11: Shocking! That sickly guy who couldn't run anymore went on a killing spree!

The first day of training consisted of basic physical exercises.

Five-kilometer armed cross-country.

Pull-ups.

Weighted squats.

Each item was a test of the newcomers' physical fitness.

Lin Yuan's performance was disastrous.

In the five-kilometer cross-country, he ran at the very back of the team, and when he crossed the finish line, he was swaying, his face pale, gasping for breath.

He looked almost exactly as he did when he ran the 800-meter race in college.

"Pfft, I told you, trash is still trash."

"I thought he might have improved, but he's still a sickly person."

"'short-circuit hero'? I think 'Gasping Hero' is more like it!"

Li Wei's cronies mocked him from the side.

Lin Yuan ignored them.

He leaned on his knees, feeling the changes within his body.

The energy from the Thunder Pond was too vast.

His body was like a stomach filled with things, working hard to "digest" them.

This digestion process temporarily left him without much strength.

Therefore, his score was... poor.

This was consistent with his past persona as a "sickly person"... The next day.

The same physical training exercises.

Lin Yuan's score improved from poor to mid-range.

Instructor Battle Axe gave him an extra glance and nodded slightly.

It was normal for newcomers to improve their scores when their bodies were stimulated and their potential unleashed at the beginning of training.

He didn't pay too much attention.

Lin Yuan was still in control.

He could feel that a small portion of his body's "digestion" of the Thunder Pond's energy had been completed.

His limbs and bones felt warm and full of power.

But he couldn't show it.

A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind.

Before he had the absolute ability to protect himself, staying low-key was the best strategy... The third day.

Training items were intensified.

Twenty-kilometer weighted cross-country, with each person's backpack adding thirty kilograms of weight.

"Start!"

At Instructor Battle Axe's command, dozens of people rushed out.

This time, Lin Yuan was no longer lagging.

He blended into the middle of the team, following at a steady pace.

His breathing was calm and deep.

After two days of digestion, one-third of the Thunder Pond's energy in his body had integrated into his flesh, blood, tendons, and bones.

He felt his body was as light as a feather.

The thirty kilograms of weight on his back felt nonexistent.

After five kilometers, some people started to fall behind.

After ten kilometers, the team was stretched into a long line, with more than half of the people already panting heavily.

After fifteen kilometers.

Lin Yuan began to speed up.

He overtook one gasping companion after another.

"Damn... what's wrong with that guy?"

"Is he... isn't he tired?"

A newcomer who had been overtaken looked at Lin Yuan's relaxed back, his face filled with disbelief.

Lin Yuan's steps became faster and faster.

He easily caught up with the first echelon, led by Li Wei.

Li Wei was gritting his teeth, holding on, when his peripheral vision suddenly caught a familiar figure.

Lin Yuan?!

How could he be here?!

Shouldn't he be at the very back, about to be carried away on a stretcher?

Under Li Wei's shocked gaze, Lin Yuan even had the energy to smile at him, and then... passed him.

The few people in the entire first echelon were all dumbfounded.

They were the top physical performers among this batch of newcomers.

But now, this "sickly person" who was half-dead just two days ago had actually surpassed them!

And judging by his appearance, his face wasn't red, and he wasn't out of breath.

Is he just taking a walk?!

Ultimately, Lin Yuan crossed the finish line in second place.

He was only behind a strong man from a military family who had received rigorous training since childhood.

When he put down his backpack and started stretching.

Everyone's gaze was focused on him, filled with shock and incomprehension... The fourth day.

Hand-to-hand combat skills training.

Instructor Battle Axe personally demonstrated military combat techniques.

"The core of combat is not moves, but reaction, strength, and timing!"

"Now, in pairs, free sparring!"

Lin Yuan's opponent was a tall, powerful Awakener.

"Kid, watch out!"

The strong man grunted, and his fist, as big as a casserole, shot straight for Lin Yuan's face.

However, just a second before his fist swung out.

Lin Yuan's Electromagnetic Induction had already predicted the trajectory of his fist.

To everyone, Lin Yuan merely tilted his head slightly.

