Douluo Continent: The Martial Soul is Black Kite, the Herrscher of Knowledge

At 4:30 pm, the sun was still scorching.

The students in Class 5 stood in a row on the playground, each with a bitter expression on their face.

"Starting today, every day at this time, there will be one hour of physical training." Wu Changkong stood at the front of the team, holding a stopwatch in his hand, expressionless. "Today's content is very simple—run around the track until I call it a stop. As for whether your performance will satisfy me, you can decide for yourselves."

The track in the playground is 400 meters long.

"What if we can't finish the run?" a skinny boy asked timidly.

"There's no such thing as an endless run. If you can't keep going, just stop." Wu Changkong glanced coldly at the person who spoke.

"start."

At Wu Changkong's command, more than thirty students started running in a scattered manner.

Fu Li ran in the lead, her steps light and easy.

This level of running is nothing to him.

Tang Wulin followed not far behind him, his breathing even. He had helped with chores at home since he was a child, and later learned forging, so his physical strength was absolutely outstanding among his peers.

But it wasn't so easy for others.

After running just three laps, some people were already panting heavily.

After two more laps, the line stretched out into a long strip.

Fu Li was far ahead, Tang Wulin was close behind in the second group, while most of the others had already run until their faces turned pale.

"I...I can't take it anymore..." A girl gasped for breath, clutching her knees.

"Hang in there, it's only five laps..." The classmate next to her tried to pull her up, but she didn't have much strength left.

Lu Renjia ran in the middle, his speed was not fast, but his steps were still quite steady. His Stone Armor Bear Martial Soul gave him a good physique, and even though his soul power was not high, his physical strength was much stronger than that of ordinary people.

Xu Xiaoyan ran at the very back of the group.

Her face was pale, and every step seemed to require all her strength. It wasn't that she didn't want to run faster; she simply couldn't run anymore.

On the sixth lap, her legs buckled, she staggered, and almost fell.

"Are you alright?" A boy in front of her turned around and glanced at her.

"N-nothing...it's nothing..." Xu Xiaoyan bit her lip and continued running forward.

Her vision was blurry, and her throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton, causing her lungs to ache with every breath.

But she didn't stop.

Wu Changkong stood in the center of the playground, coldly looking at everyone, without a word of encouragement or criticism.

The tenth lap.

Seven or eight people had already stopped, bent over and panting heavily.

Wu Changkong didn't call a stop, so they could only stand there, unsure whether to continue running or give up.

"Continue." Wu Changkong's voice was devoid of any emotion.

One of the boys gritted his teeth and started running again. Seeing this, the others had no choice but to follow.

Lap 15.

Fu Li had already overtaken the main group several times, but he seemed not to feel it at all, simply maintaining a steady pace as he continued forward.

Xu Xiaoyan was still running.

Her pace had slowed to almost walking, but she was truly running. Step by step.

Sweat dripped from her forehead, mingling with her tears as it hit the ground.

She wanted to give up, but when she glanced at Wu Changkong standing in the middle, she felt a little scared.

She was doing just fine at home, but her brother, who always doted on her, for some reason, said something to her father.

"Although Xiaoyan is exceptionally talented, her personality isn't exactly great, and she doesn't have many friends at home. I think we should send her to the academy to study. Even if she doesn't learn anything special, she can make some friends and improve her personality."

Without hesitation, the father readily agreed.

So she was sent to Donghai Academy.

However, she was transferred to the class before the registration deadline, so she could only come to Class 5.

Xu Xiaoyan didn't care about any of this; for her, it was all the same wherever she was.

"Tsk tsk tsk, you're really working hard. It reminds me of running in the sunset back then, that's my lost youth..."

Ah Ji's cheeky voice suddenly rang in Fu Li's mind.

"Stop, stop, stop," Fu Li quickly interrupted it. "What's wrong with you now?"

"Sigh, I was just reminiscing. Look at that girl over there, tsk tsk, that look of wanting to slack off but not daring to, that's true youth..."

Fu Li looked over as Ah Ji pointed and immediately saw the figure gritting his teeth and persevering.

"I remember her name was Xu Xiaoyan, right? She seemed to be a control-type Soul Master, no wonder her physical strength was weak."

"Oh? You remember this so clearly, kid. You're not planning on doing this to me, are you?" Ah Ji suddenly teased.

Fu Li rolled her eyes: "Stop joking, Ah Ji, are you suffering from dementia? Can't you even remember a name?"

"Hehe, I don't care. Besides, look at how they're in this situation, if you don't lend a hand, they might think you're taking advantage of their vulnerability."

"Forget it, I'm not one of those perverts..." Fu Li remained unmoved, accelerated, and quickly overtook Xu Xiaoyan ahead.

"Huh? How come you overtook me again? This is the eighth lap, isn't it?" Xu Xiaoyan barely managed to keep her vision clear as she watched Fu Li overtake her once again.

"Maybe I should just give up. I've run eight laps already, Teacher Wu shouldn't scold me, right..."

However, after seeing Wu Changkong's poker face, Xu Xiaoyan still chose to follow her heart.

Maybe we should try to hold on a little longer...

She thought to herself weakly.

Fu Li was very fast and caught up with Xu Xiaoyan in no time.

This time, just by looking at the other person's crooked and unsteady movements, Fu Li knew that the other person was about to die.

"Why bother? Overtraining can damage your body."

"You think everyone is like you? Others would be too scared to give up just by looking at Wu Changkong's face," Aji complained.

Fu Li glanced at it briefly, and it was true.

But looking at the figure in front of her who had completely reached his limit, Fu Li still sighed.

……

"Huff... huff... huff..."

No, it won't work...

Xu Xiaoyan's vision went black, she stumbled, and looked like she was about to fall forward.

Just then, an arm suddenly caught her.

"Huh?"

Sensing something was wrong, Xu Xiaoyan forced open her eyes and looked at the person supporting her.

"It's...it's you, Fu Li..."

"If you can't keep going, just take a break. The dance teacher isn't going to eat you."

Fu Li said something indifferently, then gently patted Xu Xiaoyan's back with his right hand.

Instantly, the surrounding天地元气 (heaven and earth energy) gradually flowed into the other person's body under his guidance, slowly restoring the other person's physical strength, which had reached its limit.

Xu Xiaoyan was stunned. She didn't know what Fu Li had done. She only knew that when the other person gently patted her back, she felt a cool sensation enter her body, especially her lungs.

It felt as refreshing as drinking ice water, which made her feel completely relaxed.

"Th-thank you..." Xu Xiaoyan opened her eyes and subconsciously said thank you.

However, when she realized that Fu Li was still supporting her shoulders, her face suddenly turned red, and she quickly buried her face in her hands, unable to utter another word.

"Oh dear, who was it that said they weren't interested? I think some people are quite adept at this kind of thing without even being taught..."

Fu Li ignored Aji's teasing and withdrew her hand expressionlessly.

Without any foothold, Xu Xiaoyan's legs trembled, but fortunately, her legs were no longer so weak that she did not fall.

"Thank you……"

"Okay, take care and get some rest. You might still be in pain for quite a while afterward."

After leaving a word of advice, Fu Li continued running.

"Yes, yes, I want to see this script!" Deep in Fu Li's consciousness, without her even realizing it, Ah Ji suddenly let out a perverted smile.