Chapter 98: What Kind of Exercise Consumes So Much Stamina?

The crowd was silent, looking at Li Hao, then at the testing device. The surface of the device was made of an elastic material that absorbed impacts. This...

Ma Long licked his lips. "Hao Ge, I was just saying that, I didn't mean it seriously. What kind of power is this..."

Li Hao was also dumbfounded. "This must be because the instrument's quality is poor. I've hit one before; it wasn't this flimsy."

"Maybe Gao Yunfeng and the others used it for too long, and the quality became an issue." Ma Long also touched the shattered area, revealing the alloy material underneath, which was two fingers thick. Looking at Li Hao's hand, it was surprisingly fine.

"Hao Ge, the one you used before was from the Youth Class, right?" Wuzang asked.

Li Hao nodded. What gave him a headache was that he had destroyed public property right at the start. This thing was very expensive. He didn't know if the principal's words counted, but this should be counted as team wear and tear. If he had to pay for it, he would be finished.

"The upper limits of everything used in the Youth Class are different from ours."

"I just saw the value of the first punch flash by; it was around three thousand," Tan Ziyuan suddenly said.

"I saw over five thousand... is this even human?" Lu Ying said, looking Li Hao up and down. How could this physique erupt with such power? A full-force strike like that could probably kill someone instantly.

The atmosphere suddenly froze. Li Hao smiled. "That thing must be broken. Two or three thousand is about right. It wasn't rare in the Youth Class. Of course, it's only stronger now. One must aim for the top; the minimum standard is to break through three thousand."

Huo Ying opened his mouth, looked at his own bulging muscles, and suddenly they didn't seem so impressive anymore.

"Is the Tianqi Youth Class all like this?" Ma Long couldn't help but ask. Everyone felt the Tianqi Youth Class used to be very famous, mainly because it produced a few leading figures who had impressive performances at the S9 and S10, but they had no sense of how tough a bunch of young kids could actually be.

"Pretty much."

"Team Leader, how much power can Yan Peng reach?" Huo Ying couldn't help but ask. That was his model, his idol. Since his first year, he had boasted of being the Yan Peng of Tianjing.

"It used to be around two thousand, but now it's definitely stable at 3000+. It's hard to say about the burst value. Mecha combat can't fully display power; what's more important is applying that power to operation," Li Hao said.

Crackle... Boom...

Visibly, Huo Ying's face grew even darker. He had always felt that the difference between him and these top experts wasn't large, and that he only lacked a stage and an opportunity to show it.

Li Hao was also revealing just a little. If one wants to face top experts, the first step is to broaden one's horizons; one cannot be a frog at the bottom of a well.

Actually, not to mention Huo Ying, even Wuzang and the others were a bit discouraged. This was just the Fifteen Generals, not to mention other experts from all walks of life, let alone the top figures from other federations. This...

"Everyone will encounter some opponents in the EMP. You feel the operation is similar; what they can do, you can also do. But when you truly meet them, you can't beat them. Excluding other factors, the surplus of basic combat power is one of the reasons. A seemingly limit-pushing move actually leaves the opponent with considerable leeway to make more adjustments and attacks. Therefore, a tough body and sufficient mental focus are the first steps for us to charge at the S Tournament," Li Hao said, leaving the group stunned.

Any technique that can withstand confrontation is a true technique; otherwise, it is just flashy and useless.

"Hao Ge, is this your true self? A bit handsome, though still a little worse than me," Ma Long said.

"Li Hao, is our next stage physical breakthrough?"

"Yes, let's find our limits today," Li Hao smiled slightly. "As long as you reach your own limit, you can face any opponent. Everyone can find an opponent for themselves; let's start with a small goal."

"Come on, Team Leader, I want to become someone like Yan Peng—no, someone who surpasses Yan Peng!" Huo Ying said immediately. He had never known what it meant to be a coward.

"Zuo Xiaotang?"

"Me? I don't have much of a goal... alright, I hope to be able to enter the Sniper rankings."

