In the dark Body Tempering area, Lu An was enveloped in a demonic red light. He lay on the ground, screaming and struggling, his face completely contorted, saliva pooling on the floor.
When pain reaches a certain point, it's no longer about endurance, but willpower. At this moment, Lu An's entire body was completely numb, his skin could no longer feel any sensation, but his internal organs ached to the extreme. It was like countless needles swimming inside his body, driving him mad!
Lu An would alternately widen his eyes and shriek hysterically, then half-close them as if dead, repeating these two states incessantly, looking as if he were possessed.
The crowd watched this scene, their sneers growing louder.
However, after a full minute passed, no one could laugh anymore. Even Jiang Dihan was the same, his brows tightly furrowed, his eyes fixed on the struggling youth.
The sneers gradually faded, and everyone quietly watched the suffering Lu An in the training ground, unable to utter a single word.
"Ah! Ah!!!"
Lu An's throat was completely hoarse from screaming, his voice as unpleasant as a duck's, and it grew fainter and fainter. Beside him, Fu Yu watched this scene, her delicate brows slightly furrowed.
However, even amidst such pain and struggle, Lu An showed no intention of leaving. Han Ying watched the bloody scratches Lu An had inflicted on himself, many places even torn open to reveal the muscle beneath, but the youth still hadn't given up.
What awe-inspiring willpower!
Time passed both quickly and slowly; another minute went by, and Lu An's struggles grew much quieter, as if his consciousness was beginning to dissipate. Yet, even in his fading moments, he still had no thought of escaping.
Finally, after another half-minute, Lu An's body, which had been continuously writhing on the ground, suddenly stopped, and he collapsed limply.
"He's fainted!" Han Ying, who had been watching intently, stiffened, quickly turned off the Heart-Guiding Fire, then leaped forward, her body arcing through the air to land directly in front of Lu An.
Picking Lu An up immediately, Han Ying quickly returned to the crowd and placed Lu An on the ground.
Seeing this, everyone rushed over, but when they saw Lu An covered in bloody scratches, they couldn't help but shiver!
After Han Ying quickly put two Medicinal Pills into Lu An's mouth, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. Standing up and looking down at Lu An for a moment, she found it hard to imagine that such a poor and ordinary person could possess such terrifying willpower. Enduring until unconsciousness—this was the first time she had ever witnessed such a thing.
"Elder Jiang, what do you think?" Han Ying turned and asked Jiang Dihan.
Jiang Dihan came to the center of the crowd, frowned as he glanced at Lu An, then looked at Bian Qingliu, who had just left, and said coldly, "Although he persisted for a long time, he lost all sense of propriety and shame. How can such an unseemly display be tolerated?"
At these words, all the students immediately showed mocking smiles.
Han Ying frowned slightly. She knew that Jiang Dihan was a devout follower of Confucian law, insisting on propriety and shame in all matters. However, she was not that kind of person, and she turned to look at Lu An, who was still unconscious on the ground.
"Today's lesson ends here; we'll continue tomorrow!" Han Ying looked up and said loudly. Immediately, all the students breathed a sigh of relief; the torment just now had been too terrifying, and they couldn't help but want to go back and get some good rest and sleep.
The students dispersed in a hurry. Gao Dashan, supported by someone, came before Lu An. Looking at Lu An lying on the ground, Dashan couldn't help but say, "Dongshi, you carry him back to the dorm."
"What about you...?" Li Dongshi looked at Dashan with some concern.
"I'm fine," Gao Dashan shook his head and said, "I'm mostly recovered, I can walk on my own. You carry him back."
Li Dongshi looked at Dashan worriedly, and just as he was about to let go and carry Lu An, he was suddenly interrupted by a pleasant voice.
"I'll take him back."
The few of them were startled. Fu Yu, who was standing to the side, also furrowed her delicate brows, looking at the approaching person.
This person was none other than Bian Qingliu, the second-to-last to leave the Body Tempering area.
Bian Qingliu walked up to the group, his face still a little pale, and with a slight smile, he said in a clear voice, "I'll take him back."
Gao Dashan and Li Dongshi exchanged glances. Bian Qingliu was clearly from a wealthy family, but looking at Lu An, who was tattered and covered in bloodstains, they worried he might dirty his clothes.
