Chapter 6: Physical Education

There was no time to get sentimental. Not long after Zhang Yu returned to class, the math teacher, a bespectacled man in black-rimmed glasses, entered with a stack of test papers.

“Today, we’re going over the test from last time.”

“Pass the papers down.”

“Look over your mistakes. How many times have I told you—if you don’t understand something, come ask me! I was in my office for three hours yesterday afternoon, and not one of you came by…”

Just as the math test was being handed out, the door opened and in strode the towering, broad-shouldered physical education teacher. He looked the math teacher up and down.

“You’re sick.”

After sending the unwell math teacher off, PE teacher Wang Hai turned to the students and announced, “This period is now Phys Ed.”

“But don’t forget to review your math on your own. General Studies still counts for fifty points on the Immortal College Entrance Exam. One point can separate you from thousands.”

“Speaking of General Studies, I’ve already talked with your language teacher too. We’re turning that period into PE as well. Add in your original PE slot, and the entire morning is now mine.”

The students followed Wang Hai to the indoor training grounds, which resembled a massive open plaza filled with a dazzling array of exercise equipment.

Wang Hai addressed them, “The Qi Refining Realm is the foundation of the Immortal Path. And how solid that foundation is in your first year of high school determines how high you can reach in your second and third years…”

As he spoke, a wave of half-forgotten memories surged through Zhang Yu’s mind, stirred by these familiar scenes.

After being consolidated by the Ten Great Sects, Immortal cultivation had long since developed into a vast, systematic structure. The classifications and rankings of power were all-encompassing, touching every facet of Immortal technology—an ocean without end.

The most widely known of these were the Ten Realms of the Immortal Path.

And the key metrics that determined which realm a person could reach were Dao Heart level and Mana level.

For high school students, only those with a Dao Heart above level 10 and Mana exceeding 60 points could break through from Qi Refining to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

These PE classes were designed to temper the body and hone the will.

A stronger physique not only boosted the efficiency of mana cultivation, it also contributed greatly to the mental resilience needed to elevate one’s Dao Heart—and, of course, enhanced real-world combat effectiveness at the Qi Refining level.

If Dao Heart and Mana were the foundation of the Immortal Path, then the body strength trained in PE was the foundation of that foundation.

At that moment, pulses of light swept over the gathered students, scanning their physical stats and displaying them on a nearby screen in descending order.

1st Place: Qian Shen – Physical Strength 1.15

2nd Place: Bai Zhenzhen – Physical Strength 1.13

3rd Place: He Dayou – Physical Strength 1.12

…

Zhang Yu had to scroll down to the 19th slot before spotting his own score.

19th Place: Zhang Yu – Physical Strength 0.82

With the continued advancement of Immortal tech in Kunxu, data and performance indicators had grown increasingly precise.

Physical strength wasn’t just quantified—it was re-evaluated every single PE class.

Like the Dao Heart, physical strength maxed out at 10 in the Qi Refining Realm.

Although it wasn’t a requirement for breaking through realms, physical strength directly influenced both cultivation efficiency and combat performance. Out of the 650 points in Immortal Path subjects, 150 were allocated to it.

“My rank’s slipped to 19th already?”

Zhang Yu frowned as he looked at his score, recalling how others had steadily surpassed his rate of physical progress in recent weeks.

All around him, students began injecting themselves with syringes—various brands of enhancement supplements.

Once in the body, these supplements not only increased muscle and bone density, they also amplified workout efficiency severalfold, sometimes more than tenfold. For high school freshmen, they were essential.

You could skip a day of training, but you couldn’t go a day without a shot. The top students were known to take up to eight injections daily.

Zhang Yu watched Bai Zhenzhen off in the distance inject herself nine times—arms, thighs, and backside.

Compared to the surrounding bulked-up giants, Bai Zhenzhen looked petite. But Zhang Yu remembered it was due to differing training goals—the physique you built depended on your path.

