"Next round! Final test!"
Ling's voice echoed through the vast, empty training room, carrying a hint of unprecedented solemnity. After days of hellish special training, Xiang Lie was a changed man. He was no longer the greenhorn who merely swung his weapon with brute force; now, his every move and stance bore the mark of true technique. Today was his final assessment before his departure.
His opponent was singular.
"Her name is 'Flash,'" Ling introduced. "As you can see, she's not a combat type. Her armed form is a sniper rifle. But she's the fastest girl in the base."
At the opposite end of the training arena stood a tall, slender girl with sharp, short silver hair. Her expression was aloof, arms crossed, exuding an aura that warned people to keep their distance.
"The test rules are simple," Ling continued. "'Flash' and her partner will move freely around the training grounds. You, armed with 'Ink,' need to touch her with your blade within ten minutes. As long as you touch any part of her body, you win."
It sounded deceptively simple. Xiang Lie gripped the silver longblade, formed by Mo, and nodded, his eyes full of confidence.
"Then… begin!"
At Ling's command, 'Flash' and her partner instantly transformed into two streaks of silver light, moving at high speed across the massive training ground, leaving a dizzying array of afterimages!
*So fast!* A jolt of alarm hit Xiang Lie, but he was no longer the country bumpkin from days past. He took a deep breath, his legs exploding with power, and he shot forward like a leopard!
However, cruel reality quickly delivered a stunning blow. His vaunted explosiveness seemed clumsy and ridiculous against 'Flash's' ghostly footwork. Every prediction, every sprint, ended with him lunging into empty air. 'Flash's' figure always managed to widen the distance with an impossible angle and speed just as he was about to catch up, even casually circling him, as if toying with a clumsy bear.
*BANG!* A crisp gunshot. A training paint projectile, fired from an unexpected corner of the training ground, accurately struck Xiang Lie's back, bursting into a vivid red stain. It was 'Flash's' partner, the girl transformed into a sniper rifle, who had executed a precise shot while moving at high speed!
"Damn it!" Xiang Lie roared, refusing to yield, and chased after her again.
*BANG!* Another shot, this time hitting his thigh.
*BANG!*
*BANG!*
*BANG!*
For the next few minutes, the entire training ground became 'Flash's' personal show. Xiang Lie was like a live target; no matter how hard he tried, how much he pushed himself, he couldn't close the distance with 'Flash.' Instead, he was battered and humiliated by the elusive paint projectiles, his body splattered in red and blue, like an overturned paint palette.
He could clearly feel his stamina rapidly draining away in this meaningless pursuit. His lungs burned, his legs felt heavy as lead.
All this time, he had… never cared much for leg training. In his pure 'Throne Philosophy,' the upper body was the symbol of strength, the cornerstone of the soul. His legs… were merely two pillars to support the upper body. Thus, his leg training had always been minimal, far from the zealous devotion he showed his trapezius muscles.
And today, this long-neglected weakness was brutally exposed.
"Huuu… haaa… huuu…"
Xiang Lie finally stopped, propping himself up with one hand on his blade, leaning over his knees, gasping for air, his clothes soaked with sweat. He looked at the distant figure, still moving with effortless grace, and for the first time, a profound sense of helplessness and frustration washed over him. He possessed immense power and increasingly refined swordsmanship, yet he couldn't even touch his opponent's shadow.
"Um…" Mo's voice, tinged with hesitation and reluctance, faintly sounded in his mind. "Your… leg strength and endurance are simply too weak. Her speed is completely beyond your ability to cope… We… we should concede. If this continues, those projectiles will exhaust you to death."
*Concede…*
The two words, like red-hot steel needles, pierced deeply into Xiang Lie's heart. He wasn't losing to his opponent's strength, but to his own weakness, to his long-held stubbornness and arrogance. He remembered how, in the abandoned factory, he'd clutched Mo, yet been chased in disarray by the Black Guards; he remembered facing 'Night' in the base, only able to passively wait for her to approach…
So, speed… was truly so important.
So, legs were not just pillars. They were the chariot for pursuing targets, the ark for escaping danger, the indispensable foundation that supported the movement of the entire 'Throne'! Without powerful legs, even the most magnificent Throne was merely an immovable, isolated mountain!
*BOOM!*
An invisible lightning bolt once again cleaved through his thoughts! His rigid 'Throne Philosophy,' in that moment, was utterly shaken by a brand new, grander concept!
'DETECTING THE HOST'S INNER SELF ESTABLISHING SUFFICIENT IMPORTANCE AND DESIRE FOR "LEG TRAINING"…'
'PHILOSOPHY ANALYSIS IN PROGRESS… JUDGMENT LEVEL: REMORSE.'
'"THRONE" PHILOSOPHY SYSTEM COMPLETION IN PROGRESS, MEETING SYSTEM FINAL EVOLUTION CONDITIONS…'
'CONGRATULATIONS, HOST! SUCCESSFULLY UNLOCKED "LEG MUSCLE GROUP" "UNLIMITED REPAIR" PERMISSION!'
Almost the instant the system alert ceased, an indescribable surge of warmth erupted from deep within Xiang Lie's legs! The soreness and heaviness from exhaustion were instantly washed away by this warm, surging energy! He could clearly feel every muscle fiber in his legs cheering, exulting. Lactic acid was rapidly metabolized, and the feeling of fatigue vanished! His legs had returned to their peak condition, as if he had just started the training!
*BANG!*
Another paint projectile whistled through the air, aimed directly at his face! Xiang Lie, currently bent over and panting, had no way to dodge!
However, just as everyone expected him to be hit again—
Xiang Lie's body moved!
He didn't even have time to think; his body's instincts had already reacted before his brain! The muscles in his legs abruptly tensed, pushing off the ground with a powerful surge. His entire body lunged sideways in an extremely awkward yet incredibly swift movement!
*WHOOSH—!*
The paint projectile, which should have been a guaranteed hit, grazed his back, flying past and striking the floor exactly where he had been standing!
The entire training room instantly fell into an eerie, deathly silence.
Ling, recording data at the ringside, suddenly looked up, and for the first time, her usually carefree eyes showed incredulous shock! "This… this is impossible!" she cried out in disbelief. "His heart rate and lactic acid threshold were clearly at their limit! How… how could he possibly have the energy to make such an explosive move?!"
'Flash,' moving at high speed, also stopped abruptly, and her usually ice-cold face showed an expression of astonishment for the first time. And Mo, inside Xiang Lie's mind, was so stunned she couldn't speak! For only she knew that Xiang Lie had been on the verge of collapse just moments ago, yet in that single instant, his physical condition had miraculously… fully recovered!
In the center of the arena, Xiang Lie slowly picked himself up from the ground, brushing off the dust. He was no longer gasping, no longer drenched in sweat. He felt the endless, seemingly inexhaustible power surging from his legs, and a brilliant smile, full of the joy of new beginnings, spread across his face.
He looked up, his gaze like lightning, locking onto the silver figure in the distance once more.
"Now…"
His voice was not loud, but it clearly echoed through the entire training room.
"It's my turn to warm up."