"I want to become like Aofei!" Zhou Naiyi had always taken Aofei as her goal—a calm commander on the battlefield.

"I want to be the most handsome man at the S Tournament!" Ma Long said.

"What about Wuzang?"

Wuzang was silent for a moment. "I want to be like Wufa."

"Li Hao, everyone has said theirs, what about you?" Tan Ziyuan asked.

"As the Team Leader, my goal is to help everyone achieve their small goals... hey, don't hit me, give the Team Leader some face..."

The group swarmed up and gave the posturing Li Hao a good rubbing; the Team Leader's dignity vanished completely.

Five-fold Gravity Zone.

The group had already begun physical limit training. Tan Ziyuan and Lu Ying were watching from the instrument room. How to put it? They didn't really approve of Li Hao's dangerous approach.

Three-fold gravity is fine for a while, but it will really cause injury if it lasts too long. Of course, this was the thinking of ordinary people like them; Wuzang and the others had no objections.

In the Gravity Room, Li Hao was also training, but the vital signs of the others were completely within his perception. This limit method was also from Bleem's place, but in the dream, there was no need to worry about death at all, whereas in reality, one had to be extra careful.

There had to be a just-right scale here.

If it were one person, it would be hard to persist, but with everyone together, no one wanted to be the first to fall, including Zuo Xiaotang. He was also more persistent than usual; after all, Lu Ying had cheered him on when he went in, and he couldn't let a beauty look down on him.

Zuo Xiaotang's muscles were trembling uncontrollably. The voices of Lu Ying and Tan Ziyuan came to his ears: "Everyone, if you can't hold on, you must say so. Don't force it; training should be done slowly."

Zuo Xiaotang glanced at Ma Long. He didn't intend to compare himself to Wuzang or Zhou Naiyi, but he had to be about the same as Ma Long. The problem was that Ma Laoshi, who usually liked to slack off, was surprisingly calm.

Zuo Xiaotang could only grit his teeth and hold on, but he could no longer perform any movements. His body felt heavier and heavier, but his mind was incomparably clear. He could feel every inch of his body changing; his physical strength was in chaos, and his reactions to the external pressure were constantly fluctuating. He was already in an uncontrolled state. He wanted to control it, but he couldn't anymore. He wanted to speak but found he couldn't make a sound...

Just then, he felt himself flying. Li Hao had already carried Zuo Xiaotang out of the Gravity Room. Tan Ziyuan and Lu Ying had already come over.

"Should we use adrenaline?"

"No need, let him rest for five minutes first, then replenish with some physical energy liquid." Saying this, Li Hao walked back in.

Inside, Ma Long was standing against the wall. He was reaching his limit. He had never put his heart into physical training before. Wuzang, Zhou Naiyi, and Huo Ying were fine and could still do some basic dumbbell and push-up training, though their speed had slowed down.

After a few more minutes, Ma Long suddenly started gasping for air, waving his hands desperately. "Can't do it, can't do it, help me, I want to go out!"

Wuzang glanced at Ma Long and was about to go help, but Li Hao waved his hand. "He can still go on."

Ma Long glared fiercely at Li Hao, took a deep breath, and slowly walked toward the door, one step, one step. This damn thing wasn't training; it was life-threatening. This feeling of losing control of his body was too damn uncomfortable; he couldn't take it, his balls were about to shatter.

But a large hand gently rested on him, and Ma Long stood in place, unable to move anymore.

"Ma Laoshi, didn't you often say that as a man, the one thing you can never say is 'I can't'?"

Ma Long was so angry; what time did he think this was?

But it was clear he couldn't leave, so he had to endure.

Wuzang and Zhou Naiyi exchanged a look. Ma Long clearly still had strength; he just habitually wanted to run. This was also what the two of them were worried about, because the Mid-Season Training was known as the death training of military academies. It might have been better in the past, but this year, facing immense pressure, the military would absolutely not be lenient. If they weren't prepared, going there would be a journey to hell. It was clear Li Hao had already realized this point.