That powerful, heavy punch just grazed his hair and went past.

"Hmm?"

The strong man was startled, then countered with an elbow strike, sweeping towards Lin Yuan's temple.

Lin Yuan leaned back, performing an 'iron bridge,' and dodged again.

The entire process was fluid, as if it had been rehearsed countless times.

"This... what kind of reaction speed is this?"

"Damn it, he seems to be able to predict the opponent's attacks!"

The surrounding newcomers exclaimed in surprise.

Lin Yuan deliberately concealed the fact that he had already broken through to D-rank.

He didn't use a single trace of lightning energy.

He relied purely on the terrifying predictive ability brought by Electromagnetic Induction, and his physical body strengthened by the Thunder Pond's energy.

No matter how fast or fierce his opponent's attacks were.

He could always avoid or block them with the smallest movements.

After more than a dozen moves, the strong man was panting heavily, yet he hadn't even touched Lin Yuan's clothes.

Lin Yuan seized an opening, and with a hand chop, struck the strong man's neck.

The strong man grunted, his body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground.

Lin Yuan won... In the following days, Li Wei was uncharacteristically quiet.

He no longer caused Lin Yuan any trouble.

Not even a single taunt.

On the training ground, he trained harder than anyone, his clothes soaked with sweat.

During breaks, he always sat alone in a corner, watching Lin Yuan, who was doing basic training in the distance, with a gloomy look in his eyes.

No one knew what he was thinking.

But that silence was more oppressive than any shouting.

During a routine cleanup after a training session.

A cleaner responsible for tidying the training ground found an empty bottle in a trash can in the corner.

The bottle had a peculiar snake-shaped logo printed on it, looking somewhat eerie.

The cleaner merely glanced at it, assuming it was an abandoned nutrient solution bottle from some newcomer, grumbled, "These young people nowadays really dare to use anything," and casually tossed it with other trash into the high-temperature incinerator.

At the same time, the private discussions among the newcomers also shifted direction.

"Damn, that Lin Yuan is definitely a martial arts genius who has been accumulating strength!"

"Exactly! His previous weakness must have all been an act to mislead us!"

"Too devious! This guy is an old fox!"

Lin Yuan just smiled as he listened to these discussions.

It's good that they're mistaken.

It's wonderful that they're mistaken.

The more you think my martial arts are amazing, the less you'll suspect my ability.

He just wanted to keep a low profile right now... Base, Director's Office.

Zhou Weiguo looked at the emails Instructor Battle Axe sent daily, his expression somewhat subtle.

The content of the emails changed every day.

[Day 1: Newcomer Lin Yuan, physical test, lower-middle level, mediocre performance, recommended for continued observation.]

[Day 2: Newcomer Lin Yuan, significant physical progress, consistent with normal newcomer growth curve.]

[Day 3: ...]

The email paused here for a long time.

[Report, Director, I might have misjudged, this kid's endurance is as strong as an ox!]

[Day 4: Monster! This kid is a combat monster! Are his reaction nerves made of fiber optics?!]

Zhou Weiguo closed the email and rubbed his temples.

He remembered Old Zhang's roar in the communication that day.

"We... we might have dug up a god!"

Now it seemed, Old Zhang's words might not have been an exaggeration... A week of intensive training passed in a flash.

The last day.

The atmosphere on the training ground was unprecedentedly solemn.

All the newcomers stood ramrod straight, their faces filled with tension and determination.

The final assessment was about to begin.

Instructor Battle Axe walked onto the high platform, his gaze sweeping over the crowd below.

"A week of intensive training ends here."

His voice was loud, echoing throughout the training ground.

"Next, is the moment that will decide your fate."

"The final assessment is divided into two parts."

"The first is a comprehensive physical test, to examine your limits!"

"The second is actual combat sparring!"

Instructor Battle Axe's voice suddenly rose.

"The final comprehensive score will directly determine whether you stay or leave!"

"And, the initial rating and resource allocation you will receive after joining the Dragon Shield Bureau!"

As his voice fell.

Everyone's breathing became heavy.

Li Wei looked up, his gaze cutting through the crowd, fixed on Lin Yuan.