Shao Han felt as though a raging fire was burning inside his chest.
His heartbeat thundered wildly in his ears, and every breath felt painfully dry as if his throat had been scorched.
Running a full kilometer at the pace of a hundred-meter sprint was brutal even for trained fighters.
For ordinary trainees, it was practically torture.
Even someone as strong as Shao Han was struggling to endure the strain.
At that moment, Zhao Mu glanced back.
He had clearly sensed the man behind him slowing down.
The corner of Zhao Mu's mouth lifted into a mocking smile.
"Already out of energy?"
He sneered.
"Skinny dog."
Those words instantly ignited Shao Han's fury.
His eyes turned bloodshot as anger surged through him.
"Zhao Mu!"
"I'll fight you to the death!"
With a furious roar, Shao Han pushed spirit energy through his entire body.
His muscles tightened, and he exploded forward with renewed speed.
But Zhao Mu only chuckled softly.
Seeing Shao Han desperately trying to catch up amused him greatly.
So he accelerated again.
The distance between them widened once more.
Yet Zhao Mu did not run at full speed.
Only when Shao Han seemed close to catching him would Zhao Mu casually channel a small stream of spirit energy into his legs.
That slight burst of power was enough to widen the gap again.
To Shao Han, it felt like chasing a distant mountain while riding a dying horse.
The target always appeared just within reach.
But no matter how hard he tried, he could never close the distance.
By the end of the second lap, Zhao Mu had already lapped the slowest trainee by an entire circuit.
A thin layer of sweat had finally appeared on his forehead.
Yet instead of exhaustion, Zhao Mu felt an incredible sense of vitality.
His body had completely warmed up.
Every muscle felt alive.
"Exhilarating," Zhao Mu muttered with a satisfied smile.
Inside his vision, the Demon Clown interface displayed his training progress.
Seeing the rising numbers filled him with excitement.
Even now, Zhao Mu was still barely using his spirit energy.
His performance was so outrageous that even the instructors watching nearby were beginning to feel surprised.
Standing beside the track, Zhang Biao narrowed his eyes.
"That kid is practically a monster."
Then he chuckled mischievously.
"Well… we can't let him have it so easy."
As Zhao Mu completed his second lap and passed the starting line, Zhang Biao walked toward a supply truck.
He grabbed a massive log with one hand and shouted loudly.
"Zhao Mu! Catch!"
The log flew through the air toward Zhao Mu.
Without panic, Zhao Mu slowed his pace slightly.
He released the two logs he was already carrying.
Then, with perfect timing, he allowed the third log to fall neatly on top of them, forming a triangular stack across his shoulders.
The additional weight increased the load by nearly four hundred pounds.
Even Zhao Mu felt the pressure.
His pace slowed slightly.
But Zhang Biao immediately shouted again.
"No stopping!"
Zhao Mu curled his lips into a faint smile.
He understood the instructor's intentions immediately.
The goal of this training wasn't simply to strengthen their bodies.
The instructors wanted them to learn how to use spirit energy effectively.
If he continued relying solely on physical strength, they would never be satisfied.
"Fine," Zhao Mu thought calmly.
"If that's what they want…"
"Then I'll use it."
A thin layer of spirit energy spread across his body.
The energy flowed smoothly around his legs and waist, reinforcing his muscles and stabilizing his posture under the massive weight.
"Still too little spirit energy," Zhao Mu murmured.
"At Combat Level 2, my total reserves are still limited."
Even though his spirit energy reserves were already several times greater than those of other trainees at the same level, the difference became obvious when compared with higher-level fighters.
Especially compared with monsters like Shao Han, who had reached Combat Level 9, or Lu Yan, who stood at Combat Level 12.
The gap between them was enormous.
However, Zhao Mu possessed an advantage none of them could match.
His Spiritual Power Control proficiency had reached 62.
That meant his control over spirit energy was unbelievably precise.
He could even wrap an egg in spirit energy, throw it more than ten meters away, and catch it again without cracking the shell.
Because of this level of control, Zhao Mu consumed far less spirit energy than others when performing the same actions.