However, before the two could speak, Bian Qingliu bent down and slowly lifted Lu An from the ground, then placed him on his back. Standing up, he smiled and asked Gao Dashan and Li Dongshi, "Do you know which dormitory he lives in?"
The two were startled, looking at each other; they truly didn't know which dorm Lu An lived in.
"403," Fu Yu said from the side.
Upon hearing this, Bian Qingliu looked at the beautiful young girl and said with a smile, "It seems you live in the same dormitory as him. Would you mind leading the way? We can go back together."
Fu Yu glanced at Bian Qingliu. This person, whether in his smile or his speech, was gentle and refined, making it impossible to dislike him, so she nodded and turned to walk outside.
Bian Qingliu walked behind, carrying Lu An. Although Bian Qingliu's body was also a bit weak, carrying Lu An wasn't strenuous.
The two walked one after another through the academy, neither speaking a word along the way, until they reached the dormitory entrance, where Fu Yu finally stopped.
"Put him down, I'll take him inside," Fu Yu said to Bian Qingliu from the steps, her voice slightly cold.
Bian Qingliu was breathing heavily. Hearing Fu Yu's coldness, he didn't get angry. He put Lu An down and, after handing him over to Fu Yu, gave a weak smile and said, "If Lu Brother wakes up, please tell him that I, Bian Qingliu, would very much like to be his friend."
Fu Yu glanced at Bian Qingliu and said coolly, "Mm."
"Thank you, young lady," Bian Qingliu bowed and cupped his hands, smiling, then turned and left without delay.
Fu Yu was somewhat surprised watching Bian Qingliu's retreating back. It wasn't that she was conceited, but every man, upon seeing her, would look twice, their eyes often holding other meanings. But until now, besides her father, only two people had looked at her with pure eyes.
One was Lu An, and the other was Bian Qingliu.
Fu Yu shook her head slightly, not letting herself overthink, and helped Lu An back to the dormitory.
It wasn't until evening that Lu An slowly woke up. He looked up at the ceiling, and his stomach rumbled with hunger.
Lu An got up, feeling some pain in his body. He took a deep breath, still struggling to sit up.
Memories quickly flooded his mind. Lu An thought of his struggles and couldn't help but look at his arms and chest. Sure enough, there were bloodstains, though they had already faded to faint scars.
Hearing sounds from outside and the fragrant aroma of food, Lu An couldn't help but widen his eyes and walk into the living room. There, he found Fu Yu eating a delicious meal.
Fu Yu also noticed Lu An coming out. She glanced at Lu An and pointed to the food on the other side of the table, saying, "That's yours."
Lu An was startled, looking at the food on the other side. In fact, he hadn't eaten for a full two days. Although he felt he should politely decline, he couldn't resist, so he simply said, "Thank you."
Then, he immediately rushed to the dining table and began to eat ravenously.
At this time, Fu Yu had just finished her meal. She sat in her chair, quietly watching Lu An's frantic eating.
Lu An didn't stop until he had finished all the food. Feeling his stomach full again, Lu An felt his whole body filled with strength. But he immediately thought of something else and quickly looked up at Fu Yu, saying, "Thank you."
"How many days have you not eaten?" Fu Yu asked with an indifferent expression.
Lu An was startled, then scratched his head a little awkwardly and said, "Two days."
"You have no money?" Fu Yu's brows furrowed tighter, and she asked again.
"No," Lu An gave another bitter smile.
"If you have no money, how do you plan to survive?" Fu Yu's delicate brows furrowed even more tightly, and she asked, "Food and clothing all require money, not to mention Cultivating is also very expensive. Without weapons, without Medicinal Pills, without Heavenly Skills, no one can become a strong practitioner."
"Heavenly Skills?" Lu An was startled and asked, "What are those?"
"They are Moves that use Tian Yuan Power," Fu Yu said, her brows still furrowed, but she patiently explained, "If you have no money, let alone Cultivating, just living will be a problem."
Lu An fell silent at her words, lowering his head, lost in thought. After a long while, he finally looked up and asked, "Is there anywhere in Starfire Academy where I can do manual labor to earn money?"
Fu Yu's delicate brows deepened at his words, but it was because she suddenly felt pity for this youth who was the same age as her.