Wang Hai noticed Zhang Yu hadn’t made a move to inject himself and walked over with a frown.

“Zhang Yu, how many days has it been since your last enhancement shot?”

Zhang Yu didn’t dare admit he was broke. At Songyang High, being poor was as shameful as failing grades. Only someone like Bai Zhenzhen—who knew him inside and out—was privy to the truth.

Fragments of memory also warned him that the body’s previous owner had pushed the drugs too hard—overloading organs and blood vessels. He’d already fainted multiple times, risking his life.

So he gave a vague excuse: “I want to try training without supplements…”

Wang Hai’s frown deepened, his voice booming like thunder. “Don’t tell me you’ve been watching those fake influencers going on about ‘natural body forging’? That’s all a scam. How do you expect to keep up without supplements?

“Look at how far you’ve fallen in the rankings. Keep this up, and you’ll be kicked out of the Advanced Placement Class by next exam.”

He shot Zhang Yu a look of exasperated disappointment. “Do you think I’m making you inject for my own benefit? Your gains don’t go to my muscles!”

He jabbed a finger toward a student in the distance. “Take Qian Shen for example—twelve shots of Dragon-Elephant Compound daily to bulk up muscle and bone, two painkillers to dull the tearing-growth agony, two Glutton Boosters to speed metabolism and nutrient absorption. Eats fifteen pounds of food a day to bulk up…

“In just three months, he jumped from 0.13 to 1.15 in physical strength. Best body in the freshman class. Your natural methods can’t match that in twenty years.”

As Wang Hai spoke, Zhang Yu recalled how Qian Shen had transformed from a wiry 5'7" noodle into a two-meter, 300-pound mini-giant.

Wang Hai pointed to another student. “And look at Zhao Tianxing—used to be worse than you. Just hit 1.00 this week. Blood thick as mercury, arteries hardened, heart three times its original size…”

After gesturing at several more students, Wang Hai sighed. “Zhang Yu, you used to rank top ten in physical strength. Good talent, high drug tolerance. That’s why I’m saying all this…”

Zhang Yu could feel Wang Hai’s concern, but between being broke and afraid of dying, he just couldn’t bring himself to keep injecting.

Just as he was racking his brain for a reply, Wang Hai pulled a small box from his bag.

“Three parts training, seven parts nutrition, and the remaining ninety percent is all about what you inject.”

“This is the God-Elephant Power Enhancer from Vajra Sect. Top-quality, straight from a major sect. One shot equals ten regular ones.”

“Off the record—it’s still in lab testing. Got it from a buddy. Since you’ve got potential, I’ll give it to you at a discount. Ten vials for 8,800.”

Zhang Yu stared at the sales pitch in stunned silence. He now remembered—over half the muscle-boosting supplements used by students in class were bought directly from Wang Hai.

This was normal at Songyang High. After all, body training and drug use were inseparable. Every PE teacher was both a fitness expert and a pharmaceutical vendor, with multiple supply channels behind them.

But Zhang Yu couldn’t afford the drugs—nor could his body handle them. He could only play along and dodge the issue.

Wang Hai, clearly annoyed by Zhang Yu’s evasions, let out a cold snort and returned the drugs to his bag.

“Suit yourself.”

As he turned to coach and pitch to other students, Zhang Yu sighed.

“Even PE class is a battlefield in this place…”

Just then, a boy strolled up beside him and asked, “Wang Hai tried to sell you something again?”

The speaker had delicate features and a wholesome, next-door-neighbor look.

Memories of him surfaced in Zhang Yu’s mind.

“That's… Zhou Tianyi.”

Zhou Tianyi had been Zhang Yu’s meal and study buddy since the first day of school.

They’d eaten and studied together for three months, forming a fragile friendship along the way.

Yet even as the memories returned, the first thing that came to Zhang Yu’s mind was Zhou’s class rank.

“Ranked 25th. Just barely qualified to eat at my table… Wait, why am I sounding like a snob now?”