So even if Shao Han's total spirit energy was greater, Zhao Mu's efficiency far surpassed him.
Zhao Mu calmly shifted the training focus within the Demon Clown interface.
Instead of strengthening his innate divine strength, he began focusing on improving Spiritual Power Control.
Running while carrying massive logs became a new form of training.
Meanwhile, Shao Han was watching everything unfold.
At first, he felt delighted when Zhao Mu accepted the third log.
"Heh…"
"Keep showing off."
"Now you're really in trouble."
Shao Han smirked.
"Instructors hate arrogant glory-seekers the most."
But his smile didn't last long.
Because the next moment—
Zhao Mu accelerated again.
Despite carrying three enormous logs, his speed actually increased.
Shao Han froze in disbelief.
"No… way…"
He could barely keep running himself.
Another sprint was completely impossible.
Yet Zhao Mu's body, strengthened by spirit energy, had increased its physical performance two or three times over.
Shao Han felt like coughing blood.
The final trace of his fighting spirit shattered instantly.
How could anyone compete with such a monster?
As exhaustion finally caught up with him, Shao Han's pace slowed.
A figure suddenly passed him.
It was Mo Guanguan.
Her eyes were locked firmly on Zhao Mu's back as she ran with determination.
Even while carrying a log, she continued chasing him.
One by one, more trainees overtook Shao Han.
Each passing figure made his heart grow colder.
His earlier confidence had completely disappeared.
At the starting line, three instructors stood observing the trainees.
After three laps, the participants were scattered across the track.
Some were far ahead.
Others had fallen far behind.
But the most terrifying figure remained Zhao Mu.
He had already lapped several trainees by an entire circuit.
And he was still running while carrying three massive logs.
Even more unbelievable—
He was smiling.
Throughout the entire brutal exercise, Zhao Mu looked as if he were enjoying himself.
Zhang Biao scratched his chin.
"Did we set the intensity too low?"
"Why does that kid look so happy?"
But despite his words, a competitive spark flashed in his eyes.
If Zhao Mu finished this exercise too easily, where would the instructor's authority go?
Standing beside him, Xu Zhixiong laughed softly.
"At breakfast this morning, Jiang Jiu told me something interesting."
"Apparently Zhao Mu trained for seven or eight hours in the training hall last night."
"He didn't leave until almost midnight."
Zhang Biao raised an eyebrow.
"A training maniac?"
Xu Zhixiong nodded.
"The harder you push him…"
"The happier he becomes."
He chuckled again.
"Honestly, I quite like this kid."
Nearby, Instructor Xie Yingxue spoke calmly.
"The purpose of weighted running is to help trainees learn how to mobilize spirit energy and master the Condense technique."
"But Zhao Mu's spirit-energy control is already far beyond the others."
"You've already given him three logs."
"If we push him even harder, the other trainees might start feeling resentment."
Zhang Biao considered this.
Then he nodded.
"Fine."
"We'll leave him alone for now."
Meanwhile, the fourth lap had begun.
Shao Han clenched his teeth stubbornly.
His only goal now was simple.
He could not allow Zhao Mu to lap him.
But when he looked ahead—
Zhao Mu was already on the opposite side of the track.
By the middle of the fourth lap, Zhao Mu had gained nearly half a circuit on him.
"Zhao Mu!"
Shao Han's spirit energy began fluctuating wildly.
Earlier he had pushed himself too hard.
Now his energy reserves were nearly empty.
He could barely maintain control.
Soon he realized something even worse.
He had fallen into the middle group of runners.
Far ahead of him, another figure surged forward.
Shen Moran.
Unlike Shao Han, she had remained calm throughout the entire exercise.
She never tried to compete directly with Zhao Mu.
Instead, she focused on maintaining her own rhythm.
She understood Zhao Mu's stamina far too well.
Trying to catch him was pointless.
Even so, watching Zhao Mu dominate the track left a shadow in her eyes.
She clenched her fists slightly.
Then she whispered softly to herself.
"Zhao Mu…"
"Are we inside your favorite battlefield again?"
On this track—
Within this brutal training ground—
Zhao Mu was once again standing in the domain where he shined the brightest.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)