Looking at the setup in Songyang High School’s rest area, Qian Shen and Zhao Tianxing exchanged glances.

They had both been to Bai Long High School and witnessed the previous martial arts competition, so they had a clear memory of the facilities at Songyang High School’s rest area back then.

Now, seeing such excellent facilities at a sports competition, Zhao Tianxing wondered if they had come to the wrong place.

Qian Shen couldn’t help but think, “Wait… does Songyang High School, with its average student body, really deserve a rest area like this?”

Even Wang Hai couldn’t help but marvel. In all his years leading teams to sports competitions, this was the grandest scale, and Songyang High School had never been treated so well.

Lian Tianji, as if sensing their surprise, chuckled and explained, “The equipment for this event is co-sponsored by Ziyun Pharmaceuticals and Oasis Group. The conditions are indeed very good.”

He pointed towards the east side of the stadium and said, “There’s also a free buffet provided by Oasis Group and Hongta Pasture, available to all athletes, as well as the Ziyun students helping out and other staff. Would you like to try it?”

Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, who had just sat down, immediately stood up. “We’re going to familiarize ourselves with the competition environment,” they said.

So, the two followed Lian Tianji across the stadium to the buffet area in the east.

From afar, they could see students from Ziyun High School, all with a purplish hue, holding plates and eating.

The reason they were holding plates was that Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen noticed these Ziyun students would fill their plates with food and start eating while walking.

By the time they reached the exit of the buffet area, they would have finished everything and placed the plates on the dish return table.

Bai Zhenzhen’s eyes flickered. “I understand now. These students eating while walking must be the underachievers from your Ziyun High School, right?”

“Because their grades are too poor, they’re not allowed to sit down and eat. From the moment they enter the cafeteria to get food until they leave to return their plates, they have to eat everything while walking.”

Lian Tianji smiled. “You think too harshly of Ziyun High School. We don’t have such high demands for underachievers.”

“These are just regular students who aren’t allowed to sit down and eat.”

Bai Zhenzhen asked, “Oh? What about the underachievers?”

Lian Tianji said casually, “The bottom 50 students eat in the restroom. They can eat for as long as they want; there are no restrictions.”

Zhang Yu thought to himself, “These Ziyun High School students are truly something else.”

But then, Zhang Yu thought again, “While making the bottom 50 students eat in the restroom is a bit inhumane, on the other hand… doesn’t that mean Ziyun High School at least has plenty of restrooms?”

Zhang Yu thought, “In that regard, at least they’re doing better than Bai Long High School.”

Just then, accompanied by a rumbling sound, like the stampede of ten thousand horses, a large group of black monsters wearing Hongta High School uniforms entered the buffet area.

Zhang Yu’s eyes widened in shock. “Are these… students? Are they really Hongta High School students?”

Zhang Yu had seen the demon-blooded Songyang students from Hongta High School before.

Although their appearance differed somewhat from humans, their forms—like brown bears and tigers—were still considered relatively normal.

But these beings before him… their entire bodies were a glossy, smooth black, with only their eyes glowing a scarlet red.

He thought in shock, “My sister said that Hongta High School’s technological breakthrough has allowed the monster students to awaken a black creature’s bloodline power and successfully extract it, injecting it into human students…”

“Could it be that they awakened the Black Dragon bloodline and gained powerful athletic abilities, so they transformed into black bears, black tigers, and… black students?”

Lian Tianji, seeing Zhang Yu’s surprised expression, kindly explained, “Hongta High School successfully stimulated the Black Dragon bloodline in their demon-blooded students, causing their physiques to undergo a transformative change.”

“Look closely at their skin. The black is the texture reflected by dragon scales.”

After Zhang Yu got closer, he vaguely discerned a layer of fine black scales from the black light, faintly exuding a multicolored black sheen.

At the same time, he noticed more subtle black details that were difficult to perceive from afar.

For example, the two small horns on Xiong Wenwu’s forehead, the sharp and elongated claws on his fingers, the small tail on his butt, and the long whiskers at the corners of his mouth… Moreover, a palpitating pressure constantly emanated from their bodies, as if they were predators eyeing their prey.

Lian Tianji continued, “It is said that among these demon-blooded students from Hongta, the more Black Dragon bloodline they awaken, the more Black Dragon features they have, and the more they inherit the Black Dragon’s characteristics. Their physical strength increases terrifyingly.”

As he said this, a hint of excitement crept into Lian Tianji’s voice. “In terms of physical strength, these guys have an innate advantage. I’m really looking forward to competing against them.”

Bai Zhenzhen urged from the side, “Are you done talking? If you don’t eat, I’m afraid there won’t be anything left.”

They saw the Hongta High School students in the buffet area devouring all kinds of food like a whirlwind, their wide mouths opening and closing to swallow entire plates in one gulp.

Zhang Yu quickly pulled Bai Zhenzhen in, grabbed a plate, and shoveled food into his mouth.

