Chapter 44: The Devil's Training Begins

Li Xingyue had originally felt a touch of sentimentality, but the moment he heard Yellow Teeth's words, the feeling vanished entirely, and he lashed out with a kick!

"Damn it, stop rewarding yourself so much, and you've still got the nerve to lecture me!"

"Alright, Captain, we're heading out now. We'll keep in touch via our communicators!"

"Got it. Be careful over there, and don't stir up trouble. After all, we're strangers in District B, and there are plenty of tier-four and tier-five powerhouses over there!"

Li Xingyue said his goodbyes to the rest of them downstairs at the dormitory building and headed straight for the Hunter Branch.

Soon, he arrived at the lobby once again. Wang Hai was standing by the entrance smoking a cigarette. Upon seeing Li Xingyue, he stubbed out the cigarette and led him through the small iron door they had used before.

"Brother Yue, you're planning to go to the VIP training rooms, right?"

"That's right, VIP!"

Wang Hai led him all the way inward, soon arriving at a room near the very end of the corridor. Entering the room, Li Xingyue found that it was indeed quite spacious, measuring a full three hundred square meters, with plenty of equipment inside.

"This is huge."

Li Xingyue looked at the empty training room, his voice echoing slightly as he spoke.

Wang Hai smiled. "It's the most expensive VIP room, after all, so it has to be big. It also assigns you a personal trainer and three meals a day. The only drawback is that it's pricey—two thousand contribution points for half a month."

"Hm, sounds great. I'll take this one. Thanks, brother!"

Wang Hai waved a hand. "Don't mention it, Brother Yue. Go ahead and drop off your gear, then come with me to settle the payment. The instructor will be here shortly."

Li Xingyue set down his long axe and tactical pack, followed Wang Hai back to the lobby, and paid the two thousand points.

Returning to the training room once more, he couldn't help but start examining the various pieces of equipment.

At first glance, it looked much like an ordinary gym, but upon closer inspection, the equipment inside was quite different.

As he was pacing around out of boredom, the door to the training room was suddenly pushed open. A middle-aged man in his forties walked in, wearing a military uniform. He looked extremely robust, with sharp and piercing eyes.

The middle-aged man walked up to Li Xingyue, extended his right hand with a blank expression, and said, "My name is Wang Li. I am your instructor."

Li Xingyue raised an eyebrow, thinking this guy was far too aloof, but he still extended his right hand to shake.

"Hello, my name is Li Xingyue, it's a pleasure—"

Wang Li didn't wait for him to finish, cutting him off bluntly, "Cut the crap, start training!"

Li Xingyue immediately shut his mouth, not saying another word.

"Do two hundred push-ups first. Timing starts now!"

"Huh?"

Li Xingyue was utterly bewildered. Before he could even react, he was sent flying to the ground by a kick.

"Don't make me repeat myself. Two hundred push-ups, start!"

Li Xingyue scrambled up in a hurry and began doing push-ups, one by one. As he did them, a cold dread washed over him; he hadn't even seen that kick coming. It seemed this Wang Li was several tiers above him!

After doing eighty or ninety in a row, Li Xingyue found he could hardly go on. His muscles were aching fiercely, and after forcing himself to complete just one more, he collapsed face down onto the floor, unable to get back up.

"I... I can't do it anymore, Instructor. I really can't go on!"

Wang Li looked down at him and shook his head. "With this pathetic amount of stamina, you want to break through to Tier 3? Heh, give it up, trash!"

With that, Wang Li turned and began to walk toward the exit.

A wave of shame washed over Li Xingyue. His expression shifted through several emotions before he gritted his teeth, forced himself back up from the floor, and resumed his push-ups.

Just as he was about to step out of the training room, Wang Li stopped in his tracks. He glanced back at Li Xingyue, a trace of a smile touching the corners of his mouth, though he quickly suppressed it and walked back into the room...

At eight o'clock in the evening, darkness had fallen outside, but the VIP training room remained brightly lit.

Li Xingyue lay flat on the floor, panting heavily, his entire body soaked through with sweat.

Wang Li raised a hand to check the time. "That's it for today. Training starts at five o'clock tomorrow morning." With that, he left.

Li Xingyue wore an expression of utter despair, his facial features twisted together. Today's training had been nothing short of torture; he had barely been given any rest, constantly pushed through various physical conditioning drills. Right now, there wasn't a single inch of his body that didn't ache.

Knock, knock, knock!

The door to the training room was pushed open, and a staff member walked in carrying a food tray.

"Hello, your dinner has arrived. Um... should I just leave it by the door?"

The delivery staff member was genuinely startled upon seeing Li Xingyue, who looked like a stranded fish washed ashore—motionless and drenched in sweat.

Hearing the sound, Li Xingyue forced his neck to turn, wanting to speak, but he simply had no strength left.

Realizing the situation, the delivery person hurried over, placed the food down beside him, and quickly left the training room.

Li Xingyue had been starving for ages, but he lacked the physical strength to eat right away. Helplessly, he lay there for another half hour until he finally mustered enough energy to sit up. He tore open the packaging and began devouring the food in large bites.

The food here wasn't bad at all. Though it wasn't a feast of heavy meats and fish, it was exceptionally nutritious. Li Xingyue polished everything off in no time, downed two bottles of water, and finally felt a sense of fullness.

He stood up, walked over to the small cot in the corner, and picked up his communicator. Seeing several unread messages from Yellow Teeth and the others, he replied to them one by one, explaining his situation.

Li Xingyue originally wanted to just fall asleep—he was simply too exhausted today, even more tired than when he used to work ordinary jobs—but he was sticky and drenched in sweat.

With no other choice, he headed to the private bathroom inside the training room to take a quick shower. After washing up, he checked the time and saw it was already half-past eight. He collapsed onto the bed, passed out instantly, and was soon snoring loudly...

Bam, bam, bam!

"Wake up, time to train!"

Li Xingyue bolted upright in a start, feeling as though he had only just closed his eyes a few minutes ago. How was it already morning?

He turned his head, but there was no one there. Damn it, it was just a nightmare! He closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.

Bam, bam, bam!

"Start training!"

A few sharp raps landed against Li Xingyue's body. He snapped upright, turned his head, and saw Wang Li standing right beside him.

"Oh, come on! Why am I having dreams all night long?"

Wang Li pulled out his leather belt and gave him a lash with it. "What dreams? Hurry up and get dressed!"

Damn it, that hurt so much! It wasn't a dream after all!