Zhuan An 3

With the cheering still going on behind him, Xiao Fan jogged on.

By now the weight pushing him down from his shoulders might be heavier than before, however, so was the finish line close to him, only a couple hundred meters and he would be done with this excruciating training.

Driving himself forwards, Xiao Fan even sped up his pace. He knew he was going to get there now, and there was no need to be saving stamina anymore, right? It wasn't like Zhuan An would make him run the same thing once more? No, no, she wouldn't.

His back now straitening a little, he came to the last corner where like some seventy times before he made a turn and then, now looking up ran forward.

He might have straightened his back, however, it wasn't like he knew what was in front of him, but there was nothing more than to run forwards so why should he care? His muscle couldn't even do anything else than run forwards and turn anymore.

Now at a running speed again, he quickly finished the last lap, thought the end to it came rather quickly, it was an instant stop at the point he could only think as the finish line.

Having given a little thought to anything else than running forward the hand which had blocked his momentum forward from the stomach was a surprise.

*Pugh*

Xiao Fan's lungs emptied from the stop, the metal plates pressing into them heavily for the hand that the iron plates had met themselves was just as immovable.

¨Okay hero, you can stop now¨ The hand stopping him belonged to the same person as this voice did, Zhuan An, his current trainer.

She had come down from the stands to stop him from continuing if he would do so, and like she had thought Xiao Fan might have just continued since it was the only thing in his mind.

Zhuan An didn't know or expect that Xiao Fan was still well conscious.

¨Any less sudden ways to stop?¨ He spoke after having fallen onto his ass.

¨Oh you were still fine? I'm so sorry!¨ She, hearing him speak spoke right after, the two sentences almost coming out of her mouth at the same time her head was coming down to look at him.

¨I'm just exhausted¨ Xiao Fan spoke plainly, his body now lying on the floor, yet having stretched his hands over his head so that his lungs could work at larger dozes per breath.

¨That's normal, that's normal. You did well!¨ She after saying exhaustion at this point was normal complimented since she thought Xiao Fan was lamenting.

A chuckle could be heard leaving Xiao Fan as a response to this ¨Have anything to eat, drink?¨ He wasn't using any filler words.

¨O-of course, let me get them out for you¨ She stammered when realising she should have been offering him something to start recovering, now was the point where the improvement would be happening so getting energy was an absolute must.

Though it was a little weird since the thing she was feeding him was a singular piece of something from a candy bar? What? How would one small piece from some random candy bar help him recover? He would need hundreds of those to even feel something hitting his stomach.

Yet when she stuffed the piece into his mouth and then used her hand gently to make biting happen with his mouth, he realised it was something special. Well, Xiao Fan had already found what this was by the time it was going down his throat.

The Book of Cultivation, Body Realm cultivation and tips and experiences, page 686: Though eating large amounts of food is fine and has the same end result. Most poor cultivators use something that is compressed into bites which have the same amount of energy.

And by the time he had re-read the information, he was feeling how a small piece of this bar gave him enough energy to keep running a few more laps easily. However, for now, he would stay in the ground. There was no way he would be running extra laps, no matter how hard Zhuan An would argue.

¨Why didn't you give me one to eat during the running? With one of those in my pocket, I would have finished the third time a long time ago¨ He now focussed on this.

¨I wanted to see how long can you run. Now it will be easier for me to decide how much you will be running in your new schedule¨ Zhuan An didn't back down even if his tone was a little sour. He, himself had asked for help, and she would, for sure, do her best to come up with a plan that maximised his gains.

¨Oh, so a test?¨ Xiao Fan got what she wanted to say to him. He had almost forgotten the whole training help ask of his during that for multiple reasons.

¨Yes a test, first of many¨ She spoke, her tone too happy for Xiao Fan's liking.

¨First of many, as in we will continue tomorrow with test number two?¨ He tried to dip his feet into the water of what her statement meant.

¨No, today¨ She cleared his misunderstanding.

'Today!' He exclaimed in his mind while feeling how he somehow got closer to the ground.

¨Don't worry, it will be fun and productive¨ She spoke as her hand tried to stuff another precious piece of her bar into his mouth.

'Excruciating and grinding' Was his version of her cheering saying, yet he didn't say so, but happily received the piece of whatever this was.

¨Good stuff¨ He said when getting the second pice to go down his food pipe.

¨Better be, these cost way too much¨ She said.

What the Book of Cultivation called poor cultivators, in this case, meant Zhuan An, a sect elders daughter.

Even the lone guy, who had been cheering for Xiao Fan by the second straight was amazed only when seeing one of those pieces being stuffed into Xiao Fan's mouth. He hadn't seen the first as he had been getting water for the person who had now stopped running.

