because they couldn't even reach the entry level, now felt as if they saw the dawn of a new day.

"So it really can be done!"

"If Ye Hao can do it, we can definitely do it too!"

"Go for it! We can't let those top students from Qingbei steal all the spotlight!"

In countless universities, the previously stagnant atmosphere was immediately set ablaze. Everyone went mad, throwing themselves into even more arduous cultivation.

However, no one expected it.

Ye Hao's success was only the beginning.

Less than three hours had passed.

In another city in Great Xia, at an ordinary university,

The second Genius about to meet the criteria was announcing their birth in a soul-stirring, even somewhat tragic manner!

...Donglin University.

This was not a top-tier institution, but a standard second-tier college. It didn't have the dazzling halo of Qingbei, nor did it have as many naturally gifted favorites of heaven.

But at this moment, the atmosphere on the sports field was not inferior to any prestigious school.

Night had long since fallen, and several massive searchlights illuminated the field as bright as day.

Tens of thousands of students were lined up in neat formations, gritting their teeth and persevering in the night wind.

Sweat had long since soaked their clothes, but no one was willing to stop and rest.

This was a microcosm of all universities in Great Xia today—forgetting food and sleep, all just to enter Taibai Academy!

On the high platform of the sports field,

A young man in an instructor's uniform, standing as straight as a javelin, stood with his hands behind his back. His eyes were like torches as he surveyed the entire field.

His name was Xu Yuan. Like Sun Lei, he was an elite member of the Kunlun Squad, and his cultivation had reached the fourth level of Body Tempering.

Normally, an ordinary institution like Donglin University wouldn't be assigned a member of the Kunlun Squad as a chief instructor; usually, it would be an elite from the regular military.

But as luck would have it, this happened to be Xu Yuan's alma mater!

Upon learning that the country was promoting immortal cultivation education, Xu Yuan immediately went to Li Zhanjun and volunteered to return to his alma mater to teach for a while.

Li Zhanjun naturally agreed readily.

This was how the students of Donglin University obtained this enviable honor.

"Tsk... I didn't expect Brother Sun's side to take the lead!"

"As expected of Qingbei University, they can even dominate the immortal cultivation selection!"

At this time, Xu Yuan had just learned of Ye Hao's Breakthrough through the internal communication channel.

He put down the communicator and looked into the distance, a hint of envy inevitably showing in his eyes.

As an instructor, who wouldn't want a few geniuses under their command to bring them glory?

Unfortunately... Xu Yuan withdrew his gaze and scanned the tens of thousands of juniors below again, unable to stop a few helpless sighs in his heart.

"Sigh..."

"Whether it's bone structure or Qi and blood, they really are a bit lacking."

So many days had passed, and he had stared until his eyes were nearly popping out, but he hadn't found many decent prospects.

The progress of most people was frustratingly slow.

However... while he hadn't found any great prospects, he had found one whose talent was so poor it was almost ridiculous!

Just as this thought occurred to Xu Yuan,

A sudden "thud" came from a corner of the crowd.

Immediately following was a burst of commotion.

Xu Yuan's eyelid twitched as he shook his head helplessly.

"Down again..."

"This must be the fortieth time today, right?"

He sighed, picked up his walkie-talkie with practiced ease, and instructed the standby medical team:

"Medical team, move out!"

"Take student Shen Qingyi down to rest. Give her some glucose. Don't let anything serious happen."

"Yes, sir!"

Several military doctors and nurses, who had been waiting on the sidelines, immediately grabbed a stretcher and rushed into the crowd upon hearing the order.

Quickly, they reached the girl who had collapsed on the ground.

She was an exceptionally delicate-looking but overly thin girl.

She wore an old school uniform that had been washed until it was white, with cuffs that were even frayed.

Her exposed wrists were so slender they looked like they would snap, and her face was as pale as paper, devoid of any color.

The weakness caused by long-term malnutrition was vividly apparent in her.

This was Shen Qingyi.

The school's recognized impoverished student, and the student who had left the deepest impression on Xu Yuan over the past few days.

"Quick, lift her up!"

The medical team doctor arrived before Shen Qingyi and expertly opened the stretcher, preparing to lift her and send her to the infirmary.

They had repeated this process countless times over the past few days; they were already well-acquainted with it.

However,

Just as the doctor's hand was about to touch Shen Qingyi,

The girl, who had been eyes-closed and appeared completely unconscious, suddenly had her eyelashes flutter.

The next second, she snapped her eyes open!

Those eyes were bloodshot, yet they held a heart-pounding stubbornness.

"No... no need to trouble..."

"I... I can still... still persevere!"

Her voice was as weak as a thread, intermittent, yet exceptionally firm.

