After surpassing Hu Yuntao, Song Hailong was now in second place on the track.

Yet his face showed no joy—his eyes were locked firmly on the distant figure of Yu Xinghan.

“That man…”

To Song Hailong, the only true opponent in this race was Yu Xinghan.

At this moment, Song Hailong's muscles tightened and streamlined, giving him a visibly leaner form imbued with a sleek, aerodynamic beauty.

This was his speed form—achieved through advanced control over his Elephant-Demon muscle tissue implants.

Due to their high plasticity, these imitation beast tissues allowed students who underwent transformation surgery to gradually retract their external beast traits as their bodily control improved.

And for a top student like Song Hailong, who already had Elephant-Demon muscle tissue embedded, adapting to these imitation beast traits wasn’t difficult. With rising bodily control, he could even temporarily shift his physique to a speed-focused mode.

Although this form provided only short bursts of speed and lacked long-term control—rendering it useless for the previous challenge—it was perfect for this pure speed competition.

Every muscle fiber coiled tightly before erupting like spring-loaded steel cables, unleashing immense kinetic force.

His heart pumped furiously, surging blood into every inch of his flesh, delivering explosive energy and dispersing medicinal effects throughout his body.

“But still not enough.”

“To defeat Yu Xinghan… this still isn’t enough.”

He recalled all his defeats in recent memory—being knocked down by Yu Xinghan again and again. Whether it was Dao Heart, mana, athletics, martial arts, or Dao Techniques, he lost across the board.

He remembered the humiliation of kneeling before the entire school.

The disappointment in his father’s eyes. His brother’s stern critique…

But he understood—he had to endure.

“To defeat Yu Xinghan, I have to chase him bit by bit.”

“Hoping to leap past him in one bound is not only an insult to his talent, but also a disgrace to the wealth of a Gold Core Cultivator.”

“I’ll remember this defeat.”

“One day, I’ll beat you.”

To Song Hailong, coming in second already felt like a loss—a humiliation he would never forget.

Yet suddenly, he caught a shift in his peripheral vision.

A sharp sound split the air.

Two figures—one left, one right—burst out from behind him.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Thanks, old Song. Hiding behind you really cut down the wind resistance.”

“But from here on out, I’m going all-out.”

Having conserved their strength while trailing behind Song Hailong, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen now erupted with power.

Seeing the two figures rocket past him, Song Hailong was momentarily stunned.

“Their physical strength is clearly below mine… how can they move this fast? They overtook… me?”

He tried to chase, but quickly realized—he couldn’t.

“Am I slowing down?”

“No. They’re accelerating! These two… still had more speed in them?”

He stared intently at their rapidly retreating backs, focusing on their flexing, expanding, and contracting muscles.

“That Bai Zhenzhen—is she using a speed-oriented body-refining Technique?”

Her high-frequency movements, the harmony of her muscles… Song Hailong could feel an uncanny lightness in her body.

He had to admit—he might surpass her in strength, but she had the edge in speed.

And Zhang Yu…

Even beneath his tight athletic gear, Song Hailong could see the muscular contours—his whole body moving in perfect synchronicity, emitting an aura as radiant as a crafted masterpiece.

Only someone like Song Hailong, with advanced muscle control and strength, could recognize the breathtaking precision and flow of Zhang Yu’s physique.

“Zhang Yu… he’s using every ounce of strength in his body to perfection…”

Zhang Yu might not be as strong physically, but his control, coordination, and explosive speed dazzled Song Hailong.

It was like how everyone has electromagnetism in their bodies—but not everyone can fire an electromagnetic cannon.

And in that moment, Zhang Yu—whose strength was technically lower—radiated a power that felt eerily familiar.

“Yu Xinghan!”

“Zhang Yu’s muscle recruitment… has it already reached the same level as Yu Xinghan?”

As Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen pulled further ahead, Song Hailong sprinted with all he had—but the gap only widened.

It felt exactly like chasing Yu Xinghan.

Unconsciously, Zhang Yu’s silhouette began to overlap with that of Yu Xinghan in his memory.

No… it wasn’t just an overlap.

“Shit… Zhang Yu’s catching up to Yu Xinghan!”

In Song Hailong’s shocked gaze, Zhang Yu surged ahead of Bai Zhenzhen and—continuing to accelerate—began closing the gap with Yu Xinghan.

His steps grew lighter, each stride covering dozens of meters as if he were soaring toward the heavens.

And that dazzling star just ahead—the one getting closer and closer—was none other than Yu Xinghan.

Song Hailong’s heart trembled. “He wants to challenge Yu Xinghan?”

Challenge the undisputed number one on the track—whose physical attributes dwarfed every other competitor?

