Seeing that Ian Song wasn't joking, the four girls didn't dare risk defying his orders and started running laps around the track.
During the first lap, there was little difference; all four girls kept almost the same pace and position.
But starting from the second lap, the gaps between the four girls gradually widened.
Surprisingly, leading the pack was Molly Wang, followed by Kelly Wu, with tomboy Sierra Chen barely ahead of Kelsey Zhang by one position.
One lap is a thousand meters; three laps make three thousand meters.
As modern technology advances, the nation's physical fitness has only declined. Not to mention girls—even most average guys can't finish the run.
Actually, Ian wasn't trying to make things hard for them by having them run laps; he wanted to test their physical condition and mental toughness.
Martial arts demand perseverance and a resilient mind. If you can't even finish three thousand meters, Ian thinks there's no point in wasting time teaching you martial arts.
By the end of the second lap, all four girls were slowing down, especially Kelsey Zhang, who was now trailing far behind.
"Ian, maybe let them stop? They're girls after all, I'm worried their bodies can't handle it!" Gavin Gan said anxiously.
"Do you think I'm just making things difficult for them?" Ian Song looked at Gavin Gan with a faint trace of disappointment in his eyes.
Feeling Ian's gaze, Gavin Gan panicked and hurried to explain, "Ian, don't misunderstand, that's not what I meant!"
Ian's tone deepened. "Becoming a martial artist means stepping into another world—a world far more dangerous than that of ordinary people. That's why anyone who trains must have an unyielding heart. If you can't even run three thousand meters, you aren't qualified to be a martial artist.
You're still weak now, so maybe you don't feel it yet. But once you reach a certain level, you'll realize just how cruel this world is. If you want to live longer, you need to master your martial skills and become stronger!"
"Master, I really feel the truth in your words!" Bella Ba interjected. "My Ba Family is a small martial clan; without proper methods and resources, even a lifetime of effort doesn't lead to much achievement.
Luckily, I met Master. Otherwise, I probably would never reach Postnatal Great Perfection in this life."
At this point, Bella Ba looked meaningfully at Leon Long and Gavin Gan, and continued, "Whether it's the martial arts Master taught you or the pills he gave you, they're things countless martial artists dream of but can never obtain in their lifetimes. So you need to treasure them! Let me give you an example.
Take the Dragon-Elephant Force we're cultivating—it's an Innate-level internal art. If it went to auction, it would fetch at least tens of billions. And those Marrow-Cleansing Pills we've taken are just as precious, impossible to buy with money!"
Here, Bella Ba's tone grew especially emotional. "Meeting Master is the luckiest thing that's ever happened to us!"
Hearing this, Leon Long and Gavin Gan both looked serious and a little embarrassed. Before, they hadn't realized how valuable their martial arts and pills were. Now, understanding their true worth, they felt ashamed—and deeply grateful to Ian Song.
"Ian... we...!"
Ian Song waved his hand. "I'm not saying this to make you thank me. I just want you to understand: with greater advantages, you have to work even harder to achieve greater things."
"Don't worry, Ian! We definitely won't let you down!" the two replied in unison.
At this point, Molly Wang and Kelly Wu had already started their third lap.
Sierra Chen had completed most of her second lap, but Kelsey Zhang had only managed half and looked unlikely to finish even that.
As time passed, Kelly Wu finally overtook Molly Wang and was the first to finish all three laps.
This made Ian Song very satisfied; this girl's tenacity was impressive.
It was clear she was exhausted, but instead of resting, she ran to Kelsey Zhang, joined her side, and kept cheering her on.
Because of this, Ian Song thought even more highly of Kelly Wu.
Finally, Molly Wang also finished all three laps. But as soon as she crossed the line, she collapsed to the ground—three thousand meters was a huge challenge for someone who rarely exercised.
"Bella, go help Molly Wang with acupoint massage!" Ian Song instructed.
"Yes, Master!"
After more than ten minutes, Sierra Chen also finished. Gavin Gan rushed over, caught her just as she was about to collapse, and channeled a bit of his inner energy into her to ease her fatigue.
With Kelly Wu's encouragement, Kelsey Zhang managed two and a half laps, but Ian Song could see she was at her absolute limit.
Still, she refused to give up. Even though her running was now barely faster than walking, she grit her teeth and kept going.
"Kelsey, hang in there—just half a lap left!" Kelly Wu wiped the sweat from her forehead and encouraged Kelsey Zhang between gasps.
"Sis... don't worry, I won't embarrass you!"
At last, after another twenty minutes, Kelsey Zhang finished all three laps. Just as she reached the finish, her body swayed and she started to fall. Ian Song strode forward, crossing seven or eight meters in one step, and caught her right before she hit the ground, then sent a strand of true essence into her body.
With Ian Song's true essence nourishing her, Kelsey Zhang quickly recovered. Then Ian sent another strand of true essence into Kelly Wu.
Undeniably, all four girls had earned Ian Song's approval.
Afterwards, Ian Song didn't teach them any cultivation method. Instead, he handed each of them a Marrow-Cleansing Pill, telling them to take it back at their dorms.
It was nearly noon.
A piece of news spread through Waterwood University.
The news came from Waterwood University's campus forum.
No one knew who posted that Rina Miyamoto would fight Leon Long and Gavin Gan at 5 p.m. today in Gymnasium No. 3.
Recently, Leon Long and Gavin Gan had challenged several clubs and gained some fame; everyone knew these two could really fight.
Although Rina Miyamoto wasn't a Waterwood University student, she was a beauty.
With both factors combined, the news quickly went viral. Ian Song heard many people saying they planned to go watch the excitement at Gymnasium No. 3 at five.
When Leon Long and Gavin Gan learned about it, they were furious.
They knew they weren't a match for Rina Miyamoto—the bigger the crowd, the greater their embarrassment would be.
At noon, in the cafeteria.
"Ian, what should we do?"
Both Gavin Gan and Leon Long stared at Ian Song, waiting for him to make a decision.
Ian Song shook his head. He didn't have any good solution either; the gap between them and Rina Miyamoto was simply too great—they couldn't possibly beat her.
"Damn! Who leaked the news?" Gavin Gan cursed angrily.
"That's obvious—it was Hiro Miyamoto!" Leon Long said coldly. "Fuso people act polite on the surface, but they're full of dirty tricks!"
"Uh-oh!"
Sitting nearby, Bella Ba suddenly changed expression while browsing the campus forum.