Ma Long knew he couldn't leave, so he could only focus on resisting. Strangely, when he stopped thinking about leaving, it was actually a bit better. He held on for another five minutes, then suddenly felt his body lighten and was carried out by Li Hao.

As soon as he got out, he let out a huge sigh of relief, feeling like his whole body was about to take flight. If he had played a little longer, he felt he would have passed out.

And outside, Zuo Xiaotang had already woken up, but he could only move his eyeballs. They had never experienced this kind of limit training before.

Ma Long wanted to brag, but found he had no strength to speak. Tan Ziyuan and Lu Ying had already come over to check Ma Long's vital signs. Of course, the Gravity Room itself had monitoring, but Li Hao had his own judgment standards.

At this time, Huo Ying in the Gravity Room was already drenched in sweat. He was gritting his teeth and persisting. He was the most proactive in using the Gravity Room, which was why he looked down on Gao Yunfeng's group. Actually, Gao Yunfeng was okay, but people like Zhao Zhihan seemed not to have trained physically for a long time; it was all flashy moves. He just didn't expect Wuzang and Zhou Naiyi to be able to persist so well.

Five more minutes passed, and Huo Ying was already failing, but he didn't care; in any case, he would never, ever call for help, even if it killed him.

The gravity began to seep in, Huo Ying's teeth began to chatter uncontrollably, his breathing became increasingly rapid, then his body began to shake, and his will began to blur.

Li Hao lifted Huo Ying out steadily; almost the instant the pressure was lost, Huo Ying woke up, his physical strength and toughness far stronger than the average person.

Huo Ying's personality was a bit blunt, but he really gave it his all.

Tan Ziyuan and Lu Ying were already too shocked to speak; a person this big was being carried like a little chick, and repeatedly entering and exiting put a considerable load on the body, as the muscles and bones had to withstand these changes, and it was extremely easy to get injured in a state of physical fatigue.

But Li Hao... there was absolutely no sign of any reaction from him.

"Team Leader, I'm still okay." Looking at his shameful posture, he couldn't help but call out.

Li Hao set Huo Ying down, "This is just the beginning, what's the rush? There will be plenty of opportunities later."

"Alright, Team Leader, next time I won't be so embarrassing."

Zuo Xiaotang and Ma Long exchanged an eye-roll; what? This is called just the beginning?

The two of them wanted to retreat, really; this wasn't training, this was risking their lives.

Li Hao went back in; Wuzang and Zhou Naiyi remained steady, their breathing well-maintained, especially Wuzang, who was clearly very well-adapted, which was also a characteristic of the Ancient Martial Family, focusing on the infusion of internal energy, and Wuzang was the type whose foundation was incomparably solid.

Pumping iron every day wasn't for nothing.

"Ziyuan, slowly increase the gravity to 【level】," Li Hao said; he wanted to test their limits today, and in Li Hao's field of vision, he could see their physical states and that they still had energy to spare.

"Team Leader, are you sure?" Tan Ziyuan couldn't help but ask; increasing the gravity at this time was quite dangerous.

"No problem, turn it on."

It felt as if the air itself had become heavy, and the pressure was slowly rising; Zhou Naiyi had already stopped moving, as this increase had suddenly reached her critical point, and Wuzang fell silent for a moment before he also stopped.

Only three people remained in the Gravity Room, and when the gravity stabilized at six times, those outside were already dumbfounded.

What kind of monsters are these? They usually live together and have known each other for so long, so why is the difference so huge? It's completely invisible.

Looking at the three of them, Ma Long suddenly realized why the gap would suddenly widen one day; it wasn't sudden, it was just that what others had been accumulating from the very beginning had finally erupted.

"Class Monitor, attack me," Li Hao said.

Zhou Naiyi raised an eyebrow, did not hesitate, took a deep breath, stepped out, and gave a feint of a high kick, but it was actually a small whip kick; Li Hao did not dodge, blocked it, and with a muffled thud, Zhou Naiyi did not stop and continued to attack; under these conditions, every attack was quite draining, and after just a few movements, Zhou Naiyi was sweating, and her breathing became rapid.

