Chapter 112: Victory and Defeat

Even with her 'ice-skin and jade-bone' constitution, Le Mulan felt as though her body was melting at that moment. The power within her, fueled by the medicine, erupted like lava, propelling her forward in a furious sprint.

Purple Cloud High School, Purple Cloud Pharmaceuticals, and her family had all invested significant resources into this competition and the subsequent promotion of new technology. This made Le Mulan feel a burden she had never experienced before. Yet, she did not resent this burden.

Her family's care, her parents' dedication, her brother's guidance—all of it had given her the life of a favored prodigy since childhood. This was because her genes and talents had been repeatedly tested and deemed exceptional. Consequently, she had constantly received, been cared for, and treated with preferential conditions. All of this had left Le Mulan with a simmering desire in her heart. She wanted to show everyone in her family, and especially those siblings who had been screened out, that she was worthy. She was worthy of these investments.

Now, with the breakthrough in body-refining technology and the company's expansion into physical competitions, she finally had the chance to prove herself to her family and repay her parents. Le Mulan's eyes were fixed intently on Yu Xinghan and Zhang Yu in the distance.

"I originally thought I could take second place..."

With a soft whoosh, Le Mulan surged past Bai Zhenzhen.

"This distance..." Le Mulan continued to stare at Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan, gritting her teeth. "They're too hard to catch... No, I have to at least try..."

Just then, Le Mulan was suddenly surprised to see a shadow appear beside her.

"Someone caught up?""Who?""Song Hailong?"

But seeing the slender figure, Le Mulan knew it wasn't him.

"Then it must be... Bai Zhenzhen?"

A flicker of surprise crossed Le Mulan's face, apparently not expecting the person she had just sped past to catch up. "She can actually keep pace?"

Meanwhile, in the strong wind, Bai Zhenzhen felt tearing pain throughout her body, and her internal organs were under immense pressure. Unlike Zhang Yu, who could unleash immense physical power, pushing past his limits without needing much medication, simply by deeply tapping into his body's potential, Bai Zhenzhen was different. While Bai Zhenzhen had also gained some training benefits from the Red Marrow Primordial Qi through her spirit root during this period, she ultimately couldn't reach Zhang Yu's level. Therefore, before the race, she had given herself 12 consecutive injections, which was the cause of the pressure on her internal organs.

However, after accelerating with Zhang Yu, as her blood circulation intensified and her muscles strained with full effort, she felt the scars on her body growing increasingly painful. So she didn't continue to run at full speed, opting instead to maintain third place.

"I can't catch Yu Xinghan anyway; I'll leave him to Yu-zi.""I need to maintain my physical condition; I can't afford to get injured before the next stage..."

But just as Bai Zhenzhen was thinking this, Le Mulan caught up. Bai Zhenzhen realized she could no longer afford to hold back.

"Yu-zi will defeat Yu Xinghan and take first place.""I have to secure at least third place, or he'll never let me live it down."

Wisps of steam began to rise from Bai Zhenzhen's entire body. Under the intense strain of her muscles, the scars on her skin gradually turned crimson, like dragon claws constantly tearing at her body, causing her a searing, flesh-ripping pain.

Sensing Bai Zhenzhen relentlessly trying to catch up, Le Mulan desperately accelerated, determined to shake her off.

"How can I lose to this pauper?""I need to show everyone in my family that the money invested in me was not wasted."

Bai Zhenzhen clung tightly behind Le Mulan. The two figures surged across the track, their generated drafts colliding, seemingly striking sparks.

"I'll make it into the Top Ten with Yu-zi!"

The crimson scars on Bai Zhenzhen's body grew more vivid, as if about to bleed under her full acceleration, and the constant pain felt like her flesh was being ripped apart.

"Damn it... I knew I shouldn't have skimped on painkillers..."

A furious roar echoed in her mind as Bai Zhenzhen frantically pushed her increasingly agonizing body, stubbornly battling Le Mulan for the final 500 meters. Both roared inwardly, their minds fixated on a single thought: Overtake them! I will overtake them!

The next moment, under Le Mulan's stunned gaze, Bai Zhenzhen surged past her, reclaiming third place.

But as Bai Zhenzhen eagerly looked ahead, she saw that Zhang Yu's pace had slowed slightly. Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan, who had been running neck and neck like two bolts of lightning, had already determined the victor. Ultimately, Yu Xinghan was the first to cross the finish line. Zhang Yu followed closely, stopping with a pale face after crossing the finish line.

Bai Zhenzhen crossed the finish line third and hurried to Zhang Yu, her face etched with concern. "What's wrong?"

Zhang Yu shook his head, signaling that he was alright. He felt his heart. Having pushed himself to the limit repeatedly while battling Yu Xinghan, his heart was pounding faster and faster, feeling as if it would burst from his chest. His heart's frantic beating seemed unable to keep pace with the demands Zhang Yu placed on his body, failing to meet the commands of his will for a physical outburst.

Yet, under these circumstances, amidst the pressure of the fierce competition and Zhang Yu's relentless self-exertion, he felt his heart, in that brief period, achieve a transformation that would normally take days, shattering its previous limits. The cost, however, was the wear and tear on his heart muscle during this grueling race, which caused him to fall behind Yu Xinghan in the final sprint.