On the other end, Yu Xinghan’s third eye at his brow clearly saw the incoming figure.

He grinned. “Oh? You’re really catching up?”

As everyone else pushed to their limits—

Yu Xinghan suddenly turned his head, looking directly at Zhang Yu.

He even spoke.

“I know you.”

“You’re that guy I eliminated, right?”

“If not for me, your master would’ve taken you as a disciple.”

“So… do you hate me for that?”

His voice carried effortlessly through the howling wind.

Zhang Yu didn’t answer.

He wasn’t wasting energy on talking. In his eyes, there was only one goal—victory.

Whether it was Song Hailong or Yu Xinghan, they were just opponents to defeat.

“Beat them. Win this round.”

“Get into the Ten Great Academies.”

“Climb to Kunxu’s second floor—with Ah-Zhen.”

Zhang Yu unleashed the power of his body like he had in countless nights of training. Even without mana, he could still let his flesh cry out with force.

Sensing his unshakable determination, Yu Xinghan smiled faintly.

“Not bad. No wonder you also mastered the Celestial Martial Heart-Forging Technique.”

“Well then… I’ll play along.”

To everyone’s astonishment, Yu Xinghan suddenly slowed down.

Compared to the accelerating Zhang Yu, it was as if Yu Xinghan had moved in reverse, allowing Zhang Yu to pull alongside him.

The two now raced neck and neck, kicking up a storm.

Yu Xinghan slowly raised three fingers.

3!

Then two.

2!

Zhang Yu’s breath deepened. He gritted his teeth. “A countdown? This guy…”

He understood—Yu Xinghan wanted to restart the race from an equal footing.

Next, one finger.

1!

Zhang Yu’s body roared to life.

If what came before was a sprint, then now—every fiber, every drop of blood erupted under his masterful control.

He couldn’t use mana, but Sports Car Leg, Elevator Leap, Body-Refining Thirty-Six Forms, Crimson Marrow Primordial Energy—all those level 10 Techniques and years of physical training—exploded in full force.

His flesh felt like an extension of his will, responding to every command.

What required surgery for other students—the unlocking of muscular restrictions—Zhang Yu achieved through sheer control.

Under this overload, his muscles trembled, his organs groaned—but he no longer noticed.

All he saw was Yu Xinghan beside him.

“I can…”

“I can beat him.”

“My muscle control is better. I accelerate harder. I surpass limits faster.”

“Even if I’m not as strong, I can still be faster!”

Under countless stunned gazes—

Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan accelerated again, like restarting a race mid-run.

Their figures blurred into two radiant streaks, leaving the rest of the field far behind.

Neck and neck!

…

“So fast,” Qian Shen murmured. “Can a high school freshman really move like that?”

In the Songyang High rest area, He Dayou, Qian Shen, Zhao Tianxing—all watched in shock.

Zhang Yu was running even with Yu Xinghan, the strongest on the field, like twin bolts of lightning across the track.

“With just 4.95-grade muscle strength… keeping pace with Yu Xinghan’s 5.07…”

Wang Hai trembled before the display, thinking:

“Doesn’t that mean Zhang Yu’s utilization of physical strength… surpasses Yu Xinghan?”

He quickly squashed that thought.

“No, impossible. Must be some kind of berserk drug…”

“But to match Yu Xinghan’s speed… the side effects must be brutal.”

He watched the screen with deep concern. “Can he hold out?”

…

In the stands—

Host Gangshan gasped. “That student from Songyang High is keeping up with Yu Xinghan? These two outpace most sophomores!”

Le Jingchen was just as surprised, muttering to himself, “What’s Songyang High feeding their kids?”

He nodded thoughtfully. “Must be a potent stimulant—letting him match Yu Xinghan’s speed for a short burst. It shows that with the right tech and drugs, even regular students can challenge Gold Core Disciples.”

Then he gestured for Gangshan to aim the camera at Le Mulan.

“She’s been warming up long enough. The drug’s probably kicked in. Time for her to act.”

On the track, Le Mulan—who had been running in fifth—suddenly accelerated.

She passed Song Hailong in one breath and rapidly closed in on Bai Zhenzhen.

Her cheeks were flushed, her breathing heavy, and waves of heat rolled off her flesh. The purple vertical eye mark on her forehead blazed to life.

In her mind, she recalled her coach’s words:

“This is the latest banned substance from Purple Cloud Pharmaceuticals—costs 100,000 per dose. Strong enough to burn an ordinary student’s organs to ash.”

“But with your Super-Metabolism Surgery, you can handle it.”

“After the drug, your body will crash into extreme fatigue—so take it right before this round.”

“And after that, your only job is… run.”

“While the drug lasts—give it everything you’ve got.”