Li Hao did not counterattack; he was completely in a defensive state; if he were to attack at this time, Zhou Naiyi would be very easily injured, and what he needed to do was to induce Zhou Naiyi's physical limit through defense.

Those who understand don't need an explanation, and Zhou Naiyi clearly understood this point; she didn't defend, but was in a state of unreserved attack; once she passed that initial difficult period, her attacks became slightly more fluid, and there was even a feeling of power constantly surging out.

Slap, slap, slap...

A fluid three-hit combo, all of which Li Hao received; he couldn't let Zhou Naiyi hit empty air, as hitting empty air would create a backlash force, and with the final punch, he dragged and pulled, directly picked up Zhou Naiyi, and walked in a spiral to the door, walking straight out of the Gravity Room.

"Class Monitor, don't speak, rest, stabilize your breathing; this kind of power surge just now cannot reach the limit, once it reaches the limit, it will overdraw you severely; remember this feeling right now, this is a very good node, and repeatedly mastering it is an element of the Golden Zone," Li Hao said.

Zhou Naiyi's large eyes looked at Li Hao, she blinked gently, and then stood still.

Li Hao signaled for Tan Ziyuan and Lu Ying not to disturb her, then returned to the Gravity Room; there was still one Wuzang left.

At this moment, Wuzang, who had been closing his eyes to rest, opened them and said, "Hao Ge, how shall we fight?"

"Take a punch from me," Li Hao said.

"Alright!" Wuzang's whole body settled down, his body bowed slightly, and as he lifted his head slightly, a massive aura spread out; this gravity was actually unable to suppress him.

The blood in his heart was boiling; for Wuzang, nothing could excite him more than pursuing the limit.

His arms shook, his muscles bulged, his body presented an explosive muscular reaction, and the clothes on his body tore directly—Explosive Muscle Steel Body!

Outside, Huo Ying's eyes turned green with envy; it was the same explosive muscle, but Wuzang's was more beautiful, the purity of the power was too high; how did this kid train? Possessing such physical strength, he wasn't afraid of five times gravity at all.

All of Wuzang's attention was on Li Hao; in an instant, the previously aura-less Li Hao suddenly possessed a towering momentum, and he threw a punch.

Wuzang slammed his arms horizontally across his chest, his entire body's muscles contracted, internal energy was infused throughout his body, and his legs were slightly bent.

Boom...

Wuzang flew out in response; although his feet were still touching the ground, he... had already passed out.

Swoosh...

A figure arrived after the fact to catch Wuzang and leave the Gravity Room.

Tan Ziyuan and Lu Ying rushed up, already prepared with emergency injections, but Li Hao reached out to stop them, "No need, he can handle it."

Wuzang's physical state was the best in the team, and the training of the Wu Family was also extremely harsh; this situation was just a small case, and with Wuzang's physical strength, he would soon recover on his own, while others couldn't, and needed intensity adjustments based on each person's state.

Everyone was still very worried, but not long after, Wuzang woke up, panting heavily, a smile appearing on his face, "Satisfying!"

"Are you crazy, Hao Ge? Do we have to risk our lives like this?" Ma Long expressed his firm opposition and protest.

"Not at all, we have to work a little harder now so we can survive at the MSI; don't you know that the MSI has a mortality rate? And it has always been known as a hellish trial; with our Federation having lost twice in a row, what do you think this year's training camp will be like?" Li Hao said.

"Li Hao is right, we are too weak; if we want to achieve results at the S Tournament, we are currently far from enough!" Zhou Naiyi said, "The reason the previous MSI was cancelled was because it was too harsh, the casualty rate was high, and it was criticized by human rights organizations, but the reality is, as soldiers, weakness is the greatest original sin, which is also the reason why we are gradually being overtaken by other federations, so we must be fully prepared for this year's MSI."

Ma Long's mouth twitched; he had indeed heard of this, but he never dreamed that one day he would have to go; if he had known, letting Gao Yunfeng go would have been fine too; what a disaster; is it too late to transfer schools now?