Bai Zhenzhen grabbed a handful of chicken legs and bit off most of them in a few bites, tears welling up in her eyes.

For the past month, she and Zhang Yu had been eating synthetic food almost every day.

It was okay at first, but later she felt like she hated the mush more and more. The desire for real cooked food was being suppressed to the extreme in her body.

Now, truly eating a chicken leg and feeling the real chicken juice burst in her mouth, Bai Zhenzhen had only one thought: “Premade roast chicken legs are so delicious!”

After taking a sip of Hongta Pasture’s animal protein milk, the expression on Bai Zhenzhen’s face became even more satisfied.

Lian Tianji walked over, sat down in front of the two who were gobbling down food, and said with a smile, “Don’t rush. This buffet is provided by Oasis Group and Hongta Pasture together. Even if there were ten times more people, we would still have enough to supply.”

After chatting casually with Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen for a while, Lian Tianji finally asked a question that he had been curious about for a long time.

“Zhang Yu, to what extent has your physical strength increased in the past two months?”

Lian Tianji looked at Zhang Yu, who was stuffing steak into his mouth, and his mind seemed to recall the scene two months ago when he was defeated by Zhang Yu on the martial arts arena.

He thought to himself, “Although I want to beat you, if the gap between my physical strength and yours is too big, then there’s no point in winning.”

The thought that he might never be able to defeat Zhang Yu in that state filled Lian Tianji with a sense of regret.

Zhang Yu said casually, “Level 4.95.”

Lian Tianji was slightly stunned, then chuckled. “I’m not kidding. I’m asking how much your physical strength is.”

Zhang Yu looked at Lian Tianji strangely. “Level 4.95. Who’s kidding you?” Then he stuffed a few more lamb chops into his mouth.

Lian Tianji frowned. His first thought was disbelief. “After undergoing this super metabolism modification from Ziyun Pharmaceuticals, I inject nearly ten kilograms of medicine every day.”

“I constantly endure the pain of my body tearing apart and my internal organs breaking, and I’ve been sent to the emergency room for resuscitation several times. Even now, I’ve only managed to increase my physical strength to level 4.56.”

“How could Zhang Yu be level 4.95?”

“He’s deliberately lying and doesn’t want to reveal his physical strength. But what’s the point? Once the competition starts, everyone’s physical strength will be measured.”

“Could it be that he’s not lying? But how is that possible?”

For a moment, Lian Tianji felt that Zhang Yu shouldn’t be lying, but it was also impossible for Zhang Yu not to be lying.

While he was puzzled, a slender, cold, and beautiful figure walked into the cafeteria unnoticed, attracting everyone’s attention.

The reason for attracting everyone’s attention was not just the beauty of the newcomer. The biggest reason was that the Ziyun students all stood up together and saluted Le Mulan.

Le Mulan had tied her long hair into a ponytail and bound it with a purple ribbon. The purple sportswear she wore revealed her snow-white arms and slender legs, showing a rare athletic aura.

And what attracted Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen’s attention the most was naturally the purple mark between Le Mulan’s eyebrows.

That mark was far more complicated than Lian Tianji’s dot. It looked like a purple vertical pupil imprinted between Le Mulan’s eyebrows.

The proud first-year nodded and said expressionlessly, “Everyone, go back to what you were doing.”

Hearing her response, the Ziyun students who had been saluting returned to their original states.

Then, Le Mulan went straight to the table where Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen, and Lian Tianji were sitting and stopped.

Zhang Yu looked at Le Mulan, who was breathing a little rapidly, shrugged, and said, “You want to eat together? Too bad, there’s no space for you.”

Le Mulan said faintly, “It’s okay.”

She glanced at Lian Tianji, who was taking up two seats because of his size, and said quietly, “I need a stool.”

Immediately, several Ziyun students rushed over. The first girl to arrive lay directly on the ground, collapsing in front of Le Mulan like a stool.

“Holy crap!” Zhang Yu thought to himself. “These Ziyun students… why do they seem even more deranged than they were two months ago?”

The reason for Zhang Yu’s curiosity was actually very simple: after the technological breakthroughs in Ziyun and the numerous top students in the first year had undergone super metabolism surgery, their physical strength had skyrocketed… and Le Mulan had defeated them all again.

The first-year Ziyun students despairingly discovered that after having the super metabolism surgery, the gap between Le Mulan, who was the wealthiest in the entire first year, and them had not narrowed. Instead, it had widened.

The role of wealth in cultivation and scores had once again expanded.

And this gap, in the environment of Ziyun High School, created an even more exaggerated worship of wealth and scores.

Zhang Yu felt that after Le Mulan came, she kept scanning him with her eyes from time to time, making him feel awkward even while eating.

He thought to himself, “This woman isn’t planning to take revenge on me, is she?”

Just then, Le Mulan’s clear voice rang out, “Can I touch you?”

Sensing the silence at the table, Le Mulan added, “I can pay you.”