"Just like muscles that break through their limits during training, they need to regenerate and recover to become stronger," Zhang Yu mused. "While my heart achieved a breakthrough under this intense pressure, it won't magically become stronger. It requires time and resources to repair and grow before it can become more robust than before."

At this moment, Zhang Yu felt an intense hunger throughout his body. It was not just the need for substantial food and nutrients to replenish the energy expended in the race; his heart, having just undergone a breakthrough, was ravenous, radiating a fierce desire for nourishment to grow even stronger.

"Breaking limits is just that—breaking limits." Zhang Yu touched his chest and thought, "True growth still depends on material and energy foundations. For my heart to become stronger, what it needs now is an abundance of nutrients and food. Then, combined with the Red Marrow Primordial Qi, I can accelerate its digestion and growth."

The Level 10 Red Marrow Primordial Qi had granted Zhang Yu powerful metabolic and digestive capabilities, which was one reason for his rapid increase in physical strength.

On the other side, Yu Xinghan cast a cold glance at Zhang Yu, wondering inwardly, "Was that final slowdown because the drug's effects wore off? Or was it due to side effects?" Though he knew the other party must have used some potent medicine to keep pace, being caught up to by a student from Songyang High School—especially the very person he had replaced as a Golden Core Disciple—filled Yu Xinghan with intense displeasure.

"It seems I was a bit too careless.""For the next round, I'll take some medicine too."

As the surrounding cameras turned to him, Yu Xinghan immediately smiled again. "Everyone, remember to follow Xianyun Group's biomimetic demonic muscle surgery next month..."

After leaving the arena, Yu Xinghan answered a call from Li Xuelian. Li Xuelian was True Person Xinghuo's daughter and Yu Xinghan's nominal senior sister. Li Xuelian's voice came through, "How was the competition?"

Hearing Li Xuelian's question, Yu Xinghan reported his results. "I've secured first place in all three of the initial rounds. There won't be any problems if I take first in the final round as well. Don't worry, Senior Sister, the Xianyun contract won't have any issues. Who else could possibly claim first place in the overall physical competition besides me?"

In the spectator stands.

Le Jingchen's expression was grim, solely because Le Mulan hadn't even placed in the top three, finishing only fourth. Instead, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, who knows what technology or potent drugs they used, had surprisingly pushed their way into the top three. Especially Zhang Yu, who had even run neck and neck with Yu Xinghan for a period. Although this was largely due to Yu Xinghan deliberately slowing down, it was still enough to capture widespread attention and completely overshadow Le Mulan.

"Songyang High School..."

A cold glint flashed in Le Jingchen's eyes, realizing that Purple Cloud High School had been overshadowed by Songyang High School. The next moment, his phone vibrated, and a series of messages arrived. Le Jingchen's gaze swept across his phone screen. He thought, "Zhou Chechen of the Zhou family and Lan Ling of the Lan family both claim there's been no technological breakthrough from Songyang High School? And they're saying this Zhang Yu... is Bai Long Zhang Pianpian's dog?"

Le Jingchen's mind stirred. "Is this White Dragon High School... or Xianyun Group? Is this Xianyun Group's little scheme?" He sharply turned his head towards the large screen, thinking, "If Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen also used Xianyun Group's technology, then wouldn't five of the top ten be people invested in by Xianyun Group?" Le Jingchen seemed to envision that after the sports competition, once the technology behind Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen was revealed, White Dragon and Xianyun Group would emerge as the biggest winners.

After the third round of the competition, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen immediately headed for the buffet area. The pale-faced Zhang Yu walked along, saying, "A-Zhen, I need to eat a lot, then circulate my energy to digest it and strengthen my heart. That way, in the next stage, I can unleash my physical power even more perfectly and defeat Yu Xinghan."

Bai Zhenzhen frowned. "Even if you get first place in the next stage, won't that still be insufficient for overall first place?" The four events of the physical competition were scored as follows: physical strength, 50 points; agility, 75 points; speed, 75 points; and the final strength challenge, 150 points. Bai Zhenzhen felt that with Yu Xinghan having already secured first place in the first three stages, Zhang Yu wouldn't be able to catch up, even if he scored all 150 points in the fourth.

"So, I don't just need to take first place; I also need to create a significant lead over him in the strength challenge," Zhang Yu stated gravely. "Yu Xinghan currently has a perfect score of 200 points from the first three stages, while I have 191. Scores are based on the contestants' performance. If I secure first place and 150 points, the more I outperform Yu Xinghan in the next strength competition, the lower his score will be. To beat him, I'll need to push his score below 141 points—in other words, lead him by more than 9 points."

Bai Zhenzhen found this incredibly daunting. "Leading that monster Yu Xinghan by more than 9 points in a 150-point event? Is that even possible?"

"Possible or not, I have to try," Zhang Yu replied. "Also, to allow the athletes who just gave their all to fully rest and recover their energy, there's an hour and a half break before the next stage. We can accomplish a lot in that time."

Upon reaching the buffet area, Bai Zhenzhen brought Zhang Yu plate after plate of food, watching him ravenously devour it.