"Team Leader, I hate racking my brains the most; just tell me, according to your training model, do we have any hope!" Huo Ying said.

"Of course we do!" Li Hao nodded, "We're all human, they don't have an extra leg compared to us."

"Alright, let's do it, bring on something exciting, next round!"

Li Hao couldn't help but laugh, "No need to rush, the stimulation cannot be excessive each time; there will be one session arranged every day from now on, and the rest of the time will be free practice; I have something to do, arrange the rest yourselves."

Date time had arrived, and he had to do something he had never done before: accompany a girl shopping... a first-time experience!

Li Hao slipped away in a flash, leaving the people in the training room dumbfounded.

"My god, is Hao Ge even human? How is he like someone who is completely fine?" Ma Long couldn't help but complain; his legs were still soft, and he probably wouldn't be able to exercise tonight.

"It seems like he didn't even break a sweat..."

"Can't hold everyone back."

Invisible showing off is the most lethal; this training session also opened everyone's eyes; although Zuo Xiaotang was lazy, he wouldn't think about quitting; in essence, he was a personality that needed to be needed, and if a friend needed him, he would definitely not refuse.

Ma Laoshi really wanted to quit, but he had to find a reason to do so; he also had to explain it to the principal, otherwise, if a note was really made on his graduation file, he would be finished.

It was a bit of a headache; if only Sheng Man were here, he needed a soft embrace.

By evening, Dorm 4396 was brightly lit, but everyone was sighing and groaning; they were so tired, feeling as if their bodies no longer belonged to them, having never been this exhausted before.

All four of them were lying flat, including Li Hao... it felt like Li Hao looked even more miserable.

"Hao Ge, what did you do today to end up like this?" Wuzang asked with great curiosity, wondering what kind of terrifying schedule could have exhausted Li Hao, who was like a superman, to this extent.

"I don't know either; why do girls love shopping so much? It practically shopped my Spirit away," Li Hao said limply. A Youyou simply had infinite energy, feeling as if she could conquer the universe, while he felt his Spirit was being drained away.

"Haha, haha, Hao Ge, you have your days too. This is a required course in our lives. But looking at you, you seem quite happy. Tell us, was there some good news?" Ma Long's observation was quite meticulous; he blinked and smirked, "Did you get a room?"

Generally speaking, a certain activity is very physically draining.

"No, of course not. We just went shopping and ate some food," Li Hao hurriedly waved his hands; Ma Long was truly too bold.

"Wrong, do you think you can fool me? Look at your weak body and those sparkling little eyes; it's obvious you received some kind of stimulation. We're all good brothers, share it. You all knew when I was pursuing Sheng Man." Trying to hide things from Ma Laoshi was impossible; in this regard, he was a dimension-crushing force.

Li Hao sat up, "It's nothing much. When we were at the mall, someone came up to ask for A Youyou's Skylink number and mocked me for being a poor ghost who only knows how to window-shop and won't buy things for girls, telling A Youyou to consider switching to someone else."

"That kind of person deserves a beating!" Wuzang said; this was definitely a matter that could be solved with fists.

"There are people like that? How annoying!" Zuo Xiaotang was also very angry.

"You don't understand. With Hao Ge's personality, he wouldn't easily resort to violence. Based on my judgment, A Youyou must have rejected them, making your virgin pride stir and feel smug," Ma Long said smugly, seemingly wanting to regain the face he lost at the training ground, "But I'm very curious, why are you so proud?"

Li Hao's expression was a bit strange and a little excited, "Ahem, it's nothing."

The other three wouldn't have it, "Hao Ge, are you even human? Look at the state the three of us are in, and you're still keeping secrets from us? We agreed that brothers are for life; are you starting to drift apart already?"

Li Hao was helpless.

"A Youyou just held my arm and said: Brother-in-law, don't pay attention to this idiot..."

(Here is another big chapter, 12,000 words today. Thank you for the support, family. It's the last day of September, asking for a monthly ticket for support.)