¨Who are you two?¨ He asked. In his mind, there was no way to ordinary disciples training in this area could afford something like compressed products.

¨I'm Zhuan An. He's Xiao Fan, the person who became an inner sect disciple a few days ago¨ Zhuan An gave their names to the person who was bringing her hubby water.

Following her saying so, she sifted her focus back to Xiao Fan ¨Cmon get up¨ Then helping him get up even if he didn't need it.

Because from those two bites was Xiao Fan already feeling somewhat okay so he didn't need help, but it wasn't like he would shoo her away, he happily took her help.

¨Thanks¨ He thanked her for it, smiling.

That was well enough for Zhuan An, as he then turned towards the newcomer leaning onto the thing that should contain water.

¨Thank you for the water¨ Xiao Fan spoke to the man, who had brought him something which he most desired to become a part of him, water.

The man took a moment to respond ¨No, no. It's really nothing¨

He hadn't really thought that an elder's daughter would be watching a man train in the middle of the night, but oh well, the fact that he met someone related to an elder was enough. Then as the next logical thing for him, he checked Zhuan An 'lovely' he thought, then his eyes went to Xiao Fan who should be her companion or something, on him 'dam' he thought when seeing that there was no way.

¨No need to be so modest, you cheering me on there helped me a lot, and now you are also bringing me water¨ Xiao Fan replied to him, unknowing that he had just checked if he had any chances to take Zhuan An from him.

¨Then all is good. Here, press the stick at the end of it and water will flow out¨ The man didn't stay on that topic, he chose to take it and tell how he could get water out from the hose he was giving him.

Leaving Zhuan, who was waiting for the moment explain this to Xiao Fan sour while the person who didn't know how to operate the water hose thank him again.

Meanwhile, as Xiao Fan was getting his fill of water Zhuan An came next to Xiao Fan, yet didn't talk to him, but the newcomer ¨Who are you?¨ She asked the person asking their names yet not giving his own.

For a moment the man was surprised to hear her talk directly to him, however, knowing he had no chance his excitement died down just as fast as his surprisal ¨Oh sorry, it's Fu Huiqing. My name is Fu Huiqing¨ He repeated it once.

¨Well Fu Huiqing it was nice meeting, but me and Xiao Fan will be continuing our training¨ Zhuan An was shooing the random person coming over, taking her job.

Fu Huiqing, seeing that he was being shooed away by a sect elder's daughter in a situation like this was a little appalled, however, what else he could do than comply?

¨It was nice meeting you too¨ He then left, only taking a quick look at Xiao Fan, who was still focussed on the water station.

Though Xiao Fan could see him leaving, yet didn't stop his current thing of gulping down water to see him off, he simply waved with the hand that wasn't controlling the flow of water.

He had heard, his name and how Zhuan An had shooed him away.

So when he was then done with the water, he questioned the girl acting so coldly ¨Wow, that was cold treatment¨ As he put down the hose onto the barrel Fu Huiqing had brought him.

¨What cold treatment? Moreover, It's our time still, and I say no others¨ Zhuan An didn't see how her treatment of Fu Huiqing could be said as cold?

¨Whatever. What I'm interested in is what kind of testing are you still going to be putting me through?¨ He approved of Fu Huiqing, but he wasn't going to argue for him with Zhuan An, so he focussed on the more real things.

¨Yes yes, the tests. The first one is going to be the one-arm overhead press. For now, we'll let your feet calm down¨ Zhuan An getting the order to proceed with the testing did just that and so guided him towards a spot in the training field.

The place which they were walking towards seemed to be the free weights section of the training field. The area was filled with something akin to the long bar in the squat, but they weren't a lot wider than several handgrips in length.

¨First, I'll try to teach you the move¨ Was the first thing Zhuan An said when they got there.

She then took one of those short bars for herself, and then gave another one to him ¨Just follow what I'm doing, from my body to the short bar itself.

¨So it's a short bar¨ He thought aloud, knowing that she wouldn't mind him saying something like that, it only made her happier since she knew she was doing something which was important to him and his future.

¨Now you lift it ¨ She spoke when she had been for a while demonstrating the movement.

¨Sure¨ He then pushed his right hand upwards, the way that he had gotten it.

When the short barbell had gone up and down, he took a look at her, who was messaging him to lift it up and down a few more times with her hand.

Complying and lifting for a moment did Zhuan An then come to him with the verdict, coming close enough so that she could touch him.

¨Put your arm back¨ She took hold of his arm and then pushed it back so that it was in line with his chest ¨Don't rely on your spine¨ She then pushed his stomach back into form ¨Lastly, you can use your legs to start the lift¨ She went around him touching his body, fixing the mistakes and giving him free tips.