After saying that, under the shocked gazes of the doctors and surrounding students,

She actually gritted her teeth, braced her hands on the ground, and bit by bit, trembling,

Forced that body which looked ready to fall apart at any moment to sway and stand back up!

"This..."

Seeing Shen Qingyi's tottering state, looking as if a gust of wind could blow her over,

The medical team doctor looked troubled and instinctively looked up at Xu Yuan on the high platform.

In this situation, they didn't dare to take her away by force and could only ask the chief instructor for instructions.

On the high platform, Xu Yuan's brow furrowed into a knot instantly.

His figure blurred as he jumped directly from the platform, crossing dozens of meters in a few steps to arrive right in front of Shen Qingyi.

Looking at this stubbornly heartbreaking girl, Xu Yuan took a deep breath, his tone more solemn than ever.

"Student Shen, why go to such lengths?"

"Your body has already reached its limit!"

"Severe malnutrition combined with excessive overexertion—your internal organs are already overburdened!"

"If you continue practicing, you will die! There really is a risk to your life!"

"Take my advice and give up! At least rest for today!"

"I'm asking you as your instructor, please, okay?"

By the end, this iron-blooded man who would bleed but not cry on the battlefield actually had a hint of pleading in his voice.

It wasn't his fault for losing his composure.

It was just that the young girl before him was too frightening!

In the short six days since the Basic Body Forging Art was distributed,

This frail girl, as delicate as Lin Daiyu, had fainted in front of him a full two hundred and thirty-two times!

Including this time just now, that made two hundred and thirty-three times!

What did that mean?

She fainted nearly forty times a day on average!

Aside from eating and sleeping, she was almost always either fainting or on the way to getting back up after fainting!

To be honest, every time Xu Yuan saw Shen Qingyi fall straight down, his heart was in his throat, fearing she wouldn't wake up this time!

But what was miraculous and also made his skin crawl was,

This girl was like an unkillable cockroach. No matter how many times she fell, no matter how bad her physical condition was,

She could always wake up in the shortest time and then, time and again, climb back up!

That extreme, even arguably pathological, resilience,

Made even an elite of the Kunlun Squad like him feel shocked and his scalp tingle.

"It's... it's okay, Instructor."

Facing Xu Yuan's dissuasion, a smile that looked worse than crying appeared on Shen Qingyi's pale face.

She gasped for air, her chest heaving violently; every word she spoke exhausted her entire body's strength.

"Just... just let me practice!"

"I... I can definitely hold on!"

As she spoke, she actually assumed the Body Tempering posture called "Like a Pine" once again.

Even though her body was trembling violently, even though her movements were severely distorted,

She did, indeed, stand firm!

"Nonsense!!"

Xu Yuan finally couldn't take it anymore. He waved his hand sharply and shouted sternly:

"No! Absolutely not!"

"As the chief instructor, I must be responsible for your life!"

"Student Shen Qingyi, stop training immediately! Go rest at once!"

"This is an order!!"

Looking at the young girl's completely bloodless face, Xu Yuan forcefully issued a final ultimatum.

He could not stand by and watch this student literally train herself to death on the sports field!

"No... don't..."

Hearing this indisputable order, Shen Qingyi panicked instantly.

In her eyes, which previously held only stubbornness, large teardrops suddenly welled up.

"I beg you... Instructor..."

"Don't make me rest... I beg you..."

She reached out a withered hand, wanting to grab Xu Yuan's sleeve, her voice filled with helplessness and pleading.

"I must... must succeed..."

"Only then... can I... I change my fate!"

"I can't give up... absolutely cannot..."

Listening to this intermittent weeping, Xu Yuan was stunned.

He looked at the tearful girl before him, feeling as if his heart had been struck hard by something.

He didn't understand what kind of suffering could drive a girl in the prime of her youth to such a life-risking extent.

He opened his mouth, wanting to continue refusing, wanting to tell her that health is the foundation of everything.

But when his gaze met Shen Qingyi's tear-washed eyes again,

His words simply wouldn't come out.

What kind of gaze was that?

There was no fear of death, no shrinking from pain.

There was only a desire as humble as a weed, yet as scorching as a raging fire!

It was the resolve of someone in a dark abyss, clutching desperately to the single ray of light above!

It was a silent roar against the injustice of fate, a frantic rebellion against a predetermined life!

That gaze seemed to say: if you don't let me practice, I'd rather you let me die right now!

In those eyes, Xu Yuan saw a light called "finding life in death"!

"Whew..."

After reading the emotions in her gaze, Xu Yuan remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he let out a long breath and said nothing more.

He just gave Shen Qingyi a deep look, then silently turned and returned to the high platform.

But the look he gave Shen Qingyi was far more complex than before.

"Practice then..."

"Since you're willing to risk even your life for that future."

"Then I, as your instructor... shall respect your choice!"