"573, 574!" Bang!

Early the next morning, as the midsummer sunlight brightened the terrace garden, Shen Qiang, drenched in sweat, lay exhausted on the terrace.

He was breathing heavily, looking at the dew on the blooming flowers of the flowerbed reflecting dazzling light.

Clad in a sexy bunny girl outfit, the stunning Cicada vibrated her wings, using a towel to help wipe the sweat off Shen Qiang as he lay on the terrace. Her proportionate golden body, the fishnet stockings covering her long, white legs, and her breathtakingly beautiful face, at that moment, Shen Qiang's mind was a complete blank.

The stunning Cicada, like a diligent fairy, helped Shen Qiang wipe his sweat, then brought over a cup of juice that was huge compared to her figure.

Sweating profusely and with his throat parched, Shen Qiang was just about to drink.

But Xiu Ju from the Dark Department snatched it away from him.

"I remember you said that your Body Refinement plan for this morning was to complete a thousand push-ups carrying nine hundred kilograms. Currently, you haven't even reached six hundred, barely halfway through. Until you finish your training plan, you get nothing, no drinks, no food, no encouragement."

Hearing Xiu Ju's words, Shen Qiang took a deep breath, "Give me another five minutes to lie here."

"No, if you lie down for five minutes, there's no way you can complete the plan of a thousand push-ups. Get up, now. Of course, if you like being pointed at and called a good-for-nothing, being bullied and unable to fight back, then by all means, continue lying down."

Having said that, Xiu Ju turned and sat down to the side, not only drinking the beverage she took from Shen Qiang but also eating breakfast.

Gurgle...

Shen Qiang felt extremely hungry, but just the thought of Cheng Hai's arrogance and Ji Liangchuan's cold smirk reignited a powerful strength in him, and he started training again.

Half an hour later.

"999, 1000!"

When the last push-up was completed, Shen Qiang's arms gave out as if they had lost all their strength, and he collapsed on the ground.

"Master, are you alright?"

Cicada asked nervously as she wiped the sweat off Shen Qiang.

Too fatigued to even keep his eyes open, Shen Qiang felt dizzy.

At that moment, Xiu Ju crouched beside Shen Qiang and handed him the cup, "Drink slowly, just a small sip."

The water was salty.

Shen Qiang knew it was a light saltwater solution, the best replenishment for the body after exercise.

After a while, gradually regaining some strength, Shen Qiang sat at the table to eat, and his usually modest appetite suddenly surged.

He ate enough for what would normally be three meals.

Yet, even so,

As he got ready to leave, Shen Qiang was shocked to find that when descending the steps, he dared not bend his legs because even a slight bend would make his muscles tremble, as if any more effort would knock him down.

And what's worse, under these conditions, Xiu Ju demanded that Shen Qiang run back to University City without reducing the weight he was carrying.

All along the way, Shen Qiang's running speed was slower than walking. It took him over six and a half hours to cover less than twenty kilometers, so that by the time he crawled into his room in the garden complex of University City, it was already past three in the afternoon.

Leaning on the edge of the bedroom, against a bed only forty centimeters tall, Shen Qiang, who wished not to move even a finger, saw it as insurmountable as Mount Everest.

So much so that when Bai Jiao's assistant came to deliver the Pei Yuan Pill ingredients, Shen Qiang didn't even speak a word.

At that time, Xiu Ju brought lunch for Shen Qiang.

But Shen Qiang was so exhausted he couldn't eat at all; his arms were too sore to even lift.

Therefore, Dark Department's Xiu Ju squatted beside Shen Qiang, feeding him spoonful by spoonful.

After Shen Qiang had eaten and drunk water, he looked at the sunset. Dark Department's Xiu Ju smiled, "Get up, it's time for us to go back."

Seeing Shen Qiang's blank expression.

Dark Department's Xiu Ju's eyes curved into a smile, and she whispered in Shen Qiang's ear, "It's what you said, remember? No matter how hard, how tired, you want to become strong! Have you forgotten what you just said?"

Shen Qiang was silent, but just for a few seconds.

Shen Qiang who had stood up with the support of the wall, walked out without saying a word, his silhouette obviously trembling.

Dark Department's Xiu Ju, with the smile gone from her eyes, was stunned.

"Hey! I was just joking with you, are you really preparing to go back like this?"

Shen Qiang didn't make a sound, not knowing whether he didn't want to answer or simply didn't want to waste his strength.

Dark Department's Xiu Ju furrowed her brows, her expression strangely uneasy. She remained motionless for nearly a minute before she quietly followed, walking behind Shen Qiang.

Walking through the sunset, crossing the twilight, from the hazy rise of city lights to the brilliance of illuminations...

Dark Department's Xiu Ju, following behind Shen Qiang, kept her eyes on him the whole time.

By this time, it was already ten o'clock at night.

At this moment, they were still 7.3 kilometers away from Jinyu Huacheng.

Shen Qiang's way of moving forward had nothing to do with running now; he was simply moving, lifting his feet at a very small angle, using all his strength to move forward a step, maybe only about ten centimeters, but even so, he was still persisting, moving forward.

Dark Department's Xiu Ju frowned, watching Shen Qiang who was clearly exhausted, and transmitted softly, "Perhaps we can stop today's training here."

Shen Qiang didn't respond, just kept dragging his shoes that were almost worn through.

Dark Department's Xiu Ju, seeing Shen Qiang's solitary and somewhat stubborn silhouette, apologized, "I'm sorry, Shen Qiang. Actually, I was just joking with you. The true way to use a weight-bearing magical treasure is simply to wear it. As long as you can complete all daily tasks under certain weight, it's already a great success."

Shen Qiang continued walking forward.

Without speaking.

Dark Department's Xiu Ju, who remained behind him, after a moment of silence, quickened her pace and said, "Are you angry? If so, I apologize! Actually, I just wanted you to give up on your own, just wanted you to realize that nothing in this world can be achieved in one step!"

Shen Qiang took a deep breath, still making an effort to move forward.

"Don't waste my energy with such foolish talk. I want to become stronger, so I must work harder than others, nothing more."

Dark Department's Xiu Ju was stunned, rushed to Shen Qiang's side, and said, "Don't you understand? The correct way to use a weight-bearing magical treasure is to just wear it and live normally. Once your body adapts to the load, you can move on to the next stage, not become an ascetic monk!"

Hearing this, Shen Qiang stopped, gazing at the kaleidoscope of neon lights ahead, breathing heavily for a long time, fighting the slight dizziness from his brain, Shen Qiang said in a deep voice.

"I know how to use the weight-bearing magical treasure."

Dark Department's Xiu Ju paused, "Then why are you still..."

"I don't want to talk about empty truths, but I know that in cultivation, as in life, if you don't move forward, you fall back. To you, Jinyu Huacheng may just be a destination, but to me, it's the goal of my journey to become strong! Having already embarked on this journey, no matter how difficult it gets, no matter how tired I am, I will not shrink back."

Turning his head, Shen Qiang looked at Dark Department's Xiu Ju with calm eyes, "Because I know, once I stop now, I will never be able to reach there by my own power again."

Taking a deep breath, Shen Qiang once again took heavy steps, staggering forward under the heavy load, but his words became colder and more determined than ever before!

"I have failed, evaded, and given up!"

Shen Qiang clenched his fists, gazing at the sprawling metropolis with its dimming lights, shouting angrily, "But now... no one can stop my path to becoming strong!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.